2013 Week 9

Week 9 (w/e 3 March 2013) 
Miles: 155.8

A week of fine weather enabled me to post a decent score this week.

Monday afternoon? 17 miles. I was back out in the evening to finish the day on 25 miles. Tuesday was clear but pleasant. I went out a little earlier that afternoon and took the photo of the snowdrops you see above. Then it was time for a bike ride. 45 minutes worth took me to 36.5 miles and another half an hour in the evening pushed things along to 44. An hour on Wednesday afternoon landed me on 57 miles and then the usual loop on a misty, cold evening saw me reach 64 miles. An excellent start.

More clear blue skies greeted me on Thursday. This was the last day of February and... it felt warm! 55 minutes of afternoon cycling pushed me along to 79 miles. This became 87 miles by the end of the evening. Friday 1st March was cloudy but fine. I went out for just under an hour in the afternoon and rolled home with the 100 sorted. Always a good feeling to get it done on a Friday. Naturally I headed out again in the evening for half an hour, finishing the day with 108 miles. I cycled to town on Saturday afternoon. I think this was the first Saturday of the year when I made it home in daylight without needing to put my lights on. It's a landmark I always look out for with some pleasure as it means lighter evenings are on their way. As is my way, I nipped out again 45 minutes after coming home, rolling back with 124 miles. I wasn't finished there either, as the third ride of the day later that evening through freezing mist took the total to 132. Sunday was cloudy but fine again. I went out for an hour in the late afternoon, coming home with 146 miles. The final ride of the week took place at 9:30 that evening, when I came gliding home with 155 miles in the bag.

The stats:
Time taken to get 100: 6 hrs 46 mins
Total for 2013: 941.2
2013 average weekly mileage: 104.5
Consecutive 100s: 5
Miles needed for 6000: 5058.8
Percentage of target reached: 15.68%
Required average weekly mileage: 117.65

My weekly average bursts through the 100 mile mark at last! I managed that in week 6 last year. The biggest total of the week so far should have closed the gap on 2012... unfortunately, this time last year I also enjoyed a bumper week with a very similar score of 152.5. So the gap is 34.7.

2012 Week 43

Week 43 (w/e 28 October 2012)

Miles: 111.5
Total: 5569

Despite chalking up 101 miles by Friday night, weekend rain and other commitments meant that I only added an extra 10 to the total by the end of the week.

2012 Week 36

Week 36 (w/e 9 September 2012)

Miles: 180.2

It was going to take some effort to stay ahead of 1998 this week - and I was equal to the challenge. I needed 163.6 miles this week to keep in front and managed that with a bit to spare, thanks to a short-lived Indian Summer.

Roughly 25 miles per day saw me to 100 miles by Thursday night. This became 120 by Friday, 147 by Saturday night and then 180 (obviously) by Sunday evening... although rain was moving in by the time I was finishing off my weekly effort that night and I got a soaking riding the remaining 3 miles back home.

The stats:
Time taken to get 100: 6 hrs 16 m.
Total for 2012: 4700.2
2012 average weekly mileage: 130.56
Consecutive 100s: 35
Miles needed for 6000: 1299.8
Percentage of target reached: 78.3%
With 16 weeks to go, average weekly miles needed for 6000: 81.24

My weekly average hit 130 miles for the first time this year.

As I approach the 5000 mile mark, I'm starting to overtake my previous years. This week's 4700 took me sailing past 2008, when I only managed 4680.6 miles. So 2012 moves into 8th place in the overall league table and it's only the start of September.

How was 1998 getting on?

1998 Week 36.
Miles: 173.5.
Total: 4683.5
Difference: +16.7

Next week I'll need 139.5 miles to keep in front.

2012 Week 34

Week 34 (w/e 26 August 2012)

Miles: 151.3
Total: 4404.7

2012 Week 32

Week 32 (w/e 12 August 2012)

Miles: 206.4

A monster week! Helped by several days of warm and sunny weather, I put together my first weekly score of 200+ (not counting the one-off week a year ago when I did the Berwick trip) since August 1999. I can't quite believe that the last occasion I achieved this was 13 long years ago.

