Month: July 2024

Another dry day and, with the wind coming from the south, I took an opportunity to get a southbound fondo in. My usual route, except that I took a longer deviation round the Earl Shilton bypass, to avoid the hill you have to navigate to go straight through.

Stopped when I got to Welford Road after about 32.5 miles, and came back the same way.

I stopped at the village shop at Gilmorton on the way back. Alas, the Google Pay app on my bloody phone wouldn’t work so I had to put the Magnum ice cream, egg mayonnaise sandwich, bottle of Lucozade and Milky Bar I’d plonked on the counter back where I’d got them. Annoying. I always take an actual debit card with me on longer rides, perhaps I’ll do that on short rides as well now.

Fortunately I didn’t really need them. I’d already eaten a rather nice chunk of Fortnum & Mason pork pie that I’d brought with me and with uncertain economic fortunes ahead of us now, perhaps I shouldn’t be purchasing superfluous goodies on relatively short bike rides.

Really nice out there, warm and sunny later on. I backpacked my fleece and tights after about ten miles. Perhaps I should use my legwarmers more often; I always feel a bit inconspicuous wrestling tights off while propped against a farm gate. I must look like an old woman about to take an impromptu leak.

I started the next Reacher novel, The Affair. Good stuff so far although it’s in the first person, which is not my favourite Reacher mode.

I would have done a longer ride, but rain was forecast for the late afternoon. It never happened.

Back on 65.87 miles for a pleasing 188 this month. That was this year’s 21st fondo.

https://www.strava.com/activities/11838233821

A few years ago I rode to Worcestershire (the historic version) and back. I refer to this ride sometimes as my “Dad’s Army route”, because I spent most of the ride listening to old recordings of the BBC Radio version of the famous sitcom about the fictional Walmington-on-Sea division of the Home Guard.

I’ve often thought of doing it again. The main deterrent has been the necessity to do about three miles of the A5 west of Atherstone. It’s a fast dual carriageway, and not the sort of thing you really want to be negotiating on a bicycle. I did try to do it spontaneously a couple of months ago, but hadn’t planned the route and I messed it up.

I thought I’d have a go at it today. I didn’t upload the route to my eTrex, but I did memorise the turns carefully with the help of Google Street View.

Roughly the first half of the ride to the destination is part of my usual Twycross route. Then the A5, then south-west toward Kingsbury, then down to Coleshill.

So – I did that. I didn’t go right down to the border with Historic Worcestershire, because it’s depressingly urban after Coleshill. You’re pretty much in the outskirts of Birmingham after that.

I stopped at a garden centre on the way down to look for a caff. Didn’t find one, but they did have a butcher’s shop situated in a sort of prefab hut, so I bought a chicken samosa there. Very nice. Also stopped at a friendly village shop at Kingsbury on the way back for a sandwich and a Magnum ice cream.

Came back the same way as far as Grendon Road. Then I came home through Sheepy, Congerstone, Shackerstone, Heather. So the whole ride was in essence a Twycross Bypasser with an excursion south-westward at the bottom.

Actually the worst part of this ride is having to negotiate the big roundabout on the A5 near Hockley on the way back. It’s a lot scarier going round it clockwise than coming off at the first exit on the outward leg.

Despite that, nice to do it again. I didn’t listen to Dad’s Army this time, I listened to 5 Live – and I got another 4.5 hours out of the Duracell Plus AAs in my DAB, for a total of roughly 36.5 hours. Amazing.

I have to say though I didn’t quite remember it as the same ride I did in 2022 .. I seem to remember a few views and scenes that somehow weren’t present today. I’ve checked, and I definitely did the same route. Must be my memory playing tricks.

Nice run out though. Pleasantly warm and sunny in the afternoon. Back on 53.67 miles. I’ve done 122 already this month; I guess that’s the retirement distance dividend.

https://www.strava.com/activities/11807694957

My usual route to Wales is an extension of the Lower Westbound route, but a while ago I devised a route that would extend from the Upper Westbound route, instead.

A critical component of this new route is a mile-long stretch of cycle path running along the A50, about 30 miles from home, leading into Uttoxeter.

So, on a dry day with the wind coming from the west, I thought I’d go and check out the cycle path, go into Uttoxeter for a mile or so then come back the same way. Usually I don’t like to use cycle paths. They can be poorly maintained sometimes, with indifferent surfaces, thorny vegetation, sharp stones and bits of broken glass. But sometimes they’re OK if there’s no alternative. And certainly, the A50 itself is not an option. The coroner would probably return a verdict of suicide.

So I set off at about 10:30 and pedalled up through Coleorton and Melbourne, west along the Beloved A Road, all the way on to Doveridge and onto the cycle path. I realised when I got there that I’d been there before. It’s not too bad. A bit concretey in places. A little bit of debris, but no conspicuous puncture bait.

I went into Uttoxeter, but instead of turning back, I followed a sign to Abbots Bromley, which is on my Lower Westbound route, or one of them. I think I’d taken this same road a few weeks ago when I went into Uttoxeter via Marchington. Came back the usual way from there, through King’s Bromley, Alrewas, Croxall, Netherseal et al. I took the pic at Lullington.

Cloudy and cool in the morning, but – unexpectedly – a lovely warm, mostly sunny day in the afternoon. Fortunately I had a backpack so I could stuff clothing into it.

Listened mostly to 5 Live. I listened to James O’Brien on LBC for a while; I think a psychiatrist would find him a fascinating case. And I listened to Rush’s 2112, a personal favourite of mine since the age of 16.

Back on 68.16 miles. I didn’t manage 600 in June but I’ll be happy with 450 for July.

The night before I set off on my 200 miler, I put a fresh pair of Duracell Plus AAs in my DAB personal. It’s now got about 32 hours from them, and they aren’t dead yet! Very nice to know I wouldn’t need a spare pair on a long ride. In fact I could put the same pair in an LED torch on a long ride with the last couple of hours in the dark, and use my phone or MP3 player for in-flight audio.

https://www.strava.com/activities/11791188500