Month: August 2022

Yet another beautifully warm, sunny day. I left work early and set off to do a Bypasser. I chose the Cannondale, because I wanted to give the new rear tyre a spin. I fitted it a few days ago and it was still encouragingly firm when I checked it in the garage.

I got as far as the uphill approach to Snarestone, having done about 8.5 miles, when I noticed that my bottom was experiencing the road surface a bit more intimately than it should have been. I stopped; sure enough the rear tyre was a bit soft.

I continued on for a little while then stopped just after the turn off for Snarestone. I’d managed to bring a pump, but not a spare inner tube. I hadn’t remembered to put the saddle bag back on after cleaning the bike. I stopped at a convenient spot and tried the pump. It didn’t seem to be inflating the tube. I set off walking again, then tried the pump again in the shade of a tree at the bench in the church yard at Swepstone. No go. I think the valve is broken; the new tyre doesn’t seem to have picked up any trauma.

I called ‘er indoors and she agreed to come and get me after she finished work, at 5pm. By the time she did kindly pick me up near Heather I’d probably walked about three miles in my cleats.

A kind couple in a Range Rover kindly offered me a lift, but shortly thereafter decided that the bike probably wouldn’t fit in the back. I kind of think it would have, but never mind. At least they wanted to make sure I was OK and had plenty of water, which I did.

Ah well! Not something that happens often. 8.89 miles, certainly the shortest ride of the year so far but it was fun while it lasted.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7605188052

I booked this afternoon as annual leave with the idea of doing a ride to Stafford Bingley Hall and back. I have two routes there, one an extension of the Upper Westbound route and the other extended from the Lower Westbound route, itself derived from the ride to Wales a while back.

I entertained the idea of doing one route there and the other one back but in the end I decided to take the Lower Westbound option both ways.

Nice warm weather and mostly sunny, though I did get a couple of spells of light rain (neither lasted more than 5 minutes).

Bingley Hall is now known as Staffordshire County Showground but I know it best as the venue where I saw a number of bands, most notably Rush of course, in my late teens. Back then it was it was a few hours from home on a train but now I live in the East Midlands, it’s a thoroughly serviceable distance for a bicycle pilgrimage.

I hung round the main gate for a minute or two and took a pic, then turned back. I thought of listening to Hemispheres on the way back since that was the current album when I saw Rush there, but remembered that I heard two new tunes from the next, unfinished album Permanent Waves for the first time those two nights. So I listened to those (The Spirit Of Radio and Free Will).

The last couple of miles to Bingley has what must be the worst climb of any bike ride I’ve ever done but the nice thing about it is that you don’t have to use the brakes on the way back down – it tapers off nicely at the bottom and eventually leads to a shallow climb that soaks up the remaining momentum. I hate to waste kinetic energy (and brake pad material).

The new surface on the A51 has bedded in nicely now, since my Wales trip.

The headwind was pretty aggravating on the way out but I think the wind had died down a bit or changed direction after I turned for home. I even had to cope with a headwind again for a time. I felt cheated.

The Scarecrow Festival at Heather is still happening so I took this pic two miles from home:

Nice afternoon out on the bike. 74.06 miles, 136 this month. That was my 18th Fondo this year.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7588047745

Unexpected rain this morning but by the time I was able to leave work – unusually early – conditions were warm, dry and sunny. A pretty stiff wind coming from the west, though. I felt like going up and west along the Beloved A Road. The August Fondo, perhaps.

The trouble with the Upper West route, as I now know it, is that you start to run out of options after 25 miles. On this occasion I took a right after Sudbury, then a left along a minor road – just making it up as I went along, really. The road started to degenerate into one of those single track roads with lots of dips and bumps with a build-up of gravel down the middle, but it wasn’t too bad.

I stopped at a farm after about 28 miles and was about to turn back, but I thought I’d press on over the next little hill to see if the road improved. It did! A bit twisty with some sharp climbs and scary downhill descents, but the surface improved a lot. Really lovely cycling territory with some brilliant views to the west, and very quiet. I will definitely do that stretch again, but probably on the Tricross.

I continued until I’d done half a fondo and was going to turn back but I saw a sign to Sudbury along a right turn, so in a spirit of adventure I took that. I thought it might be a slighter shorter way and rob me of the full fondo mileage, but in fact it turned out to be exactly the same distance. A slightly busier stretch of road but better for a road bike. I think I’ll base a fondo route on the way back, ie the last 31 miles of this ride.

Same way back from Sudbury.

Lots of ladies out in shorts. Not to be sexist or objectifying or anything, but I saw a phenomenal specimen in Melbourne on the way back. Tall, athletically slim and fit but curvy, long brown hair, about 30 and wearing tight black shorts that only covered half her bum. I nearly fell off the bike.

The headwind over the first half was a pain, but of course I enjoyed the tailwind on the way back. Conditions stayed more than warm enough for the whole ride and I was back on the dot of sunset.

Really a terrific run out, possibly my most enjoyable normal-distance fondo of the year so far. It was a breeze as well, despite the up and down twisty bits. Felt more like 40 miles than 62.29.

https://www.strava.com/activities/7578014995