Ride 15/05/2022

Today was the clubs 100 miles randonnee to St Andrews and after yesterdays slog I was looking for an easy ride So for most of the ride I was either in the group or at the back which suited me fine. We were up against a head wind all the way to St Andrews and it wasn’t as sunny or as warm as yesterday. There were times when I was a bit cold and was glad when we got to our cafe stop at St Andrews where I could warm up a bit. Soup and coffee for lunch today but no cake but I had gels with me so this was fine. After lunch we had a tail wind home which was nice and the sun did show it’s face a couple of times. Todays ride was a lot better than yesterdays, far easier to do, less climbing and sitting in the middle of the group meant I could take it easy 111 miles clocked up today at an avg speed of 15 mph with only 4700 feet of climbing, and thats me completing the double century for the first time back to back

Ride 14/05/2022

Today I was doing the clubs sportive, Tour of the Kingdom black route which is basically 100 miles of cycling over 6000 feet of climbing. This is scheduled to run on the 28th of this month but because I am doing the ride London on the 29th I won’t have time to do this ride when it’s run, so I decided I would be it myself today. It’s a good day to do it on as it’s reasonable warm but there was a headwind to deal with which made this a bit more challenging. I was doing this on my own as everyone else was doing the normal bun run today. So for the first 40 miles or so I would have a tail wind as I was heading along the coast towards Largoward before turning north and heading towards Pitscottie. But this would mean that once in Pitscottie I would turn west into the headwind into Falkland and again heading north towards Auchtermuchty for my lunch stop. I had cycled 55 miles by the time I got to the cafe for lunch and I was quite hungry as fighting the head wind and climbing a lot of hills takes it out of you. I was taking my time today as I would be doing the club 100 mile ride to St Andrews tomorrow but even at this pace it was still hard going. After lunch I headed towards Newburgh and Abernethy before heading south again over another big climb into Strathmiglo. Again another turn to west into the headwind towards Kinross by which time I was getting quite tired and I hadn’t hit my biggest climb yet. Once past Kinross I headed south again and this time I would be going over Cleish my biggest climb of the day, they save the big stuff for always last Anyway once I was over this, slowly, I would be heading for Kelty and then back home clocking up 100 miles and over 6100 feet of climbing. I also forgot to connect my power meter for a little bit and my heart rate monitor cut out as well for a bit, but on a none windy day this would be a good ride as I was riding in placed I’ve never heard of before or have even ridden in. So 100 miles clocked up at 15 mph avg speed.

Ride 08/05/2022

7 of us on the bun run today and what a better weather day it is, warm with a little sunshine and no wind After yesterdays ride I was looking to do about 65 miles today so I followed the group to the cafe stop and then after than once we hit Kincardine bridge I went my separate way. Rather than heading back home the normal route via the coast I would cross over the river and head for Linlithgow. I could go a bit faster here as I made my way towards Kirkliston and then headed north to cross the river again via the Forth road bridge. I then headed for Dalgety bay and up the hill back home clocking up 66 miles at 16 mph.

Ride 07/05/2022

20 of us on today’s bun run, weather wise it’s overcast but no rain or strong wind. I was just doing the normal route today with no extra miles due to the fact I would be going to the cinema this afternoon to watch Dr Strange so for today I clocked up 50 miles at an avg speed of 15 mph.

Ride 01/05/2022

6 of us on the bun run today and after yesterdays big ride I wasn’t looking for another big one so I stuck to the normal route. Weather wise it’s a bit warmer than yesterday and it didn’t rain but it was overcast for most of the ride. Not too windy either today so it was a relatively easy ride for today clocking up 50 miles at an avg speed of 15 mph.

Ride 24/04/2022

So today we planed a different route rather than doing the club bun run and decided to ride to St Andrews. There were 4 of us today and weather wise it started out pleasant enough with sunshine but by just after lunch time it started to rain, not hard, light most of the time but we did ride over 30 miles in it which was enough to get wet in, especially since I didn’t have my rain jacket. We took the coastal route around to St Andrews whilst stopping at Anstruther and Carpow for our 2 cafe stops. Sandwiches and cake at the first stop and soup and cake at the second stop We clocked up over a 100 miles today, 105 for me personally at an avg speed of 15 mph, not a bad day to be honest and for someone who has ridden over a 100 miles I actually feel fine, like I’ve done a lot less which is a bit weird for me I think. Usually I’m pretty shattered after a 100 miles, not sure if that’s a good thing but I can live with it

