I now cycle on the road.. .. ..

[Telemark]

Well done Jane! Now you have acquired the "freedom of the road", and Scotland (and the rest of world) is your oyster .
For the rest of you: I had the honour of having "my wheel sucked" by Jane last Saturday for a bit [Fnaar alert ]. Glad to have contributed in a very small way to your big step!

As Arch says, touring is the logical next step , just be careful, it might be seriously addictive (as you've already found out about "ordinary cycling" ). There is nothing better than being "on the road" for a couple of days, cycling is (in my opinion anyway) the perfect way to explore, just the right pace, and you can stop in most places for photos or wildlife (not so easy by car). We highly recommend Arran or Bute which are very easy to get to from where you are ... (have a look at HJ's blogs for a write-up of our last Arran tour, if you haven't read them yet)

Looking forward to the next CC Ecosse outing
T

 

[Jane Smart]

Thanks to you all for your wonderful words of encouragement and also to your CC'ers that have helped me on my way to cycling on the roads

It was.. .. ..

One small step for cyclists, but one big step for Jane Smart

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

Nice one, Jane.

I'll echo what the others say about touring, though my experience is a bit limited: we did the Forest Way in Sussex from Groombridge to East Grinstead and back the other week in half term, staying overnight in a Travel Inn in East Grinstead.

It's only 15 miles or so each way (we did a bit of the Worth Way too) so I confess it hardly counts as a "tour" .. but we had the Little-LCs with us (6yo and 9yo) meaning our range and speed were both a bit limited. Still, they thought it was high adventure staying out the night with our bikes and taking all our stuff with us, the Elder Little-LC insisted on carrying all her own stuff: Pj's, teddy, toothbrush, change of clothes and so on.

We did some other rides later in the week (from home) and managed to squeeze 20 miles out of them one day with no obvious ill effects, totalling 71 miles over 5 days. We're hoping to track down a route with a couple of nights out next year, and building up their stamina in the hopes of having them ready to do the "Avenue Verte" London to Paris once it's complete. Course, we have to pick the roads we let them ride on with care due to their age, especially the younger one, but they're getting there.

The Forest Way is all off road, though we did some road work at either end and I agree with others that cycling is an ideal pace at which to see the countryside: plenty of time to look around, unlike a car, but faster than walking so you can cover a bit of ground. Even at the Little-LC's typical average of 7mph.

Sorry, I ended up hijacking your thread to tell of my family's exploits.

 

[Jane Smart]

Please don't worry about hijacking my thread, I love to hear all your stories, maybe one of these days I will tour I would love that.

I did a wee 36 miler today on my bike, some roads, some cycle path, but today, I felt totally at one on my bike and enjoyed it so much, I was quite emotional about it, am I normal?

 

[Dayvo]

I was quite emotional about it, am I normal?

No, far from it!

















Just like the rest of us!

 

[Jane Smart]

Phew

 

[Crackle]

Are we talking cycling normal or normal normal?

 

[SilentSoulDragon]

Great stuff I live near route 77 "the salmon run" got back into cycling on the 27th last month (october) after watching an anime called overdrive (one of my other loves). Just know using a set of rollers to get practice in and also aid the recovery of both my knees. Over-worked them doing the WHW in 6 days and raising £400 for charity.

Again great news getting onto the road

 

[Randochap]

Well done, Jane. Congrats. There's not much I'd add to all the good advice here. Follow the code and ride a straight line.

Make sure to wear bright colours, especially at this time of year, and make sure you have more powerful lights than you think you need.

 

[The Jogger]

It was.. .. ..

One small step for cyclists, but one big step for Jane Smart

I'd call that , a smart move
sorry

Oh and well done!

jogger