I reached the middle of the week having spent three days suffering from the snotty head cold that brought my ride on Sunday to a halt. Despite forecasts of poor weather, Wednesday was a beautiful morning with bright sunshine highlighting the darkness of the storm clouds sitting out to sea.
Ride 1 – Aeron Valley and Cardigan Bay loop
Good weather and I needed some more cold medicines, so even though I didn’t feel like it, I decided I’d get out and cycle the 5 miles to Aberaeron. That was the right decision. Three miles in and I felt better than I had done in a week.
I stopped for some photos at Aberaeron’s harbour and after visiting the pharmacy, decided to head back on a loop over the hills. First up the coast road to Aberarth with stunning views of Cardigan bay sitting on my left shoulder. For a mile or so I’d been able to see the steepness of the road I would follow. I considered turning back and heading up the valley road again – that would give me about 15 miles, not bad for someone with Man Flu – but I gave it a go, settling into granny gear and spinning the pedals. I reached Cross Inn after what felt like ten miles climbing, to find I’d added only four miles to my ride.
 I carried on toward Tregarron turning toward Llangeitho at Peneuch. The descent was scary – running water and slippery leaves made braking impossible on the steep slope. When I reached the valley floor, I was knackered. A headwind and undulating road didn’t help and I churned out the last few miles.
Ride stats: 26.7 miles, 2,049ft, 02h 09m 36s
Ride 2 – Aeron Valley miles
On Friday I took the chance of a break in the weather to put a few more miles in. it had been snowing and frozen overnight, so I decided to stay away from the smaller lanes on higher ground. The result was a spider’s scrawl around Felinfach and Talsarn. Damp lanes and impatient drivers made it less than pleasant in parts, I got the miles in to reach this week’s target.
Rie stats: 16.5 miles; 1483ft; 01h 22m 08s
Week two total: 43.2 miles, 3,532ft, 3h 31m 44s