Warrington - 0 Miles
It's my last rest day so I think you can guess what I have been doing and what is in line for later! Yep, bike clean, long sleep and sport on the tele! What a way to spend the day of rest!
See you on day 32!
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Day 30: I've paid my dues...
Lancaster, Lancashire to Warrington, Cheshire Via Greater Manchester and Merseyside
69.84 miles (1661.29 miles cumulatively)
You may well have noticed, as this Cycle England challenge has continued, that if there is something I can moan about or be sarcastic about, I probably will be! I seem to have linked into my sceptical side and been milking it for all it’s worth. Maybe that’s because I’m British and find me a brit that doesn’t actually enjoy having a good old moan about something. Or, maybe it’s because I think reading a blog most days, no matter how long or short, has to be a little more interesting that I did this, I did that and I arrived here.
With this in mind, I was thinking what could I possibly moan about toady, or what sarcy comment could I come up with to provide the witty base for my blog? And I have to be honest, I have to come clean, I struggled. For one particular reason. Normally, one of my biggest moans has been about the wind, the forceful weather condition that seemed hell-bent on forcing me backwards when I was trying to pedal myself forwards. I would have happily jumped on this bandwagon again today had it not been for the fact that it was a great friend to me today. Yes, a great friend and I am happy to admit that I am fickle when it comes to liking and disliking things. I hated the wind a couple of days ago, yet today I loved it! Brilliant. The strong wind helped to propel me southwards and onto Warrington and I arrived sooner than anticipated. When it works with you, you see, so much more can be achieved.
Worry not though, there was one thing that happened today that I feel was worth a little gripe, if nothing else, although here I feel I should tread carefully as it was involving a member of the public that was completely oblivious (and rightly so as they were doing nothing wrong!) to the burning rage and anger that was building up inside me! Let me paint you the picture. I was cycling out of Wigan when I came up on a man on a bike, with my guess being that he was just leaving work. He was what you might term and regular but not ‘serious’ cyclist I think. Obviously used to being on a bike but in no way looking like he should have been on a bike, and by this, I mean clothing-wise and not ability-wise. Massive workmen boots, ripped jeans showing the ever present builders’ bum. He was wearing a high-vis jacket…but nothing else on his top half and no helmet. I hope that you are putting the image into you head.
I pulled up behind him and followed for a little bit, as traffic was relatively busy and I was feeling pretty tired, 50 miles or so into the ride. You can imagine staring at this ‘crack’ poking out above the swaying jeans was not my idea of a pleasant view, and as I had not been working particularly hard to keep up, I put a little burst on and got by. What really, really irked me, was simply the fact that I could at any point, pull away from him. No matter how hard I worked, he was there behind me, no matter how fast I attempted to climb the hills, there he was, like a limpet to my back tyre. Here I was turning a section of today’s challenge into a race, plain and simple, and I was losing… to a bare-chested, bum-showing, massive boot-wearing commuter! I have to say, when I had pulled away eventually…alright, when he turned off and I carried on, I had to stop and give myself a firm talking to. Cycle England isn’t a race, it’s isn’t a competition, it’s about finishing and as that line gets ever closer, I, it seems, am having to work twice as hard to make sure that my focus doesn’t falter – I need to get from A to B and it doesn’t matter how many barely dressed cyclists keep up with me, or even pass me, I just need to get there.
Yet another lesson taught at the wheels of Cycle England.
69.84 miles (1661.29 miles cumulatively)
You may well have noticed, as this Cycle England challenge has continued, that if there is something I can moan about or be sarcastic about, I probably will be! I seem to have linked into my sceptical side and been milking it for all it’s worth. Maybe that’s because I’m British and find me a brit that doesn’t actually enjoy having a good old moan about something. Or, maybe it’s because I think reading a blog most days, no matter how long or short, has to be a little more interesting that I did this, I did that and I arrived here.
