Sunday 9th August - second ride with the CTC

On Sunday we did our second ride with the CTC. It was a gorgeous sunny day and we met up with Kirby at 9:30 and cycled to Clyst. St Mary to meet the others. This week was a joint ride with Torbay, so there was a much bigger group than last week and it was great to meet some more cycling fanatics!

From Clyst St. Mary we cycled through lots of lanes that I never even knew were there. It was lovely to cycle with a big group while it lasted...as soon as we got to the first hill, I was soon overtaken and left struggling at the back! It was a bit disheartening, but I was determined to grit my teeth and keep going. I distinctly remember someone (mentioning no names!!) telling me last week that the route to Exmouth was fairly flat so I would be ok. Believing that was a mistake - it seemed to me to be uphill all the way! Just as Kirby was congratulating me for cycling up my longest hill yet, I found myself facing another hill at the top of which Kirby exclaimed: 'Well done, that's your steepest hill yet...' Hmmm, yes, quite a flat route....not!!

Despite the hills, I battled on and was encouraged by promises that the garden centre where we were stopping for coffee was a favourite due to its vast range of wonderful cakes. At least this time they were telling the truth! On arrival at the centre, extremely red faced and puffed out, I was delighted to feast my eyes on all the cakes and instantly picked out a chocolate fudge slice...it was worth the effort after all!

Over a pot of tea we discussed cycling gear, cycling routes, interest in mountain biking (that was Anthoney not me, I'll be doing something else that week!) and potential routes home. The rest of the group were cycling on to Budleigh, so we decided to follow them into Exmouth - which included the new stretch of cycle path between Lympstone and Exmouth - and to leave them there and get the ferry to Starcross. This was the easy option, as it meant we didn't have to climb back up the hill we'd just come down at very high speed! Saying goodbye to the others, we cycled to the end of the seafront (and took some pictures to prove we went all the way to the end and didn't cheat!) and then headed back up to catch the ferry.

Getting on to the ferry was straightforward and the sea breeze was a welcome break from the heat of the day. Getting off the other end wasn't quite so straight forward as it involved lugging the bikes up the steps from the ferry and then over the railway bridge at Starcross Station. Anthoney was a star and came to rescue me when I got stuck half way up the first flight of stairs! From then on though, we knew we had a familiar and flat route back home.

We stopped at Powderham to take pictures of the deer who were all lying out in the sun and then slowly made our way to the Turf Locks. The track between Powderham and the Turf locks is very narrow and as it was such a beautiful day it was very busy with both walkers and cyclists, making it very tricky to get anywhere. I walked the first section, then stopped to take a break and admire the beautiful estuary view. Spotting a gap in the 'traffic' I jumped back on the bike again and carried on to Turf. We had a quick pit stop at Turf before hitting the final leg home. This was relatively uneventful, other than stopping to photograph one little gosling who was cheeping away. Earlier in the day we had seen four or five of them by the side of the path, so I hope they were somewhere nearby.

As usual, I was glad of a shower when we got back, but I didn't feel too sore afterwards. Overall we'd done 28.9 miles, so a little less than last time. In comparison, it was more difficult on the way due to the hills, but we did have a very leisurely and ride home. Ah well, it's all good practice and I'm already looking forward to the next ride - although we can't make the weekend rides for a while now, so we must try and do some shorter mid week rides in between though, otherwise I'll be back to square one again by September!

PS - in the evening we wandered down to the Quay to catch the last of the sunshine from the day and I couldn't resist putting on a photo of the baby moorhen we spotted. It's not got anything to do with the cycling, it's just cute!

Newsflash!!

My 'Pedal to Paris' justgiving page is now up and online, so you can start sponsoring me!!

Visit: www.justgiving.com/amandaspedaltoparis

On another note, I started looking at cycling equipment today and was completely confused and overwhelmed by it all - it's clearly going to take me a while to work out what I actually need and what will be worth investing in!

Sunday 2nd August - First ride with the CTC
Today was our first ride with the CTC. We met up with Kirby near home and cycled to the start point at Cowley Bridge. From there we cycled to Stoke Canon, then through some lovely quiet country roads before joining the main road again and in to Bickleigh.

The pace was somewhat faster than we are used to and I really struggled with the hills! Kirby kindly kindly gave me a push to help me get going again when I came to a complete stop up the final hill on the way to Bickleigh - thank you! It was great to ride with a group and to be able to chat as we cycled along and we had chance to chat to a few more people at the coffee stop. Everyone was very welcoming and offered lots of advice on bike tyres, good kit and the best place to get your bike serviced...all very helpful.

Despite feeling refreshed after a sit down, a nice cool drink and a delicious piece of lemon cake, we decided to head back home while the others ventured further, so we said our goodbyes and started making our way back. We took a slight detour, but a quick stop to look at the map Kirby had given us soon got us back on track.

Just after spotting a sign warning us of ducks crossing the road, we did indeed see ducks on the road! Sadly they had waddled back to the farmyard by the time I got my camera out, but it was lovely to see them. I must find a way to keep my camera more handy whilst we're cycling.

Heading back into Exeter, we stopped at the Imperial for a well earned lunch. My legs were surprisingly wobby and I was worried I would struggle on the final leg back home. After some food I felt much better again though and made it home without any trouble. Although I was still feeling very sore, my spirits soared when Anthoney reported that we'd done 32 miles - that's 10 miles further than our longest ride to date! I think it will still be a while before we're ready to join the full CTC rides, but that was a great start and I'm looking forward to the next adventure next week! What a great way to spend a Sunday morning!