Everyone on the facebook group (especially those who made the meeting last weekend) has been writing about hills and thought I'd better get some hills specific training in. Obviosuly, living in Devon, my rides are usually pretty hilly anyway but today was extreme.
I got dropped at Trago Mills and cycled to Bovey Tracey and then went up on to Dartmoor. As many millions times as I have been up on the Moors, I still somehow managed to forget that the initial climb up on to the moors was more of a cliff face than a hill (only mild exaggeration here - it was ridiculous!) and it went on for 5 long, miserable miles!
When I eventually made it (after several stops and two shameful stints of pushing the bike) I cycled towards Wuidecombe, down to Manaton and Becky Falls (where I was going to stop for a while but didn't realise it's actually £7.25 to look at the falls so that idea was shortlived!). I did a 25 or so mile circuit on the Moors and then headed home. I had a great time flying down the 5 mile hill on the way home, making teh struggle up it totally worth it.
One thing that did put a slightly negative tinge on the day was almost getting knocked over by some idiot teenage boys. I don't know what it is about sunny weather that makes most drivers seem to completely forget how to drive! I was charging along a main road and they were waiting to pull out of the side road. They clocked me and pulled out right as I got to their road. If I hadn't braked in time I definitely would have gone into/over them. They were all laughing so had obviously done it on purpose.
Luckily, I was able to write down their number plate and reported it to the police as dangerous driving. They got hold of me today and said they had tracked down the driver and given him some advice on his driving and a warning that any future incidents would be dealt with more seriously. I was fuming at the time it happened but am glad that the police took it seriously and the driver got a talking to.
I have read a few articles lately about supposed "Lycra Louts" and the idea seems completely obsurd to me. To me, the definition of a "Lout" would be the kind of person who pulls out in front of an oncoming cyclist. While the "loutish" behaviour of cyclist is often taking up too much space in the road, or making you wait a few minutes until you can pass. A useful tip for drivers who feel this way is that we are probably in the middle of the road so that you do not try and overtake us on blind corners or at traffic islands or any other place in the road where there is definitely not enough room for a car to pass us without knocking us over.
Anyway, rant over. The majority of the time I am out on my bike, I co-exist with drivers very peacefully. One good thing that has come to me recently, perhaps brought with the good weather, is that I now see cycling as much more of an enjoyable activity rather than a chore. I now WANT to gt up at 6am on a Saturday morning and get out for a day's ride as opposed to HAVE to (well, I definitely still have to, but you know what I mean). I feel I may be fast becoming a cyclist, as opposed to someone who just rides a bike.
No comments:
Post a Comment