In Training!

Hello blog lovers.

This week I registered a team for the London to Brighton bike ride. I really enjoyed it last year, its a lovely day out, and I though I would share it again with some family and friends! So Team Carroll was made. (I know, but I am hoping I can change the team name later) I have already signed up some of the family members, all who are exited about riding to Brighton, just need another two people to complete the team.

Anyway, to get Nagging Sister in the mood for the ride to Brighton we went for a nice, flattish ten mile ride. A very, very easy pace, so that she can get used to the bike and get used to riding on the roads. That's right, Nagging Sister has signed up for it! We also wanted her to know that it's a very pleasant way to spend a couple of hours as well, because we even stopped for a pint and a packet of crisps!

After a little bit of teething problems, (Big sons bike needing some TLC) we finally set off for our short ride. Looking dapper in our bright yellow tops, well me and NS was, the OB had on his jog pants, we looked like a team already! Our route was going to take us off road as well as the roads, show her that its all good fun. But i remember way back in 2008 me and NS got on to our bikes and really enjoyed ourselves, cycling through the woods near us. At lease I know I did! But NS seems to have the same sort of 'bug' that I had last year, its the 'Oh wow, I'm riding to the seaside on a push bike' bug. The symptoms are that you really believe that you absolutely love the idea of riding up hills for miles and miles in one day! (although I actually do now!)

Through Hayes Common, (a place I didn't even know existed until last year!) and through the farm and pop out at Normans Park. Ride to the Hayes gate and on wards to Bromley. See How kind the Old Boy is being to Nagging Sister. So far nothing challenging in the way of hills. This really is just a plod about, introduction to training 'Old Boy' style. No better way than that.

Bromley was still busy. Its the afternoon, and the shops are still open, there are people all over the precinct so there will be no riding slowly through there today! Follow the road around and then head up to Bromley North. We know a lovely little drinking hole there!

We soon stopped for a refreshment. The flowers in pots looked gorgeous, she does do a lovely display of her flower pots. There are people sitting outside the pub, enjoying the sunshine, and in chatty moods. The sunshine always brings out the best in people.

After our refreshment we rode off into the sunshine, threatening NS with Summer hill! But we assured her that we were not going to do that. But sh knows this area, and knows that we are actually heading towards Summer Hill! Of course me and the Old Boy know that we are going to cut through and avoid the steep hill and we will pop out at Barfield Road.

"Do you fancy doing one more Woods?" the Old Boy asked Nagging Sister. Well, the sun was still up, it is still a lovely late afternoon and what have we got to hurry back too! So of course we said yes. The woods are the ones near us. The woods where the OB grew up in, virtually. He had an ulterior motive for wanted to go through here anyway. And that was to see if the paths were fairly clear, and not so muddy. He wants to get back to his running, and the woods is park of his 10k route! But while we were riding through we came across a motor cyclists who had had an accident, the ambulance men were there with him, and they had a bit of a walk through the woods to get back to the ambulance carrying their patient.

As we popped out of our woods, however, we noticed that there was a sign up to buy 55 acres of woodland. Now I though it was common land, but the OB said that it used to belong to Rookery estates, and they sold it to the council. So why are they selling it off now, I do hope not to build on it!! Maybe I should investigate, but the sale is tomorrow! I just hope that whoever buys it keeps to the law and allows the public footpaths to be just that, public. It does feel like the councils are selling of the 'family siliver'.

But it was a very good ride. A very enjoyable ride. And I am so looking forward to the summer, I really love being in the sunshine!

Geeky stats. These are from the Old Boys Garmin, I had left my garmin running for about two house after we got back!