Whatever the Weather...

[Aperitif]

So I said I would ride in the face of the weather today - when I wrote on here.
Flippin' 'eck the wind was blasting against me as I toiled to Richmond Park for a 'quick' spin of defiance. (hur hur...)
Drizzle and wind were my companions but I didn't care. I did a circuit 'clockwise' and realised that not a soul was being that stupid...and then another 'anti-clock', when I was able to apply the fixed grin of cyclechatlove to all those struggling in the opposite direction.
I was wearing my CycleChat jersey and I guess there was an aura about me - a bit like the Ready Brek advert...
By this time, my back wheel had assumed the shape of a mildly formed Pringle () and I decided to roll back home - glancing down and back at regular intervals, hoping I could 'do a Paul McKenna' and hypnotise the wheel back into shape.
I'm rubbish at hypnosis (added to a long list) but the rain had temporarily ceased as I passed the junction which is Twickenham Town Centre one way, Twickenham Stadium the other, and The Stoop (home of Harlequins RFC and RL) straight on.
Well.
Suddenly there was a beep, then another - the sound of revving motor and an appearance of a silver car alongside me. The passenger window was down and a woman was screaming blasphemies at me!
She was going mad - for no reason (to do with me).
I bade her good day and, as loudly as I could shout, I told her to go away in short sharp jerky movements (this could have been a problem in itself as she looked like an airbag in a cardigan with hairy rats atop).
Coincidentally, there was a group of Castleford rugby league supporters within earshot to my left, making their way to the rugby league match and I managed to 'catch their attention' so I waved and said 'not you lot' etc etc...
(The woman is probably laying into Stavros at the kebab shop as I write - nasty, plump piece of human.)
I even took my camera to get an ice cream van photo, but even the opportunists around RP had called it a day...never mind.
So.
Bang on 46km.
A nice cup of tea and a bit of food and all's well (apart from my rear wheel)
Ksyrium. How much to fix it - anyone know? Never happened to me before.

 

[Milo]

Between a fiver or 10 pounds for a wheel true normally.

 

[Aperitif]

Ta puppydog

 

[Milo]

Woof

 

[fossyant]

What is wrong with riding on proper roads - not pootling round a park ! Heh heh ....

 

[beanzontoast]

Suddenly there was a beep, then another - the sound of revving motor and an appearance of a silver car alongside me. The passenger window was down and a woman was screaming blasphemies at me!
She was going mad - for no reason (to do with me).
I bade her good day

Class!

 

[longers]

Good report on a ride could have had a negative slant put on it. But that's not your style.

Cheers for that .

 

[Aperitif]

I was on a CycleChat mission of course. Spreading the wingsword.
I read about stuff on here so I thought it would be a nice opportunity for me to get to know some birds in Richmond Park.
I hear some of them are lesser spotted (on a good day anyway...)
There are plenty of young deer, standing like the cheering throng at the roadside of a TdF stage (the drugs were kicking in by now...) and there were many big black birdies with grey hats and nasty beaks (rooks/ crows?) perched at low level on top of the wooden posts that line the peaceful route.
I also saw a quite large bird that looked like a heron - maybe a bit bigger - with webbed feet and orangey brown wing tips (well I had been a bit heady on the Finish Line 'Wet'...)
Ponies, setters, retrievers, collies and a few mountainbikeris rucksackius completed the picture.
Far preferable to the sweatybrained overinflated chav I had the pleasure of later on...

 

[Crackle]

this could have been a problem in itself as she looked like an airbag in a cardigan with hairy rats atop, the sweatybrained overinflated chav

If I hadn't just picked a sig line that would now be it

I loved reading that, I do wonder why those crows were lining up though, perhaps they sensed the end.

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

Fkin car drivers