On My Bike Again!

Hello bike blog lovers!

It has been a while hasn't it. Well, to be truthful, I have been on the bike several times, but it has only been for around 5 miles at a time! With a stop half way round, several beverages sunk, and then back home.

Today, ......albeit similar, it was a longer ride. Total round trip was about 11 miles, with an average mph of about 11 mph. Just a plod along really, but with a couple of nasty hills!

I had forgotten to take my Garmin, so all those geeky stats from from the Old Boys bike gizmo, which seems to work only when it wants to at the mo. Put it this way, it told me I was doing 4 mph! 4 mph! I don't blooming think so! I was doing far more than that!

The Old Boy, I'm sure, is getting ready for the much cooler and winter months. His encouragement (and of course I mean nagging) wasn't as bad has in the first couple of months this year, but you can tell, he is getting ready.

Already you feel the difference in the air in the morning, although this evening it was rather warm and muggy. I have decided that the Old Boy only nags me ooops sorry, encourages me to go faster, just to get home quicker! Which quite frankly I don't blame him!

I can't believe that we went riding through January, February and March. Obviously when the snow was think of the floor then we didn't go, I went for runs instead, with my club!!

But the route today was a fairly simple route, up the lane to the A21, left to GSG, then on to Orpi'. We didn't go up the by pass. It would have made me sad and crazy, and all vigilante-fied if I had seen the looters out again! Instead, we rode up Knoll Rise. A bloomin steep hill!! But I did it.

The Old Boy came up along side me, I was puffing and panting, and trying very hard not to grip my handle bars so tightly, and he looked like he was on a down hill Sunday afternoon 'mooch about'. How, why? It seems so impossible for me, right now, to be even thinking of being at that stage! What more do I have to do?

After that is was fairly flat.....ish! Just one last big hill, and that was my other nemesis! after we had turned right from going up Knoll Rise! There is road works on this road, and the lights were red. It gave me a little time to get myself ready for the ascent up this. I managed again to defeat this hill. I was blowing out or every orifice by this time, but I blooming did it. I was so looking forward to getting to the Tigers Head!

There is a gentle incline from about here, to the tigers, and I was feeling every cm that we climbed up. (I am such wimp) but at least I did it, non stop, all the way to the Tigers.

After a beverage or two, we headed off home. It was dark now, so we decided to stay on the roads rather than go through the woods. It had been raining a bit earlier, so it would have been quite muddy and slippery as well. But The way we were going was out of the Tigers, and turning left! Heading for Summer hill!

I almost managed to get to the top this time round. The long ride down was easy peasy obviously, but I have got to learn which gear I should be in by the time I get to the ride up. I tried staying in a high gear for as long as possible, but then I got tired very quickly when I got on the up section, and I could work out which way I should be changing gears..................yes I know that I needed to change down.......but due to the suddenness of the ascent, I just I flapped and kept changing up instead of down!

So this time I Thought I would change down first, after all, I go faster than my peddles can peddle, when I am going down hill. But this wasn't right right. Because I just didn't have the power there to get up the hill! So what is the right way. Obviously, something in between those two scenarios.

Anyway, we got home safe and sound, no looters/thieving little toe rags about, and no getting arrested for imitating a cyclist (The Old Boys little joke!) and a lovely delicious chilli con carne sitting on the stove!!! MMMM, wonderful!

There a nice short blog!! (ish)