Where from here..?

[peanut]

Well, I have now completed my first 100 miles since buying the bike .

nice post Kizbu . Really conjures up the atmosphere. Have you thought of keeping a blog ?
A blog would really suit your writing style and observation . Add some pictures it would make a nice read.

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

nice post Kizbu . Really conjures up the atmosphere. Have you thought of keeping a blog ?
A blog would really suit your writing style and observation . Add some pictures it would make a nice read.

+1 - I'd read it.

 

[tyred]

nice post Kizbu . Really conjures up the atmosphere. Have you thought of keeping a blog ?
A blog would really suit your writing style and observation . Add some pictures it would make a nice read.

I would definitely read it. I always look forward to your latest instalment in this thread.

 

[Kizibu]

I went out early on Sunday morning to try out my new incontinence shorts and did my longest run yet - 21 miles with over 1,000 feet of climbing. As it was early and the roads quiet I negotiated my nightmare junction without dismounting and rode up the road to Ditchling Beacon - which I'd always avoided before. That's the gentle slope up from the South not the steep winding ascent from the north. Many will know this as a gentle slope from the London2Brighton ride but the road is closed to traffic on that day - normally its a nightmare rat run of impatient speeding motorists with barely room for two cars to pass one another. I avoid it in my car , let alone cycle up it. But I felt it was time for me to assert my right to be on the road (albeit a quiet time) and the reward was fantastic. The few Sunday drivers behaved well and waited for space to pass me. It was crisp and sharp with barely a breath of wind and and cresting the Beacon in the early morning sunshine, the whole of the Weald 800 feet below me was swathed in low whispy mist with the odd church spire, tree or hillock sticking up through it and off in the distance loomed the dark bulk of Ashdown Forest like a far off island. I rode the even narrower road down the scarp slope in what I gather is called primary position since so much mud, chalk and flint had washed into the road from the hillside - checking cars behind me and only allowing them to pass when it was safe. At the bottom I branched off along Underhill Lane towards Lewes thinking this suggested a relatively flat run. But underhill it seems is a relative term. The spurs and dry valleys that make the South Downs look like a series of green bums lying in the sun meant it was a switchback. .. which I've come to think is the most pleasant kind of varied riding - better than flat anyway. Early is good for birds as well and again I saw plenty including a whole field full of pheasants apparently waiting for a firing squad. By the time I'd done 13 miles and reached Lewes my backside was well sore. Or at least the inside of my thighs at the top rather than my normal sitting tackle. I wonder if this was caused by the padded shorts leaving less space for the tops of my legs along the beak of the saddle. Is that possible? By 13 miles I felt tired and sore and did not relish the long climb up Falmer Hill or the even steeper one I would need to make before I reached home. I took out my mobile to "discuss the options" with my motorised backup team. But the battery in the phone was even deader than my legs so I pushed on. In fact the steady climb up to Falmer was very pleasant and the steeper one I managed without stopping for the first time. Someohow, as I was knackered to start with I got into my low gears right at the start of the steep pitch and just plugged on at a steady pace. And I forgot about the rock and the soft place between my legs. I gave a wide berth to a (jittery) horse and rider - clenching my abdominal muscles to avoid any tremor in my voice that would reveal how shattered and breathless I was before wishing both "Good Morning". Its something singers are trained to do. A day later I'm still a bit sore but pleased with both the distance and the style of my Sunday ride. I'm not exactly King of the Mountains. Nor King of the Road. Not even Young Pretender...but Old Pretender? .... maybe. And I owe much of it to the help and encouragement I've found here. Many thanks.

 

[Randochap]

Indeed, looks like enough words to fill a blog page ...

but may I repectfully suggest using the return key.

 

[Kizibu]

I've been keeping up 40-50 miles a week and trying out new routes and circuits. But there has been a completely unexpected development.

Mrs Kizibu decided she wasn't going to be left out and promptly ordered her own bike. It arrived Christmas Eve. Father Christmas was busy so she came to her own arrangement with Parcelforce. I had a quick course in bike setting-up for Christmas.

Now I'm rusty in the saddle. But Mrs K has never really ridden a bike at all. A gentleman never reveals a ladies age so I won't say how old she is. But I'm 61 and Mrs K is the same age as me. She sensibly decided she needed to develop a few bike skills off-road to start with but we have already clocked up about 20 miles together on cycle paths and tracks. Watchout anyone who ventures on the Cuckoo Trail when we two old-aged pedallers wobble our way down it....

 

[MacB]

Superb Kizubu, please keep reporting in, this thread is a great read, it might be a touring holiday for the pair of you next