11C, nice day to come.
Woke early: an unusual cause this time- hunger. Maybe it’s these extended commutes and all those extra calories. The extensions may only be 25-35 miles but they are a bit faster than average at 16-17 mph too. That’s not bad with a work bag on the back and a day’s work done.
Category Archives: Cycling
You know you’re a teacher when…
12°C,light NE.
Riding in, on the last leg, I have to pass slow moving traffic. Then there is a BMW weaving slowly. It sweeps slowly to close the passing space by a bollard. Luckily the car moves away again, then I can pass. Typical! She’s on her mobile. Without thinking, I shout-
OI! PUT THAT MOBILE DOWN! ON WONDER YOU CAN’T DRIVE IN A STRAIGHT LINE.
She immediately snatched her mobile off the steering wheel and avoiding eye contact hid the phone like a naughty pupil.
What can be done about this? Increasing the fines has changed nothing. Despair.
Extended the ride home with 25miles. Very nice except the narrow lane where I faced an on-coming tanker lorry. There is no escape, the driver was talking on his mobile. He did stop when I shouted and let me gingerly ease past his Halso tanker that filled the lane from side to side..
Wet paint.
21C, bright start, dull later.
CA- 35 miles in total today. Added 25 mile extension on the way home. Average roadspeed was higher than a typical commute and I only turned home when I got hungry.
Grabbed a phone shot of these sunflowers in the last ten miles. It’s quite a striking image that of a field of sunny faces staring in your direction.
Posted from WordPress on Smartphone.
Hot September.
25°C, sun and light S breeze.
After work ride tracked with MapMyRide! Distance: 24.2mi, time: 01:33′, speed: 15.50mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/374566469
Another after work ride. Didn’t feel as sprightly as yesterday, but it felt okay. I suppose I was somewhat hungry at the time.
Photo- taken this morning at about 6.40. walking Rosie. Strange was that small patch of fog in the lower end of the field. It had cleared before we left.

lost– have you ever lost something and become almost obsessed with finding it? Do you re-trace your steps over and over? Even view the lost things are mundane and not worth a great deal? I do. It’s only a bag of shopping, but it has stuck in my head. If you see it, it’s the one with:
2 bags of bread flower,
A packet of pasta,
Dog bags,
Fresh garlic.
Box of loose leaf tea
It’s here somewhere, I am sure.
After work.
tracked with MapMyRide! Distance: 19.67mi, time: 01:15:09, speed: 15.71mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/373427865
Extended the commute home today.
Did consider this route before the big holiday but either rushed good and grabbed the race bike, of rode further west. Its a good route though. I was surprised by how quiet some of those roads were not long after rush-hour.

14*3
CK:Distance: 32.73mi, time: 02:01:37, pace: 3:43min/mi, speed: 16.15mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/36823944
I hoped to get weight down this summer so I can enjoy cycling more. 200lbs seemed a good number to aim for.
Well, here I am, 198lbs. It won’t last though. Normally, I gain half a stone in the winter. That itself is not such a problem, it’s good to have some resources in case you get ill.
As an aside–

This is the tree stump where I have cooked supper in Glen Coe over the last three years. Nostalgic moment.
Last card.
Today’s ride: CR-Distance: 55.32mi, time: 03:31:23, pace: 3:49min/mi, speed: 15.70mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/366243771

last week of the holiday and a mountain of marking looms. England’s weather did a grand job of welcoming us back from the med. Temperatures reached 24C, even higher out of the shade.
As always, I ride better the further I go. The first ten miles were stiff and un-natural in feel. But after twenty miles, and numerous short bursts out of the saddle, the good feeling came back.
A problem next week will be sitting at work when I am used to long periods of exercise. I can sympathise with the restless kids though.
Metric Century.
Saturday ride- MapMyRide! Distance: 67.47mi, time: 04:21:03, speed: 15.51mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/345366821
The last few days I have had the fizzy legs syndrome. At last it’s good after this ride.
The ride was long enough to test the phone’s battery booster. Tracking with my little smart phone really drains the battery, some days down to 25%, or less. Today, I got home with 96% charge. A result that bodes well for highland hiking this coming week.
Left or right.
22C, heavy showers,
CR- Distance: 35.98mi, time: 02:11:23, speed: 16.43mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/340593693
Hill walking builds up different muscles, most noticeably quads. You can feel the extra push forward over the top of the pedal stroke. Sprinting and hill climbing show the effect the most, or is it because I an lighter now?
Rode back home down a single-track lane with a couple of pedestrians blocking the lane. I called out “excuse me”.
Then I got told off! ” you need to say left or right” she said. “No, you need to stop walking down the middle of the road!”.
Really though, they need to walk on the right so they are facing traffic.
Downpour
21°C, thunderstorms,
Woke early to the sound of thunder, later came the downpour to beat all.
Arrow ride tracked with MapMyRide! Distance: 42.79mi, time: 02:42:39, pace: 3:48min/mi, speed: 15.78mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/335549677
I went out on the Arrow after the rain fearing that more was to come. None did, but the bike handles well enough for a summer ride.



