This is stretching the "Today" part of the thread title somewhat, but my other pics of this ride were so well received I thought I'd share a few more.
A vintage roadside sign. While I was here I was asked for directions to Bingham by a little old lady.
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My ride companion, "Crazy" Nick is riding a rather desirable Sid Standard Superbe, with altogether less desirable handlebars, and on the wrong side of the road. This worries me. What if he should collide with oncoming traffic? Where would I find some replacement decals? This pic was shortly after I discovered my rear wheel deflation and attempted some pump to valve resuscitation.
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The pump and ride scheme didn't work, so we had to stop at Long Clawson church for a more lasting remedy. Nick is a devout churchgoer and part-time preacher, while I'm a confirmed atheist. Out of respect, I uttered no profanities while searching for the offending glass f-f-fragment and f-f-fitting a replacement tube.
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Nick is also very keen on industrial archaeology, so our jaunts usually involve some off-road activity. We had to lift our bikes over a locked gate and negotiate a neglected track to reach this junction of two dismantled railways at SK735240. Afterwards we had to contend with a bramble-guarded stile and a ploughed field before regaining a reasonable track. Sid Standard was well-known for his saying "It's all ridable!". Sorry, Sid, but I'd like to have seen you tackle this one.
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At the end of the track, we saw this strange building in the middle of a field (SK737245). Is it a water tower? If so, why does it have a glazed top?
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Twentieth century technology reaches rural Leicestershire! This was at Scalford.
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More off-roading took us to the S end of the disused Hose tunnel (SK746257). Dispiritingly claggy ground, probably a clay cap over a short-lived waste tip, prevented cycling and meant we took at least ten minutes scraping a thick layer of muck off our shoes afterwards. However my spirits were lifted by seeing what I'm 90% sure was a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker - I can't think of another sparrow-sized black and white bird which spirals up tree trunks, but I didn't get long enough views for a 100% positive ID.
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Road closed - but not to cyclists who give a friendly wave to the road-menders! Under the bent and battered exterior rust of my commuter lies a circa 1970 Bob Jackson, currently sporting a 32/52 chainset!!
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Nick descending Brock hill back towards the Vale of Belvoir. One of these days! We didn't get full advantage of the hill, as Nick insisted on stopping halfway down to investigate the possibilities of reaching the N end of the Hose tunnel. This would have involved another locked gate and a much more frequently used track in view of nearby houses, so the idea was shelved.
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Back via Hose, Harby, Colston Bassett, Cotgrave and Tollerton to drop Nick off at West Bridgford, while I carried on to central Nottingham to look for bargains on the Waitrose fish counter. Missed out on some half-price haddock by a couple of seconds, so settled for nearly a kilo of mussels for a knock-down 93p! By the time I got home I'd completed a metric century on nothing since breakfast but an excellent pint of Bombardier at Ab Kettleby, so I was more than ready for a plate of moules mariniere.
and a minor adjustment of suspension pressure on Cubester's bike caused some fun with a valve needing reseating but no valve tool available. I managed the red route without issues so feeling confident for my mtb skills weekend next weekend... http://app.strava.com/activities/42779399 never the quickest, but got around safely.
unfortuantly had to get home earlier than we would have liked (dog sitting again) but it is close enough to go as and when we can.
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