Winter Training - Pompey Style

Yesterday was a typical winter training day down Pompey way ...a wet, windy and grey overcaste day through potholled lanes and up some of the steeper/longer climbs of the South Downs. Following my nightmare on a bike during the recent Winter Windup 200 it was time to get back on the regular weekend training rides. The regular loop is approx 80k and takes in the 4 climbs ...Portsdown hill, Beacon Hill (overlooking the Meon Valley), Old Winchester Hill (on the other side of the Meon Valley) and Harvesting Lane (behind Buster Hill). The ride also has an extensions upto 110k and 160k for when the days get longer and warmer. I'm still out of form so unsuprisingly it felt pretty hard ...though I did resist the tempatation to bail out of the Harvesting Lane climb (a chevronned climb) and go for a cuppa at Dave's in Denmead. I'd even forgotten my wallet and couldn't grab a coffee at the beaches cafe (at the Sustainability centre) on the ridge above East Meon...doh. Fortunately I did find a couple of biscuits and some stale malt loaf in my saddle bag ...luxury! I started at 13:45 and got back at 18:15 with a couple of snack and photo breaks so not too shabby.....just in time for a full Sunday roast ...thanks Jules!!

Just for a bit of added fun and to mark the changing of the seasons and the weather I'm going to take a photo from the same spot each training ride from the crossroads at Teglease Down above the Hamlet of Coombe and with East Meon in the distance. Here's the first: the signpost appears to have taken a bit of a battering!