Heading north & clocking it up

Lovely warm day again yesterday so the roadies were begging for another outing. Despite waking up feeling generally tired, I reckoned I could handle a 70-80km outing.

We parked at Verniolle and headed north for a change, on quiet roads as usual to Belpech and then on up to Mazères before heading east on wonderfully undulating roads in the Castelnaudary direction, but stopping off at Salles-sur-l'Hers for a quick butty before heading south in the Mirepoix direction on yet more undulating roads. It was lovely riding but I could see that the kilometers were clocking up and it soon became clear that we were in for another 100+km ride. The general tiredness with which I had started out was threatening to overwhelm me and niggling aches and discomfort were magnified with the tiredness. I was starting to regret not having changed down from my middle ring during the hilly section 40kms into the ride, where I chose to push my legs that little bit more on a gradient that was marginal. Was I now to pay the price?

But no, the legs kept turning but it was with some relief that I rolled back into Verniolle where I could reward myself with a slice of tarte aux pommes and a bottle of coke. 106kms with 600+m of ascent in 4 hrs 20 mins ish. Full stats on the usual site. Sorry, no photos this time!

Today, lunch with Pat in Foix before a dental appointment to see if my broken tooth can be fixed.... which it can and I can now look forward to a 1 hr appointment in a week's time in which some pain & discomfort will no doubt be experienced. Hurrah... not!