Little yellow Brompton
A dark destroyer of biscuits!
- Location
- Bridgend
After 2 years of not having a car this week one suddenly arrived on the drive, I used it to go to work Weds and Thurs and remembered why I had given up the last one. "Dangerous" stressful, timewasting, I was late both days and I hadn't dealt with my emails by the time I got to my desk! :-( I was determied this morning to
a) cycle
b) Make up some of the mielage I had missed
Last night packed everything ready.
This morning got up 30 mins earlier and caught the train and hr earlier.
Instead of 2.5 Train Train, 2.8 I did 2.5 Train and then 13.8 miles up the Taff Trail.
What a brilliant ride. Started off in the dark at Cardiff at 6:30 , with the B&M slicing throught the blackness. Not a single person to be seen for the first two miles, the river glass like and shrouded in tendrils of ectroplasm like mist, squirrels and birds walking along the path like they owned it. After Blackweir the traffic picked up, a few POBs on BSOs looming out of the darkness, a ladt passed me on a Mixte with panniers and a stobe front.
Up past Llandaff, with the Sun now staining the east a brilliant orange, dew sparking on the playing fields, the first few dog walkers, passing with whispered greetings, now onto the canal part the river again mirror like, then broken by the wake of the 4 man rowing team. The roar of the M4 builds, then under it and away, glad not to be on it. Through Tongwylais, pass a lady towing a child traler, forcing the issue at the throttle and making sure that the builders Transit does give way to me and the lady behind. Mickey mouse bit of cycle path that morphs into ambiguous path/pavment, then shuffle through the anit MC barrier and onto the old line. See one of the lads from the BikeShed * and shout hello t each othe as we pass, the doppler stretching it out and me be startled by my own voice. Long , long drag up the old line, spinning spinning, remember to spin not push, then look down at the road that I queued on yesterday and it's abck up again.... Pop out of the tree lined tunnel near the viaduct pillars , still stadning long after the three way rail bypass i the sky was not needed, into Caerphilly now, through a pretty park part of NCN4 , ducks beig scattered by a dog in the lake, slow dodging around ipoded teenagers. Quick left right and onto a normally busy road that is now quiet becuase there are roadworks at the end, works that I can dismount and wlak around in 30 seconds but that motorehicles can't go through. Remount, into a back alley to avoid the one way system and the bus station, and ther'es "my train" coming in. now onto my normal route , but warmer than I normally am and slick with a light sweat. Into my office at the same time I normally am, but with a good 90 minutes easy ride behind me. Now wait for 4pm , no train this time , about 35 miles home I think!
*Bloody good bike shop in Cardiff
a) cycle
b) Make up some of the mielage I had missed
Last night packed everything ready.
This morning got up 30 mins earlier and caught the train and hr earlier.
Instead of 2.5 Train Train, 2.8 I did 2.5 Train and then 13.8 miles up the Taff Trail.
What a brilliant ride. Started off in the dark at Cardiff at 6:30 , with the B&M slicing throught the blackness. Not a single person to be seen for the first two miles, the river glass like and shrouded in tendrils of ectroplasm like mist, squirrels and birds walking along the path like they owned it. After Blackweir the traffic picked up, a few POBs on BSOs looming out of the darkness, a ladt passed me on a Mixte with panniers and a stobe front.
Up past Llandaff, with the Sun now staining the east a brilliant orange, dew sparking on the playing fields, the first few dog walkers, passing with whispered greetings, now onto the canal part the river again mirror like, then broken by the wake of the 4 man rowing team. The roar of the M4 builds, then under it and away, glad not to be on it. Through Tongwylais, pass a lady towing a child traler, forcing the issue at the throttle and making sure that the builders Transit does give way to me and the lady behind. Mickey mouse bit of cycle path that morphs into ambiguous path/pavment, then shuffle through the anit MC barrier and onto the old line. See one of the lads from the BikeShed * and shout hello t each othe as we pass, the doppler stretching it out and me be startled by my own voice. Long , long drag up the old line, spinning spinning, remember to spin not push, then look down at the road that I queued on yesterday and it's abck up again.... Pop out of the tree lined tunnel near the viaduct pillars , still stadning long after the three way rail bypass i the sky was not needed, into Caerphilly now, through a pretty park part of NCN4 , ducks beig scattered by a dog in the lake, slow dodging around ipoded teenagers. Quick left right and onto a normally busy road that is now quiet becuase there are roadworks at the end, works that I can dismount and wlak around in 30 seconds but that motorehicles can't go through. Remount, into a back alley to avoid the one way system and the bus station, and ther'es "my train" coming in. now onto my normal route , but warmer than I normally am and slick with a light sweat. Into my office at the same time I normally am, but with a good 90 minutes easy ride behind me. Now wait for 4pm , no train this time , about 35 miles home I think!
*Bloody good bike shop in Cardiff
