Category Archives: Travel

Normal weather again.

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8°C, light S breeze, light cloud.

I rode Paddy Wagon with MapMyRide+! Distance: 49.59km, time: 02:03:55, pace: 2:30min/km, speed: 24.01km/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/2747744446

Running at speed, I had a very enjoyable spin. Once I passed my new house, I headed south along the coast rode and faced this amazing atmospheric effect. There was a fan of crepuscular rays reading down beyond the pier. The most remarkable part, in my opinion, is that the rays didn’t seem to suite touch the sea. They ran out of energy in an impossible way. ‘Beautiful’ describes it mildly.

Bleak marshes.

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7°C, brisk SE wind mostly dry but misty and dull.

I rode Mustang with MapMyRide+! Distance: 70.64km, time: 03:24:16, pace: 2:54min/km, speed: 20.75km/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/2743892431

While most of the rest of this country is clearing up after snow storms, our snow is long gone. We’re under return polar maritime air. This airmass gap travelled tens of thousands of miles over sea collecting water vapour as it went. Now it’s gloomy, misty though slightly warmer.

This ride included a cafe stop where I thought over life’s troubles. On the table was a copy of Pro Cyclist. A magazine with some in-depth features including an analysis of the ways sleep is affected by athletic training. It’s relevant to me. I’m currently writing this at 04.20, a time that I’m usually awake and up.

Walk in windchill.

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2°C white cloud and strong E. Windchill very significant.

I hiked with MapMyRide+! Distance: 12.95km, time: 02:27:16, pace: 11:22min/km, speed: 5.28km/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/2740750153

It looks as though it’s about to drop into the water.

Lancashire has a crack in it.

There are rows of these grooves, probably cut to prevent flooding in the middle of these very flat fields.

All day, that wind was a feature on this open route. Some sections were sheltered but not many. They provided some respite and reassured of in my choice of clothing. I wore the same as the Ainsdale dune route a few da p ago when it was a good 4°C colder. Today felt colder. Feeling slightly cold for a long time takes a very long time to warm up again. A factor to consider for ML assessment this summer.

Arctic Blast.

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+1 to +5°C, sharp ESE wind. Dry with bright blue sky.

I rode Mustang with MapMyRide+! Distance: 80.44km, time: 03:53:29, pace: 2:54min/km, speed: 20.67km/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/2729584762

In today’s Daily Mirror, the subheadline is ‘Temperatures colder than the Arctic’. What a stupid, blatant lie. They’ve printed that one before. It’s only a few degrees below in the UK.

I didn’t expect the photo to come out so badly. The lens must have steamed up. This is taken at CafeVelo which is by two small lakes. A very nice cyclist cafe, a good replacement for The Beehive by Rosliston.

By the time I got there, about 10, most of the ice had gone but the wind picked up. My feet and fingertips were cold. Actually, it felt as though there were pebbles inside my shoes. A cafe stop was essential to warm up.

The next leg, I could enjoy a tailwind and enjoy the scenery. The light is wonderful today and the roads, quiet.

Anyway, I set off for an early one. What spectacular weather, the light was sharp which cart deep incised shadows. All was tinged with blue from the cloudless sky.

Angry in an Audi.

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After snow, 2°C, clear with moderate N breeze.

I rode Mustang with MapMyRide+! Distance: 32.50km, time: 01:37:00, pace: 2:59min/km, speed: 20.10km/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/2698143748

A short outing after the snow finished. None of it stuck anyway. The first mile goes north along an escarpment but narrows before the 40m descent. At that point, I had 4 cars behind so I pulled into a driveway to let them through. Oddly, the fourth car didn’t pass, it stopped. I waved him through. The other cars had stopped in front too. Then when it cleared, the Audi moved forward with a widow lowered. He shouted at me, “if you used your eyes, you’d see that car instead of blocking the road”

‘Blocking the road‘? I was in a driveway to let traffic through!

‘Using (my) eyes’? I saw the 4 cars, and saw the open driveway. What I didn’t see was the car coming up the hill because 3 cars were blocking the view.

I’m sorry, Audi driver that you’re having a bad day, but you have no right to take it out on me.

There I was, trying to be cooperative and considerate. Should I have continued with 4 cars behind me on that single track road since I had every legal right to?

At test this kind of thing doesn’t happen very often, perhaps once every three years.

Long Winter Sun.

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2C, light NE breeze and clear sky. Dry.

I rode the Paddy Wagon with MapMyRide+! Distance: 71.84km, time: 03:11:01, pace: 2:40min/km, speed: 22.57km/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/2694835531

A day of colour. Bright sun cast long shadows, especially towards 5pm, sunset. A copper orange glow illuminated the cloud’s undersides revealing textures and contours that are never otherwise visible. These are photogenic conditions and indeed, I took more shots than usual. An exquisite day, the peaks in Cumbria were visible, and they were capped with snow.

Ainsdale Beach

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5°C, still with unbroken blue above.

I hiked with MapMyRide+! Distance: 7.48km, time: 01:37:45, pace: 13:04min/km, speed: 4.59km/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/2678812423

Today’s trip is an exploration of my new hometown.

Dunes run dominantly in parallel to the rather distant shoreline. Looking out west, a wreck poked above sand flats. I should visit that next time, perhaps on the bike.
A big chunk of this area is a mature reserve. It’s mostly fenced off but is marked as Open Access land. Wavecut parts of the beach are low and smooth; I cycled on that part about a month ago. The dunes start immediately behind low cliffs.

The furthest end of the walk entered pine woodland. The going was tricky because so many trees were down. Trunks were smashed in places, doubtless by all the storms that roll in from the northern approaches.

Underfoot were some Puffballs, long past their prime but undisturbed nonetheless.

I’m going to like living here.

Muddy Mess Of a Ride.

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Bright winter sun 6°C, brisk S.

I rode The Jake with MapMyRide+! Distance: 26.48km, time: 01:51:48, pace: 4:13min/km, speed: 14.21km/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/2676806983

A fine muddy, squelchy start along the canal into early low sun. At 6 or 7 miles, the squelching turned to a soggy back wheel. A puncture.

Since its a Slime inner-tube, I tried pumping it up in the hope it would seal itself. It soon went flat again and left me in the open with a heavy shower threatening. I decided to run for a while. At the next bridge, under shelter, I had a go at changing the tube. The new tube went flat in only 100m. No choice but to put the slime tube back in. That didn’t hold much pressure either. So onto the next bridge. Much further this time, well over a mile of running.

There are deeper puddles to wash wheel and hands. Then, a minibus from an autism charity pulled up. It had a trailer of bikes in tow. The driver lent me a track pump which is so much easier than a stupid little frame pump.

I got a good 2 miles on that 60psi. When it ran flat, I ran again. The last few miles was repeated re-inflations. Along the way was police looking for an abandoned railway’station and a friendly cyclist who offered a tube.

I arrived home, arms shaking from all that pumping (stop sniggering at the back).

Now the bike is in the garage cleaned and gears tuned, the tyre has decided to hold pressure now, how about doing that on the trail?. I don’t trust it though.