Ride 24/04/2022

6 of us on the bun run today and we decided to ride to Cupar. As with yesterday it was windy today and rather have a head wind all the way home we changed the normal route to have a tailwind all the way home This would mean we were headwind all the way to Cupar and our cafe stop but this was fine. It was sunny to start with today but it was overcast once we came out of the cafe stop to head home. To get to Cupar we were north of the Lomonds but south on the return home. I added a little bit on the end of the ride to make it up to 70 miles again, like yesterday, and again did this at 16 mph avg speed. All in all it was a better ride today I’m not as knackered as yesterday and it always helps having a tailwind going home

Ride 23/04/2022

16 of us on the bun run today and weather wise it’s ok a bit on the windy side but sunny. We had a tail wind all the way to the cafe stop which was nice, but of course this would also mean we had a head wind all the way home I was also doing some extra miles again today so I followed Ken down to Dalgety Bay and then continued on my own from their to Kirkcaldy. This made for a tough ride since I was head wind all the way from Muircott to Kirkcaldy with some side winds chucked in for good measure. Once in Kirkcaldy I headed for Cardenden which would now allow me a tail wind all the way back home From Cardenden to Lochgelly and Cowndenbeath to home, and by the time I got back home I had clocked up 70 miles at an avg speed of 16 mph and that was enough for me as my legs were starting to ache.

Ride 17/04/2022

So today was the clubs 100k randonee with about 20 of us doing it today split over 2 groups. Weather wise it’s overcast, again a bit cold to start off with but warming up in the afternoon, with a little bit of wind. We would be riding the Braco route today which takes us over Knockhill, through Glendevon, around Gleneagles, through Braco and the back home via Dunblane, Stirling, Alloa and the coastal road to Dunfermline. We stopped at the Coffee Bothy for our cafe stop which was just shy of 50 miles for me, so i had a decent lunch of soup, coke and cake I wanted to do 100 miles today as I did the 100k yesterday so I headed for Dalgety Bay and then up to Crossgates for a loop around Loch Leven which would get me my distance, I would be on my own from Dalgety Bay, no one brave enough to follow me Once around Loch Leven I stopped in Kinross for a coffee, at this point I was at 100 miles and pretty tired so I needed a break. I then headed the 10 miles home from here to get me up to 110 miles by the time I got home at an avg speed of 16 mph. Although it was a fairly flat route and I wasn’t going fast I was damn tired by the time I got home but pleased with the ride as a whole, it gets me in good stead for the Ride London in 6 weeks.

Ride 16/04/2022

Bit of an overcast day, not freezing but a bit chilly to start with and warming up a bit in the afternoon. Given the weather there were a lot of us on the bun run, about 23, the largest group I’ve seen since lockdown. This facilitated 2 groups this morning at a steady pace to the cafe stop. Thankfully it’s not too windy today so we weren’t in for a hard ride. I wanted to do some extra again today so I followed the group down to Dunfermline and then headed for Kirkcaldy via Dalgety Bay. I was looking to do about 65 miles today so I hammered it from Dalgety Bay to Kirkcaldy, I was still feeling good, and then headed back to Crossgates via Auchtertool and Cowdenbeath, a more hilly route but one I’m very familiar with. So 67 miles clocked up at 16 mph avg speed

Ride 10/04/2022

9 of us on the bun run today and it’s still pretty cold but not as windy as yesterday so it’s a slightly better weather day. Usual bun run today but I was looking for some extra so after the cafe stop and once we reached Kincardine bridge I parted ways from the rest of the group and crossed the river. I was going to do the 2 bridges today as I was looking to do at least 60 miles. I had a tail wind going home, not a strong one but enough to make the journey back home a pleasant one. By the time I got home I had actually clocked up 65 miles at an avg speed of 16 mph which was fine with me

Ride 09/04/2022

Another bright sunny day but bitterly cold, 12 of us on the bun run today. We did the usual route and after the cafe stop I even went the normal way home but to get my 50 miles target I did a little loop around Mossmorran and back through Cowdenbeath to make the miles up. It did eventually warm up a bit but only to about 7-8 degrees before I got home. So 50 miles clocked up at 16 mph avg speed.