PART TWO
I rejoin the path and make it over what I think is the first speed
bump, except it's the second. Somehow I have absolutely no memory of
going over the first one, I didn't see it and I never felt myself going
over it either. Another cyclist joins the path ahead of me, looking
very much like the one I saw earlier, I guess that's mainly because
every cyclists winter wardrobe seems to be the same for the tight
bottom half.
Very soon he stops, dismounts and seems to do something with the chain
on his bicycle as I overtake him on the subtly increasing gradient.
Even this slight downhill is a relief to my legs as I make it further
down, even over the next speed bump. As I approach the fork I need to
take to continue the loop I hear his freewheel just behind to my left.
I enter the fork and the smooth downhill suddenly becomes a rough
uphill, time to haul on that handle. To my surprise he didn't continue
on the tarmac path as most other two-wheelers do, but overtakes me
slowly in granny gear. No words are exchanged between us, for some
reason I prefer that kind of passer-by.
A little bit of snowy flat with hardly any tracks or prints on it at
all, and then a short but steep stony downhill follows, exciting me as
the stones are only known about when my tyre jolts over them. I enter
the south car park and as I expected no cars are there, and no car tyre
tracks either. However, tyre tracks do haunt the short country lane
that I turn into and head up. Like the first access track I have a
choice of soft snow in the middle or slush on the sides.
It's not long before I reach the short stony uphill on the right
opposite the cottages, and just as I expected, my legs run out of power
once again before I reach the top. A couple of remount attempts later
and I ride over that bit that normally becomes a mudbath outside the
summer with no problems. As I go around the bend my tyre slips sideways
and a running UPD happens, so it's another five or so remount attempts
of varying strategies before I'm back on.
The snow conceals the lumpy mud that's frozen solid, and for some
reason it seems a little easier to ride that. Two XCs (Xtra Cyclists)
side by side are seen coming the other way, and for some strange reason
I hear the word "unicycle" being uttered from one lycra legged pedaller
to the other. They change to a single-file formation on one side and
one of them says "That's impressive". The second time I've heard that
today, but for the first time in many years it seems justified as I
bound over the invisible snow covered stones and roots.
Now it gets downhill and technical with the expected gully on the right
side of the fireroad that soon crosses over to the left and back again.
The gully is completely invisible on my right, but somehow I seem to
know exactly where it crosses over, and my usual tactic of descending
into the gully and riding it out works. It seems a lot softer, but
again it's hard work for my acheing legs.
The home run consists of two fireroads that seem to have bricks and
rocks embedded into the ground at odd angles, since it's totally level
all the way it's a piece of cake (with white icing) to trundle along
the road. Halfway there's a junction with an access road that leads
uphill, a patch of snow and ice have melted on that road completely
leaving a large patch of rare black in this white landscape.
As I arrive at the next crossroads I see a bunch of about six people
walking from the opposite bridleway who look like they'll turn left and
head the same way as I will do, namely up the access road back to the
car park. The group seems to consists of two adults, four children, and
as we approach the junction I notice three small white dogs leashed
with luminous red tape.
Riding up the access track, a subtle uphill, but for some reason it's
always easier to get up this one. The snow is starting to melt, hence
there's more brown, less slush and less white to choose from as I
homeward bound. As I reach the top the brown on the right bizarrely
disappears, leaving a half brown and half white surface. Just at the
last second I see the white on the right conceals an irregular pothole
covering almost all the right, and so I keep to the left.
I arrive at the car park and turn left through the narrow pedestrian
entrance with a wooden pole in the middle, but the turn is far too
tight and the ice slips my wheel away, leaving me to stumble down.
Across the slippery car park I walk back to the car, and as I put the
muni away I notice the wheel is much much cleaner than it ever has been
for a long time!
--
gkmac
"Those who can, do. Those who can't, take the pictures." - tomblackwood
"As it only hurts when you walk, will you be riding everywhere now?" -
mikepenton
"gkmac... what are we going to do with you." - Chexjc
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