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!