Sunday 16 February 2014

Finally I get back out on the LHT


It was a strange old sort of a ride today. The rain had been replaced with some very welcome sunshine but the brisk westerly winds continued. I haven't been for a decent ride on the Long Haul Trucker for a month and I wasn't sure how I would manage, the muscle strain in my back is a lot better but there is still a niggling pain in my left shoulder blade. Before any medically minded folk start to catastrophise, I've had it checked and it's most likely a compensatory injury from the original strain. I took a while to get motivated but eventually I headed out around lunchtime.


The road along to East Linton was a real slog into the wind. The effort seemed compounded by a steady stream of road bikes powering past in the opposite direction with the wind behind them. My cheery hellos were met with blank stares at best. I haven't bothered to look it up but there must have been a club outing or some sort of sportive.


Fighting the wind was becoming trying so I turned off at East Linton and headed to the hills figuring that if I wasn't going far today I would at least get a couple of good climbs under my belt.


Much puffing later and came back through Pitcox with the woods full of snowdrops, then on past the old farm cottages where a clutch of hens were muttering to themselves as they scraped and scratched. 








 From Pitcox I  pushed hard on the climb up by Little Spott and then there was bitterly cold descent as I started back down towards Dunbar.



I stopped in the shelter of a wall as another group of roadies flew past, still no acknowledgement, and poured a coffee from my latest flask.


Out of the cold wind and I soon warmed up in the sunshine. The views were tremendous today. You can't really see it in the photo but there was a faint glimmer of snow on the mountains away to the north.


As I sat having my coffee a couple of roadies asked if I was ok? but again the majority just blasted past. I still didn't give up saying hello.


Back into Dunbar and past the parish church with beautiful blues skies. Like I said, it was a strange old ride. I was a little disconcerted by the plethora of cyclists with so little acknowledgement. It didn't spoil the ride, I still relaxed, pedaled, looked at all sorts of things. I suppose their priorities were all about getting through the countryside as quickly as they could. I don't think I'm suited for racing.

8 comments:

  1. I was a roadie for awhile and I missed a lot going as fast as a could. But I would say howdy to any fellow bicyclist or pedestrian. I'll admit that the peloton is a kind of rolling neighborhood and it is easy to be oblivious to outsiders...or at least it seemed that way to me...a lot going on in close quarters.

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    1. The closest I get to a peleton is when dogs chase me.

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  2. I gave up waving to groups of roadies at weekends a long time ago..
    If they wave first then i wave back!- but thats rare!
    Townies down in the Countryside-going to be real problems with those large groups holding up traffic on the coast and Drem road soon, causing a lot of anxity with motorists...
    Stick to back road exploring Ped!, away from the mobs!

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    1. Aye, there's plenty of wee roads where I've never seen another bike. Or I could just go up and down starvation brae. No one says hello pedalling up that.

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  3. It's a strange thing, this cliqueeness (not a real word I fear!) I get hi/hellos from roadies when on my road bike..and hi/hellos from mtb's when I'm on a mtb...what really causes confusion is when I'm riding hard on the slick tyred old Cannondale!! They all get a Hi from me but.....not many of any description call back!!

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    1. Hi Al, cliquishness? Although cliqueeness sounds better. I don't know what I expect anymore. I always used to blether with folk on the hills/pubs and met many of life's 'characters' as a result. But there were cliques there too. Many a happy night was passed in the Clachaig sniggering at folk who felt the need to wear rigid plastic boots to go for a pint. Takes all sorts.

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  4. A weird bunch the roadies, still some nice pictures and good to see you out on the LHT again.

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    1. I must look too much like a "leisure" cyclist for them to wave back. I wonder if you would have had a different reaction on your Bianchi?

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