Brrrr, I can officially say that it's a touch nippy. Nippy's a lot better than Thursdays efforts though. I don't think it stopped raining all day and I'll take nippy over that any day. What's a chilly night got to do with anything though, I hear you say? Well, It's Saturday night and I'm sat in the van with the thermometer showing 0.5 degrees outside at 20:00. It doesn't take an educated man to guess it's going to get colder overnight and I've been out in all day. For the first time since February, I've been Audaxing. Nothing too serious, just the South of Bucks Winter Warmer, a cheeky wee 200 Km jaunt from Beaconsfield, down too Alton and back, via Wheatley and Marlow to make the distance up. But, most importantly it's another return to the normality of organised events and a step closer to everything getting back to normal in my book. Audax UK and their amazing bunch of volunteers that arrange and organise events have done a sterling job, ensuring everything's Covid compliant. Putting new arrangements in place too limit gatherings, stagger start times, limit human interactions during the route itself (including not using cafes etc as check points) and at the finish. It means that there's no big tea pot or biscuits at the start and finish, but that's a small price to pay to get things moving again safely! Today's start was staggered, and the end was a postal return of Brevet cards. All checkpoints were either "Info controls" (route questions) or “provide proof of passage” and from start to finish I don't think I actually had to interact with anyone, you can't get much more Covid compliant than that, can you? I've managed to keep my long distance riding hand in over the spring lockdown and summer, with a few local and self generated routes, but it's not the same is it? When it's only going out for yourself it's easy to say “I'm not playing because it's cold and wet” or “I just can't be arsed”. When someone else has taken the time to put on an event though it's a different matter and becomes “it's only a bit of rain” and I can definitely be arsed! So, a return to normality and the joy of adventuring. I was out in the van after tea on Friday night ready for an early start on Saturday, after all there's no point in having a van and not making use of it, and who likes an early start when you can sit, snug in bed, having a brew and leisurely breakfast instead. Arriving at the start point in plenty of time I was pleasantly surprised at the number of people turning up. Obviously I'm not the only one glad to be getting back in the saddle and the weather didn't seem to have frightened anyone else off either. Seamlessly booked in and Brevet card in hand I was on the road for 07:40, heading South on a cold but clear morning. It didn't take long to get warmed up though and I was quickly through the first checkpoint at Winnersh and well on my way toward Alton and the familiar roads around home. I think that I probably commented when I rode this event last year that it seems strange starting from Beaconsfield and heading for home prior to turning around to go back. But, somehow it's different and this route uses a large number of roads that I wouldn't normally take so it makes a nice change. A brief rain shower just as I got too Alton did little to dampen my spirits and wasn't enough to bother stopping for waterproofs for. A quick visit to the cashpoint for a Covid approved, contact and interaction free receipt, as proof of passage for my Brevet card and a turn to the North to head back up towards the start. This time on the other side of Basingstoke and Reading, working up towards the more rolling terrain of the Thames valley and the Chilterns. Another cash point proof of passage in Pangbourne and the chance to grab a sandwich or two from my saddle bag, before the afternoons climbing started in earnest. The first of which comes straight after you cross the Thames via the little toll bridge and it's resident keeper on the way out of Pangbourne (free for cyclists and 60p for cars in case you're wondering). The sun actually managed to make a brief appearance as I made my way up through Wallingford, although it remained pretty chilly despite my numerous layers and wind-proof jacket. By the time I'd worked my way up to the next checkpoint at the M40 services at Wheatley and turned towards the final stretch to Marlow and home, the afternoon was drawing to a close and as the sun started to set so the temperature dropped further still. By the time I rolled in Marlow and the final checkpoint it was getting decidedly chilly and with the night drawing in I spent a few minutes adjusting my lights etc ready for the final few miles back to the van. There's a final sting in the tail to get through yet though, with the stupidly steep climb back up out of the Thames Valley. I'm pretty sure that all of the roads out from the Thames are nearly vertical and they always seem to come either at the end of an Audax, or on my way home with a fully laden touring set up! Maybe I did something wrong in a previous life, or maybe I just need to get a more sensible hobby! A final hours work saw me back at the start just after 17:00, by which time it was starting to really get cold. If I'd had a bit further to go, I'd have stopped and put on another layer, after all I'd carried it round all day. But, the old “I'm nearly there” kicks in on the home stretch, so I'll just get cold! Just under 10 hours then for a winter 200Km, I'm pretty happy with that and I must be riding reasonably well as there were still a lot of cars with empty bike racks, sat waiting patiently for their owners to return, in the car park when I set off for my overnight stop an hour or so later. Despite the odd rain shower and the chilly temperatures it was a great, well organised day out and I can't wait for the next one. A massive thanks must go to all who helped make today possible. Sorting out a route and handing out a few Brevet cards might not seem like much, but there's a lot more that goes on behind the scenes, from route checking to risk assessments and whilst I can't speak for all, I can tell you that I massively appreciate their efforts and without a doubt the chance to get out on my bike helps keep me sane in this mad world of ours. I'm going to leave this here for now and go and make a brew and stand outside the van and stare at the stars for a while. I'm parked up at the top of a hill, ready for a bit of running Sunday morning before I head for home, It's deathly still, it's a totally clear and crisp night and it's not very often you get to see the stars in all their glory like tonight. It's been another busy week all round really, with a bit more progress made on the Patio project, a bit more tinker time in the workshop when rain stopped play on the building front and most importantly plenty of local running.
I'll leave the pictures below to do the talking instead of rabbiting on about a load of old rubbish, but you can see that whilst progress is slow, it's all starting to take shape.
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Paul PerrattOld enough to know better, young enough to still feel invincible, stupid enough to keep on trying the same thing again and again. Cyclist, Gardener, Runner, Hiker, Cook, Woodworker, Engineer, Jack of all trades and master of none, Anti social old git and all round miserable bugger. Archives
March 2024
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