Today's Bike Ride

[mr brightside]

50m up to the craven arms and back on sunday, a drizzly start, but it continued to improve as the day went on and i was fully derobed all the way back. On the annoyingly narrow section of the A65 outside Wheelbase in Ilkley, i was nearly squished into oncoming traffic by an SUV driver who wanted a better view of the queue. She moved right and sped up with me alongside her, maybe she knew i was there maybe she didn't. It's the unfortunate thing when the cabin of your car is the size of a Polo, yet it has the wheelbase of a Hi-Cube Transit; you simply can't gauge it's size. This is made worse by the size of the B and C pillars which severely limit your ability to notice passing cyclists, it's no wonder that most new cars have warning lamps in the wing mirrors now. The craven arms have a 5% guest IPA on draught; it's nice, i might see if i can do 3 of that next week.

[mr brightside]

Much better weather today as i made my way up to the craven arms for my medicine, but with better weather come retards from the suburbs. People who don't mind risking your legs by overtaking you on a blind crest expecting anyone coming the other way to just work with it and get out of the way. Twice in a row now i have been unfortunate with my timing and ended up behind a stinking sheep transporter all the way through ilkley. It's definitely time to start wearing sheilds again too, if not for traffic dust, for flies; i'm still picking crap out of my eyes. Whilst at the craven arms i saw one of the best comb-overs i have ever seen, atop the head of a guy who had gone down the 15yrs my junior Thai wife route. I suppose when age comes for you, you can either roll with it or fight it; i can probably say he's having more fun that me and most likely doesn't ride depressed and alone every sunday.

[anthonykay]

. . . a guy who had gone down the 15yrs my junior Thai wife route. I suppose when age comes for you, you can either roll with it or fight it; i can probably say he's having more fun that me and most likely doesn't ride depressed and alone every sunday.

I have a lot of sympathy with you, having myself been mostly alone until I met my wife at the age of 36 . . . although it was when I was cycling (or running) that I was fairly sure to not be depressed.

[mr brightside]

I have a lot of sympathy with you, having myself been mostly alone until I met my wife at the age of 36 . . . although it was when I was cycling (or running) that I was fairly sure to not be depressed.

I don't really know what i'm supposed to be doing with myself. Most of the time i feel like a spare piece of meat wandering a landscape. It's the sense of uselessness and isolation; the feeling of not being part of anything or anyone's team.

[mr brightside]

Took the summer carbon bike out on sunday for my usual 50 miler, the roads aren't quite there yet so it'll be back to the winter thing next time. The carbon bike has developed a problem of clicking and trying to change gear when you're out of the saddle with the power down. I called in at Wheelbase to get the back wheel checked, which they did for free, and advised i change the rear derailleur cable before going any further; the wheel was fine. 3 pints of Semer Water pale from Wensleydale Brewery.

[mr brightside]

I've been advised to reduce my alcohol consumption...

I see a medical herbalist for help with my many conditions and ailments, I'm currently trialling skullcap as a muscle relaxant to see if it will undo the spasm that is destabilising my hips. He says alcohol is bad because it has a negative effect on everything, and drags everything down. I drink through the week to try and relieve anxiety, but I can cut that out and just drink on weekends.

I'm not feeling good about having to potentially reduce my refreshments from 3 down to 2 pints when I visit the craven arms. Two teen cyclists came in today and ordered...gosh, it's hard to talk about........half a pint of diet coke each! I was concerned and traumatised by these events, mainly because that might be me before long. I go through about 12 pints a week at the moment, halving it shouldn't be too difficult.

[anthonykay]

Longest ride so far this year. Contrary to my usual policy of heading upwind (so that I have the wind behind me later when I am more tired), I went east-north-east to the Vale of Belvoir, passing two farms with signs saying that they were "proud suppliers of milk to Clawson cheesemakers", and then past the Clawson cheese factory itself; the factory shop was closed, so no Blue Stilton tonight.

The road I took up the escarpment from Long Clawson was one of those annoying hills with a dip in the middle, so you actually lose some height before regaining it on the second half of the climb. I stopped at Ab Kettleby for a look around the churchyard (the church itself was locked); the most notable grave was of a local lad who had fought at Balaklava but then succumbed to disease, as did so many of our soldiers in the Crimean War.

Cycling back home into that wind was rather slow. The whole ride was 37 miles, and I was out for 3h35m (including the break at Ab Kettleby).

[mr brightside]

Standard 50 miler up to the craven arms today, still too early to take the high road over blubberhouses moor and greenhow. Some caravan hauling bellend gave me 2ft of space on the way into ilkley so i slowed shouted 'five feet' at the bugger when the traffic slowed. Not everyone gives you 5', but people can't be let off for taking the piss. I'm going to try and restrict myself to 2 pints rather than the usual 3.

[Graham Breeze]

Standard 50 miler up to the craven arms today, still too early to take the high road over blubberhouses moor and greenhow. Some caravan hauling bellend gave me 2ft of space on the way into ilkley so i slowed shouted 'five feet' at the bugger when the traffic slowed. Not everyone gives you 5', but people can't be let off for taking the piss.

If you would settle for four feet you could remind him with two fingers of each hand?

Occasionally I am shouted at by the passenger in a "white van" travelling past me. I can rarely catch what the male (always) shouts but it generally seems to be a yobbish and gobbish utterance, rather than a critique of my behaviour on the road.

Perhaps a knowledge of A level physics incorporating specialised study of acoustics and velocity should be obligatory before one can become a driver's mate to prevent flawed communications?

[mr brightside]

Some people are just impatient cretins who don't mind taking risks with your legs. The bar staff at the craven arms once asked me about this new 5' rule; i said it was a bit daft and that drivers just needed to be courteous in general. When they ask how i am on arrival, i normally say, "i got here in one piece".