I didn't ride out with the club today. Had a time restriction window of having to be home by half-twelve and the club were planning a slightly longer ride than usual, so decided to get in the saddle and put some miles in the legs. Thought it would be a good idea to ride to Manchester, have a coffee at Starbucks, get the train from Salford back to Newton and then do another 10 miles or so, a good plan. I whizzed out around half-nine and headed over to Astley via the A580, cut across over into Worsley, nipped down through Salford and came into Manchester Deangsgate via Salford Quays. Weather on the way started well, but got progressively worse. It tipped it down and blew a gale just as I came to Salford. It's one of those moments - that I'm learning - as a road cyclist that you just put your head down, rely on your kit and keep spinning the pedals. I have to confess I swore at myself a few times under my breath to keep motivated and attack the wind, rather than let it beat me. Mental toughness is the other thing that seems to be a characteristic of a road cyclist. Reaching Starbucks, I had a 20 min break or so, something to eat and some fluids and at that point, I thought "sod it" I'm going to ride the 20M or so home rather than take the train. So, fuelled up I jumped back in the saddle for the ride home straight down the East Lancs. I felt strong today, for the first seven miles or so, I was at 19mph as the route was pretty flat (intentionally). Overall ride stats were: - Total Ride Time 2Hrs 48 Mins, Total Distance 41.2miles (66km), average speed 14.5mph, Avg Cadence 91 (higher than usual due to wind), Calories 2783, Avg HR 156.
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