The Morning After...

Saturday brought downpours of rain to Devon and the very sad news that the Jurassic Classic ride had been cancelled due to severe flooding along the route. We were dubious about setting off on a long ride when we didn't know what the road conditions were like, but the silver lining for us came when we discovered that the CTC volunteers for Sunday's big ride now found themselves at a loss, so Roy bravely took on the challenge of finding a flood free route for a group of daring explorers on two wheels!

We met up with 8 others on Cathedral Green, where Mike was already putting his bike maintenance skills to the test helping out a passer by. He managed a temporary fix, greatly brightening up someone's day. We set up off the High Street and I couldn't help but smile to be back out riding again.

From town we headed out through Whipton, on to Clyst Honiton and up to Aylesbeare. Roy took us up a hilly route (apparently to avoid possible floods) and on to Escot where we had our first stop of the day. A lovely slice of carrot cake for me and a giant slab of chocolate cake for Ant! Arriving relatively late due to the somewhat unplanned nature of the day, we found a group of fellow cyclists already enjoying coffee and persuaded a few of them to join us on our onward journey.

As it was such a lovely day, we headed for the coast, with Budleigh Salterton apparently only 10 miles away. Despite Roy's best efforts to avoid floods, it soon became clear that this would be no ordinary ride. On our way to Otterton, we came across our first challenging terrain. Despite having been reassured by a couple of mountain bikers coming the other way that the route was fine, we came across a deep slippery section of mud which our road bikes couldn't handle. We dragged the bikes up over the grassy bank and as I stepped down from the bank to cross the final section of mud, my trainers completely sank into the mud...nice! We stopped to speak to a local resident whose house had narrowly missed being flooded. The defences are clearly in need of some attention, but little is ever done about it.

Too muddy to ride...

Alongside our usual warnings of 'Car' and 'Potholes', warning shouts during the day extended to 'fallen tree', 'flood', 'large boulders' (which later developed into 'quarry'!) and 'fence down'. Riding over the bridge in Otterton, there were yet more signs of flooding, with fields flattened. I was delighted to see that we weren't heading up the hill ahead of us, until a little way down our turning we came to a long deep section of flood water across the road. Two of our party bravely crossed the flood and I was relieved to hear others voicing concerns about going through. I was glad to turn back, but now had to face the hill climb. Oh joy! I was starting to tire now and very slowly pedalled on up the hill, hoping it wouldn't be long before lunch.

Just as I thought we'd made it, we came across another flood - this time with a Road Closed sign in front and a couple of blokes wading through in their wellies.

Road Closed...time for another detour

Another short detour and a bit of a climb later and suddenly the seafront came into view. My cycle computer suggested we'd covered 13 miles since coffee - worth it for the adventure! Sitting in the glorious sunshine we discussed sword fighting, train spotting and the dangers of wearing your long johns in Woodbury!

Enjoying the sunshine in Budleigh

Before the conversation could take any more interesting turns, we set off for home. I really struggled with the climb up out of Budleigh, but up on the trail towards Exmouth the riding was easier and the shade provided a welcome rest from the heat of the sun. I was delighted when only 5 miles later a tea stop was suggested! We enjoyed a leisurely tea break - with varying quantities and qualities of tea, depending on who ordered first! Most of us opted for a civilised cookie, whilst Ant went for a bag of kiddies sweets. Either way, we were all well fuelled for the final trip home.

We took the coastal path back from Exmouth, a bit of an easy option, but the wind was getting up and it looked like rain was on the way, so we felt we'd got the best out of the day. We also made it home in time to see the end of the Wimbledon final...although I won't dwell on the outcome of that...

Another 45 mile ride under our belts and a really enjoyable day out with the gang in the sunshine. Up until lunchtime, I'd felt pretty strong and was managing to dig in to tackle the hills, rather than resorting to low gears straight away. Good as far as it goes, but after lunch I was tired and ready for a nap. I really need to work on my fitness and stamina! Mid week rides are a must from now on...although it's really raining out there again now, so perhaps that can wait another couple of weeks?!