Horrendous ride today
Cold with 15mph headwind right from the start, this wee 30 mile ride I had planned was going to be a tough one.
I was riding downhill towards a junction behind a car which was going slowly as it was negotiating the huge speed bumps, which meant I had to hang back a bit. Cue the impatient blonde woman and her kid in a huge 4x4 deciding that was a perfect overtaking opportunity. To give her her due she did give me enough space as she went across into the opposite lane. She quickly realised there was a car parked on that side of the road, a junction ahead and a small gap between me and the car in front. You can guess what she did next, she cuts right across in front of me forcing me to brake sharply and narrowly misses my front wheel by a foot.
Did it get better from then on? Nope! Not a chance in hell.
Proceded to join up with a cycle path only to find it had glass strewn all across it. Had to pick my way through and hope I isn't get a puncture.
I finally reached the canal and had a great ride into the centre of Edinburgh. Just starting to enjoy myself, even the joggers and dog walkers were nicer than usual, though I suspect that had something more to do with how slow I was travelling due to the headwind. I eventually come off the canal and have to negotiate a few very busy roads at the the top of Lothian Road to join up with the cycle path through The Meadows.
Stopped at a set of traffic lights and eventually got the green and got underway. Rode across the junction and into a side street where yet another 4x4 behind me thought it was a perfect place for an overtake, especially with traffic coming in the opposite direction. Despite me riding in the primary position the driver squeezes into the gap and forces me to the side of the road with the horrible potholes (which the council insist don't exist - another story!). The driver just misses me by about 6 inches, I was fortunate in that he/she was driving a huge car because if it was a normal their wing mirror would have been low enough to hit me.
Did it stop there? Nope…
Made it through The Meadows and on to Old Dalkeith Road, which is a bit of a down market shopper's lane with lots of badly parked white van men dropping their crap off. There's a junction ahead of me with street lights and a white van parked near the stop line, blocking the left hand lane. The car in front of me pulls into the remaining gap in the left hand lane and I follow suit. The lights are red so we both stop, at this point I noticed the car in front of me has their reverse lights on. I'm thinking he's probably just gear changing and slipped into the reverse by accident…. but no… he proceeds to reverse back the way with me directly behind him.
I'm forced to move my bike over between the left lane and the right one, I had to do this because the footpath side had some guardrailing and it was obvious the bloke reversing was looking to park his car in front of the white van. He would have trapped me between the railing and his car. Needless to say I was a bit pissed off and knocked on the guy's window and shouted at him, asked him what the heck he was doing. There were quite a few expletives but I've omitted these for the more delicate ones among you!
I rode away from the guy without waiting to find out what his explanation was for terrible driving. Being deaf I wouldn't have heard him anyway. I joined up with a cycle path and stopped for 5 minutes to calm down. I should really have gone back home at this point but I didn't want this guy to spoil my ride. If I could just make my way to Musselburgh and then ride back home along the coast, I would at least have this 15mph headwind as my tailwind.
I follow the cycle path and it deposits me at Newcraighall, from there I just had to ride through a couple of roundabouts, past the Porsche car showroom and onto a quiet country lane. The roundabouts were no problem, got past the showroom with no real issues except for a car that was getting a wee bit close to my back wheel for comfort. I have to make a right turn for the junction coming up on my right, as I'm about to do this the car behind suddenly accelerates, overtakes me and then brakes sharply in front of me before signalling to turn right. If the driver had just waited just 30 secs they would have been able to overtake me safely once we'd both turned right.
I ride on into the headwind, feeling really pissed off and I make it to a cycle path which I'm following to join up with the path that runs along the River Esk out to Musselburgh. Not the white van man this time but the red van man. He has decided that on a clear stretch of road with no traffic or yellow lines and a segregated cycle path to one side that the best place to park his ruddy great big red van is right across the…. yep you guess it…. the cycle path.
Leaving my sanity and the red van behind I continue on to Musselburgh, where I'm hoping that the 15mph headwind will finally stop blowing in my face and I can get on with cycling at a much faster pace. No such luck, by the time I made it to Musselburgh, the wind had now changed direction, which meant I was going to have a long torturous cycle back home with lots and lots of blowy headwind…. great times….
Fortunately there are mostly cycle paths right the way home. Unfortunately, you just have to make it through a few cobbled roads in Leith. With tarmac roads you get ruddy great big potholes and most of the time you can see them. However, potholes on a cobbled road are virtually invisible, that's probably because riding the Leith cobbles is like riding inside a washing machine. But remember Edinburgh Council says there are not potholes in Edinburgh, so it must just be my imagination right?
After being shaken to bits, my bike and me have finally made it to the cycle paths that will take me all the way home. I just need to battle on against this ferocious headwind and I'll be okay.
There's just one big hill on the way home, but after the ride I'd had and the endless 15mph headwind, I just felt really deflated and devoid of any energy. I had had enough at this point. I hopped off my bike and started to push it up the hill. I thought this tarmac footpath is a bit squishy is it not? I look down and sure enough, the perfect end to a horrible day's riding, a dog turd latched onto the sole of my shoes…
I don't normally drink, but today…. boy, do I need a beer!
I think that my Dad wanted a boy.
and about 3 miles into the ride the heavens opened again from a shower that had bubbled up out of nowhere and sneaked up behind me. I did manage to ride out of it a couple of miles from work then had to find space to hang things to dry in the warehouse.
again but fortunately the rain cleared up just 15 minutes before I finished and headed home on the longer but quieter (traffic wise) and duller route again.
) and traffic queueing in all directions. I quickly changed the plan and told the guy controlling the traffic I wanted to head for Wroxeter, so was allowed across the works. At Wroxeter I turned to rejoin the main route at Atcham. Not too bad really - it adds a bit of mileage but avoids the bit of main road I most disliked. Feeling pleased with having jumped the queues, this was of course the point the rain decided to arrive.
Out comes the rain cape and I was very glad of it for the next couple of miles as I passed streams of slow traffic before turning onto the lanes, which in contrast to this morning were much busier than usual. When I was just a couple of miles from home there were dark clouds up ahead again.
Naturally the rain stopped just as I pulled on to the drive.
i had a nice thankyou off her, as I had to pull aside to let her through the gate along there. I pulled myself together and continued to Upton Magna, Withington, Walcot, Rodington and Roden, where I paused for a drink and saw this peculiar site at the entrance to a field!