With this in mind, I was thinking what could I possibly moan about toady, or what sarcy comment could I come up with to provide the witty base for my blog? And I have to be honest, I have to come clean, I struggled. For one particular reason. Normally, one of my biggest moans has been about the wind, the forceful weather condition that seemed hell-bent on forcing me backwards when I was trying to pedal myself forwards. I would have happily jumped on this bandwagon again today had it not been for the fact that it was a great friend to me today. Yes, a great friend and I am happy to admit that I am fickle when it comes to liking and disliking things. I hated the wind a couple of days ago, yet today I loved it! Brilliant. The strong wind helped to propel me southwards and onto Warrington and I arrived sooner than anticipated. When it works with you, you see, so much more can be achieved.
Worry not though, there was one thing that happened today that I feel was worth a little gripe, if nothing else, although here I feel I should tread carefully as it was involving a member of the public that was completely oblivious (and rightly so as they were doing nothing wrong!) to the burning rage and anger that was building up inside me! Let me paint you the picture. I was cycling out of Wigan when I came up on a man on a bike, with my guess being that he was just leaving work. He was what you might term and regular but not ‘serious’ cyclist I think. Obviously used to being on a bike but in no way looking like he should have been on a bike, and by this, I mean clothing-wise and not ability-wise. Massive workmen boots, ripped jeans showing the ever present builders’ bum. He was wearing a high-vis jacket…but nothing else on his top half and no helmet. I hope that you are putting the image into you head.
I pulled up behind him and followed for a little bit, as traffic was relatively busy and I was feeling pretty tired, 50 miles or so into the ride. You can imagine staring at this ‘crack’ poking out above the swaying jeans was not my idea of a pleasant view, and as I had not been working particularly hard to keep up, I put a little burst on and got by. What really, really irked me, was simply the fact that I could at any point, pull away from him. No matter how hard I worked, he was there behind me, no matter how fast I attempted to climb the hills, there he was, like a limpet to my back tyre. Here I was turning a section of today’s challenge into a race, plain and simple, and I was losing… to a bare-chested, bum-showing, massive boot-wearing commuter! I have to say, when I had pulled away eventually…alright, when he turned off and I carried on, I had to stop and give myself a firm talking to. Cycle England isn’t a race, it’s isn’t a competition, it’s about finishing and as that line gets ever closer, I, it seems, am having to work twice as hard to make sure that my focus doesn’t falter – I need to get from A to B and it doesn’t matter how many barely dressed cyclists keep up with me, or even pass me, I just need to get there.
Yet another lesson taught at the wheels of Cycle England.
Monday, 19 April 2010
Day 29: The man who went up a hill and came down a moun... no a hill
Appleby, Cumbria to Lancaster, Lancashire
58.26 miles (1591 miles cumulatively)
I guess I've just given it away, the topic for this blog. Hills. I think I have touched on the topic before, but it came back to me big time today. So in order to set this up for you, I am going to give you a bit of a Geography lesson first. There are a group of hills in the North West of England called the Pennines. These are actually rather big.
Now I don't want to paint a picture that didn't actually happen, I didn't climb all the way over them, no no! I thought I was going round them and to all intents and purposes that's just what I did. However, what I didn't realise was that even the outer ring of the pennines are bloody massive! And I feel here that I need to mention that as I said in yesterday's blog, that I am more tired than I gave myself credit for, this was re-iterated to me in no uncertain terms today through the medium of my legs. For the first time today, my legs told me regularly that they had done 1550 miles in the past few weeks and they'd just about had it with this pedalling up ruddy great hills.
Progress was slow. Slow, slow, slow. Slower even than a cat being persuaded to go out into the rain. But somehow, despite this slow, agonising progress, I managed to make it to Lancaster and as I was cycling along the canal towards the city centre I started to ponder on the day. Had I hated it, had I wished that it'd never happened? No, not in the slightest. In fact, it had been one of the most breathtaking days of my life. The scenery, the openness, the utter vastness of the place left me in bewilderment. It was simply stunning. Cumbria, I salute you!
