Just been down in the West Country for a bit of a family holiday. Didn't
take bikes so opportunities for cycling were a bit limited, but on the
day the missus went for a spot of pampering at the new Bath Spa, me and
number one son went to the bike-hire shop in Bradford-on-Avon and got
ourselves a tandem for the day.
To sum up the day in three words: What brilliant fun!
To sum it up in rather more words...
We rode along the Kennet & Avon towpath from B-o-A to Devizes, stopping
at the Barge Inn, Seend, for a lemonade along the way. The towpath is a
lovely cycling route, part of the Wiltshire cycling network, and seems
to be generally very well put together, although being a towpath it is a
little too narrow for my liking in places. But ideal for a family-type
outing by bike.
Of course, being a towpath, there were no hills, right? Wrong! It was
mostly flat, but there was the one climb, on the outskirts of Devizes -
we counted the locks and there were about 28 over the space of less than
a mile, which should give an idea of the gradient. Not an especially
challenging climb compared to some I've done recently but it was made
more difficult by the fact that the stoker got bored of pedalling less
than halfway up.
Also, the bike was technically an off-road machine (a Schwinn), with
suspension fork and big fat tyres, so more rolling resistance than I'd
have liked. Plus I got a puncture only a few miles into the ride.
Fortunately, a repair kit and pump were provided by the hire shop so we
were soon on our way again, but the pump was not great so I couldn't get
the tyre up to a decent pressure again, which added further impedance.
With all these factors making the climb harder, I was a little red-faced
by the time we reached the top, and I feel the pint of Henry's IPA I had
with lunch in Devizes was well-deserved.
But I'm not complaining - I've pondered the idea of getting a tandem in
the past, now I'm convinced I'd really love one!
d.