The big score was given a helpful push by going off on a special 52 mile ride on the Tuesday with my cycling mate Bryn. See the special entry to read about the route.

2012 Week 31

Week 31 (w/e 5 August 2012)

Miles: 162.3
Total: 3914.8

2012 Week 30

Week 30 (w/e 29 July 2012)

Miles: 166.4

Another great week. By the end of play on Sunday evening I was only 0.9 of a mile off matching my best score of the year so far. By that time I'd already done several more miles than I intended in the darkness anyway and I'd had enough. Otherwise I would have jumped back on the bike for another mile to get the record.

The stats:
Time taken to get 100: 6 hrs 31 m.
Total for 2012: 3752.5
2012 average weekly mileage: 125.08
Consecutive 100s: 29
Miles needed for 6000: 2247.5
Percentage of target reached: 62.54%
With 22 weeks to go, average weekly miles needed for 6000: 102.16

A very slow time to get to 100 miles this week, but I was on litter picking duty for most of the days, as I'll reveal tomorrow. The second 150+ week on the trot sets a new high in the weekly average. I also chopped another chunk off the average miles needed from now until the end of the year to achieve the goal of 6000 miles: 2.79 miles this week. Actually, if I hit the target of 148 miles in the next week I'll get that average below the psychologically important 100 miles mark. Now there's something to aim for.

Brand New Weekly Stat
How was 1998 getting on?

1998 Week 30.
Miles: 100.4.
Total: 3623.4
Difference: +129.1

That's a handy lead to have at this time of the year.

2012 Week 26

Week 26 (w/e 1 July 2012)
Miles: 147.1

The start of a new week and time once more to reset the odometer to zero and begin all over again.

Monday afternoon was overcast but fine. By 5 pm the clouds had gone and the sun was shining, so an hour's cycling then yielded 16 miles. Another 30 minutes worth in the evening took me to 24 miles. It's always good to start the week with a decent foundation. Tuesday afternoon was grey with sporadic drizzle. Urgh. Despite this I got out for the best part of an hour, rolling home with 38 miles. The evening was fine but grey. I should have gone out again to add another 8 miles to the total but instead I took up the offer of going to the pub. The weather on Wednesday was much improved, with hazy sunshine. An hour's ride in the late afternoon took me to 54 miles. In the evening I watched Portugal v Spain play their Euro 2012 semi-final. What a dull spectacle! I was so bored at full time that I decided to go out on my bike again rather than sit through another turgid period of extra time. I got back with 62 miles, just as the penalty shoot out had ended, extinguishing Portugal's hopes in the process.

Thursday afternoon was menaced by heavy showers. I watched them scudding in on the rain radar with some dismay. But by 4 pm the skies had cleared and the sun was back out, so I squeezed in almost an hour's cycling. I'd reached 76 miles. In the evening I settled down to watched the other semi-final in the Euro tournament, Germany v Italy. With the match over in normal time, I decided to go out to the pub again rather than top up the day's mileage. Tsk, twice in a week. Friday was soon upon me. It was a mostly sunny day, but a fierce gale was blowing in from the south west. An hour of pedalling in the late afternoon saw me to 92 miles by tea time. With the target in sight I dashed out again later in the evening and came gliding home 35 minutes later with 101 miles in the bag. Another century week chalked off.

Saturday. The final day of June closed the month with a reminder of what we'd had for much of the preceding four weeks - grey skies, blustery wind and occasional showers. Farewell June, you won't be missed. The drizzle delayed my customary Saturday afternoon trip into town, but I made it there a little later than usual. Having returned home I then dashed out for another 30 minutes, advancing to 120 miles in the process. In the evening I'd arranged a trip to a pub or two. Had this not been the case, inevitably I would have added a few more miles to the total. The weather on Sunday was generally sunny, but the brisk wind took the edge off the temperature. Once my post-beer night weariness had eased, I got out on my bike for just under an hour. Moving to 133 in the process, I returned home to watch Spain thrash Italy in the Euro 2012 final. Once the match was over I shot out for the final ride of the week. I was in the mood to push on a bit despite the lateness of the hour, so ended up rolling home just before 11 pm with 147 miles.

