17/5/24
Shopping trip on the Spirit Recumbent to the town centre.
A dry, intermittently sunny day. Since my last half century I’ve been side tracked by gardening tasks and suddenly find it’s been over two weeks since I’ve been out on a bike. My one ride per week average is slipping. At the beginning of the month I was ahead, now I’m in danger of being overtaken by time. So a shopping trip it is.
My tools and bits and pieces were still on the Spirit, tyres and oil were OK, so I just grabbed my Garmin and went. Once out through the back gate it was surprising how easy everything felt. On the road and rolling, no adjustments needed. Soon I was approaching the uphill traffic lights on Swanlow Lane, willing the lights to change before I came to a halt, then when the green came I kept on smoothly across the line. Up the tiny Swanlow Lane hump then gradually downhill to the A54 roundabout. Busy traffic formed a queue but there was no problem keeping with it as it stopped and flowed, stopped and flowed. Finally round the roundabout and gathering speed downhill. The traffic thinned out and I was able to go right across two lanes into the filter lane. Traffic was held up at the lights before turning right.
The town centre redevelopment is progressing. I was able to ride through a parking area that had been formerly blocked off, and carefully ride downhill to lock up outside my usual supermarket.
It didn’t take long to sort my shopping out, then as the bike was pointing downhill I continued in that direction. Down the hill, slowly following an unaware pedestrian until they turned off. It’s bad enough having to think for other road users but it seems that I have to double think for other people more and more nowadays as they seem to be away with the fairies. “We do the thinking so you don’t have to” is all very well but sooner or later I too will probably lose my marbles. Still. Might as well enjoy them while I’ve got ‘em.
Round to the right, along a pavement cycle path, then right again at the next junction. Across the road at some pedestrian lights then along the road until a supermarket car park entrance on the left. A path leads to residential streets beyond so I waited for a clutch of shoppers to go by before pushing through. Then followed a zig zag through the streets, gradually climbing until a last drag to the junction with Swanlow Lane where I turned left. Soon came the crossroads with Townfields Road, straight across the lights, down a dip and up to my turn off. A little freewheeling through the lanes, and to my back gate.
3.38 miles. Max 22.6. Average 7.2 mph. According to Garmin.
Ascent 110 ft. According to Bikehike.