Hi - I've been lurking in URC for a while (I see no point in adding
to the bandwith unless I've got something worth saying), but today I
thought I'd come out & post a ride report.
Generaly, my riding consists of the 2.5 mile commute to work and back,
with a rare 20-miler thrown in, so I thought it was time to get in a
longer ride before the weather turns too Autumnal and I lose the
enthusiasm. The forecast for today seemed promising, so 8:30 saw me
pedaling away from the house (in a small village about 15 miles SW of
Coventry), my belly ballasted with porridge & toast, heading south,
my aim to get to the Rollright stones on the Oxfordshire border.
The first few miles were fine, despite riding into a headwind, but I
consoled myself with the hope that it would be behind me on the way
back, when I'd appreciate it more. All was going fine until I went
over a rougher-than-normal road surface, when my recently purchased
Aldi cycle computer decided to reset itself. This was to repeat
itself throughout the ride, making it rather pointless having it
there. (aside: who else thinks council highway departments should
ride 'their' roads on a bike with 100PSI tyres, to make them better
appreciate road condition?)
Anyway, the Sun shone, the clouds scudded, and I appreciated the
comfy seat of my Pashley PDQ as the miles rolled along. Aside from
the odd stop to check the map and take on fuel (water from the bottle,
Malt Loaf & Liquorice Allsorts from the seat bag) I managed the
hills,and picked up the Fosse way at a place called (Of all things)
Halford. A mile further I turned onto the A34 Oxford road and carried
on through Shipton-on-Stour. A slog later, and one heck of a hill
(the only one I ended up pushing up), I found myself on the ridge
where the Rollrights are situated. I last visited these a few years
ago, and while the site itself is pleasant enough, the stones are in
a poor state due to the vandalism of "persons unknown" who have
splattered what looks like industrial paint over every stone. Talking
to the warden on the site, it seems they've tried removing it with
chemicals and an ultra-sonic device, but the stones are too fragile:
They're now waiting for the first frosts to loosen what it can, and
then begins the long, tedious job of manual removal with dental picks.
Back on the bike, I turned for home, and being unused to such
exertions, my legs were begining to protest. Whereas previously when
cycling I had enjoyed the thrill of belting down hills, that pleasure
was now tempered by the inevitabilty that there was going to be a
corresponding hill to climb at some point. Soon after midday, my
hands seemed to know where my mouth wanted to be, and turned my bike
into the car park of the pub I was passing ('The Inn' at Sibford
Gower), and I was soon sitting in the pub garden with a very nice
pint of Greene King IPA (Alas no Hook Norton - Despite only being 3
miles north of the Brewery) and some chicken and pickle sandwiches.
Prior to leaving, the landlord kindly filled my water bottle for me,
so suitably replete I started again, passing a road with the
delightful name of "Backside Lane". I knew I was in the [censored]-end of
nowhere, but I thought this was stretching a point. I would have had
Jpegs to post, but the cheapo pocket digicam I keep round my neck
when cycling has a volatile memory, and for whatever reason it too
decided to reset itself. :-(
Heading for home, I passed through Edgehill, where my knees were
really starting to hurt. I stopped & shortened the boom by an inch,
which seemed to help, and carried on. Past the MOD ammunition dump at
Kineton (no stopping allowed!), back over the M40 at Gaydon, and
after a few more miles I was home, the rain starting 2 minutes from
my door, but at least it held off until then. Having put the bike
away, the kettle went on, the hot bath was started running and I
measured the map while waiting for one to boil and the other to fill.
In all, I did 57 miles, which is hardly a great deal for some, but is
the most I've ever done in one go.
So did I enjoy myself? definitley. Would I do it again? Sure, though
I might build up with some more frequent shorter rides first.
And on a final note, seeing as how I'm at home now writing this, it
would seem conclusive proof that "not wearing a h*lm*t saved my life"
;-)
Colin
--
Coincidence is the alibi of the Gods
usenet (at) spiralPathways (dot) co (dot) uk