Friday Cycling Challenge

Just got back with Technophobe from our latest Friday morning outing. Well actually it’s now almost half-way through the afternoon! We left at 10 am and were gone for hours. However, we managed (or more specifically, I managed – it’s a normal short outing for Technophobe) to get to the Holy Grail of cycling – the farm shop near the Ragley Estate in Warwickshire. Cyclists from all over congregate here for a tea or coffee and a well-deserved piece of cake. We had actually done only about 6 miles by that point, (and had been cut up by cars and lorries and had a stag complete with antlers run across the road in front of us) so we were very reserved and kept to one piece of shortbread each and an Americano.

This photo was taken on our way to the farm shop. We stopped several times today – mainly because I couldn’t breathe – but this was a particularly pretty glade piled high with logs, and the sunlight twinkling through the leaves. You can see Technophobe in the distance, as she’d shimmied over the gate by this point, to take some photos.

After our rest at the farm shop we continued up hill and down dale, managed to cross the dreadful A46, and arrived home safe and sound. I did have to push my bike up hills about 3 times today, but to be fair they were very steep. Well, to me they were very steep. I still haven’t got into the habit of changing down (or is it up?) soon enough. I also need to practise my arm signals, as I can only do a very quick wave, like the Queen, at the moment.

We managed 15.6 miles today which is roughly the same a s a couple of weeks ago, but a good bit of that was along the canal tow-path so no traffic. Today was much scarier. But at least I managed my goal of coffee at the farm shop in the company of many “real cyclists”.