With one thing and another, I’d not had a chance to cycle at all last week. I was thus dying to get out on my bike and get some miles in. I decided a ride out the cafe at the Manchester Airport Viewing Park would fit the bill perfectly. It should be about 110 miles round trip and the weather looked perfect.
I set off following my normal route to Altrincham, up through Childs Ercall to Market Drayton, then the fast road to Audlem and Coole Lane to Nantwich. The sun was beating down and not a cloud in the sky so I knew it was going to be a hot one.
After Nantwich, I settled down on the Middlewich road and was soon stopping off at the Hopley House farm cafe for a quick coffee and to re-fill my water bottles.
From there it was a nice easy ride through Knutsford and Tatton Park to the viewing park. The heat was getting to me a bit by this stage as it was making the tarmac on the roads start to melt a bit, which was making the going tougher than it needed to be.
It was very busy at the Viewing Park with everyone out enjoying the glorious weather.
I retired to the cafe for a quick pint of something cold and some lunch. I was foiled on both accounts as they no longer serve draught beer, only had bottles and also the menu had changed and with being a veggie my options were very limited. Mental note, not to come here for lunch again!
I soon settled in for the return ride and headed off under the two airport runway tunnels to Wilmslow, before turning right to Alderley Edge. I contemplated a go at the top 100 climbs cobbled Swiss Hill in the village before good sense got the better of me and I realised it was way too hot for that kind of malarkey!
It was then off the busier roads and on to nice quiet lanes towards Jodrell Bank. After this, I took up my normal Jodrell Bank ride return route via Sandbach, Crewe, Wybunbury and Woore.
I had to stop to re-fill with water again at a farm cafe just south of Sandbach, so felt obliged to have a quick flat white as it felt cheeky just asking for water.
Just before Market Drayton I hit a pothole at the wrong angle and unseated a tyre from the rim. I run tubeless tyres and they are a nightmare to re-seat, so I opted for a lift home from there as it was only about 10 miles to go anyway.
A fab ride out but way harder work than normal due to the heat. Great fun though and that’s my cycling itch well and truly scratched for now.
Route: click here
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