Your ride today....

[Spartak]

Finished my decorating chores by 11:00 so was out on the bike by 11:30 ...

Took my old Ridley CX bike for a gravel loop out to Yate. Nice off roads sections past Brandy Bottom colliery and along Westerleigh RUPP before skirting round Yate and joining the gravel again alongside the railway line to Wapley bridge.

Very nice steady ride & home before the rain !

 

[wafter]

The usual Thursday utility run...

Left in a good mood which gradually soured as the cold bit, hunger gnawed and caffeine wore off.

Notable highlights included:

- Ran away from another interaction with a lady; this time one who complimented me on a suit jacket I was trying on (colour was good, sizing not)

- Spotted a roosting pigeon guarding an entire 8" sausage roll it'd somehow managed to acquire and haul back to its perch

- Didn't but any furniture, either of the two suits or the quilted Ralph Lauren toff-coat I tried on
- did buy a hopefully-wool scarf, which appears to have been previously owned by a dog if the itchy neck and telltail hairs are anything to go by

- Treated myself to a halloumi wrap although I think they stitched me on the garlic mayo

- Sarcastically thanked a foreign couple on the tow path who continued to block my passage two-abreast despite the repeated use of my bell; his apparently sincere "thankyou" in return only serving to piss me off more..

Very glad to get home as the cold was really starting to make itself known. Just missed the rain but I'm supposed to be going out again in a bit to Kickboxing, which is currently not an appealing proposition.

On balance it was good to get out as always, the autumn hues remain a visual treat however I’m seeing a lot more bare branches and many of the tow and cycle paths are littered with wet leaves, urging more caution.

We’re certainly getting to the stage of the year where getting out is increasingly an exercise in grit and determination, and any time in the saddle becomes a victory over prevailing conditions..

 

[ColinJ]

We’re certainly getting to the stage of the year where getting out is increasingly an exercise in grit and determination, and any time in the saddle becomes a victory over prevailing conditions..

I definitely suffer from that, and it has stopped me riding so far this week.

I was trying to psych myself up to go out this afternoon once the rain had stopped and the roads were drying up, but was actually quite relieved when a friend dropped in and distracted me!

We checked the forecast for the rest of the week and decided that Saturday is looking relatively good for a decent ride. Dry, with sunny spells, though a gusty cold wind blowing all day will probably make us cut the ride to 4 hours rather than the 6+ that we had been discussing.