So near, but yet...

General
1

I don’t get to ride much these days, but I had a lovely ride tonight. Pretty much one of my usual routes, but with a short section I’d not ridden before (Joe: that’s the path round the back of the park and ride, near Clifton Bridge), and with one or two of the paths “improved” over the winter with rolled grit:( .

Computer shows 16.03 miles (25.8 km), and 1:38.34. I make that 9.8mph - so near but yet so far! (15.76 kph)

Given the varied terrain, and my general lack of riding fitness, I’m pretty pleased with that. Top speed recorded as 13 mph. This on the 700c x 28mm tyre, with 110 mm cranks.

Saw two water voles - nearly ran one of them over as it scurried across in front of me. Lovely sightings of herons, and (unusually for the riverbank) bluetits. (Bluetits are the Chantelle of the ornithological world: quite pretty, but rather common.)

Too busy to write it up in detail, but all the usual tosh: suspension bridge, blah blah, harmonica bridge, blah blah, marina, nature reserve… etc. :roll_eyes:

One unusual incident: I was wearing my cycling top which has a front zip that goes down to the navel. Hammering through the nature reserve on broken ballast at about 11 mph, I hit a swarm of flies. Flies in my eyes, flies splattering all over my sweaty chest - so, quick as a flash, I zipped up my top to keep the flies out, and trapped my chest hair in the zip.

Flat out on a skinny tyre with short cranks, on rough ground, eyes hurting, can’t see a thing, desperately trying to undo the zip and free the hairs with a minimum of pain, with a three foot drop down through spiky undergrowth into deep dirty water on each side of the path. How I laughed*.

*Afterwards.

2

Would have been a real attention-getter for a thread title.

I once rode my road bike through a Honey Bee swarm with pain ensuing. Would have preferred flies.

3

Tut! Such smut! I would never write such a thing. Ladies read this, you know.:wink: :wink: :wink:

4

That would be the Ashton-Pill path, yes?

That made me wince, and I don’t even have chest hair. But I /am/ familiar with the path, and the thought of riding along there blind is quite frightening. How slippery were the muddy bits today?

Anyway folks, here’s an opportunity to replicate part of a Mikefule ride in front of hundreds of wheel-wasters. The path features in most of the ride options for Bristol’s Biggest Bike Ride, which this year is on 25 June:
http://tinyurl.com/lnlmb
leads to:
<http://www.bristol-city.gov.uk/ccm/content/Transport-Streets/Walking-Cycling/bristols-biggest-bike-ride.en;jsessionid=50ACAE8212E7E1EA27E3B8989B0ED900&gt;

I’ve done it before by Coker:
http://www.colyer.plus.com/danny/cycling/ridereports/bbbr02.html

But this year will, as usual, be on my Street Machine towing at least one of the kids.

5

That was the path through Attenborough Nature Reserve, Attenborough, Notts. The muddy bits were dry and firm. The loose ballast was broken limestone used to fill the deeper craters.

6

where u riding a 36"er?

7

<<This on the 700c x 28mm tyre, with 110 mm cranks.>>

No, the Coker seldom goes out these days. The 700c with the skinny high pressure slick is just so much fun.:smiley:

8

Fab and funny write-up Mikefule.

Thank you.

Just had a fun half hour free-mounting practice myself.

Cathy

9

Hmmm. I must have been confused by the mention of “Clifton Bridge”, “suspension bridge” and “drop down through spiky undergrowth into deep dirty water”. I didn’t think it was your usual stomping ground, but it all sounds so much like the Ashton-Pill path, which passes beneath the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

Two big differences, which I might have picked up on if I’d read your OP more thoroughly, are that the drop into deep dirty water from the path I know is a lot more than 3’ and that the drop is only on one side of the path.

10

Clifton suspension bridge nottingham http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=456085&Y=336695&A=Y&Z=3

11

Well what do they wanna go giving two bridges the same name for? That could confuse a stupid person.

12

Just be greatful that you weren’t assaulted by flies whilst “watering the plants” and you had to zip up your riding shorts in a hurry! :stuck_out_tongue:

13

o ny gosh… ive seen that movie but i cant name it…

14

Who was it who said, “You’re such a swot”?:smiley: :stuck_out_tongue:

15

I don’t know of a Clifton suspension bridge in Nottingham, Joe. :thinking:

Clifton Bridge is the pair of road bridges where the A52 crosses the Trent. Nottingham’s answer to Spaghetti Junction.

The suspension bridge is a pedestrian bridge a mile or two down river, near to Trent bridge.

16

You’re right, I could have sworn Clifton Bridge was a suspension bridge too in the middle bit, but it appears not to be, according to the internet it’s a ‘box section cantilever bridge’.

Joe

17

Interesting. I hadn’t realised it was cantilevered.

18

I did that once. Not exactly the most fun thing I’ve had happen to me :astonished: .

19

I believe it’s “There’s something about Mary”, but I could be wrong. That scene was quite painful! :astonished: