Really, I wanted to spend my Saturday lounging around the house, but a dry day was forecast so I got up (fairly) early to do a fondo. The wind was coming mostly from the south so I thought I’d do my underused Fosse Way route again. I set off at about 0915.
I’d decided to go down through Battram rather than Bagworth over the first few miles. Usually I only come back that way, and presumably that’s why I missed the left turn toward Newbold Verdon. But I carried on to Nailstone and went south via the main road, picking up the route again at Kirkby Mallory, where I realised that my unintentional detour had added about a mile.
I really enjoyed the long stretch of Fosse Way after High Cross. I don’t get why it’s so quiet; it’s a wide, well-surfaced road. I did have a scary moment along there, though. At one point I saw a guy standing next to a motorcycle at a lay-by in the distance. He was holding something in his right arm. He extended it, and slowly brought it up to eye level.
“‘kin hell”, I thought to myself. “He’s got a gun!” He seemed to be aiming it at something on the other side of the road. I reckoned he was about 180 metres ahead. His chances of hitting me with a pistol at that range weren’t good, but obviously they were improving with every pedal stroke. I was about to perform an emergency u-turn when I realised he was taking a selfie with a phone.
I did turn back eventually, having done the necessary half-fondo distance, just south of Bretford. Stopped at the Post Office at Brinklow on the way back for a cheese and tomato sandwich and a Magnum ice-cream. My other half won a massive bag of Cadburys mis-shapes from the chocolate tombola (sorry, the what?) at a charity event we attended last night, so I brought a few of those with me as well, to keep me fortified on the way back.
Listened to 5 Live, and the Stones’ A Bigger Bang from 2005. Another surprisingly good record (mostly).
I think I got the clothing strategy pretty much spot on today. I wasn’t too cold early on, and once I took a layer off later on, I wasn’t too warm.
I was back over four hours before sunset, which given that it’s a nice sunny day out there did make me think I should have done a longer one. Not many nice Saturdays left this year. It’s the autumn equinox today apparently.
Still – glad to have achieved my first ever quintuple fondo month. Qute an enjoyable run out. I wonder if I can sneak in another fondo this month?