Had my first ride of the year, having been to a newyears bash in Cornwall and stayed over.
The first hazard was my camouflage. It was mid/late morning and I was heading broadly southeast.
With bright, low winter sun shining on glistening wet roads, what better way to hide than a bright
yellow stripe blending right in?
Anyway, I crossed the Tamar back into England at Gunnislake, and got up the hill out of the river
valley with effort but without incident. Getting onto the downhill and an exposed stretch of road, I
fuund the gusty wind was blowing me about, so I slowed down, whereupon [censored] #1 passed me close on
a blind bend (fortunately a car coming the other way put the brakes on and hugged the hedge). Next
thing I know, a tractor comes the other way, and [censored] #2 accelerates straight at me from behind
it: the most scary moment I've had on that road for as long as I can remember, and that includes
hitting ice on it I-forget-how-many winters ago.
From two in as many minutes, the [censored] count was way up on anything one gets accustomed to in
this part of the country - where even white van man is normally careful and considerate. There was
even a second case of accelerating at me from behind a tractor, though on a wider road where it
wasn't a problem.
Anyway, glad to be home, and hoping today was a one-off not a trend:-(
--
Finally, someone takes a stand against Humbug. Three cheers for Austrian shop workers!