Had a great ride on Sunday, thanks Chris for coming along as otherwise I'd have stayed in bed. Wasn't feeling too well at the start but it was well worth it. My condition didn't really improve all day.
The weather was ok, damp, cold and foggy but we didn't have any rain, unlike Sunday. Chris came off early into the ride, his tyres didn't cope well with the enthusiastic riding! My chunky Onza Rip and Rail worked really well, much better than the Marin Quake tyres I used for the last wet ride. Chris too another tumble later on and emerged from a bush with some war wounds.
The route took in hard tracks, covered in puddles, tracks slippery and thick with mud and some woodland tracks that were reasonably dry, hard and covered in leaves that made for good riding. A little bit of road was needed to get between some of the bridleways which were free of horse traffic and mostly smooth. Only one section close to Saxlingham Nethergate was cut up, but that was very close to some stables.
We saw very few people on the route, well under 10 in 3 hours of riding. I covered some additional easy miles to and from Norwich, which added an extra hour of cycling and about 10-12 miles. The pace was nice and relaxed so no need to worry if you come to a future ride about getting left behind.
Its a good route and easy to follow, we only had 2 moments where we took a wrong turn and had to double back once, along the wettest part obviously. The riding is pretty flat but there is a good climb towards the end (treaded tyres are advised ...(!)) and some nice short downhill bits. There are even a couple of fords, one of which had water in.
If anyone on the forum is interested in doing it, I'd be happy to act as a guide. My poor OS map is now a muddy soggy mess as it didn't take kindly to the conditions. I'm sure the route would be hard packed and fast in the summer.
I ended up with cold, wet numb feet and almost as numb hands by the time I got home. Waterproof socks, or winter cycling boots would be a good purchase, as would some waterproof gloves.
Cheers Chris, maybe we'll meet up over your local area for a ride when you're free.
