Hello blogess.
I can't wait for the spring and summer to get here. I am not liking these dark nights out riding.
But me and the Old Boy have decided that we are going to do as much cycling as we can! As he works during the day and I have work during the day as well, the only time that we can get out cycling is after I have finished work. So come 6:30 this evening after getting all our stuff ready, bikes, gloves, comfortable attire! And brightly coloured outer wear, me with my SkyRide tabard and the Old Man with something out of his van, complete with go faster reflective stripes! We were ready.
"Where shall we go" says the Old Boy. Well, I hadn't really thought about that! Just as we set off to who knows where I started the Garmin up, its always good to see how fast I am going, in preparation for the London to Brighton bike ride, (hopefully) which will be in June! so not that far off really. "Ok we shall head up the path, then go on to Keston" says the Old Boy. "Ok, I shall just follow on" I says.
We set off up the path, its nice and bright the lights are on and I can see where I am going, very important to be able to see where you are going! We were soon out of the path, passed turnaround lamppost and headed up the quiet road before turning right towards the bus garage. When we go to the top of this road the Old boy said that we should do my route that I do when I am on my own cycling. So that's turning left up towards Greenstreet Green along the A21. This is a lovely route, but of course there is that hill. A long long hill, and then there is the other hill towards the end of the ride.
"You can do this" says the Old boy, and he takes off like he is cycling from the British cycling team! I just plod along, trying to get up the hill, slowly but surely, peddling all the way. No stopping on this bit of the route, no way. Not after all the bragging I have done when I talk about my cycle rides to the Old boy. Keep going. The rain had started to fall, just gently, but being a spectacle wearer, this can be quite hazard's!
When we were at the last roundabout before we head on back home I had to 'tinkle' my bell, to let the Old Boy that I had to stop and clear my glasses. He asked me if I had kept going all the way up the hill "Yes, of course I did, I always do when I come this way" I said to him indigently. "I have done this ride before, you know" I said to him. "Ok" then he said. Then I told him that cycling on the road, rather than the cycle route/pedestrian path was so much better. It may be safer from cars, but the path itself was just awful. There were lumps and bumps from the tree routes, and of course it wasn't was well lit as the road, so I couldn't see the pot holes and huge mud puddles that we were cycling through.
We were soon on track again though and headed on to Orpington, where thoughts of that dreaded hill was already turning my legs into jelly! But I got to at least try and try to get up as much as possible.
We were soon at the war memorial at the beginning of the high street. Now because I have been down here before on my bike, and during the day, I knew that the road and the pavement does this kind of merge thingy, where you can't tell where the pavement ends and the road starts! I had managed to stay on the road, but the Old Boy ended up as a pedestrian! "I lost the road" he said laughingly, as I watched him come up on the left hand side of me, along the pavement!
"Get on to the road by the lights here" I said to him as we approached the pedestrian crossing. He came across and joined the road again and followed on behind me. Just up a little bit further, on the one way system the Old Boy decides that we are going to go a little further, and not attempt the huge Perry Hall road, we are going up another one. I'm not sure if that is slightly less steeper or not, but its still going to be a hill, non the less!
So on and on we go, and soon enough that hill was in front of me!! Looming up, taunting me! "No stopping on this hill" The Old Boy said in his best drill sergeants voice, "No stopping at all" Yeah right! Don't he know who I am!! I am Kents bestest 'Ex Couch Potatoes' It takes a lot for me to pull on my jog pants and get out there and do stuff, no matter how much fun it is, its just the whole, achy, hurty, sweaty, muscle toning, did I say sweaty bit that I have a problem with. Put it this way, if there was a pill that I could take that would make me instantly fit and slim, would I take it? Too Right I would! But the bike thing is fun. The bike thing is what me and the Old Boy can do together, chat and decide on routes, and plan Saturday rides out, with a lovely stop off for lunch somewhere. Sigh, so, for now, on and on, up and up!
Of course I stopped, I tinkled my bell again and made the Old Boy stop as well. He informed me when I got to him that he could have made it in one go. I said he should have gone on, leave me in his dust, well rain spray at least. But he was doing the chivalrous thing and waiting.
I think I got to the top of the hill without any more stops, I can't be sure, it was all to traumatic for me, but the lovely flatlands, oh fabulous, and then not only that, there was a lovely ride down, down, down. Just up ahead though, the road was going up, up into Petts Wood. Now the Old Boy keeps telling me that I should use the momentum of the downhill to get myself up the next, at least halfway up. So I decided to go for it. Usually I am on my brakes! Not that keen on the whole speed thing anyway, some light clothing is not going to save me from getting 'pavement rash' if I come off at speed! But as I was heading on down looking at the road going up, I could see a small lorry coming in front of me. The lorry is wanting to turn left, making me having to brake so that I don't run into the side of it. I could hear the Old Boy grunting and cursing behind me, maybe he was feeling the effects of the up hill!!
Nearly home though, at least I thought we were, until he decides to 'tack on' another couple of miles for a 'shake out of the legs' he says. A bit of night riding through the park!
As you all know, I'm not keen on the whole dark riding thingy, and going through the park, which has no street lights was not my idea of 'shaking out legs' but what made it even worse was the fact that my light was pointing up and not at the ground, I couldn't see the cycle path, and I know there is a little stream on the left of me, and I am not keen on ending up in there! "Just follow my light, stay in line with my light" the Old boy said "and we will sort out your light in a minute"
So for about a hundred yards or so I just followed his blinking red light, its not wonder I wasn't hypnotised by it! We soon got to a clearing and pointed the light at the floor so I could see where to ride my bike!
We rode through the park, and then on to the the main roads, and straight across. We were going to go through the park near us!
As we headed on down towards Southborough lane, I put my hand out to indicate that I was going to turn right, after checking that it was clear to do so, and I pulled into place, just as I was advised to do, but then some jack ass decides to come up real close and then cut in front of me to turn right as well, I could hear the Old Boy tinkle his bell at the inconsiderate driver.
The rest of the ride was quite relaxing, just the little hill up sunray avenue, but that don't seem like anything now, although it did take the Old Boy nagging me to get my backside up there at speed.
A quick sprint through the park and up the last long road, then home, and dinner, and get my backside in a nice comfy chair!! But before I could srint anyway, I got a puncture, I could feel every crack on the road, I was trying to avoid potholes, but thats not good in the dark, and with a flat! Sigh My first puncture!
Geek stats then
distance 12:12 miles
time 1 hour 27 mins
Heart Rate avg 118 bpm Max 143 bpm
Max elevation 403 ft elevation gain 453 ft!!
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