1st Hundred of the year

I had intended to do the first 100 miler of the year last week, but that went pear shaped. So I made the decision to get up early and get off out.
However before I did the ton I'd completed the penultimate week of my turbo training plan, hard sessions on both Friday and Saturday. And I had decided to skip training on Monday's as training five days in a row was proving tough.
Before the ride I'd made several mental notes. One was to take it easy, this was with London-Paris-London in mind. The other was to weigh the bike and myself down with kit.
So I set off at 7.20am wearing a full rain jacket, not because it was raining but because it was so cold. I also rode most of the first hour with my fists clenched to stop my fingers freezing.
The route was my old 100km Redbourne loop, but with extra loops chucked in - forming a clover leaf route.
Out through Wing, Stewkley, Cublington and Wingrave the route was standard. But when in Cheddington instead of going straight on I took a right and took off for the Crong. This was the first extra loop taking in Cholesbury, Wiggington, Tring, and the Wilstead reservoirs before arriving back at my turn off point to get back on track. From there it was to Pitstone, but instead of heading for Toms Hill I went out again heading back up on another road to Wiggington. There I did a loop just touching Chesham before heading towards Northchurch on the A41 to pick up the road that would take me up and over Ivinghoe Beacon. From there near Deer Leap it's back on track, but instead of turning towards Bridens Camp I went straight on into Hemel and promptly got not lost just confused. I finally found my back to the A4146 which isn't a nice road to be on and was made all the worse by getting a puncture.
With the puncture sorted I climbed up to Bridens Camp and too the reverse route into Redbourne. Redbourne was a sort of turning point as I was heading back ready to do another leg of the ride.
I had dreadful headwind all the way back to Studham. And I couldn't take my planned route from there due to an accident and a closed road. I shot down past the golf course and into Dagnall to start the second climb of the Beacon. Once over the top I turned right to descend Toms Hill into Aldbury and back towards Tring. At Tring station I turned once again towards Pitstone and made my third ascent of the Beacon....well semi ascent! just missing the final section of the climb off.
From there I rode through Ivinghoe Aston and out to 'Train Robbers Bridge' and into Ledburn. Just pulling into Ledburn my rear tyre gave way again. That was both my spares gone, and I was about two miles from home. A quick look on the clock and I'd just gone over 100 miles.
I had been thinking of doing another fifty miles, but two punctures and being near home was too much of a temptation. So home it was.
I was pretty happy with my sub six hour time, seeing as I was solo and it had been very windy. I might try a bit further on the lighter bike and without mudguards next month?

The Crong looking very Holy

Thought of the day - how the hell did Tommy Godwin manage twice that a day every day for a year?