Focus Variado 2: Windsor Castle 1
Another weekend, another ride… This last one saw me getting out of bed way to late to participate in the Dynamo weekly ride around Richmond Park, so I had to find an alternative. This took the form of what should have been a 75km round-trip ride to Windsor Castle and back. The reason Windsor Castle scored a 1 is that when I though I had turned back toward London, I actually continued a few kms further west toward Maidenhead.
This was a mainly flat course, which enabled me to test the Variado’s performance on long flats. I found that I was able to settle quite nicely into a rhythm and cruise at about 30kmph. For the E’tape, I’ve been told that my average speed needs to stay above28kmph, so this average needs to come up to about 35kmph on flatter courses. I have put in an order for some new Sidi Zeta Road Shoes to replace my Triathlon Sidi T1s. I am hoping a stiffer sole and snugger fit will enable me to get some more power out of my legs. Hindrances on this route were mainly traffic lights in Inner/Outer London and road surfacing. What a difference it makes to cycle on freshly laid asphalt rather than rough grade sandpaper that covers most of London’s roads! No to forget the 10-15km cross winds and spitting rain.
The scenery on this route was very variable. The beginning of the ride takes you through some of London’s nicer parts such as Notting Hill, Shepherds Bush, Chiswick, Kew and then to of the not so nice parts like Hounslow. Finally, you pass along the northern boundary of Heathrow complete with riding underneath the path of 747’s just taking off. It finishes with a stint on the A4 and a few country roads near Datchet, before snaking along the Thames for a few kms past Eton and finally up to Windsor Castle.
Now Windsor Castle for me was a slight disappointment from the outside. Here I was envisioning a commanding castle on a green mound much like Camelot or Edinburgh Castle. What I got was a nice looking castle that was so cramped in by the town around it that you couldn’t appreciate the forest for all the trees. A shame, but I think I’ll still visit it properly another time.
The trip back was along the same route as the way out, which made for slightly monotonous riding. However, considering that I had a 17:00 hair cut, it was quite enjoyable to ride against the clock.
My stats are a bit boring, but I’ll share them nonetheless. I’ll be off on travels over the bank holiday weekend, so the next ride is likely to be some rounds of Richmond Park with the Dynamo Cycling Club in two weeks time.