Cycle England heads south...ish
58.26 miles (1591 miles cumulatively)
I guess I've just given it away, the topic for this blog. Hills. I think I have touched on the topic before, but it came back to me big time today. So in order to set this up for you, I am going to give you a bit of a Geography lesson first. There are a group of hills in the North West of England called the Pennines. These are actually rather big.
Now I don't want to paint a picture that didn't actually happen, I didn't climb all the way over them, no no! I thought I was going round them and to all intents and purposes that's just what I did. However, what I didn't realise was that even the outer ring of the pennines are bloody massive! And I feel here that I need to mention that as I said in yesterday's blog, that I am more tired than I gave myself credit for, this was re-iterated to me in no uncertain terms today through the medium of my legs. For the first time today, my legs told me regularly that they had done 1550 miles in the past few weeks and they'd just about had it with this pedalling up ruddy great hills.
Progress was slow. Slow, slow, slow. Slower even than a cat being persuaded to go out into the rain. But somehow, despite this slow, agonising progress, I managed to make it to Lancaster and as I was cycling along the canal towards the city centre I started to ponder on the day. Had I hated it, had I wished that it'd never happened? No, not in the slightest. In fact, it had been one of the most breathtaking days of my life. The scenery, the openness, the utter vastness of the place left me in bewilderment. It was simply stunning. Cumbria, I salute you!
Cycle England heads south...ish
Day 28 - Calculations are harder than they seem
Brampton, Cumbria to Appleby, Cumbria
33.00 miles (1533.19 miles cumulatively)
You would have thought that after 28 days on the bike (well 27 it would have been before I started the day) that I could work out a simple distance from A to B. It's easy really, when I was planning, type in the place of departure and then type in the place of destination, via any necessary points of interest or requirements. For some unknown reason, however, I got today's wrong. Plain and simple, wrong. I had thought that it was going to be a slightly less than average day of 55 miles. It turned out to be 33 miles and I don't know what shocked me more. The realisation of the smaller distance, or the relative freshness of my legs. Either way, what ended up happening was me enjoying an afternoon of IPL madness. Two games of worth and two games of pure joy for me as even though I needed a particular team to win the second game (yes, for a strange reason I have started to support a team in the IPL with a great passion beyond explanation) and they didn't, I was able to watch the defeat- this alone was pure joy.
I also discovered one other thing, that this challenge has left me more tired than I might have thought. I arrived at the guesthouse and after having got something for lunch, thought it would be a good idea to watch the cricket from the bed. 30 mins later I woke up to a text asking me what my prediction was for the result (thanks Rid, you meant that I actually saw the end of the game) and hey presto, can't remember whether or not I predicted correctly!
Perhaps I should actually rename this challenge: Cycle IPL. Hmm, not sure quite what ring that has to it...
33.00 miles (1533.19 miles cumulatively)
You would have thought that after 28 days on the bike (well 27 it would have been before I started the day) that I could work out a simple distance from A to B. It's easy really, when I was planning, type in the place of departure and then type in the place of destination, via any necessary points of interest or requirements. For some unknown reason, however, I got today's wrong. Plain and simple, wrong. I had thought that it was going to be a slightly less than average day of 55 miles. It turned out to be 33 miles and I don't know what shocked me more. The realisation of the smaller distance, or the relative freshness of my legs. Either way, what ended up happening was me enjoying an afternoon of IPL madness. Two games of worth and two games of pure joy for me as even though I needed a particular team to win the second game (yes, for a strange reason I have started to support a team in the IPL with a great passion beyond explanation) and they didn't, I was able to watch the defeat- this alone was pure joy.
I also discovered one other thing, that this challenge has left me more tired than I might have thought. I arrived at the guesthouse and after having got something for lunch, thought it would be a good idea to watch the cricket from the bed. 30 mins later I woke up to a text asking me what my prediction was for the result (thanks Rid, you meant that I actually saw the end of the game) and hey presto, can't remember whether or not I predicted correctly!
