23/03/14
After the last one I thought something flat might be nice; an ‘easy’ 100 km around Cambridgeshire, which strayed into Essex and Suffolk too. I don’t know this part of the country at all, so I thought it would be worth a visit. One of the controls was a cafe at which another ride had arrived, and a few bikers…but they did a grand job (hence all the bikes in the photo below).
The wind was favourable for the first half, which I think assisted my average speed of around 13 mph, which is good for me. The forecast was for showers in the afternoon, but we were pretty lucky, just a bit of hail on the last leg. I had gone dressed for the rain though and was a bit too hot in my ancient waterproof. Another opportunity to spend money approaches I think.
It was well organised and friendly, nice quiet roads, but I think confirmed my love of more mountainous landscapes. Which is unfortunate as that means more struggling up hills! It was good to do a ride so soon (for me) after the last one and both me and the bike felt good.
The nice thing about the flat landscape was the big sky, and what a day for it. Sun, dramatic clouds and distant rain. Driving back (first ride with the van) I was mainly heading towards the setting sun amongst the rain, which made for a challenging drive but fantastic views. Approaching Coventry on the M6 it was very clear, and I could see the spires and tower blocks – rather beautiful.
68 miles, 6 hrs 35