A wet Weekend.

Part A

The Paris Roubaix

I was out on my road bike Sat. in the rain, it was bad...and I saw the peleton coming towards me. Fella on the front out of the sadle with a river of grit running off his nose and chin. I turn round and chase onto the back of the group I look round quickly to see if I towed the straglers up as well and saw a ring of standing stones in a field? This breakaway group is hacking it and I settle down into a rythym and all I can do is watch the muddy water casscade off everyones bottom brackets onto the road. I realise a podium finish is slipping away as I know I cant help myself peeling off to the left at the T junction ahead. They go to Canturbury and I went left utterly mashed. I had to stop and turn round at this church. Patrixbourne or somewhere?





It was a couple of miles maximum back to where I saw the standing stones? Less than two, shocking....I dont know what they are? But not standing stones I think I would have seen them marked on a map. I will come back on my mountain bike and have a look at them another time.


Part B

The Mud Bath.

I met Andy and the group, we had a great ride in the mud. Andy's off in a large puddle already, then 20 minutes later were approaching another monster, he says 'How deep can it be'? What he should have said is, 'dont go through it because there is a hidden silver birch tree submerged in there'. We're both off and through the ice floating on the top.



We had 2-3 punctures and I rode over half the ride with no stopping power whatsoever, as the mud finally finished my brake pads off. I'll have to sort it. Great ride lots of chat and a lot of mud.

The two rides I've been on recently.

The ride I went on today with the group.





The ride I went on last Monday by myself.




This included Andy, who is fine and well and watched Gavin and Stacey. He also wants to ride as far as he can during the hours of daylight on the two solstices. This is a left field idea which I think should be encouraged. The North Downs Way was mentioned, something I will be thinking about very seriously as there will be a commissioned artwork at Dover marking the end of the north downs way.

Quite a bit of snow today and I have left my bike out in it?

I wrote a short play about an incident on my ride to deal.

I have writen a very short play when I tried unsuccessfully to take photos of two bi-planes which had taken off seconds before.
I had got off and tried to photograph them.

Cast
rider 1 (me)
rider 2 ( someone I have riden with before in a larger group)
Plus riders 3 and 4 accompanying rider no 2.


Rider No1
putting my camera back in my back pocket and just about to remount and carry on home.
'oh hi'
as I recognise a guy in black on a black bike.

rider no.2
'Hi rob'
slows down at the junction, then rolls across it.

I hear rider rider no.3 say...'do you want to stop'.

As rider no.2 rolls across the junction I hear him say..'No'

and all 3 riders carry on towards Hoath.

Decorations for the new year!

I had to wait a couple of days before I could get back to the burnt out van because of constant rain. I did manage to get their today.

One person walked past me while I was drawing on the van. He had a pair of binoculars around his neck and said good afternoon.

I wonder how long the van will be there before the council remove it? I was thinking of doing the other side. The side nearest the hedge which is still clear. Maybe the rain will wash it all off and I can do another make over soon?

to see more photos of the drawn on van see

http://s213.photobucket.com/albums/cc3/robturner/New%20year%20decorations%20for%20a%20burnt%20out%20van/

and 'Happy New Year' to any readers I may have.

The derelict power station and cooling towers dominate the landscape.

I was out out on my road bike then today. I went to Deal, through the lanes. It was a nice ride, and I enjoyed looking around. I only had one speed like a default setting, but I kept it steady and no problems.

I saw everyone out doing 'leisure activities' today, horse rinding, golf, micro lite flying, falconry, motor bike riding, bird watching, walking, fishing, bike riding and even flying bi-planes. I also saw some very self important people wearing very smart clothes, driving top of the range large black 4x4's. Why do these people think they have to go first. I made a big effort to stop them passing me through the narrow streets of Sandwich. When I got home my family had been shopping.

I had no speed at all, might have 'kept my heels down' going over small rises, but that was all I could manage. One guy whooshed by, he had lettering all over his clothing. I accelerated fast enough to get on his wheel, but after about 200 yards I had to let him go, I cant keep that up for long.

I enjoyed taking photos and can not possibly show them all. But the disused cooling towers dominated the landscape virtually the whole ride. I also passed a car breakers yard called 'Zen Motors' which reminded me Dave has not given me back my copy of Zen and the art of motor cycle maintenance yet and he has had it about 4-5 months. That is the second copy I have lent and it not been returned!

I also saw a single bed in road and a burned out van. I will return to the burned out van tommorrow and draw on it. This will add one more to the 6 or so burned out cars I have previously drawn on.

Xmas is over

I wore my suit on xmas day and if I did the two jacket buttons up, then pushed my bloated my stomach out I could see my shirt peeping through the 4 inches or so between the buttons. This reminded me of Oliver Hardy and actually shocked me a little. So getting the bike into my life style is important if things are to change.

I know some of my bike mates will be out tommorrow (the hard core) the ones out 2-3-4 times a week types. I've been out about twice since I got back from holiday end Oct.
I know I will get that hot peptic sensation if I try and keep up with them tommorrow. They like off road and I know I will also get wet and covered in mud. I expect they will have new cycling clothes, equipment and may be even new bikes from Santa. I got a book on totem poles, some David Attenbourough natural history DVD's and some red indian flute music. I would rather spend time looking at these presants than charge round the woods in the mud.

So after some consideration I have decided not to go with them and will aim to get out on my own during the week!

The best laid plans of mice and men?

This blog is not turning out the way I thought it might, I have only had one ride with Andy since it started. I have had several rides with Andy, but with the rest of the group as well!

And there lies the rub: the rest of the group, they want to go fast, they have no time to chat, ponder or wonder about anything. Riding is all, and riding fast.

So I have decided to keep to my original plan, that was to photograph the kent countryside over the course of one year and combine the photos with the typical 'bolcloks' me and Andy talk. I will do exactly that, exept that the 'blocloks' spoken will be all mine?

I have no doubt I will ride with the group again, but this blog may be more solitary than I planned.