Perhaps I should actually rename this challenge: Cycle IPL. Hmm, not sure quite what ring that has to it...
Sunday, 18 April 2010
Day 27: Hadrian had a right task on his hands!
Cramlington, Northumberland to Brampton, Cumbria
57.42 miles (1500.19 miles cumulatively)
2 things really stand out from today. 2 things that will stay with me for a very very long time. One of them was to do with a person that had a task in front of him, and one of them had to do with a person that had a task in front of him.
Let's start with one thing. Hadrian. Blimey. For anyone that doesn't know, he's got a wall. Or at least, he had a wall, and a bloody big one at that. For the most part I cycled a lot of it today and crikey, did he have a task on his hands designing and building the thing! It's is/was incredible and I have to say, if it wasn't for one particular thing which I will talk more about in a second, then the day would have been breathtaking in an immensely exciting way. The countryside was simply spectacular and I knows that I had seen some of the area whilst driving through it, but if there's ever been a way to feel a part of it, on the bike, cycle England has shown me a new side to the area - incredible.
As I said though, if it hadn't been for one thing...the wind. Now I know that I have mentioned in passing (yeah right) the matter of the wind before today, but whatever I have said and however much I have complained before, scrap those ideas - today was unbelievable, it was something else. The head wind was devastating and relentless and I cycled into it for 55 miles. Wow, was I exhausted at the destination today. I've mentioned before, as well, about smug drivers and how they annoy me. Well, today, I've discovered a new smug-ness that really cuts. Smug cyclists.
Picture, if you will, a cyclist leaning back on his bike, legs up on the handlebars, in their smoking jackets, and smoking on a pipe whilst the wind pushes them along. They look at me, wink and pass like a flash whilst I am pedalling and striving into the wind, the endless wind.
Smug cyclists - an all new low!!
57.42 miles (1500.19 miles cumulatively)
2 things really stand out from today. 2 things that will stay with me for a very very long time. One of them was to do with a person that had a task in front of him, and one of them had to do with a person that had a task in front of him.
Let's start with one thing. Hadrian. Blimey. For anyone that doesn't know, he's got a wall. Or at least, he had a wall, and a bloody big one at that. For the most part I cycled a lot of it today and crikey, did he have a task on his hands designing and building the thing! It's is/was incredible and I have to say, if it wasn't for one particular thing which I will talk more about in a second, then the day would have been breathtaking in an immensely exciting way. The countryside was simply spectacular and I knows that I had seen some of the area whilst driving through it, but if there's ever been a way to feel a part of it, on the bike, cycle England has shown me a new side to the area - incredible.
As I said though, if it hadn't been for one thing...the wind. Now I know that I have mentioned in passing (yeah right) the matter of the wind before today, but whatever I have said and however much I have complained before, scrap those ideas - today was unbelievable, it was something else. The head wind was devastating and relentless and I cycled into it for 55 miles. Wow, was I exhausted at the destination today. I've mentioned before, as well, about smug drivers and how they annoy me. Well, today, I've discovered a new smug-ness that really cuts. Smug cyclists.
Picture, if you will, a cyclist leaning back on his bike, legs up on the handlebars, in their smoking jackets, and smoking on a pipe whilst the wind pushes them along. They look at me, wink and pass like a flash whilst I am pedalling and striving into the wind, the endless wind.
Smug cyclists - an all new low!!
Day 26: Wecome to Sunderland, you'll have a 'smashing time'
Day 26: Welcome to Sunderland, you’ll have a ‘smashing time’
Redcar, Redcar and Cleveland to Cramlington, Northumberland via County Durham and Tyne and Wear
66.93 miles (1442.77 miles cumulatively)
I hold my hands up here. I held some preconceived ideas about the North East and Sunderland especially. I am very happy to report that none of these preconceived ideas actually came true and in fact, the coastline that I cycled along could have been the Mediterranean (ok, maybe not quite, but close). However, a rather disturbing pastime became clear to me as I was cycling along many of the (mostly excellent) cycle paths. This was the rather curious pastime of smashing things. I noted toys, cabinets, tvs and lots and lots of glass. An amazing amount of glass. It was incredible. The thought that people would go down to the cycle paths and simply sit there drinking and smashing things is a great one for me. I mean I know that I am turning into a bit of a grumpy man during this cycling challenge, but come on! The phone call might go something like this:
“Alright Dave?” (I just picked this name by the way)
“Alright Stu?” (and this one)
“Ya ganna do anythink tonight?”