In conclusion, a good performance this week but it felt about 24 miles light due to those three pub visits. Having a social life can be such a drawback.

The stats:
Time taken to get 100: 6 hrs 15 m.
Total for 2012: 3173.2
2012 average weekly mileage: 122.04
Consecutive 100s: 25
Miles needed for 6000: 2826.8
Percentage of target reached: 52.88%
With 26 weeks to go, average weekly miles needed for 6000: 108.72

This week I matched my record quickest time to get 100 miles done, a record I only set last week. This week's total also saw my target average drop below 110 for the first time this year. All good stuff.

2012 Week 22

Week 22 (w/e 3 June 2012)
Miles: 152.2

And so we glide into June.

The smashing sunny weather of the previous week continued here until Wednesday at least. Beginning the week on Monday, as is the custom, I noticed that the wind had changed direction again. The gusty easterly that had plagued my weekend had become a much more typical north-westerly. It had also dropped in ferocity, which was nice. Although it was still very warm, the sunshine was much more hazier than of late. Still, dry and fine cycling weather is always welcome, so off I went in the late afternoon for my usual trundle. I took my camera with me, hoping to take a few more photos to use on this blog, so my hour only yielded 13.5 miles this time as I was stopping and snapping. I nipped back out on the bike in the evening and pushed on to 21 miles for the day. Tuesday's weather was cloudy at first but by mid-afternoon the sun had burned away the cloud cover and it felt hot out there. An hour of afternoon cycling took me to 36.5 miles, which then became 45.5 miles in the evening once I'd been out for my supplementary trip.

Wednesday. The sunshine was a little more hazy today but conditions were still fine. I pushed on to 60 miles in the afternoon and then in the evening my usual loop to there and back saw me on to 68 miles. An excellent foundation for a big total by the weekend, I hoped. These hopes took a slight knock the very next day, when rain greeted me on rising. Fortunately it stopped in the early afternoon and remained fine thereafter. I was able to get out on the bike in the afternoon for an hour, rolling home with 80 miles. I would have more than likely added another 8 to the total in the evening, but I went to the pub instead. The hot and sunny weather returned on Friday. Glorious stuff. Off I went in the afternoon for an hour, waltzing back with 101 miles in the bag. Job done with two full days to spare again. I wasn't finished for the day though and another 9 miles in the evening pushed me along to 110 for the week.

Come the weekend, the weather worsoned. Saturday was overcast and cool, with spots of rain often in the air. A typical English summer's day in many respects. I made my usual Saturday afternoon trip into town then dashed out for another half an hour when I got home. That nudged my total along to 129 miles. No more cycling was done in the evening because I went out for the night instead. Sunday was grim and grey with steady rain when I emerged from my slumber with a fuzzy head. When the rain cleared I was able to get out for a good 30 minutes or so around 6 pm, which took me to 137.5 miles. It was drizzling again by 9 pm but I was determined to push on and record a decent total, so I ended up doing an hour in the descending gloom to finish the week with 152. Good work, Jenkins.

The stats:
Time taken to get 100: 6 hrs 19 m.
Total for 2012: 2686.2
2012 average weekly mileage: 122.1

Consecutive 100s: 21

Miles needed for 6000: 3314

Percentage of target reached: 44.77%

With 30 weeks to go, average weekly miles needed for 6000: 110.46

Last week I set my fastest time to get to 100 miles and this week I've broken the record again... by a whole minute. I also take my average weekly mileage to a new year high.

I've had a very fine three weeks in the saddle, with scores of 147.1, 162.3 and 152.2 yielding 461.6 miles at an average of 153.8. That's a very welcome shot of pace to put some distance between 2012 and 1998. I'm going to need it. I just hope it can continue. It's also shaved 4 whole miles off my "average weekly total needed to get to 6000 miles" figure. I'll soon have it under 110 at this rate.

