Saturday 29 November 2014

Saturday Club Ride - Pitsford Classic



Well, what a lovely day! My ride today was started by Steve coming to call for me with his Christmas lights and mudguards on. To be fair there was a lot of mudguard action today but there was even more blinking red LEDs as we strive to be safe and seen. That was also the last I saw of Steve as he led the fast group and I took the banter bunch.

Mill Lane - a lovely old road

The pic above shows how effective these rear modern lights are. I tested my new knog at home last week and had red spots in front of my eyes for about half an hour! You'll also see a lot on the video that the front flasher was doing a grand job. Safety is paramount on a bike and at this dull time of year as much lighting and reflection as you can get is definitely the way to go. Mill Lane for me is one of the best cycling roads in Northants, we have a lot of quiet country roads like this and for that I think we should be thankful

Out of Old

For safety reasons we tinkered with the route this morning. Instead of going to the A508 and up to Brixworth we decided to go accross to Old and through to Scaldwell. It still bewilders me that the hill into Scaldwell shows as a cat 4 on Strava.

We had some lovely riding today as it stayed dry. The roads feel a bit heavy and they are sludgy in places so it's not as nice as Summer riding. It is however good to get out - A bad day cycling will always beat a good day at work (unless you cycle for a living and then you are a very lucky person!)  

On first look I thought this said Tourette's - the ideal bike for Rich or Steve

Wendy looks wistful as I take a snap of the bicycle made for two 

Back at the shop we were again treated to tea and cake. Andy and Chris look after us well and the other lads have taken to watching the bikes so it all works well. I still tried not to stay too long though because you get cold and then getting back on the bike is uncomfortable. I had a chuckle at the tandem, firstly for my silly thought about the name and then the wonder if my wife would like a go on a tandem. Probably not, we have a different idea about fun however she does make the most awesome cakes.

On the way home I was reflecting on this blog and the direction I want to take it. In the new year there are going to be some changes. I want it to be more organised and also to partly get back to my original intention of showcasing our local cycling. I'm hoping to divide it up into route blogs, equipment blogs, sportives and charity rides and of course club rides. I'd still like to turn the route stuff into a book but I also wondered about creating an app which we could use as a resource for recording routes and organising rides. I also have another book in mind called "the cycle of attachment," to share my family's generational experience of cycling and how that story defines the Lindsleys.

Bet you weren't expecting that today!

Hoping the forecast is right and we can smash some super Steve Sunday miles tomorrow.

Happy pedalling

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