Clarity

Cycling really is good for one's mental health and morale. My bust measurement and hip measurement are now the same again, for the first time in years! I'm officially pleased. I've celebrated by buying more cycling shorts and tops from Terry Precision Cycling. Because I'm worth it.

The Christmas Eve Mince Pie run was deferred to Christmas Day this year as I had some last-minute shopping to do yesterday and Ian thought it a good idea to have me out riding whilst he was cooking Christmas dinner. I wasn't about to argue! Due to sloth though, I didn't end up going out until just before midday and dinner was scheduled for half one, so I had to spend a bit less time on it than last year. No matter - instead of the sunshine and blue sky that I had yesterday, today was grey and still and very cold. I loaded up with a bag of peanuts for the birds and squirrels, a small flask of hot coffee and a couple of pieces of shortbread. The roads were dry and beautifully quiet. No need to go fast - I could spin along at my own pace, looking at everything and dreaming as I went along.



I hopped onto the Downs Link for a short amount of time and scattered a few cracked unsalted peanuts every time I went past a tree with some expectant-looking birds perched in it. I think it's my version of feeding the traffic-light goblins at the Solstice - I'm not a commuter (yet) so don't need to do that, but I do feel the need to ride out once or twice in year anyway and leave small offerings. I wonder how many other cyclists do this too.

I was glad of my Lusso cap - always nice to have good products that are made in the UK, and it kept my head and ears lovely and toasty. My cycling helmet is fab for the Summer as it has more holes in it than a swiss cheese, but chilly in the Winter as there's so much airflow. I was also glad of my hot coffee - served on my handy built-in bike-table (ie. the back rack!). Hardly any cars went past, the quiet and cold air was giving me a deep feeling of peace by now.



A handy bus stop gave me a stand for the bike and there was also a bench, but I was deterred as I didn't want to get too cold. I walked around sipping my hot coffee and listening to the birds instead.



Looking at my watch, I realised that I only had a little less than three-quarters of an hour to retrace my steps, and I know well it would be more than my life is worth to be late for Ian's dinner! So back I went, replenishing the peanut dumps along the way until I got back into Cranleigh and was amazed by it's deserted appearance. I've really never seen it as quiet as this. There was one couple out for a walk and four or five bored yoof looking cold and fed up, and that really was it.



It's the kind of thing that should be savoured and not rushed, so I stopped for another coffee and wandered around exploring the new Cranleigh "enhanced" area.



I really like the enhancements. I've seen a lot of letters in the Surrey Advertiser that have nothing good to say about the works, and I've heard a lot of negative comments in the street, mainly from people who find that they are unable to park inconsiderately in the street any more without causing major distruption to the flow of traffic. Good design, I say! The village is much nicer for pedestrians now and people are driving much more slowly.

I got back home with minutes to spare. A very nice Christmas ride.

Best festive good wishes to you all. I would like, unsurprisingly, to register my support on this holiday to a much-maligned character and give my congratulations to his current corporate sponsor.



Yes! Debenhams Santa, you have my full approval. I can't believe the furore that this advert seems to have whipped up on the internet. It's extremely amusing. I'm not going to go through the advert bit-by-bit for those who haven't seen it - suffice it to say that a young, black and sexy Santa has not met everyone's approval!



Personally, I think it makes a nice change. I don't go for the Coca-Cola invented Santa nonsense, by the way. Santa has many origins as far as I'm concerned. And therefore many looks. Also many helpers.



This current look I like! Right. Enough of this. Time for some more hot punch and pressie opening. I think I hear Himself stirring upstairs. I'd better get the kettle on. I hope you have a lovely holiday.

I think everyone knows by now that I love cycling and want to get fitter. I've not been in a position to cycle to and from work for years because of the distance that I've lived from where I work (thirty miles or more) and anything more than a twenty mile round trip is asking too much from me for now.

So.

I get paid shed-loads of cash to leave my last major employment. I spend it on the house and bike stuff (including new set of wheels fitted with lovely Armadillo slicks and more batteries for my stonkingly bright front light) and having weeks off.

I then get a job which has lockers, a gym, tennis courts, showers and a ten mile all-offroad ride to get there! :-))

But.

I rode it today to see how do-able it is. I mean, I know that ten miles sounds like nothing, but I'm not kidding myself that this will be easy. It's ten miles of unlit ex-railtrack which is covered in long sections of mud, leaves, pea-shingle, fine gravel and great big huge chunks of rock pretending to be gravel. There's a lot of slippery mud, deep puddles and long, gradual inclines.

