Knowing that this was the first day of the charity ride spurred me on to make a BIG start and so I set off seeking my first century ride in England (102 miles)
It was a hot day but not as hot as some of the rides last year in America! I must admit the last 25 miles were a struggle. I was close to running out of water but I made it!
I started off by heading for the Somerset levels, past Glastonbury Tor and rode towards Taunton before turning up towards the Bristol Channel. I then passed through, Bridgwater, Burnham-on-Sea, Brean, Weston-Super-Mare and Sandbay, before turning back inland towards the village of Sandford, where I used to live!
I stopped at the store in Sandford as a refreshment break but, thereon, there was a headwind and I rather struggled on my own. Had I been riding with others this part of the journey would have been made easier by sharing the load and taking it in turns to cycle into the wind.
By now the temperatures were in the mid-80sF/ mid-20sC and keeping hydrated was vital. I was wearing a Camelback water backpack and this helped keep me going but the first few gulps of water were always warm due to the water being in a tube exposed to the outside temperature.
Having cycled round Chew Valley Lake, I headed back on to the Mendips and home. Phew!
Due to the high mileage, I received a number of postcards:
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