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Post by Humph on Apr 25, 2020 12:37:41 GMT
Just got back from what has become our daily 12 mile circuit on the bikes. We have been so lucky with the weather so far during lockdown haven't we? Anyway, in regard of nothing much, it's really noticeable how many more people are using their bikes at the moment. You see everything out there from old clunkers to state of the art carbon fibre things.
It has made the shared paths really quite busy, and some ( both cyclists and walkers ) seem unable or unwilling to grasp the basics of social distancing etiquette, but by and large it's fine. There are only a couple of gentle climbs on that route and yet you see quite a few dismounting and pushing on them, which might indicate that many of them are not very used to cycling.
It's good to see people trying it though, and somewhat naively, I'd like to think that at least some will carry on using their bikes instead of defaulting to their cars when life is less restricted.
Forecast for next week isn't so good, but we'll keep on doing our little run out regardless I suppose. It does clear my head quite a bit of more pressing matters no matter what the weather.
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Post by tyrednexited on Apr 25, 2020 14:44:00 GMT
Cyclists round here (and it is a generalisation, as there are exceptions) are proving a PIA.
It is patently obvious that large numbers of them are meeting up (often "a deux" but also often not, and certainly not from the same household) to ride the various interconnecting paths between cycling sites here.
Patently, they have every right to ride the bridleways, but not the footpaths. The vast majority take no notice whatsoever of social distancing - even if we stand on the verge they make no effort, generally riding past 2 or 3 abreast, and literally within inches, where proceeding past single file would give ample opportunity for 2m+ spacing.
We've now taken to avoiding the main pinch points, the worst having seen 13 riders pass us in a bunch, uphill and breathing heavily, heading for the Sherwood Pines biking trails.
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Apr 25, 2020 15:27:00 GMT
Our experience (as cyclists and of walkers) has generally been pretty good. As long as you’re out of sight of any parked cars, walkers usually line up to one side and let us pass in line astern on the other. The weirdest reaction I’ve seen was from a family group of five, 50m or so from their car, who formed a guard of honour in two lines barely 2m apart. I stopped and asked them to try again, which they did, but I think it’s something like Humph observed, that there are just some whose idea of exercise comes pre-packed in a gym, and who aren’t sure how to cope in the real open air.
The odd ‘real’ cyclist can be a problem too, if he decides I’m going too slowly on the flat for his multi-thousand machine and surges past a metre to my right. But I can usually stay with him as soon as the road tilts upward, which must annoy him no end. 😈
But it’s generally been an affirmative experience with lots of smiles and waves. And yesterday I did the big hill at the start of my southern route with two whole gears to spare, so it’s doing me some good too!
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WDB
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Post by WDB on May 4, 2020 15:08:13 GMT
I’ve totted up 405km in 21 outings since the lockdown began. I know some people can knock that off in a weekend, but I’m quite pleased with getting out every other day in spite of work commitments and being the family’s principal cook and provisioner.
And this morning I pulled on a pair of trousers I’d not worn for a while and wondered if they’d always had so much room in them. Strange!
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Post by bromptonaut on May 5, 2020 10:57:45 GMT
One of my lockdown projects has been to get Mrs B's 1980s Peugeot Tourer back on the road. Took it out for a shakedown yesterday. It was OK but I had a toeclip mishap that laded me on the verge - a least the nettles were soft. Another half mile and I picked up the granddaddy of all thorns which neatly slipped under the protection of my Schwalbe Marathon - at least it was the front.
Also disclosed that the inner was perishing around it's valve.
Four new ones on the way from Wiggle. Extra fiver for year's next day delivery when I bought Brooks saddle for the Pug is a gamble that paid off.
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Post by bromptonaut on May 5, 2020 10:59:02 GMT
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Post by Humph on May 5, 2020 11:01:22 GMT
Peugeot made good bikes back then. I had a Peugeot road bike which I must have bought around 1980 I expect.
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WDB
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Post by WDB on May 8, 2020 21:04:14 GMT
53km today, big anticlockwise circle of minor roads and (rather bumpy) bridleways. Perfect day for it. We had the surreal experience of riding up the long hill out of Goring between lines of bunting and front gardens full of families having distanced tea parties. It felt bizarrely like they were there to watch us — and it would have been easier to earn their adulation but for the aforementioned incline. Tour de France riders would have had no trouble with it — but then, they can’t ride at all just now, so I’ll call that a win anyway.
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WDB
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Post by WDB on May 17, 2020 13:57:43 GMT
Lovely down in the woods today...
...but definitely getting busier. I went out before 9 but was out for a good couple of hours and my route back was largely bridleway. It was noticeable that wherever the track crossed a minor road, there were cars parked near the intersection that would not have been there last Sunday. More cyclists in the lanes too, including several groups in Lycra who didn’t look like members of one household. Lots of waves and greetings, but not the blissful tranquillity of recent weeks.
As T&E comments elsewhere, if distancing is essential to avoiding the second wave, some messages need to be reinforced. The evidence suggests that outdoor transmission through the air is unlikely, so I’m not concerned about passing walkers on a narrow bridleway. (All those I met were perfectly civil and sensible — as, I hope, was I) but I suspect the parameters for meeting those from other households are not being universally observed.
Never mind. Nice 40km circuit, taking in some villages I’d not passed before. And brunch waiting when I got home, which was a real bonus. I’ve even cleaned the bike to celebrate — and in the hope that it’ll stop the squeak from the derailleur. My in-house mechanic is optimistic on that one.
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Post by tyrednexited on May 17, 2020 16:01:27 GMT
Lovely down in the woods today... ....I do hope those Teddy Bears were having a socially distanced picnic..... |
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Post by Humph on May 17, 2020 16:21:44 GMT
Well, we managed to have a lovely time in the woods without being at any time any closer than 20m to anyone else, never mind 2m. Most of the time there was no one else in sight at all. Which is not unusual in any event with our chosen hobby. But for reasons best known to politicians ( those well known mountain biking experts ) we haven't been able to do it for weeks.
The trouble with one size fits all legislation, is that it inevitably doesn't.
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WDB
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Post by WDB on May 17, 2020 19:33:21 GMT
The reason for closing most sports facilities is not the sporting activity itself but the facilities people use before and after. I imagine your mountain biking centre has a car park, a reception area, toilets and start and finish areas that inevitably squash people together even if they can spread out on the course itself. All those ancillary areas are presumably still closed, like the indoor parts of the golf club I passed on my way out this morning.
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Post by Humph on May 17, 2020 19:40:26 GMT
Indeed, and all of those facilities, almost certainly quite sensibly, remain closed other than the car park. No one was parked within 50m of each other and the forest has many entry and exit points.
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Rob
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Post by Rob on May 17, 2020 23:07:18 GMT
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Rob
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Post by Rob on May 17, 2020 23:08:24 GMT
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because they are Ted and Ed.