I managed today to find a route that was all off-road though, which is a real plus. Once I get onto the Downs Link at Cranleigh, I don't see a road again until crossing the A281 outside Bramley. Have a look at this track and see what you think. The picture below shows the resurfacing work that they've done to the Link as it runs through Cranleigh centre. It's nice. They've widened and levelled and patched and it's a joy to cycle on. It's nice and bright so no losing the edge of the track in the foliage when it's dark.



Once out of Cranleigh however the track turns into a lot of this. It doesn't look too bad here, but there is a lot of deep mud and deep puddles the whole width of the track. That in itself itsn't too much of an issue, but I think that once night falls it might be a problem. I have a good light, but that mud is almost black, and imagine if I had a puncture after riding through that for a bit and in the pitch dark. Hmmmmm.



There are natural stopping places along the way with benches, which will prompt me to drink and take on some fuel in the form of chocolate I expect...... ;-) This is where I took my four seasons montage last year. I took a photo today which might form the start of a new montage for 2006-2007.



Once you reach Bramley the path has had more serious resurfacing work done to it - it's very good. There's an awkward bit where I have to cross the A281 and that road is getting so busy that it's not easy, but I just have to be patient. After that crossing, there are some nice views to be had from either side too across the water-meadows. It looks a bit grim now, but the fields are sumptuous in the Summer. This is the part of the Link that used to lead nowhere - the bridge spanning the river had been taken down but it has now been replaced and gives us the access to make the rest of the journey offroad.



I go across the bridge and continue on until I reach the junction with the Wey Navigation. This runs with the river one side, and the road to where I work and the railway on the other for a short way, and then I need to cross the railway. This means, unfortunately, that I need to struggle up a railway bridge and down the other side. It's very steep and it's a bit of a pain. It's not smelly though and there is no graffiti which is encouraging. It's unlit though, which again might make things a bit dangerous after dark.



I guess the only plus-point here is that there is ample opportunity for waving at train drivers and feeling like a twelve-year-old again....... :-)



Drag myself over the bridge, get down the other side without slipping or falling or losing control of the bike, then there is a teeny narrow section of gravelled singletrack which leads me to a gate into the Guildford Park and Ride. Outside of that is a small amount of pavement cyclepath which leads me right to the turning for my work. There's some killer hills to get up before I'm where I need to be, but I think I'll walk those!



So there we go. Mud, no lighting for much of the way, but no danger of being hit by cars either. A distance and route that will be an absolute joy to do in the Summer. I can't think of a more miserable and depressing ride if it's chucking it down with rain though. It's very strenuous for me, but I don't have to do it every day if I don't want to. I'll be able to keep washing stuff at work to keep stuff carried to a minimum. I think I'll start with doing it once per week and working up from there.

I carried on into Guildford as I was nearly there and was getting peckish. I took one look at the High Street and decided against shopping. It was heaving with last-minute xmas pressie shoppers.



Doesn't look very festive, does it? It wasn't. It was grey and cold and people had a look of fed-up desparation about them. A cheese jacket potato in the quiet and peace of the castle grounds suited me better, although I had to be careful not to stop too long for fear of chilling off too much. I had quite a distance still yet to cycle. I had a "that man's a skelington" moment (Pratchett) in the town centre. I was locking up my bike when I became aware of the horrified yet fascinated stare of a little girl a few yards away. I smiled at her, and she managed to pluck up the courage to ask me, "did you know that there's all mud up your back?" I laughed and said yes, I wasn't surprised to hear that, and that I'd been cycling in the mud. She looked at me as if I was mad. Sigh.



So I turned my wheels in the direction of home, not back via work but via the cyclepath out of Guildford towards Shalford. Once there I reconnected with the offroad route and paced myself back. I made it off the Downs Link before dark and stopped off in Cranleigh to buy puddings to take to Ma's on Boxing Day. I treated myself to a Ginger Latte and sat in the newly-refurbished part of the village to drink it and gaze at the Christmas tree set up and decorated with blue lights. It was nice.

When I got home however I had a lot to do. The bike was absolutely choked with mud, and although I was all for letting it sit on newspaper in the kitchen and cleaning it off tomorrow, my most sensible other half pointed out (to my disgruntlement) that it would be much easier to wash most of the mud off whilst it was still wet, so off into the dark and cold garden I went and sluiced my poor mount off as best I could. Panniers, trainers, ankle-cuffs and reflective jacket then all had to be washed too. Every item of clothing then hit the wash.

Now I'm ready for the Mince Pie Run tomorrow! :-)

More material to make me smile:



There is an urgent need for more light-catchers in the house, methinks.