Saturday ride

It's time to start doing some longer Saturday rides, so me and Jane decided on a steady ride around the Downs. Out over the Roughs, up Rad Lane again where we got slightly farther before the mud stopped us again. Up through Peaslake there was a lot of ice on the roads after last night's big frost. The route we'd chosen was one that me and Roger had done a couple of Tuesdays ago. We picked up a bit of the Down's link at Bramley and headed back toward Dorking over St Martha's Hill. I stared to feel a bit wobbly here but didn't bother to eat and by the time we climbed Water Lane I was swinging all over the place :) At the top Jane was waiting with a gel and a bar :)

At that moment, we saw a group of cyclists leaving the café. It was Eric, Gary, Martin and Richard out on the mtb's to avoid the icy roads. We rode with them across the North Downs Way for a while and they turned off at The Juniper Hill bridleway to go back via Shere. Because I was feeling a bit ropey we decided to press on home via the North Downs. A few minutes later we turned around to ride back with them. We caught them on the big descent to Shere. Parts of this were in the sunshine, which had melted the top layer of frost, it was a bit treacherous in parts. Here, Richard decided to head back to Dorking on the A25. The rest of us pressed on around the back of Shere past the place where the fake cottage was built for the film Holiday, past the church used for one of the 'Four Weddings' and Bridget Jones.

Suddenly I started to feel a bit better, I can feel a bit of power in my legs. And I feel ok on the climb up to Abinger Roughs, at the top we take a singletrack cut through, where I get a stick in my rear mech that bends it into the wheel. I bend it back and it seems ok :). At Deerleap Woods I have a little dig on the front and I'm surprised to open a gap, it feels good. It's been a long time coming back to fitness and it's nice to feel a bit of power :) Gary turns off at a Westcott and me Jane, Eric and Martin ride back over the downs.

A good four hours on the bike with the bonus of meeting up with the guys.