Fast Tuesday III'rd. On a Monday.

Elizabeth II.

Henry 8th.

Edwards 1st.

Fast Tuesday III.

All famous in their own right, aside from Fast Tuesday III'rd which happened on a Monday. Steve and I met for a Newton Abbot to Steps Bridge shakedown ride and frankly, we hammered it. Looking at times, we are improving fitness, getting 'faster', holding threshold and tempo for longer and generally looking quite strong considering mid April. As Steve said yesterday, what will we be doing in a few months time. There you go people. Cyclists, eternal optimists and forward thinking people.

The nett result of Fast Tuesday on a Monday was effectively 30 miles in 1 hour 30. Fast going for two middle aged chaps recently ejected from Britains Got Talent. We did not even make the auditions on X-Factor despite me playing 'Nothing else matters' note for note and Steve singing 'Let it go -The Devon version; unplugged'. So, we set our sights on getting quicker rather than global infamy on a TV show.

Overall Strava highlights some interesting bits n' bobs. Average speed 19mph, 210 watts average power, topping out a 629 watts, which is not a lot as not sprinting, just likely climbing a punchy climb hard. The Newton to Steps Bridge route is a roller, there are no flat roads in Devon and the way back is better than the way up for me, despite the road being a mirror image when looked at. It is not unlike an ink splot or a Rorschach test for those of you who may have had medical intervention !

Pictured below, some highlights going up North bound, 19.1 mph for 19.14 minutes. Note the top ten times and note number 1, Steve Lampier, a seasoned pro, paid to ride a bike 5/6/7 days a week. Coming back faster, 20 mph for 34 minutes. 4 minutes off the top ten, but evidence enough that the road currys favour when heading away from Dartmoor. All told, we got home happy, much beer and food was consumed. Bunting was hung and children danced in the street to celebrate hitting 19mph average on a ride. First time since 2012 I think. Personally, I have no idea how much faster I can get. The wind had an impact again yesterday, but I have resigned myself to the fact that Devon is effectively a much harder place to ride a bike than other UK places I have been. As they say in Belgium, it can bring you on, make you strong, which is true as frankly I would love a fast ride elsewhere to see how the numbers stack up.

Anyway that's about it, just one last thing. Last week a woman at work asked me if I got bored riding from Bristol to Exminster two weeks ago. You should have seen the look on my face. I was speechless. "Bored ?" I said. I nearly fainted. 

Finally, a few images below. Steve looking dapper in his kit. The man is a cycling animal !