Well, for various reasons I find myself living in Somerset at the moment. Hopefully temporarily – although its a gorgeous part of the world it’s a little isolated for my taste and a looong way from work.
It IS a great place for riding though, which is difficult because I haven’t been on the bike for 4 weeks until yesterday. Figuring it was easier to find roads than offroad trails I only brought the road bike with me and decided on Saturday that i WAS going riding on Sunday. Unfortunately, the weather was crappy in the morning so I didn’t 
.
A break in the weather let me walk to the town and get some lunch in, looking around and thinking both how lucky I was that the weather had broken and I COULD go riding in the afternoon, and how bloody steep the hills were. Very noticeable even walking 1/2 mile back up from the shops!
Dinner eaten and digested, I got the bike out and realised that I hadn’t yet fitted my raceguard mudguards. 30 minutes later (5 minute jobs always seem to fit just right into a 1/2 hour) and I had muduards that didn’t rub (most of the time), and I set out.
Heading towards Shepton Mallet about 7 miles away, seemed like a good plan. There and back – a little loop to use diffent roads. Somewhere between 14 and 20 miles. Before I’d got more than about 1 mile tho, I realised that the spray I was getting wasn’t ALL from the road and it was starting to rain again.
The roads around here are a LOT steeper than I’m used to, up AND down, funnily enough. They’re also pretty messy – gravelly sand that makes your wheels slip at the oddest times, and with the rain as well it was getting slidy. Downhill had to be slower than I like, ESPECIALLY when braking. I hate having to brake that early, but greasy wet rims, wet rubber and tarmac, and loads of speed don’t make a good mix. Going uphill was harder – good though. I havent ridden decent hills for quite a while and its good to get my legs and lungs pumping again.
Unfortunately the rain got heavier and heavier, and when my socks got soaked through I deceided it was time to turn back. I took a side road and headed off left just before I got to Shepton Mallet. I figured I’d go down there, take another left and then find another way back to Midsomer Norton. Unfortunately it looped around and I ended up back on the road I’d come down. Even worse, back on the hill I’d come down and having to cycle back up it!
It was raining hard by this time so I decided not to explore too much more, and just to cycle back up and over the hill. It was nasty wet, but not too bad a climb even though my ass was hurting by now ( a consequence of being off the bike for too long) but I was at the top soon enough and on the flat for a while before a zip down through Stratton on the Fosse ( I love the place names here) and a left back to Midsomer Norton.
10 minutes to dry the bike, wring my socks out and strip off the rest of my wet clothes and I was in a hot bath and wondering why I don’t get out more often, even when its raining its fun and I feel so much better for it.
I’ll try and blog more while I’m here. Seems a shame not to get out and about. I’m in the country even when I’m on the road. Best of both worlds 
Now if only the weather will go to plan too :s