2012 Week 21

Week 21 (w/e 27 May 2012)
Miles: 162.3

I should try much harder to keep this blog up to date. Writing about events from three weeks ago is like looking back to another era at the moment, especially with the distinct change in the weather. I'm writing this now on a dreary, wet Saturday afternoon coming after what has been a dreary, wet week. It was only a few weeks back at the end of May that we had a burst of summer. It all happened in week 21. And I cashed in.

The previous week had seen me tot up a score of 147 during a mostly fine week. The following week was warm - sometimes very close to hot! - and sunny. Excellent weather for cycling then. I got underway on the Monday with the usual hour's ride in the afternoon and topped that up in the evening with the usual 8 mile loop that saw me to 24 miles on the day. Tuesday's weather was similarly glorious, so I repeated the routes I'd taken the day before, gliding to 48 miles in the process. Wednesday was the odd man out with the weather. While the rest of the country basked in glorious sunshine, this part of the north west remained stubbornly overcast and cool. Never mind, I took myself out for an hour in the afternoon to advance to 64 miles, then pushed on in the evening to finish the day with 73 miles. Great work for a Wednesday.

Thursday saw the return of hot and sunny conditions. An hour's ride in the afternoon took me to 89 miles. In the evening I had to visit a mate's house on an errand - I cycled there, naturally. So that round trip meant I closed the day with 92 miles. Friday was also pleasantly sunny; in fact, it felt HOT in sheltered spots. Marvellous. Unfortunately for me, a fair breeze had whipped up on that day and was gusting in from an easterly direction. Distracted by the start of the second test against the West Indies, I didn't get out on the bike until 6. I rolled home 30 minutes later with 100 miles in the bag once again. There was time in the evening to push this on to 108 miles.

It was hot and sunny again on both Saturday and Sunday, but that stiff easterly breeze hung around to take the air temperature down a peg or two. I cycled to town as per usual on Saturday afternoon, then dashed out for a quick supplementary ride when I got back to edge to 127 miles. After a couple of hours rest I nipped out again to finish the day with 135. I was on target for a comfortable 150+ week then. And so it proved. Sunday was again hot and sunny. An hour in the afternoon took me to 151 miles. The fine conditions tempted me to get out again mid-evening and push on a bit more than usual. Thus done, I rolled home with 162 miles in total, only 5 miles behind my best score of the year so far. Splendid work. I could do with a few more weeks like that this summer.

The stats:
Time taken to get 100: 6 hrs 20 m.
Total for 2012: 2534
2012 average weekly mileage: 120.66
Consecutive 100s: 20
Miles needed for 6000: 3466
Percentage of target reached: 42.23%
With 31 weeks to go, average weekly miles needed for 6000: 111.8

The fastest 100 of the year so far, despite the blustery end to the week. Of course, wind blowing in from one direction both punishes and rewards depending on whether you're facing it. So it all evens out I suppose. This week pushed my weekly average to a year high of 120.6

2012 Week 20

Week 20 (w/e 20 May 2012)
Miles: 147.1 

After the struggle of last week, this was much more like it: cycling every day in a steady progression towards a decent total. My kind of week.

Monday. The afternoon was clear and sunny until around 5, when a short shower sprang up. This delayed my usual cycling trip, so it was closer to 6 when I got out there. I came back with 12 miles but was able to top that up to 20 with an evening trip. Tuesday's weather was initially showery, but from the afternoon onwards it was clear and sunny. The only downside was the brisk northerly wind that pegged me back a bit. I got a full hour of pedalling done in the afternoon, moving on to 33 miles in the process, then pushed on to 41 miles in the evening. Wednesday's weather was very nice indeed, clear and sunny. A sign of things to come, as it turned out. My usual afternoon excursion took me to 55 miles and the traditional 8 mile evening ride pushed me on to a satisfying 63 miles for a Wednesday night.