“Yeah, got the biggest night planned, ganna be wakad”
“Sweet! What ya doin’”
“Well, ya know that place behind the estate?”
“What, the one that smells of drains and where the flies are gathering?”
“Yeah, that’s the sweet haunt”
“Right”
“Well, we’re ganna head there and smash stuff. You in?”
“What sort of stuff?”
“You know, bottles and jars”
“Hell yeah, you want me to bring a dolls house? That’ll smash up good”
“Do it! Man this is ganna be soo cool!”
“See you there at 8? Gotta have me tea first”
I have to add here, I know my grasp of the lingo and colloquialisms are spot on, but I didn’t actually here this conversation – It’s just what I imagined!
Still, how I managed to make it through today without a puncture I will never ever know – It’s right up there with the mystery of the escaping tyre and the vanishing signposts.
Cycle England always keeps you guessing!
Redcar, Redcar and Cleveland to Cramlington, Northumberland via County Durham and Tyne and Wear
66.93 miles (1442.77 miles cumulatively)
I hold my hands up here. I held some preconceived ideas about the North East and Sunderland especially. I am very happy to report that none of these preconceived ideas actually came true and in fact, the coastline that I cycled along could have been the Mediterranean (ok, maybe not quite, but close). However, a rather disturbing pastime became clear to me as I was cycling along many of the (mostly excellent) cycle paths. This was the rather curious pastime of smashing things. I noted toys, cabinets, tvs and lots and lots of glass. An amazing amount of glass. It was incredible. The thought that people would go down to the cycle paths and simply sit there drinking and smashing things is a great one for me. I mean I know that I am turning into a bit of a grumpy man during this cycling challenge, but come on! The phone call might go something like this:
“Alright Dave?” (I just picked this name by the way)
“Alright Stu?” (and this one)
“Ya ganna do anythink tonight?”
“Yeah, got the biggest night planned, ganna be wakad”
“Sweet! What ya doin’”
“Well, ya know that place behind the estate?”
“What, the one that smells of drains and where the flies are gathering?”
“Yeah, that’s the sweet haunt”
“Right”
“Well, we’re ganna head there and smash stuff. You in?”
“What sort of stuff?”
“You know, bottles and jars”
“Hell yeah, you want me to bring a dolls house? That’ll smash up good”
“Do it! Man this is ganna be soo cool!”
“See you there at 8? Gotta have me tea first”
I have to add here, I know my grasp of the lingo and colloquialisms are spot on, but I didn’t actually here this conversation – It’s just what I imagined!
Still, how I managed to make it through today without a puncture I will never ever know – It’s right up there with the mystery of the escaping tyre and the vanishing signposts.
Cycle England always keeps you guessing!
Day 25: Some things are a surprise, but then some things are expected
Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire to Redcar, Redcar and Cleveland, via North Riding
70.54 miles (1375.84 miles cumulatively)
Some things I fully expected to happen when I set off on Cycle England. The slow, but increasing ache my legs and posterior, the changing state of my emotions as the miles go up and up and up and the knowledge that I am going to come across the best and worst of people that England has to offer. I greeted both of those people today. But more about that later.
Firstly though, I would like to talk about the classic mystery of the disappearing signpost. It’s a cracker. Having followed, for about 32 miles I might add, a detailed and consistent signposting to Whitby via some amazing countryside, the signposts vanished, like witnesses in a gangster trial. Totally vanished and it was up to me to stop being lazy and bring out my scouting skills once again and map read. I think I’m becoming quite proficient at this now. Who needs Sat-Nav I ask? The lazy man’s map!
