I packed a couple of rolls for lunch, 1 peanut butter and honey and 1 ham, mixed up 3 bottles of Torq 1 750 ml bottle and 2 500 ml bottles, I also packed two 350ml bottles of Lucozade in the back pack, I also packed a packet of Jaffa Cakes in the Fuel Tank for the in ride nourishment.
I eventualy set off from home at 8:40 am (Not sure why so late? I got up early and everything!) It really was quite cold! and hard work fighting into a head wind all of the time.
I did actualy get around to stopping and taking a photo of one of my favourite village names :-)
It's on the road from Chippenham to Yatton Keynell and if you blink let alone wink you miss it!
From TiddleyWink it was on to Yate then the Severn Bridge thankfully when I reached the Severn the sun was well and trully out, although it was still a tadge cold.
The first glimpses of the bridge...
The cycle path to the bridge is very 'interesting' to find!
I have a very healthy fear of heights so just focused ahead!!
Eventually I popped out the other side at Chepstow and in Wales :-)
A quick ride through Chepstow....Hmmm well not that quick as I was still fighting a headwind!
And I popped out at Chepstow Castle :-)
Then I was heading back into England.
And little did I know the start of a massively long climb that appeared to continue for 10 miles!
On the plus side I was passed at the bridge where I was taking photos by 2 chaps on bikes, I had overtaken them by the top of the hill :-)
When I got to the top it was time to remove the windproof jacket and cycle trousers, I was in the process of melting!
It wasn't long before I got my first glimpses of the Forest of Dean and thankfully some payback for all of the climbing - some massively down hill bits :-)
The forest was a fantastic place to cycle through :-) I stopped for lunch at 55 miles, halfway up another steep hill!
The view down the hill was awesome!
The gradient got a lot steeper further up the road:-(
I found a nice log to park the bike up against and park my arse on! I consumed the 2 rolls and 1 of the lucozade's
From the Forest it was more hard climbing to Cinderford then downhillish to Gloucester.
Things started of well in Gloucester this time - I did have to stop at a small raising bridge to let a boat go through.
Then things went awry, I got lost! I was heading south, but to Bristol not Stroud :-(
After heading south for a mile or two, I came across a right turn to Stroud, this did result in another long drawn out hill but eventually I was back on track.
Then It was more hill climbing to Stroud, I stopped half way up a long drawn out hill to consume the second lucozade and cool down a bit!
From Stroud it was straight forward to Nailsworth, then I was back on familiar roads to Tetbury and Malmesbury, I deviated from the planned route and came home via the backroads to Sutton Benger and Tytherton Lucas - Mainly because the Gloucester deviation added 5 miles or so to the route all ready and I wanted to get home before 5pm!
The cycle computer had today's ride as 107.87 miles in 7 hours 23 minutes with an average speed of 14.5 mph (The Headwind all the way to Gloucester was a killer!)
The RunGPS plot can be found here...
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