Having managed a couple of 40 mile rides in July without any problems, I rode 57 miles yesterday. Here’s the route (it doesn’t show the extra distance from home to the start/finish).

The ride went well. A strong westerly wind pushed me along the A40 and didn’t seriously hinder northerly progress to Princes Risborough. I reached my planned coffee stop at Askett Garden Centre (about 30 miles) with my cycle computer showing an average speed of 15.5mph.

The second half of the ride was more of a struggle. I was riding into the wind which if anything had become stronger, and there was a series of sharp hills where I needed bottom gear. The steep hills were followed by two long drags which sapped my remaining energy and reduced me to a slow trundle. In the circumstances I was quite pleased to record an overall average of 14.1mph (on the road average), completing the circuit in my target time of 5 hours including stops.

Apart from the wind, the main downside to the ride was the poor surface on most of the roads. Although there were a few fast smooth sections, potholes, crumbling road edges, bumpy and failing repairs-over-repairs and loose gravel made for cautious descents. On quiet roads a line near the centre of the road was usually better, but any traffic meant moving over into the rough. The later part of my route yesterday is on the early part of the BikeOxford 80 so I’m hoping for better roads over the rest of the route next month.

Next training target: 65 miles or thereabouts.