This blog is the story of how my dynamic crew enjoyed a fun #Lockdown2 Ride12 – a pre Tandem Club AGM cold and windy #tandem where the Club’s snoods were essential, but hit a new top record speed on a Mill of Drummond loop.
It was Tandem Club UK AGM day on Saturday, so what better way to spend the morning than out on a bicycle made for two – although the weather had taken a sharp turn for the worse from last week’s warmish sunshine.
The “old git” and “old gal” were keen to get back out in tandem to get some much needed exercise for their 12th #lockdown adventure – while adopting Cycling UK Scotland‘s #cyclingfromhome mantra in #tandem in rural Perthshire, mainly on Sustrans Scotland and The National Cycle Network routes. You can check out the details of our route by clicking on the Strava map below.
The strong winds of around 15mph created a “feels-like” temperature of just 3C which meant that the new Tandem Club snoods were an essential item of kit!
The aim was to have a quick blast round the Mill of Drummond/Muthill loop – and hopefully set a few PBs – but it was obvious when cycling out of our home town of Auchterarder that this was going to be a ride of gritty endurance rather than one of speed!
It was hard going tandeming into the fierce headwind all the way out past Gleneagles towards Braco. Turning left at the junction with the A8222 did little to ease the windy conditions and we pedalled bravely on to the highest point for the briefest of stops for a quick photo.
We then turned left at the Mill of Drummond signpost and had fun on the great 4.5 mile section which weaves thru local farms on an impressively surfaced road – albeit a narrow country road, with passing places! This route is part of the Muthill Sportive routes – tho usually used in the opposite direction – but my dynamic crew enjoyed the adrenalin-inducing roller-coaster style undulations.
This section ends with a great steep downhill section past Muthill Golf Course – which includes a 9% decline – and the “old git” was determined to get the speedometer over the 40mph barrier!
So it was heads down and pedal fast! The speed picked up … in line with the high pitched screams from my rear saddle from the “old gal” … and just as Team Matilda “flew” over the last hump my handlebar speedometer went past the 40 mph mark … just in time for a sharp bit of braking before joining the main road again!
But as all cyclists know … it is only really an “official” record when it comes up on Strava to be recorded for posterity. And there was much joy from the “old git” when Strava did indeed record a top speed of 41.2 mph on that section! And that is in fact a new Team Matilda speed record! Woooo!
A quick stop for a DIY coffee at Muthill allowed my crew to return to normal status – the “old git” coming down from his euphoric high while the “old gal” came back up from her state of shock!
As we left Muthill on the backroads there was a light shower, but fortunately it dried up by the time we reached Tullibardine – before the final section of the Easthill climb! Don’t think the “old gal” would have been too happy doing that … into the wind … and the rain! As it was the wind was hard enough!
Despite the poor weather, it was good to be out and the ride clocked another 21 miles onto the #Lockdown2 milometer, taking the total to 276 miles from the 12 rides completed so far.
Back at Matildas Rest, the “old git” checked Strava which officially recorded the ride as being amazingly worthy of 7 gongs given the weather – over and above the new Team Matilda top speed record – three personal bests; two 2nd bests; and three 3rd bests! No “Local Legend” accolades tho!
The detailed Strava figures showed my dynamic crew tandemed a distance of 21.6 miles with a moving time of 1 hour 42 minutes. The average speed was a healthy 12.7 mph despite the ever present wind! Elevation was 1,286 feet. The maximum speed was that new record of 41.2 mph and Team Matilda managed to burn up 1,463 calories and produce an average power output of 214 W.
As always the route is brought to life in our Relive 3D mapping video – so click here to view or on the image below.
So after all the drama of breaking that speed record, it was time later in the afternoon for my dynamic crew to “attend” their first AGM of The Tandem Club – albeit by Zoom!
It was great to see people – even if on an electronic screen due to the current Covid restrictions – and put some faces to some names! There was even a nice thankyou for the “old git’s” social media activities on behalf of the Club.
But in an epic fail the “old git” forgot to take a photo of the AGM in action on the Zoom screen – so sadly there is no image! Aaaagh!
But despite the far from ideal conditions for tandeming, there were hugely positive feelings from #Lockdown2 Ride12. My dynamic crew continue to feel lucky, fortunate and blessed to be able to keep healthy – mentally and physically – with our madcap #tandem adventures on a bicycle made for two in our rural Perth and Kinross Cycle Campaign, Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust, Auchterarder Community Cycling and Love Perthshire area.
With the ride and Zooming in on the AGM, all in all it was a great day in #tandem! Can we just have the warmer weather back please?!