My ride today started with me being attacked.
It was a very serious attack as well.
What I had failed to notice when I took the bike lock off my trike and slammed it down on the wall/ground was that there was a fledgling blackbird right where I had put my bike lock! The fledgling would not survive long if it stayed there (luckily I missed hitting it with a Sold Secure Gold bike lock
) - it had fallen/slid down the bank and ended up head deep in dead holly leaves (from this year's leaf fall), so despite its parents' protests it was moved back to the top of the bank where it had much more shelter and cover from the sparrow hawks, kestrels and buzzards that routinely pay this area a visit. The parents shut up after that and were soon back with the juvenile. This is a common occurrence with all small juvenile animals & birds and the area we keep the bikes in is an enclosed space that nothing other than mice and squirrels can actually get out of (unless you can actually fly!). Rescuing them is all I can do.
Said juvenile Blackbird. TBH I am not even sure if it should be out of the nest yet!
So today was also a big day in a few other areas as well. It was to be the first time my OH had been to Jodrell Bank (he still hasn't been around it, but has now been to the café). It was to be my longest ride to date. And it was to take my total distance for both this year and for the recumbent trike to over 1,000 miles. Not bad for someone who has to take crutches everywhere and can't walk far!
The journey there was to be the longer of the 2 distances today - Jodrell Bank is in a 'blind spot' when it comes to getting there from where we live. Imagine it being at 4 o'clock on a circle and you are coming in at 8-9 o'clock. You can't cut across the middle, you have to go around the outside, but the shortest route is also very boring, very busy and not that nice/pleasant/etc... So it was the long way round on the way there, and the short way on the way home (by virtue of a strong headwind and a touch of common sense). It was also a touch eventful because I nearly took out an entire peloton of club riders this morning! I was happily minding my own business on a single lane road, climbing up hill slooooooowly on the inside of a tight bend when all of a sudden there was a scream of BIIIKKKKKEEEE as one toooooo many of them were cutting the fast downhill bend.... Afterwards my OH commented "perhaps I should have warned them".
All I could really say was 'perhaps'.
So this is our goal. Ever since an ex CC member took me here over 2 years ago my OH has been complaining that I haven't taken him... Can't win really.
Lunch and the wonderful chips they serve here!
We chose to stay away from the café area and used the benches that serve the "Potting Shed Café" which has not yet opened for the season. It was easier to get the trike to the benches than in the café.
We left, like so many of the cyclists we saw, as the café was starting to get busy for lunch and headed off home. As mentioned by many others, the wind is a little interesting today and going home was, err, hard actually.
One thing we did spot was a new use for a telephone box. It is the first time I have seen one marked as having a defibrillator in it!
Then it was reasonably boring on the way home, not to mention, oh I already have. Well it is worth mentioning it again...
I did try pointing out to my OH that you can't slipstream a recumbent trike but he repeatedly tried
and even ran into me on one occasion. double
.
Anyhow - tired legs meant my average speed dropped from 14.5kph to 13.4kph on the last 8km stretch, but I made it.
https://www.strava.com/activities/348661703 57km or 36 miles and my longest ride, 1,000miles covered this year/on the recumbent trike and I'm knackered. Oh and I'm also sunburnt on my shins! And it was sunny & dry all day.