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10 miles and a flat

Riding - pleasure

This is getting a bit silly now.

Got in from work and it was again a glorious afternoon. Wasnt too fussed about cycling tonight, the legs and backside were a little sore after the past couple of days, but, my daughter had a Brownie evening hike starting on the Ridgeway about where we came off last night and as me and the missus were both dropping her off, I dipped a toe in the water and suggested I sling the bike in the car and she could drive home. Not a problem, so off we went!

I dropped daughter off at the meeting point and had a chat with one of the leaders who I worked with many years ago, laughing about how the bikes have come on since we used to cycle to town all those years ago for lunch! then, off I went, set of at what felt like a blistering pace and kept it going even on the first lump, I then settled down into a slower pace and enjoyed the views

The trail then started to kick up, but the surface was great and to be honest, I was really enjoying myself!

Not long after I reached the top of the rise, I got that sinking feeling in my back wheel, so had a look and yep, puncture time. So I stopped and changed it in what seemed like a pretty quick time and headed onwards. It was then back onto real roads and down. No silly speeds tonight heading home, but again, I was just loving the time out.

A straight forward ride back home following the return leg from last night, although avoiding any roads to no-where tonight!

Details can be found HERE

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The road to no-where

Riding - pleasure

Well, I’m quite honestly as surprised as you probably are dear reader, a second outing in as many days!

This time, was with Rafe, been a while since we cycled together. Finished work at the now normal time of 1630, which is still very odd, and headed home. Rafe turned up a bit later but by 1800 we were out on the road. Id not planned a route, but Rafe mentioned a byway he had not ridden before, but I had, so we agreed on that and then a rough route was formulated.

A nice steady start round to the back of Wantage, I do quite like this byway, but its much better going the other way! Once in Wantage we headed East and into Lockinge which is rather well-to-do and its race horse country. Rafe knew of another byway that wasnt sign-posted though a farm, so we took that and started to climb. Although gently at first and with a cracking surface, it soon got a lot steeper and the path turned into grass, still not bad though. I managed to get about halfway up onto the Ridgeway, before stalling and walking for a bit, but surprised myself by getting on again after a couple of hundred metres and cycled to the top of the hill and the car park where Matt and I started our ride from yesterday.

I do love the view from up here. As a point of reference, I live out of view, behind the second ridge, so you get some idea of the climb!

We pootled on to the West along the Ridgeway before dropping back at some speed into Wantage. I managed 33 mph and Rafe was going all out at 38, was rather concerned by the wobble from the front wheel though at 30mph so eased it back a bit. Had a ride though Wantage, which was actually looking quite nice for a change before heading a different way home. Now, the title of this post refers to the part of the ride here. We followed a shared use path and Ive walked most of it, but after crossing a road, the path still posted went round a corner and stopped, complete with metal fence, so hence the road to no-where.

Got home and to be honest was quite pleased with myself. Ok, not amazing miles, but I really did enjoy myself! So many thanks to Rafe for hauling my fat backside out again tonight!

And just because its been ages since I’ve done one, have a bike and very scenic gate picture!

Details can be found HERE

Update, Rafe has just sent through a picture of me on “the hill” so thought I would add that too (Click on pictures to view a decent size)

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Sun?

Riding - pleasure

Well, it has been a long time coming, but the sun has been out for a few days now and my mood for a ride has improved with it!

Firstly, work wise, work has now finished in its normal sense, I’m part of a decommissioning team and am now off shift, its been a big change going from 12 hour day and night shifts (for the past 10 years) to a “normal” Mon-Fri  pattern. It is however one I think I’m getting used to, my sleep patterns have now nearly normalised and my general mental health seems to be an awful lot better and I’m generally feeling a lot more positive about everything I do. Who knew shift work was bad for you?

So, my friend Matt has been talking about us getting a regular ride in each week and now things have settled down (and the weather improved) we decided today should be the start of it. We are both fairly unfit and have not rally cycled much for quite sometime, so our general plan is to start gently and build on that.

Today we cycled on the Ridgeway, a simple 4 miles out and 4 miles home, the warm sun and gentle breeze was a joy to be in, the Ridgeway was nice and dry and it was just a generally good ride, nothing earth shattering, but a good start none the less.

Details can be found HERE

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Mud and rain!

