Saturday 23rd February - Cannington

BBC have had a different forecast for saturday every day this week. right now they're saying that it'll be sunny in the morning with rain coming in around midday, but i'm sure it'll change again.

plan a will be the short cut option at spaxton with those who want to go further looping around over stowey before the usual rant in on the A39. however, if it turns out better than the current forecast we may stretch our legs further afield leaving cannington as a tri-stop.

if it's wet early on we may just go to burnham!.... if it's really wet..... see you sunday

route out will be toll road, sea front, anchor, lympsham, brent knoll should you wish to latch on.

Over 20 riders appeared including some of our long time members. With recent rain the conditions were damp and quite cold. We headed south heading for Cannington via the sea front, Brent Knoll, East Huntspill, Woolavington. At Bridgwater there we lost some riders and had to wait a while in a refreshing shower while everyone regrouped. Once through Bridgwater we headed up to Spaxton where half of us took the short route down to Poppy's while the others got in a few extra miles and a sprint. At Poppy's we took all the tables and cleared them out of bread. We always receive a friendly welcome there.
We took the usual direct route back via the A38 which wasn't so easy with a headwind which took its toll on the B team but I understand A team didn't even notice it. As we left at least 20 mins before the A team I was supprised to see Chris overtake us near Lympsham! Unfortunately Pete was seperated from his bike as he crossed over the bridge by the model racing circuit. I think a branch jumped out and caught his wheel. Luckily no damage done and we all returned home safely.
Congratulations to those who smashed some Strava records.

Toasted Tea Cake rating = 4.5/5
Official Jersey Count = 2
Knacker Factor = 3/5
Stats = http://ridewithgps.com/trips/4129805

After the Spaxton Split we agreed to stick together until the last few hundred metres into Cannington. Wary of such promises made in the past everyone was watching everyone else for the tell tale signs of a sneaky break away. Despite there being a 10 metre gap between cars on the A39 Ivan did actually stop at the t-junction and we all got out on to the main road together. My legs had already gone so I had no intention of contesting the sprint or even showing my face near the front of the bunch. It was just a question of hanging on as long as possible. After a couple of false starts the charge for the line got underway and Scott was the first to blow up. I soon followed within sight of the roundabout so someone else will have to confirm who the winner was.

Passing through Cannington a few riders looked a little bemused when their bicycles automatically turned towards the Walled Garden. After a sharp pull on the reins our steeds were re-aligned for the ride to Poppy's.

After Poppy's we took the usual return route with the addition of an interloper who sat in third wheel through Wemdon. Thought he looked okay but he was soon dropped through Bridgwater. The pace thereafter was not completely stupid, just ordinary stupid. The speed varied between 22 and 25 mph most of the way. As Ivan commented in Highbridge, we almost looked professional with riders taking turns on the front and then pulling off and dropping to the back. Me, being the ultimate professional, decided to conserve my energy for the end of the ride and skipped out every single turn on the front! After a re-group in Highbridge and again at Brent Knoll we ploughed on into the wind along Accommodation Road where Scott and I dropped off once again. I thought Chris had long gone but when I turned into Uphill, there he was! If he passed the B team in Lympsham does that mean we all got home first despite leaving 20-30 minutes later? I'd be quite amazed if we did.

The elevation climbed stats are in.........

For the same route, the biggest loser is Ivan on 1083ft, and the winner, with his head in the clouds, is Chris S on 2343ft.

Are these bike GPS computers accurate?

Chris S, can I borrow yours for the next climbing challenge?

Ivan is particularly good at avoiding the hills...

Obviously, hills that feel like 2000 ft to chris only feel like 1000 to me. Garmin knows!

yup note I'm not on a garmin despite what strava says...who knows which is right.