Saturday 23 May 2020: There was sun and gusty wind and it was a little on the cool side, especially when the sun hid behind the clouds. I decided a jumper was needed before heading for the churchyard to meet Andy. We hadn't met for two months and a day, since lockdown started, and the plan was to meet at the churchyard where we could socially distance and occupy our own benches.
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| Passing St Leonard's Church around 1730hrs during the week. |
The ride was fine, but a strong westerly ruffled the cow parsley on the roadside as I headed along the 269. When it opened out I was saved from a blast of cold air by thick hawthorn bushes, but when a gap presented itself the bike was buffeted by the wind and I felt a wintry chill go through me. I was riding the fast way, no country lanes today, my sole aim was to reach the churchyard and chill with a liquorice and spearmint tea and a chat with Andy; and before you say anything about my choice of tea, I know. I know it's a bit twee, but I love it. In fact, since lockdown I've built up a big collection of Pukka and Twining's teas involving ingredients like fennel and camomile and other poncy varieties.
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| The long and winding road - a little over halfway along Beddlestead Lane |
I'd been sitting there alone for around seven minutes when Andy arrived on his Giant racer and it was good to see him after weeks of solitary riding with no reason to stop and chew the fat. We chatted about all sorts of things, mostly linked to the lockdown, like how the cars were coming back and how Surrey County Council was doing little in terms of looking ahead towards a world where the bicycle might play a bigger role in people's lives. Andy had lost a stone in weight and all due to daily cycling. I told him how I'd been cycling six days with one day off and clocking up 100 miles per week. For the record, I've now cycled 48 miles of a fourth set of 100 miles, that's four consecutive weeks. We both said we felt better inwardly as a result and we both agreed that cycling was keeping us in good mental health too.
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| Fields to the left of me, fields to right, here I am, on Beddlestead Lane... |
During the week I rode to Botley Hill via Beech Farm Road and I did one trip down Beddlestead Lane, turning right on to Clarks Lane and following the road to Botley Hill and then back home. The weather was hot, unlike today, but a mini heat wave is promised, or so they say.
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| You can't beat fields like this on a sunny evening... |
Andy's put his Kona Blast in for repair, it's going to take four days as the man at the store has too much work to do. I told him about Cycle King saying no to all but 'key workers' and started thinking about the madness of that decision. My bike has no front brake, but it's heartening to know that when I collide with a car and end up in A&E the doctor comforting me will only be there because he got his bike fixed and I didn't. Andy says it's pretty easy to replace brake pads so I might give it a go, although I think I'll check out Cycle Republic first. Either way something has to be done as I've only got one brake that works effectively and I don't want to start neglecting the Rockhopper like I did the Kona, which, incidentally, is still sitting in my garage with two flat tyres and in need of some major TLC.
The wind and the rain picked up, but the latter was short-lived. There's nothing better than the sound of the wind in the trees, it's like a roaring waterfall. It was time to go and Andy decided to ride through the village while I headed back down the wooden steps towards Clarks Lane. When I reached Approach Road I looked out for Andy and assumed he had long gone, but later discovered that he saw me heading down the 269 as he approached The Ridge. We're meeting again next Saturday - another sign that slowly things are getting back to normal - not that either of us want more cars back on the roads.
