Sunday 18 July 2010

Much To Say

In order of priority:

1. Weight:
Lost more weight over the past 7 days. Yippee! Now down to 215.2 lbs (15.37 stone or 97.61Kg). Amazing really seeing as I haven't ridden a bike in the past 7 days. Must be the healthy eating.

2. Birthday:
Tomorrow - July 19th is my Birthday. Looking forward to some goodies. I love Birthdays, whether they're my own or other peoples. The giving and receiving still makes me happy in equal amounts. Oh yeah - the "downer" is that I'll be 45. Cripes!

3. July 150 Challenge:
I really don't know why I entered this. I have no possible hope of completing it, and if anything its stopped me from cycling the short trips I normally wouldn't think twice about. Yesterday for example I had to pop to Lidl for some sandwich stuff for lunch. I considered getting on the bike and going but reasoned that I would have to mark the poxy mile or so it was onto the July 150 spreadsheet, then log the route as proof, and that it wasn't worth the effort. I took the car (it was too close to lunch time for the kids for me to walk it in time). Apart from that I have my own goals to complete before completing those that others set for me. Perhaps a July 50, or a July 75 would be more reasonable for my kind of stamina, but 100 or 150 miles is not something I have the time to devote to. Grand idea though, but not for me I'm afraid...not yet anyway.

Next week I expect to work late every night. I don't want to, but as we're going away for a week next weekend & I have two tenders to get submitted by Friday I have no hope of doing them in time if I only work 8.30am to 5.30pm. Its always the bloody same! In order to have a holiday I find that I have to work longer hours leading up to it and the same long hours when I come back. Somethings wrong with life when that has to happen. Its not just me either but its the same with the others in our department.

4. Sunday Ride:

Sunday dawned breezy and overcast. As the day wore on the sun came out making it quite warm but the wind kept its strength making for a slower cycle than normal for me. Also due to an astounding bit of laziness on my part I didn't set off until 3pm, leaving Ben to play Mario "Somethingorother" on the Wii.

I took the usual route up to Shinfield but deviated off when I got there to take a track between fields. I came out onto a main road looking for a couple of what had seemed to be footpaths across fields on Google Maps but had to double back twice because they weren't there.


I made the mistake of wearing my tracksuit trousers instead of shorts and it wasn't long before my meat & two veg were starting to steam cook, however I was thankful for the bottoms as I found what must be the narrowest public footpath in existence. Barbed wire fence one side, wooden fence the other and overgrown on both with nettles, brambles, thistles and those god damned plants with the little sticky balls which we used to throw at each other as kids that stick to you like Velcro.

came out of it with stuff stuck all over me looking like a swamp creature, not to mention the bike managed to drag a bucket load of the vegetation out with it. Oh yeah, and the bugs...bloody loads of them in the overgrown shady area of the path, and twice I had to whip my helmet off as they got stuck inside because of the vents. Photo below is of the start of the path before it got really narrow.



After emerging from "The Land Before Time" I hit a small road. Figuring turning left would take me back towards home, I headed right which ended up going over the motorway and coming out near Asda, then a long slow uphill bit.



I had a couple of "Joby Moments"; one where some twit decided he could make it between me and the central island road restriction - well credit to him he did actually "make" it through the gap with me in it too but damned if it wasn't close!

The second was quite funny really. As I was cycling along, a car full of "youf of today" louts screamed past, the guy in the rear hurling some abuse at me through the open rear window. It was totally intelligible though. Anyway, a little further on I saw their car by the Tesco mini supermarket and this guy standing by the car, I knew it was him as he looked like the blond one from Bill & Ted:


So I rode up to to him and said "You got something to say to me mate?" I could tell he was a bit shocked and all he could do was say "umm...no mate. Nothing". I asked if he was sure because it sure sounded like it back there & he mumbled something like "no not me" as he walked quite quickly into the shop. I laughed to myself and rode off. What a twat!

After that I was quite chipper and decided to make a round about route home as the wife would need picking up from work shortly. I ended up going down a nice long hill into Reading again.


Picked up a bit of speed finally but had to slam on the brakes when I saw a promising side path which in fact turned out to be crap. After that I decided to make tracks home.

Stats:
Distance: 9.20 miles
Time: 1 hour 0 minutes 42 seconds
Average Speed: 9.1 mph
Maximum Speed: 24.5 mph

Route HERE

7 comments:

  1. That's Alex Winter and I used to quite fancy him, as for poxy miles well you know the saying "a journey of a thousand steps" sides, Im willing to take it all on trust. ;) This time last year I could only just manage a 7 mile journey at 7mph. Keep it rolling man.

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  2. Adrian Happy Birthday for 2moz mate, well done for fronting the Twat.

    Congratulations on the weight loss.

    There is nothing wrong with 9.20 miles well done mate

    Finaly I am taking part in Skyride 5th September don't if you and Ben would be interested I know it is central London but thought would ask

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  3. Happy birthday mate. Same day as my daughter's!

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  4. Good stories from across the pond.
    Happy Birthday,
    Too funny about cook'n the meat and veggies,
    Oh and I react the same way to smart ass traveling in cars people.
    Ride on
    Dave

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  5. Happy Birthday man! Big grats on the weight loss, eating does play a huge part in it! And for the July 150, if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. The big part is having fun with whatever you do!

    That trail looks fun, albeit small single tracks! I'm gonna try and find a way to make it down to reading when I head over there in October. Perhaps we can go for a ride!

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  6. Happy Birthday...

    Cycle when you want to because you want to....It should be fun not a chore :-)

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  7. Belated Happy Birthday!

    You don't have to do the full 150, just pop a few miles in here & there. If I was popping out to Lidl (Netto for me as it happens) I'd go nthe bike, but I wouldn't bother recording it. Just enjoy the rides.

    Did you get nice prezzies?

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