Another utility ride back to the city today; planned on the favoured route I'd arrived at after various iterations over the past few months.
The forecast suggested 20mph SW winds and a moderate chance of rain. The winds were confirmed as soon as I got out of the house; making the first third of the journey extremely unpleasant. Heading west out of the village on unprotected high ground felt borderline dangerous; having to constantly trim the bike into the strong, gusting 10-11 O'clock-ish wind acting to push me further out into the road.. thankfully those who passed me gave a wide berth.
The big downhill out of the next village was midly terrifying too; it being all I could manage to stay off the brakes as I knew that slowing down wouldn't really help (other than in the event of having stacked it!). Once down on the lower ground and roads lined with trees and hedges the situation improved, although was still tough going into a fairly stiff headwind for most of it, all the time black clouds not far away.
I got to my little detour and typically took the wrong turn, having to turn back a few hundred yards into the wrong road. Weather aside this was quite a nice route - a bit longer than the alternatives but cutting out a lot of (actually, all!) gates and some un-necessary elevation changes.
Bizarrely ascending the hill just before the off-road bit of the cycle path outside Woodstock some bloke in a car coming the other direction apparently waited for me at the top of the hill; holding up another vehicle. I have no idea why he did this (plenty of room on the slope and potentially narrower / more of a hazard where he chose to stop)... all the way up I contemplated whether to thank him or not.. deciding on not since while his intentions were good (assuming he even stopped for my supposed benefit) it was pointless and detrimental to the bloke behind him... so not to be rewarded IMO!
On to the cycle path and I saw a couple of older guys ahead on what appeared to be "gravel" bikes; piquing my competitive interest so I upped the pace a little (only to around mid-HR zone 3) and watched them slowly disappear into the distance ahead
I also passed the previously-encounted woman with badly-trained yappy fluffball dogs again; this time coming from the opposite direction with her apparant significant other. I met the dogs first; illustrating an interesting temperament dynamic as one barked furiously while chasing me for a good few hundred yards, while the other (apparently its sibling) gave one half-arsed yap and continued peacefully on its way. Small dog syndrome I guess - just like me with knobhead van drivers although at least I yap for a reason
While I have no issue with dogs and would happily give this one the boot if necessity dictated, I think it's abysmal behaviour / discipline by the owner to let the little rat harass cyclists like that - what if it had caused an accident? If it happens again it's definitely getting hosed.
A bit further down the path I stopped for a leak - choosing the right side of the hedge so that I wasn't literally pissing into the wind; as life is figuratively full of such behavour already..
The potatophone's impressionist interpretation of the vista doesn't really convey how bloody windy it was!
Onward and the journey started to feel better; the wind having died down a little and tempered further by the hedges to either side, the downward gradient and womping acid techno in my ears conspiring to make the process a lot more fun... until the sickening thud of the rear rim bottoming out hard brought me back to reality; the repercussions of which being confirmed seconds later by a totally flat tyre
Thankfully I was near the end of that part of the route; the next one across the road opening out into a field that was a lot more conducive to puncture repair, so I rolled the bike the last few hundred yards with the weight taken off the rear wheel. In field, bike flipped, rear wheel out, tube patched, tyre back on (perhaps a little pished but it got better as I piled more air in) and wheel refitted - with a little resistance / disappointment from the qeustionably-designed floppy RD hanger / axle mount. Took a lot longer to do than to write..
I carried on through Woodstock, getting pitifully close-passed by a white van (for absolutely no obvious reason); voicing my concerns and causing his (probably similarly knuckle-dragging) passenger to hang out of the window and look at me for a bit. I like to think he was shouting apologies at me
Back through Yarnton (increasing traffic again highlighting gaping flaws in cycle path provision) then the tow path to Wolvercote - today the variable weather mercifully keeping the parasites away. No roaming gangs of aggy youths, no morbidly obese women screaming at their toddlers as they try to smash discarded beer bottles on the banks of the river, no driveway-laying or tree-cutting company vehicles parked all over double yellow lines / causing an obstruction... All that said they left their mark - the week's litter apparently having already claimed the life of one cow with broken glass injuring 10 other cattle or horses. I struggle to find the words to describe how thoroughly ashamed I am to call myself human sometimes
Blissfully deserted banks and disappointed swans:
I wondered through town for a few miles and by the time I'd got back the ride amounted to a bit under 28 miles and 970ft at 13.3mph and 126bpm; the bulk of which being zone 2. Apparently I burned a little under 1200kcal, which should help offset the weekend's carb binge..
This week I've slipped; only having managed 113 miles. I'm on about 553 for the month (previous record 560) so depending on the weather might take tomorrow off and do a big one on Tuesday; being the last day of the month.
. Rain finally stopped at 1300 checked the weather app should be ok for an hour . Out the door at 1330 did my extended Polly Botts loop . As I got to the bottom of Polly Botts and it's starts to rain .Thankfully the climb is well sheltered by trees so wasn't too bad by the time I'd grovelled up the sun had come out and stayed dry for the rest of the ride . 16.4 miles in a tad over the hour so not to shabby . Just enough miles to keep me in track to pass 1000 miles for the month (75 miles required )
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heading straight down the old Fosse way a dead straight road and people think I'm mad