Riding - pleasure

Hello,

Been in a rather “bad” place for quite a while now. I’m being made redundant in May, and this is stressing me out bigtime. Applying for jobs and searching the job market is an arse. So far I’ve applied for 10+ jobs and heard nothing at all back, not even a reply to email asking if they received my application etc, how bloody rude are these companies? My sleep patterns have been all over the shop too, which doesn’t help my mood (or my eating)  so it all just sort of goes round in one big (getting bigger) circle.

Anyway.

Had a day of yesterday, woke up at 0530 – 2 hours before I needed to be awake! and was in a monster strop, sorted the kids and did the school run and it was pouring with rain. I slunk about the house for a couple of hours and then I thought sod it. Cycle it was then.

Didnt go mad, although the hills were testing and the paths very muddy and sloppy, but great fun none the less, it improved my mood no end, so prehaps a good cycle is the answer?

Link to the details is HERE

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An update after a long time!

Riding - pleasure

Well it has been somewhere in the order of 140 days since I last posted.

I did ride a bit in the weeks after the Oxfordshire classic, although only a few miles at a time, which were not really worth posting about. I then lost the urge to cycle. Dont know why, just did, one of those things I guess. I was under a lot of pressure as a school governor, as the school had a poor OFSTED inspection and that seemed to take over my life. I’ve put personal systems in place now, so the pressure on me doesn’t get like it again, it really was awful.

Then I was ill. I was very ill. If you don’t know me, or follow me on the various social media sites, let me fill you in… so, flash back to Thursday 27th July and I had shocking stomach pains during the day. I put this down to trapped wind as I was working in an office and wasnt totally comfortable with “having a free exchange of ideas” and the subsequent stench. Anyway, I got home and the pain was still there and nothing would shift it. About midnight after a call to NHS direct the long-suffering wife took me to the main hospital in Oxford, where within 15 minutes I was on a gurney in A&E majors and being poked, stabbed and asked to do various things into bottles. They thought it was kidney stones. So I laid there until the morning when they transferred me to a sort of ward, where again I laid until late afternoon when they decided to give me a scan as I was still in agony. By late evening they had decided I hadn’t got a stone, but an appendicitis, so up to the main ward I went and waited for an operation. I don’t mind admitting I was terrified. So eventually, late in the night I got taken down for the operation and thankfully I remember nothing about this! Next I know is being sat in bed in great pain wondering WTF happened! Looking around I remember lots of drips and pipes coming in and indeed coming out of me, but not really remembering where or why I was there. Finally a nurse came and explained my appendix had ruptured by the time they had got me to the table and I was very lucky to be alive. I had a week in the hospital, generally enjoying the free Morphine but being in a lot of pain both mentally and physically. Aside from the wife and kids visiting briefly each day, I did a lot of sleeping. A couple of evenings were brightened up by Rafe, coming to visit and I think our plans for NHS reform will go down a storm in some shape or other! Me old mate Matt called by too, so I was never short of visits, I was just in no fit state to really appreciate them! So, cutting a dull story short I was in for a week before they decided to boot me out.

Back home, I didn’t want to sit around too much so started some walking. I managed the end of the cul-de-sac the first day before coming home and sleeping for 3 hours solid! clearly eating nothing for a week is bad for your energy levels. I started to build up energy and slowly I started eating again, by this time I had lost 2 stone, not bad really! Not a weight loss programme I can recommend though. It was 3 weeks after I came home before I could drive again without too much pain, and then only short distances.

Flash-forward to today, I’ve been getting the urge to cycle, so decided to go for it today, in the rain! Wasnt feeling up to much but wanted to do something. So I made a little loop up in my head and made sure I could turn round if it was getting too much. The MTB was fine after pumping its tyres up, and I was off. It was hard work in the weather but I carried on, my mate who I had called round to see wasnt in, so I called in to the allotment instead. Quick check up there and it was onwards and upwards, but only a little hill, before turning off on to a bridleway which was very overgrown, but the surface was reasonable. Then the fun down hill on soft gravel, which was.. err… interesting. The way I was going was flooded so took a cut by the canal, part Id not done before, so that was a bit more fun and some good tracks with tree roots made sure I was switched on the whole time.

Came across a few nice features of the canal Id not seen before, another ruined lock and a rather beautiful bridge, will go back on a better day I think and take some proper pictures! But for now you will have to put up with a couple I took on my phone.

So, that’s todays ride done. Maybe I will get out tomorrow, I’ll see what pain I’m in!

Stats:

Trip Miles: 4.44 miles

Average Speed: 8.1 mph

Total Time: 0 hrs 32 min 51 sec

Details can be found HERE

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