Today's Ride Out

I could of done double the distance today. Felt good on the bike and despite lashing rain and strong winds, mentally I was there and enjoying the road. I set out to do a few hours as I had to be home by a certain time so set out to do a 30 mileish loop. It turned out to be a bit of a saga in the end. My rear derailleur kept skipping so I popped into a bike shop to get it adjusted whilst I was out (as I couldn't get out of the saddle for fear of a knock in the howsyourfathers). The young guy in the shop managed to break my rear mudguard whilst getting it up on the stand, so having traded the running repair in compensation for my now broken mudguard I got going again (albeit with water now shooting up my shorts and back). Couple of scary moments as I went down the descent at the 22M point - going down towards Walton - when big gusts of wind were knocking me sideways whilst descending. At one point, the gust pushed me into a slush deposit, how I managed to stay upright, I don't know. I enjoyed coming down the hill, so I turned round and rode the three or so miles back up again and then shot down into Stockton Heath which is the big descent around the 28 mile mark on my way towards home. All was going well until I picked up a flat around 2 miles from home. My wheels were absolutely filthy, so my hands got really dirty and it was so cold I could hardly change the tube. I managed to pinch the replacement tube in the end, so had to call for a new wheel to be driven out to me by my daughter. All's well that ends well. Got home after about 3 hours, wet through and cold and had the most enjoyable hot bath (after I'd cleaned the bike of course). Total Distance 34 miles, avg speed 13.9mph (it was windy), fastest speed 26.5mph, total ascent 1353ft, total calories 2650, total punctures 1.