Thursday was cloudy but warm, with hazy sunshine. I got just under an hour's cycling done in the afternoon, advancing to 77 miles in the process. This became 85 miles after I'd been out on the usual loop in the evening. Friday brought a downturn in the weather, with overcast skies and spots of rain in the air. With an eye on the looming magic number 100, I dragged myself out for an hour in the late afternoon despite the spits of drizzle. For the last few miles of the journey home the rain became increasingly more organised. Nevertheless, I came home with the ton in the bag. An hour later the rain was steady and constant and lasted until well into the small hours, so no more miles were added. Still, job done with two days to spare.

Saturday. Hazy sunshine for the afternoon. I made my usual trip into town, then came home and dashed off another quick 8 miles before tea. That pushed things along to 118 miles. In the evening I watched the Champions League final. With the extra time and penalties it didn't leave any opportunity to add to the total. Sunday's weather was mostly cloudy throughout the afternoon until the sun burst out at teatime. I got out for an hour around the time that the clouds dispersed, rolling home with 134 miles. Naturally there was still time for another ride out in the evening. I went on a slightly longer route than the usual one that produces 8 miles. This done, I closed the week with 147 miles.

The stats:
Time taken to get 100: 6 hrs 33 m.
Total for 2012: 2371.7
2012 average weekly mileage: 118.58
Consecutive 100s: 19
Miles needed for 6000: 3628.3
Percentage of target reached: 39.52%
With 32 weeks to go, average weekly miles needed for 6000: 113.38

A disappointingly slow time for the 100 this week. Must have been the gusty wind earlier in the week.

2012 Week 18

Week 18 (w/e 6 May 2012)
Miles: 117.1

A week with weekend commitments meant that I could have been hard pressed to cobble together another ton. In the end, it was a smooth procession to the obligatory 100.

I got off to a good start on Monday. The weather was sunny, with a strong easterly wind blowing in to add a chill to the temperature. I got out in the late afternoon for 14.5 miles, taking that to 22 miles with an evening ride a few hours later. Tuesday afternoon was grey with occasional drizzle, with the easterly wind still blowing in. I got out for just under an hour in the afternoon, returning home with 35 miles. An evening supplementary ride pushed the total on to 43 miles. Wednesday's weather was very pleasant: warm, hazy sunshine for the afternoon at least. It clouded over in the evening but remained warm. I got out on my bike an hour or so early, armed with my camera on an admittedly largely unsuccessful mission to take some more snaps for use on this blog. The 25 minutes I spent moved me on to 49 miles. I then did my customary hour's pedalling, reaching 65.5 miles in the process. I wasn't finished for the day, of course. A third trundle in the evening meant that I'd reached 74 miles by Wednesday evening. A fine effort.

The weather on Thursday was overcast but fine. I got out there for a good hour in the afternoon, coming back with 92 miles in the bag. A trip around my usual loop in the evening saw me home with 100 miles with three full days to spare. Excellent work.

Friday was a zero cycling day as I had to go over to Yorkshire in mid-afternoon for another band rehearsal. I didn't get home until close to midnight anyway. Saturday's weather was excellent, warm and sunny conditions until it clouded over in the late afternoon. I had to be up and about early to get my car to the garage for its MoT. When I returned home I got the bike out at 3 for an hour and a bit, advancing to what became the final total of 117 miles. We had a gig to play in the evening, so after watching the FA Cup final we made our way there.

Sunday was the day of the annual pub fun run. I only decided to enter on the morning of the race. My knee had continued to feel iffy throughout the week, on and off. When I tested it on Sunday morning it felt fine, so I decided to do the run after all. The weather was dry and warm, which helped the decision making process. Despite my ropey preparation - I'd done no training for 12 days and had also downed a few pints the previous evening at the gig - I managed to shave 8 seconds off last year's time. The knee was absolutely fine. At least now my running season was over so I could concentrate solely on the cycling.

In celebration I spent the rest of the day in the pub.

