What is it about me and cycling……
Posted on Tuesday, January 31st, 2006 10:12 PM by Jules
My lovely bicycle. Poor thing has been through the wars on its first couple of trips for this year. To see photo full size just click on it.
Went out for my first cycle last Friday (27th Jan). When I decide to go the night before that’s usually it and I go regardless. Got up Friday morning and there was a lot of wind and what looked like rain coming. However, I had already made up my mind so I got the gear on and took the bike out to the car to use the cigarette lighter air pump to fill up my very deflated tyre’s.
I had just finished when the worst squall I’d seen in a little while came in from the west. I opted to run back to the house and wait it out. Left my bike out by the car, no time to carry it back with me. Waited 10 min and everything looked ok for going out. The first half of the journey was surprisingly easy considering I hadn’t cycled in about 9 mths (I came to realise the wind was with me pushing me on). The new speedometer by the school clocked me at 38k going down that hill, yippee!.. I had broken the speed limit.
Got as far as The Reefs hotel and my arms were starting to hurt at the elbows (always happens the first cycle back) so I opted to turn back. The first set back was the wind was now blowing gusts of up to 35/40mph right at me so its equivalent of cycling up a very, very steep hill. I wasn’t going anywhere fast and I was on the flat. The second set back was the hail storm that came from nowhere, I hadn’t even gotten as far as Church Bay yet. I thought I could work through it but it got to the point where I couldn’t see where I was going, that and it was starting to really hurt my bare legs and face so I took refuge in a bus shelter. No sooner had I stopped so had the hail, oh well, onward and upward. What should have been a 30 min round trip took me nearly 50 mins and I thought I wasn’t going to have the strength in my legs to finish. Ok, I didn’t, I had to walk the bike back to the house once I got off the main road, but I cycled most of the way.
Not to be discouraged I decided to go for a cycle today (31st Jan), again it was windy but I figured at least the sun is out and I might be sheltered on the railway trail. Took my camera to photograph those places you never usually stop at. The one to the right is of a view from the small bay at Boaz Island Bridge, the one to the bottom left is of the Maritime Museum at Dockyard. Like before just click on them to see full size version.
While at Dockyard trying my best to get a good crashing wave shot (they were all crap) I realised that the weather was changing. I could see very dark clouds over the place I had to cycle back to and thought it best to get a move on. I had barely left Dockyard when the rain started and like last Friday the wind was blowing right at me, 38/44mph gusts again. Stopped at the gas station to get some Ziploc bags to protect my camera and phone and waited there for 10mins as the wind and the rain passed. I was hoping that was going to be the worst but the whole way back I was fighting the wind and cycling through some pretty bad rain. Of course when I got back to the house the sun came out!!!!!!!!! As the sun was out I got the chance to give the bike a wee rinse, had lots of sand and dirt on it.
I have another cycle planned for Thurs this week, fingers crossed the weather is nice, don’t think my legs could take another beating like this. 
