I’m on call at the moment. I wouldn’t have let that stop me doing a decent bike ride, but what I did let stop me were temperatures in the high 20s and the threat of rain in the early afternoon. The rain didn’t happen but it certainly was too hot to ride a bike for any distance. So I decided to wait for the late afternoon.
This was very fortunate because, very unusually, I was called at about 2pm for a high priority incident that required my attention. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been 20 or more miles away from home on a bike on an oncall Saturday afternoon and if I’d done that today, I’d have had some difficult explaining to do. I must have a guardian angel.
Regardless, I set off to do about 20 or 30, slightly hesitantly, at 1642. UV levels had dissipated nicely by this time (I assumed) and the temperature was a bit less fierce. I had a San Miguel first, for Dutch courage.
The plan was to go up to Melbourne, take a right to Isley Walton and come back down Top Brand. But I pressed my luck after Melbourne and carried right on up over Swarkestone Bridge. From there I went east through Weston and Aston to Shardlow, then down to Isley Walton through Castle Donington. Much the same ride, but substantially extended at the north.
The Download Festival is on at Donington Park at the moment but I didn’t see any of the revellers around the town. Sometimes on a Download weekend the local pubs and streets are choked with stoner-looking deadbeats and kids in Motorhead t-shirts, but I saw none of that today.
Just as an aside, Metallica are claimed to have caused a noise nuisance on Thursday night for people living 15 miles away. We live less than 8 miles away to the south, and ‘er indoors claims to have heard them when she was in the garden at the time, but it was very faint. They’ve been playing again tonight; I went outside half an hour ago and I couldn’t hear anything.
Saw a Sunwing passenger jet taking off from the airport as I passed. I’d never heard of Sunwing. Apparently it’s a low-cost airline based in Toronto. A minute later I saw a Lear Jet coming in to land. I very rarely see aircraft taking off or landing when I pass the airport so that was a nice change.
A layer of cloud rolled over at 7pm and the temperature receded a notch; I was grateful for that.
With about two miles to go, I developed a suspicion that my rear tyre was flat. It was certainly very soft. It had been a little bit softer than I’d have expected when I inspected it before setting off, to be fair. I pumped it up to 100PSI and assumed it would be fine. I got it up to about 50PSI (at a guess) with my mini pump in Coleorton but it was soft again a mile later. I gave it a couple more goes over the last mile and I got home OK. The rim looks fine. The tyre looks alright.
Oh well, something else to do tomorrow. Back on 31.02 miles, 224 done this month.