The stats:
Time taken to get 100: 6 hrs 25 m.
Total for 2012: 2121.4
2012 average weekly mileage: 117.85
Consecutive 100s: 17
Miles needed for 6000: 3878.6
Percentage of target reached: 35.35%
With 34 weeks to go, average weekly miles needed for 6000: 114.08

2012 Week 12

Week 12 (w/e 25 March 2012)

Miles: 167.3

Monday opened the week in grey, windy and chilly fashion. The wind was whipping in off the Irish Sea on this occasion so it made things a bit of a struggle when I turned back into it on my afternoon ride. I only did 16 miles in 65 minutes. There was some drizzle around in the evening so I didn't bother going back out again. Conditions had improved the following day, so I pushed on to 31 miles in the afternoon and topped that up in the evening to finish Tuesday with very nearly 40 miles. It was overcast on Wednesday, but fine, so an hour's ride in the late afternoon saw me to 54 miles. The skies cleared in the evening and the temperature turned chilly, but I managed a second ride that ended with me on 62 miles. For a Wednesday evening that was a good return on the week so far.

The weather now entered a glorious seven day period when it was unseasonably warm and sunny. At times it felt more like late August than late March. I went out on Thursday afternoon, coming back with 80 miles on the clock. I nipped back out in the evening, although by then the wind had whipped up a bit from earlier. I returned home with very nearly 88 miles done. By Friday I was able to dispense with my winter outfit of leggings, hat and thermal gloves. Marvellous! Just over an hour's cycling saw me home with 105 miles. Yet another week where the ton was achieved with the full weekend to come. I wasn't finished of course, as an evening trip resulted in me achieving 113 miles before Saturday had begun.

Saturday afternoon was pleasantly warm so I cycled into town as usual, this time wearing my summer cycling gear. In March? Incredible. Two further trips later in the day took me to 138 miles. Sunday brought the welcome arrival of British Summer Time. Another warm and sunny afternoon meant another bike ride; I came back with 158 miles. There was still time to squeeze in another trundle in the evening, so I finished the week with a commendable 167 miles. Incidentally, that's 32nd place in my all-time hall of records.

The stats:
Time taken to get 100: 6 hrs 33 m.
Total for 2012: 1417.5
2012 average weekly mileage: 118.12
Consecutive 100s: 11
Miles needed for 6000: 4582.5
Percentage of target reached: 23.62%
With 40 weeks to go, average weekly miles needed for 6000: 114.56

It turned out to be a slow time to rack up the first 100 miles of the week. This was odd, as it felt faster than that (the average speed was 15.25 mph). Still, there are a couple of things worthy of note this week: firstly, it was my best individual weekly score since May 2008, if you omit last August's frankly bonkers 341 of the Berwick trip of course. The second thing worth mentioning is that in order to crack 6000 miles in 2012 I'll need to average 115.38 miles per week. I've now pushed my average below the required level. So I'm ahead of schedule. In the last four weeks, my weekly average has leapt from 103 miles to 118. Fruity.

2012 Week 10

Week 10 (w/e 11 March 2012)
Miles: 137.1

Moo.

A sunny start to the week saw me exit Monday with 26 miles in total, following an 18 mile trundle in the afternoon and the usual 8 mile loop in mid-evening. Tuesday was clear but breezy to begin with. I added another 18 miles in the afternoon to take me to 44, but then steady rain arrived so I didn't add to the total. Wednesday was cold and blustery, with occasional wintry showers blowing in from the west. These cleared by late afternoon so I was able to get out and grind out 16 miles despite the unappealing gale. I didn't bother going out again in the evening, but I'd hauled myself to 60 miles which, for a Wednesday, was an excellent result for me.

Thursday was grey and drizzly. I dashed out at 5 pm despite the evidence of the rain radar that showed heavy showers slipping down the Cumbrian coast and heading this way. The rain began falling lightly when I was on my way back home, so I cut short the ride and came back before an hour was up with almost 72 miles on the clock. Conditions were clear later in the evening so I did my trusty 8 mile local loop and thus moved on to 80 miles. Friday was overcast but fine so I squeezed in a 12 miler just before teatime and then added 8 miles later in the evening so that I rolled home with 100 miles on a Friday night for the second week running.