But onto the two examples of the best and worst of people that England has to offer. Unfortunately, the ratio is 2:1 (2 idiots:1 legend). I greeted (and I use this term in the loosest possible sense) the 2 idiots within about 20 miles of each other. The first came in the guise of a medium-lorry driver. I was just gearing up to take on as much as I could of a 25% hill (you heard, 25% - I thought it was mightily unfair too) when said lorry driver was inched away from sideswiping me and ending my cycle England challenge in one foul swoop. I have to say that over 25 days of sharing the road with the drivers of England, the fact that this was the first example of a close-shave has to be a very good thing and shows a very positive light for most drivers but that certainly doesn’t prevent this guy from being a tit.
The second of the idiots came just after I had passed into the Redcar and Cleveland area of the country. I was struggling up a pretty impressive hill (it seems this is when cyclists are at their weakest) when a car sped past me, the passenger stuck his head out of the window and shouted (are you ready for these cracking words of wisdom?)…
“W**ker”
Brilliant. I’m not overly sure quite what this fine specimen of a man wanted to happen from this exchange. Whether it was to shock me into falling off my bike, or for me to jump off my bike and throw it at the car as they drive away laughing, or perhaps it was for me to stop and shake him by the hand for an incredibly imaginative and well thought out comment. Who knows? But what I do know is that there are some people in England with brains that should belong in a gnat.
Thankfully, the day was very much rescued by the B & B that I was staying at in Redcar. A brilliant place with a lovely lady running it who had baked a cake for my arrival. How cool is that! So there you have it. England, a place of the great, the good and the prats.
70.54 miles (1375.84 miles cumulatively)
Some things I fully expected to happen when I set off on Cycle England. The slow, but increasing ache my legs and posterior, the changing state of my emotions as the miles go up and up and up and the knowledge that I am going to come across the best and worst of people that England has to offer. I greeted both of those people today. But more about that later.
Firstly though, I would like to talk about the classic mystery of the disappearing signpost. It’s a cracker. Having followed, for about 32 miles I might add, a detailed and consistent signposting to Whitby via some amazing countryside, the signposts vanished, like witnesses in a gangster trial. Totally vanished and it was up to me to stop being lazy and bring out my scouting skills once again and map read. I think I’m becoming quite proficient at this now. Who needs Sat-Nav I ask? The lazy man’s map!
But onto the two examples of the best and worst of people that England has to offer. Unfortunately, the ratio is 2:1 (2 idiots:1 legend). I greeted (and I use this term in the loosest possible sense) the 2 idiots within about 20 miles of each other. The first came in the guise of a medium-lorry driver. I was just gearing up to take on as much as I could of a 25% hill (you heard, 25% - I thought it was mightily unfair too) when said lorry driver was inched away from sideswiping me and ending my cycle England challenge in one foul swoop. I have to say that over 25 days of sharing the road with the drivers of England, the fact that this was the first example of a close-shave has to be a very good thing and shows a very positive light for most drivers but that certainly doesn’t prevent this guy from being a tit.
The second of the idiots came just after I had passed into the Redcar and Cleveland area of the country. I was struggling up a pretty impressive hill (it seems this is when cyclists are at their weakest) when a car sped past me, the passenger stuck his head out of the window and shouted (are you ready for these cracking words of wisdom?)…
“W**ker”
Brilliant. I’m not overly sure quite what this fine specimen of a man wanted to happen from this exchange. Whether it was to shock me into falling off my bike, or for me to jump off my bike and throw it at the car as they drive away laughing, or perhaps it was for me to stop and shake him by the hand for an incredibly imaginative and well thought out comment. Who knows? But what I do know is that there are some people in England with brains that should belong in a gnat.
Thankfully, the day was very much rescued by the B & B that I was staying at in Redcar. A brilliant place with a lovely lady running it who had baked a cake for my arrival. How cool is that! So there you have it. England, a place of the great, the good and the prats.
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