That Was Not A Good Idea

[BSRU]

Decided this morning to ride a local country road called the Ridgeway this morning, nice road but there was a section I had never ridden before and on the map it looked like a good little short cut.

About 300 metres along this new, to me, section of road, the road ends and turns into a dirt track.
Not any old dirt track but one that looked like the RAF had been using it as target practice for many years.
Not knowing this road I had no idea how long this dirt track was so being a stubborn git I pressed on. Would have been great fun on a MTB but it was a nightmare on my tourer.
The 2.7km section of dirt track took me 18 minutes to negotiate .
On the plus side, once back onto the road it was a lovely fast section of country lane

 

[sabian92]

You think that's a bad idea, look at one of the guys I subscribe to on youtube did with a GXSR1000 (for those not into bikes of a motorised variety, it's a 1000cc sports bike on slicks)


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqgEl53x7CM&feature=g-user-u
(Not NSFW, much swearing involved)

 

[BSRU]

You think that's a bad idea, look at one of the guys I subscribe to on youtube did with a GXSR1000 (for those not into bikes of a motorised variety, it's a 1000cc sports bike on slicks)


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqgEl53x7CM&feature=g-user-u
(Not NSFW, much swearing involved)

Not quite as bad as that, although I would not want to ride a sports bike with slicks on the dirt track I encountered.

It will be the last time I use Google maps, shows it as a narrow road, even has Streetview images that look fine but obviously taken a long time ago. When I checked the OS map, after the ride, the road ends after 300 metres and no dirt track is shown, that will teach me to use the wrong map, especially as I own the OS paper map for that area.

 

[smutchin]

I tried a variation on my regular commuting route yesterday evening that took me through Beckenham Place Park. When the path ran out, it wasn't quite as "interesting" as yours, but it was quite interesting enough for my liking on a road bike with 25C slicks.

d.

 

[gambatte]

You really expect it to get to 12:00 and see him reach a locked gate/stile or a dead end farmyard!
Is he still out there, sent his vid in by email?

 

[BSRU]

You really expect it to get to 12:00 and see him reach a locked gate/stile or a dead end farmyard!
Is he still out there, sent his vid in by email?

Could have been worse he could have encountered a herd of cows coming the other way.

 

[Boris Bajic]

About ten years ago, I used to cycle to my office on a NATO base from my then home outside Sarajevo. Part of my route went over rough, unkempt meadows.

During the war I'd been taught not to pick fruit from unmown orchards, as there was probably a good reason they hadn't been mown. It was good advice. Quite a few children were killed or maimed by mines laid in orchards.

Once the beastliness was over, I (and many others) stopped worrying.

One day I was talking to a (British) Sappers officer about some de-mining he was organising. He opened a map.

Me: "Oooh... That's near my flat".

Sapper: "How lovely for you".

Me: "Oooh.... That's on my ride to work".

Sapper: "May I suggest you change your route. We're doing those fields next week".

I never asked him what he found there, but shortly after the clearing was done the land was opened to pasture and then built on.

 

[Gixxerman]

You think that's a bad idea, look at one of the guys I subscribe to on youtube did with a GXSR1000 (for those not into bikes of a motorised variety, it's a 1000cc sports bike on slicks)

What a complete knob-head. Criminal to treat such a fabulous machine like that. It makes you weep. He shouldn't be allowed to have another one after this.

One word to Boris Bajic - GULP!

 

[sabian92]

What a complete knob-head. Criminal to treat such a fabulous machine like that. It makes you weep. He shouldn't be allowed to have another one after this.

One word to Boris Bajic - GULP!

I do quite like his videos - he is funny and I like motorbikes.

I agree though, daft idea.

 

[Norm]

I do quite like his videos - he is funny and I like motorbikes.

I agree though, daft idea.

TBH, though, he did pretty bloody well riding as much as he did, considering his obvious inability to understand consequences.

 

[BSRU]

If you bored stupid with 17 minutes to waste, you can watch it in glorious 1080p HD, with some nice music.


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03WNDCe_dZE

 

[400bhp]

From a brief view it doesn't look that bad.

Reminds me of one of my rides to southport - coming back we had a lane like that for about 4 miles or so-it's even on google maps.

I've taken many a short cut on the road bike before.

 

[BSRU]

From a brief view it doesn't look that bad.

Reminds me of one of my rides to southport - coming back we had a lane like that for about 4 miles or so-it's even on google maps.

I've taken many a short cut on the road bike before.

It does get worse, plus I am bit of girls blouse when it comes to riding on such surfaces.

 

[HLaB]

When looking for a new route, I tend to use the OS 1:50,000 colour code as a guide; basically yellow lanes tend to be fine but white ones can be dodgy and if I'm still not sure I consult streetview.

 

[BSRU]

When looking for a new route, I tend to use the OS 1:50,000 colour code as a guide; basically yellow lanes tend to be fine but white ones can be dodgy and if I'm still not sure I consult streetview.

I have the OS map for that area but did not check it until after I rode it .
I checked streetview before I rode it but images of that track must be really old as it looks good.