Monday.
I was considering doing the Solihull reliability trial, 75 miles over the Cotswolds.
Saturday we finished building the raised bed. 3 hours of bricklaying. The afternoon was a hardish ride, out up over Franley Beeches, down to Belbroughton, Chaddesley, Cuntall Green, Droitwich, Bungay Lake, Worms Ash, Catshill & main road home, 1 hour L2/3, 30 mins L3, bits of L4 more or less.
Bed at 2130 !
Thought I would drive over & ride the short (60 miles) run,
Sunday, got up and went to the pub where the trial starts. Nice pub. Signed for the 'short' ride. Off we went. Just found myself in a group, that was batting along. I thought the fast men started later, but no, we were the fast men, and we were the 125km group ! Up the first real hill, to Temple Grafton, it split apart !
There were about 20 of us. A couple of tester types got on the front into the howling gale to Mickleton. Then, instead of going along the road to Broadway, as I thought, we went up the hills towards Chipping Campden, and I got dropped from the leaders, about 5 riders, I could have got back on but just felt awful, old snow drifts along the road, and a howling head wind, sleet and torrential rain. Yow ! Caught them up past Broadway Tower, then on lt descent through Snowhill let a gap open, scary in the wet going round corners & across junctions ! They turned left in Broadway, I went straight on, past the old camp at Long Marston where I was in 1971 with the ACF ! Stratford, lanes to Wooten Wawen, past Tanworth & back. 68 miles. The others went over the Lenches. 4 tins of Stella and bottle of red.

Have to go and give a 3 day document design course in Stoke for the rest of the week. Ugh.