Saturday was sunny and felt warm, although I imagine that the fact that I was wearing my winter layers didn't help. I made my usual trip into town and then had a quick dash out into the countryside and back at 6 pm to move along to 120 miles. I had an appointment with a curry house on Saturday night so resumed the chase on Sunday afternoon. I got out there for a good hour, coming home with 137 miles. A mist of drizzle was in the air for the last few miles of the ride and this thickened in the evening - so having enjoyed a good week I decided to put my feet up in the evening and not bother pushing on into the 140s. 

The stats:
Time taken to get 100: 6 hrs 32 m.
Total for 2012: 1113
2012 average weekly mileage: 111.3
Consecutive 100s: 9
Miles needed for 6000: 4887
Percentage of target reached: 18.55%
With 42 weeks to go, average weekly miles needed for 6000: 116.36

Things are progressing nicely. Having smashed through the 1000 mile barrier in week 10, that breaks the previous record (1998) by one week - and I was only 24.1 miles off cracking the 1000 in week 9. Two good weeks have seen my average for 2012 leap from 102.9 to 111.3 which looks impressive. Another bonus is that I've now got the remaining miles I need to dip below 5000 miles. Wow, feels like I'm practically there already!

2012 Week 9

Week 9 (w/e 4 March 2012)
Miles: 152.5

I'm conscious that the content of this blog is quite dry and leans heavily towards statistics. To brighten things up a bit I've decided to add a cycling-related photo to each entry. This week's opening pic comes from a stretch of the A586, in case you want to make a note of it. Ok, let's get down to business.

Week 9 was a cracker - despite losing a complete day to rain.

Monday was washed out completely. Good start, there. So I got things underway on Tuesday. The weather was drizzly, but I managed 16 miles in the late afternoon along the usual lanes. I was able to top that up in the evening with a good 30 minutes or so, the result being 23 miles in the bank. The weather on Wednesday was very pleasant - mild and fine. I went off in the afternoon and did 18 miles, topping that up in the evening so that I finished the day with a 50.

Having laid that foundation, I looked forward to taking advantage of the pleasant sunny weather on Thursday. But first I had to drop off my bike at the local bike shop for some attention. In addition to the broken gear cable there were a couple of other minor things that needed attention. I noticed the difference when I got it back. It's amazing what an improvement a mini-service can deliver. I went off on a 20 miler to celebrate then did some more in the evening. Thursday closed with me on 78 miles. Good work. Friday's weather was similarly excellent, so I took myself to 95 miles in the afternoon and then broke through the 100 mark in the evening - to 102 miles, to be exact.

Having sorted out the ton with two full days to spare, anything over that was going to be a welcome bonus. Three short trips on Saturday brought me to 126 miles. Sunday was clear and cold and a bitter north-westerly wind was blowing in. Not much fun when heading into it, but with the wind at my back I flew. The afternoon ride took me to 144 miles, leaving me with a 30 minute dash mid-evening to complete my total this week of 152. A fine effort.

152.5 miles is my highest weekly score since the first week of October 2011 (158.1). It also saw my weekly average leap from 102.9 to 108.4.

The stats:
Time taken to get 100: 6 hrs 25 m.
Total for 2012: 975.9
2012 average weekly mileage: 108.43
Consecutive 100s: 8
Miles needed for 6000: 5024.1
Percentage of target reached: 16.26%
With 43 weeks to go, average weekly miles needed for 6000: 116.84

Fastest time of the year to get to 100 miles, I note. Just shows what having your bike serviced can do. Also, the "average needed from here to get 6000 miles" figure has been resolutely anchored at 117.x miles for the last 6 weeks; it's a boost to get that to fall, even if it's just by 0.8 of a mile.

Also this week: early on, I noticed that my back tyre was soft.
"Darn", I thought, "either that puncture repair was botched or I've run over another flippin' thorn."
I pumped up the tyre and left it for 30 minutes. When I returned to check it, the tyre was still fully inflated.
"Funny," I thought.
Over the next few days the tyre sometimes stayed up and sometimes went a bit softer.
I eventually worked out the valve is a bit dodgy and that's the source of the leak. Ho hum.