This 200 looked fun thanks to an organising committee that clearly put cake above all else. Very important to the randonneur. The clocks went forward on Saturday night so it was an earlier than usual start, but easy to get to. Luckily there was parking at the hall which made life easier so I was in good time and had a couple of coffees with a cardboard cut out of Elvis.
There was a good turnout, maybe 100 riders, for the 200, before we all set off around Bristol and over Clifton Suspension Bridge. A nice start. It's good when there are lots of riders because there are always groups to ride with. Among them were two PBP anciens who gave a few good tips along the way.
One bloke was on an old sit up and beg which I was told he had done PBP on with a string of onions round his neck. Chapeau.
It was good route with no really massive climbs but enough to keep the interest up. The first control was awesome; the local WI laid on a spread of cakes seldom seen before and gladly distrubuted their wares. Fantastic.
The wind was not too bad throughout and I played cat and mouse with several groups throughout the rest of the ride. There were some lovely rides but a few busier ones which I'm not really used to.
The customary bad spot came at about 120km but didn't last long. Maybe I'm getting fitter.
Glastonbury control was very welcome after a surprising pull up to the town, then it was across the Levels to Clevedon before the final push. One last hill was not too bad as it was an even gradient allowing me to get in a rythmn and tap it out to the top.
Felt I finished quite strongly and am now ready for a 300. Whether I am or not we will find out in a fortnight at Denmead. Faster than the last one, so 4 in a row getting faster. However some of the advice was to work on pure speed in the coming weeks, now that some semblance of stamina has been obtained.
All in all a good ride, very well organised and it's easy to see why it is popular.
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