iRide Sat. 07 Sep. 2019

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Two-pronged attack

• I was awake from four o'clock, but weary. Feeling 'Wide-eyed and Legless' like Andy Fairweather Low in his successful 1975 song, I dragged myself onto the bicycle for a slightly later start than planned. One advantage of the hour was that the sun was up on the west of the valley, which meant that taking photos was a more reasonable proposition than on starts earlier in the day.


On my first arrival at the Angel heights community postbox I knew it was not going to be an exhilarating romp out and back. It began to feel as though there might be an out but no back unless I called for assistance. The character-building value of shame and guilt should never be underestimated, especially when applied to those who are already experiencing low self-esteem. Just kidding.


The day was pleasant: there was some humidity, but the heat of the summer is fading so I was comfortable. On my second arrival at Amen Corner (the junction of Airport Road and W3000S) I had a decision to make: either I continued with my plan to increase my ride mileage—see the map below, which explains the 'two-pronged attack' title—or I could give up and turn for home. If I was a prayerful person I would have been unsure whether to ask for mercy or to request help from above. I turned south, hoping my career as bicyclist would be as fruitful and durable as the one Fairweather Low has enjoyed, even if it is as as under-celebrated as his.

The ride became an arduous trudge at slow speed. Oddly, in spite of my performance shortcomings, it was nevertheless very pleasant just to wend slowly thought the countryside. Today, I had to accept that I was not only using granny gears, but I was also using granny legs to turn them. My apologies to all grannies for the chauvinistic sterotypes. In future I will call them grandad gears and grandad legs, which is something I am authorized to do.


It was not until I arrived back at the communal postbox that I was convinced I was going to get home under my own steam. I pedaled wearily along the final leg through the outer 'burbs. I was quite relieved to arrive back at base and put my feet up for a nap in the recliner. As a reward for my efforts I will probably go out and do it all over again. If paradise is half as nice as heaven that you take me to… just to round out the musical references with one final, excruciating gasp.


WEATHER report:
• Start: 07:29, Clear, 71°F, Feels like 71°F, Cloud: 0%, Humidity 44%, Dewpoint 48°F, Wind 5mph from ↙, 12mph, UV index 0 
• End: 10:29, Clear, 86°F, Feels like 86°F, Cloud: 0%, Humidity 28%, Dewpoint 48°F, Wind 4mph from ↖, 9mph, UV index 4 
• Activity feel 78°F, Avg. temp. 78°F, Avg. feel temp. 78°F

The ride statistics are available on the Strava website (login required).

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