Break in a Mustang,

19°C, sunny with brisk S wind.

I rode Raleigh Mustang with MapMyRide+! Distance: 62.68km, time: 03:00:20, pace: 2:53min/km, speed: 20.86km/h.

http://mapmyride.com/workout/1740798932

In a word- versatile. On its first outing, I went on trail, road, beach and canal. This bike handled all with ease. It was a good choice.

In this photo, taken by the canal, the steerer is visible above the stem. I finished the ride with it lowered as far as possible.​

As for the ride, I sampled every terrain: road, towpath, gravel trail and beach. The Southport Air Show interrupted the route. Passing through the town, I looked down a side street, above a Lancaster readily moved south. A Spitfire and Hurricane was there too, so I turned towards the sea. Plenty of other people gadwtgd same idea. The big bird flew up and down a few times and eventually left to the north. Visibility was crystal clear, Blackpool Tower seemed closer than ever.
Back on the bike and to the north end of the beach, a chance to ride on the sand.
The sea seemed to have gone all the way to Ireland. A small jet whizzed overhead.
A friendly looking couple used kid beach as their viewpoint. I asked “is that a Mig 15?”. They thought so. Never have I seem one in the air before. On the ground, they are tiny.My mission for the day was still incomplete, the bike shop. On the way back to base, the route crossed a canal and the towpath appeared inviting. There were fewer fishermen than usual. That’s good because they have an annoying habit of blocking the path with very long poles. Wind blew strong.
I was a bit disappointed by the milage (39 miles) but I did sample the thrills of an airshow.

Heat in Duxford

26°C, no cloud ’till later.

September Airshow, 2012. It’s a long but easy drive and for the first time we got there to join a queue. Don’t know why it should be different this year. I have to say, upfront, that I don’t know why I’m less thrilled by this event this year. Even the 4 year interval hasn’t helped my dulled enthusiasm. It was nice to see the Vulcan fly over, we wowed at the noise that made your clothes flutter. The event was worth the trip, but only just. Perhaps the last for me.