RAGBRAI - surely a must for No Visible Lycra!!!

Just one scene from the 2010 RAGBRAI - for more, see the official website.

I'll always advise any reader of this blog to take a look at the side panel on the right and check out Greg Bowles' blog, Gravelo. It's a good read as Greg likes to get out on his bike, he takes some good pix and gets involved in some interesting rides.

Greg and I share a desire to sleep rough, but it looks as if Greg has beaten me to it as he sets out on the annual RAGBRAI – the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. Now that sounds bloody brilliant to me: a seven-day ride across the state of Iowa, plenty of sleeping rough and a great deal of cycling thrown in for good measure. SEVEN DAYS ON THE ROAD!!!! Crossing an entire US state!!!!! I really can't think of anything more appealing.

If any NVL readers are interested in this, then check out the RAGBRAI site here. I love the bit about a tornado in camp or on the road. Why? Because here in blighty, we don't know the meaning of severe weather. If we get a soaking on the Black Horse Ride, we feel hard done by, but to find genuine warnings on the RAGBRAI site about tornadoes – fantastic!!!!

If there's a tornado while you're out on the road, the site advises that:-

• Most injuries and deaths from a tornado are the result of being hit by flying debris. A tornado can force a blade of grass into a fence post, so obviously it can kill a person. Tornadic storms can produce more than one funnel, lots of lightning, rain and hail. In this storm, everyone should take immediate action and find shelter.
• If there are no homes, caves, etc., lay down in a low spot on the ground not subject to flooding!

Knowing the way things are financially, we'll probably never ride the RAGBRAI, but here's hoping we do – and can ride some of it with Greg!

Communication breakdown, but all's well that ends well!

Andy's Blast against Churchill's statue, Saturday 13 August 2011.

Best laid plans often go to waste. I had planned to go cycling on Saturday (August 13th) and was looking forward to a Westerham ride, but it was not to be; why? Because my iphone exploded on me. Well, alright, it didn't explode as such, but let's just say it wasn't working, meaning that I had lost radio contact with Andy. I didn't know his home number and couldn't remember his mobile number, so I was stuck.

Saturday morning. I discover a puncture, but first, prior to that, I was sitting downstairs in the conservatory looking out on a bleak landscape - grey clouds and spitting rain. Without having a mobile, of course, I had no way of knowing whether Andy had sent me a text aborting the ride. Was it pouring down in Caterham? I hadn't a clue. Then there was the puncture and the fact that, after my last mammoth puncture (detailed in a previous post) I had no leeches.

Time was pushing on and I resorted to email, sending Andy a note explaining my position, but he'd already left to meet me at the green.

As I always say in these situations, at least Andy got a ride – I didn't. I did fix my puncture (to the front tyre) and was ready for Sunday and a trip to Westerham. The weather was pleasant too. Andy sent me an email explaining how he'd gone from Warlingham Green to Westerham on Saturday in 32 minutes. Not bad going. And then back home to Caterham in under an hour. Pretty damn good.

Grandma Claire – aka my mum – makes exceedingly
good cakes. This shot taken by Andy Smith of one of my
mum's Christmas cakes.

I'd spent Saturday night round at mum's so it was a rush on Sunday to get over to Croydon and then out to meet Andy, but I made it and we headed out to Westerham again, which was great. We resolved to visit the place more often, so hopefully next week we'll be there, sipping tea, munching cereal bars – and possibly even some of my mum's cake (Andy's put in an order, and who can blame him? My mum does make exceedingly good cakes!).