Ælfheah was born around 953 and became a monk early in life. More commonly known today as Alphege, he was an Anglo-Saxon Bishop of Winchester, later Archbishop of Canterbury from 1006 to 1012. In September 1011, Danes laid siege to Canterbury. Aided by the treachery of Ælfmaer, whose life Ælfheah had once saved, the raiders succeeded in sacking the city on this date 1,015 years ago. Ælfheah was held captive for seven months and Canterbury Cathedral was plundered and burned. Ælfheah refused to allow a ransom to be paid for his freedom, and was killed on April 19, 1012, at Greenwich. Pope Gregory VII canonised Ælfheah in 1078. St. Alfege's Church in Greenwich and a nearby hospital (1931-1968) were named after him. In the town of Solihull in the West Midlands, St. Alphege Church is dedicated to Ælfheah dating back to approximately 1277. Artistic representations of Ælfheah often depict him holding a pile of stones in his chasuble, a reference to his martyrdom, as in the photo here of his statue on the West Front of Salisbury Cathedral. Credits: https://w.wiki/VxBc Photo: https://w.wiki/VxCE Richard Avery, Public Domain, Statue by James Frank Redfern (1838-1876) I rode solo today. My hope was to ride a metric century, to the Lockheed Gate and Swanton, and then back to Santa Cruz. But after 3,900 feet ascent to Lockheed and back down to PCH, I was already somewhat tired. So when I turned toward Swanton, I was thwarted by the 20-knot headwind. I took the rail trail back, always very easy with the tailwind. A very enjoyable ride, with perfect weather. The climb from Santa Cruz to the high point of Empire Grade is 16 miles at 190 feet ascent per mile. Next Sunday, I'm planning to ride the Mount Diablo Challenge, 11.2 miles at 290 feet per mile. So not really comparable, but maybe today's ride will help make me ready. At one point on the rail trail, a large group of emergency vehicles was gathered on the bluffs, along with an idling helicopter, and a ladder truck parked along PCH. As I threaded my way through them, I asked one of the emergency responders whether it was a cliff rescue, and he said, "Yep." It occurred to me later that he probably would say that even if it was a recovery. (I posted this the day after the ride, because I started late, and when I got back I was rushed to put the bike away, get lunch about 5 p.m., get a shower, and get up to the Audrey Stanley Grove in Delaveaga Park for the Santa Cruz Opera Project's production of La bohème. What a day!)