For me...this time of the year is one of the best for getting out on the bike for a ride.
Most of the visitors to the area have now gone home and the roads have become a lot quieter and more bike friendly. It's also a lot cooler now making the temperature better suited for cycling...
I started the week with a 38 mile spin on Monday morning on my own followed by an afternoon of bike cleaning... I get a lot of pleasure in making sure that my bikes are always cleaned and prepared before every ride and if done regularly it never needs to be a major operation....
I had made arrangements to meet up with Si Chapman and Jon Joynes on Tuesday for an afternoon spin... It had been a good few weeks since I had ridden with either of these guys. It was a couple of weeks after the end of the 10in10 ride that I last rode out with Si and it was in Italy during the 10in10 itself that Jon and I had been riding together.....
I was really looking forward to meeting up with these fellas..... It's always great to meet up with mates for a ride and at this time of year I find the rides more enjoyable than ever....on top of that Si lives in a village in North Dorset surrounded by some great cycling country, although for this ride we had all agreed it was going to be a nice steady and flattish ride.....
Si had a bit of a cold and as none of us has been doing big distance rides lately an easier ride with a coffee and cake stop seemed appropriate... Anyway as Jon proved during our 10in10 ride back in June, his cycling ability depends very much on having sufficient cake intake so a cake stop was an absolute must.....
A ride with friends is always enjoyable with no pressure to reach targets or goals.... Si had come up with a really enjoyable route meandering as it did around the Dorset countryside. With only 1755 feet of ascent shown on the Garmin at the end of the 30 odd miles we completed, it was pretty flat (for Dorset) as well... It was an afternoon well spent and I look forward to my next opportunity to ride with these guys again......
Wednesday morning found me out on the bike again.....this time I was meeting up with Gareth Morns at the Sandbanks chain ferry for a ride over the Purbecks...
Now Gareth and I have not been out for a bike ride together for years.....and I really do mean years.....
Gareth was one of our 'Rev Pro Team' who rode with me on the LEJOG ride we did to raise money for the Dorset Kidney Fund back in 2008....We are both pretty certain that was the last time that we actually cycled together...the years really do seem to fly by....!!
Gareth was responsible back then for getting me interested in cycling again after I'd had a break of about twenty years, so he has a lot to answer for..!!
Unfortunately with work commitments and a young family, it is not so easy these days for Gareth to fit the cycling in around a busy life but I hope that it won't be so long before our next ride together...
Gareth is a very capable cyclist and it was a pleasure to ride with him again this week......
So there we have it....riding into autumn and catching up with cycling friends.... there is not much better way to spend your time..........
Most of the visitors to the area have now gone home and the roads have become a lot quieter and more bike friendly. It's also a lot cooler now making the temperature better suited for cycling...
I started the week with a 38 mile spin on Monday morning on my own followed by an afternoon of bike cleaning... I get a lot of pleasure in making sure that my bikes are always cleaned and prepared before every ride and if done regularly it never needs to be a major operation....
 |
| The Felt cleaned and prepped ready for Tuesdays ride. |
 |
| The Bikes taking a coffee break... |
 |
| Si and Jon taking a coffee break.... |
A ride with friends is always enjoyable with no pressure to reach targets or goals.... Si had come up with a really enjoyable route meandering as it did around the Dorset countryside. With only 1755 feet of ascent shown on the Garmin at the end of the 30 odd miles we completed, it was pretty flat (for Dorset) as well... It was an afternoon well spent and I look forward to my next opportunity to ride with these guys again......
 |
| Gareth Morns...Literally our first ride together in years.... |
Now Gareth and I have not been out for a bike ride together for years.....and I really do mean years.....
Gareth was one of our 'Rev Pro Team' who rode with me on the LEJOG ride we did to raise money for the Dorset Kidney Fund back in 2008....We are both pretty certain that was the last time that we actually cycled together...the years really do seem to fly by....!!
Gareth was responsible back then for getting me interested in cycling again after I'd had a break of about twenty years, so he has a lot to answer for..!!
Unfortunately with work commitments and a young family, it is not so easy these days for Gareth to fit the cycling in around a busy life but I hope that it won't be so long before our next ride together...
Gareth is a very capable cyclist and it was a pleasure to ride with him again this week......
So there we have it....riding into autumn and catching up with cycling friends.... there is not much better way to spend your time..........
11 comments:
Autumn rocks! I rode home from work in the cool night air... ahh baby.
What is this "clean your bike" thing? I'm a chain guy. It is about all I pay attention to.
Also, what is this "friends" thing?
I have to admit that I also enjoy the pleasure of a very clean bike but fail to stick to a strict "clean before every ride" regime. The air is crisp, and I suppose the bike should look the part.
It must be great when the tourists leave you in peace particularly dangerous with uncertainty if they are unsure of the road.
The cooler weather I find from experience is better for activity.
( On a side note ...this year I was going to attempt a familiar Lakeland mountain horseshoe walk ... on the first day ... thanks to the weather forecast for the rest of the week. Unfortunately the heat was too much & it looked like I was going to use up all my water by half way. I decided that it was a ridiculous thing to do & enjoyed a leisurely lunch at 1/3 the way round and used the escape route to complete a mini circuit. Disappointing but a pleasurable ... it's there for another time.)
RANTWICK....
A clean chain is good....!!
Friends..... Other Guy's that ignore my bike cleaning habits....
JRA....
The bike cleaning before every ride just becomes a habit in the end...
J_on_Tour..
As you say the full circuit is always there for another time. It's always good to be flexible with any routes you do.....
I went out yesterday with a Jeff Roberts for the first time with anyone, I enjoyed it and whilst it was 35mi I felt I had done a workout we chatted most of the way. Although at 14mph average might be a bit slow for you racing snakes.
Rulebritannia.....
That average is fine..will adjust mine to suit slowest rider mate....
Trevor:
Nice to see cooler weather is in your neck-of-the-woods also. I am enjoying it a lot, although I am walking more than I am riding these days; which is okay by me.
Paz :)
Chandra..
Walking is good too.. If you enjoy it then it's OK...
Autumn is the perfect time to cycle. No need, yet, to pile on the layers and some gorgeous days which are not too hot. The only problem where I live, is the ice-rink quality of fallen leaves on the lanes!
There She Rides...
Thanks for your comments...
I must say that a bit of extra caution is required with those fallen leaves, that can have an 'ice-rink- quality as you so aptly describe it...
Post a Comment