April 9th – A 35 mile recovery ride for tea and cake on the following day didn’t go so well though. With technical issues and some spills the ride didn’t start well, and like a fool, I headed out with a punishing wind flat behind me.

The ride out was beautifully sunny and warm, and the oilseed rape at Middleton was beautiful.

As I rode from Middleton up the canal to Tamworth, someone flicked a switch and the nascent summer instantly was turned off. A harsh, cold wind and overcast skies battled me all the way home.

It was harder to ride 35 miles today that the 111 I rode the day before.