Stroud 5 valleys (50k perm) Feb 2013

Just over a week after Lunar's birth, I took my bike out again. This 'post Lunar' ride was a quick blast of the Deer route with Ron. As expected the roads were wet and quite muddy in parts. Ron and I discussed how awful the roads had been over the past 12 months and both hope for brighter days. Like myself, Ron had been off his bike for nearly 2 weeks and believes his mental health suffers when he doesn't cycle. Ron always appears to be a bit of a nut to me! Amongst our many and varied discussions we both think we have cycled more miles with each other in our cycling careers than with any other person. Ron also got me a funky new pair of glasses just before we set out on this trip, which was nice. These were essentially work glasses that Ron was 'testing' and they sure did the job and had anti-fog lenses too. Had only just returned a pair of (broken) glasses to Planet X so these were most welcome. Planet X are not great with their returns service but that's another story.

With new glasses on my face it only seemed proper to complete another audax. I decided to ride Steve Poulton's 'Stroud 5 Valleys 50k perm' as I desperately needed a AAA point for February. Aside from the weather, this ride was rather pleasant though largely uneventful. I started out on dry roads but by the time I had reached Minchinhampton the snow was flying thick and fast. During the last 5k or so, the snow turned to rain and the roads were obviously wet and slippy. Completed this perm in under 4 hours and was subsequently awarded with my AAA point. Happy days!