I had never ridden Fiona in Devon before because normally when we spend time in Devon it's usually over the winter season and I have Tiffany the Tifosi as my winter season ride. One of the main reasons of course is because Tiffany has mudguards (fenders) fitted and with slightly wider tyres etc is more suited to riding in the winter weather.
The pandemic changed a lot of our plans as it has done for a lot of people so it seemed a sensible idea that when I had to go back to Dorset for a medical appointment I picked up the Felt and brought it back down here to our pitch in Devon.
So currently I have two bikes down here.... The Tifosi I have fitted to the turbo so even when the weather is wet I can still manage to maintain my cycling fitness.
At the moment I am riding every other day either on the Tifosi on the Turbo or on the Felt on the road....
Riding in Devon is totally different from riding in Dorset...... The lanes are narrower and the hills are generally steeper.... Also the weather around Dartmoor seems to have its own climate bubble... In one ride you can have Bright Sunshine.... Mist.. Wind and Rain all on a two hour ride.
The other day when I was riding along a hedge lined lane that was marked as being only seven feet wide I met a van followed by a lorry coming the other way.
I had to dismount and literally bury myself into the hedge in order to allow them to pass. (The alternative would have been to have turned around and cycle two miles back down the lane).
It was tight enough when the van slowly slipped past me but when the lorry went past there was literally only two inches to spare and that was with me forcing my back into the hedge as far as I could..... Luckily the hedge didn't have any brambles in it or it would have ripped some very expensive cycling kit to shreds......
As I said a bit different from my rides in Dorset...
On another occasion I was cycling up a 13% hill on another narrow lane only to be met by a tractor coming down the hill. He filled the lane as did the van and lorry mentioned above. The tractor had some equipment on the back that seemed to consist of lots of spikes and blades.... This time I did turn around and cycle back down the hill......
Riding in Devon is certainly not straightforward and is very different from most other places that I have ridden in...
When I cycled LEJOG some years ago it was agreed by all the team that the Devon section was the hardest of the whole trip.
At the top of this post are some classic 'bike lean' images taken on some of my recent rides on Fiona the Felt....
4 comments:
Good to see you out on the bike again. We come across similar situations of narrow lanes, and even narrower now with the the foliage, in the Vale of Glamorgan, and often have to dismount or retreat and find a passing place. Cornwall and Devon are the hardest counties to cycle in and very hard work if you have panniers.
Some nice weather next week so hopefully plenty of opportunities to get out.
Yes Dave it is nice to be back out on the bike again..... As an indicator of how hilly the riding is down here in Devon compared to Dorset...... On a mixed terrain 2/3 hour ride here I am doing well to average 12/13mph.... back in Dorset I would normally be averaging 17/18mph....
It's a good job that I have always enjoyed the challenge of riding up hills 🙂🙂 although with my heart condition I have to watch my heart rate very closely these days which can be a bit of a nuisance when ascending a really steep gradient.....
Hi there my dear Purple Traveller!🤩
Stay safe...
hugz from your Princess of Rock😎 (a random mountain biker too)
LPM 💙☮️🎵
@ Melody Fox
Hi Melody....Great to hear from the Princess of Rock....
Hope you're keeping well and managed to keep safe over the past few months.... Following your mantra of Love...Peace...Music.
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