Looking out to Troon and Arran from the top of Dundonald Hill Tonight I set out to do a nice wee cycle, but by the end of it something strange had occured. The days activity ended in me doing something I havn't done in many or should that be mony a year.
Unadventurous Adventure
Meeting my cycling companion at the start of the cycle track we head off down the slop, neither of us still having any idea as to where we will venture tonight. We did decide howver to follow the cycle path as far as Irvine, mainly because they have recently relaid the section beyond Springside; which was in the past like riding over a washing board, due to the tree roots and grass etc breacking up the surface of the path. I must say as well who ever done the job of relaying and resurfacing have made a fine job of it, smooth as you like with not a bump in site or under tyre. They have even placed a few benches beside the path if you decide you need a well earned rest. Already the benches have been accommodated with Friday night weekend revellers and this was bearly 5:30pm and some of them looked like they had been at it since 5;30 am, but in fairness they only said 'Hi' and I am sure they even offered us a 'swally o their buckie'. Had I had a lighter with me this rocket fuel substitue could have saved us some leg effort, but seeing as we did not,we gratiously turned down their offer.
Coming to the end of the relaid part there is a short, sharp hill and bend combined, having cycled the old path before I was slightly aware of this and prepared for it with a gear shift and a seat position shift, Richie on the other had got cought slightly un-awares and found himself with a wee struggle on his hands. Lucky for him they had made the path a wee touch wider or he might have ended in the bushies.
Avoiding disaster we cycle on continuing down the cycle path through bordom and to infinity and beyond. Reach the point where desitions have to be made the lazy mans choice was to follow the path round, seeing as we were in no mood to a) naviagte through some wondering lost souls from oldsvile and b) navigate the bloody great big busy roundabout with more lanes and tracks than an Album on 12 in vinyl (If you aint sure what that this is then here is a link -
http://www.fugitivesounds.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/vinyl_record_lp_10inch.jpeg or
http://www.predisc.com/products/vinyl-record-pressing/images/12-inch-vinyl.jpg )
Still Unadventurous But Slightly Unpositioned
Following this path took both Richie and myself into an area that neither of us had ben before and at several points along the way we found ourselves unpositioned and lost of our bearings. Cycling along, figuring as one does, that the path being a cycle path will eventually lead somewhere we know and sure enough it does.
Before that however we cycle along and round a bend only to find that we have cycled onto what loks like a blooming golf course, silly us the golf course in merely a pitch and putt short course attached to a local hotel, no worries there then according to the sign. Sorry but a golf ball up side the head is a golf ball up side the head regardless if its a golf course or a pitch and putt. Swiftly approaching the end of the path once again we find there is a short sharp incline with barriers at the end. Now these barriers aren't very cyclist friendly at the ebst of times but when one rides a bike where ones feet are connected to the pedals things can get slightly tricky. I manage; with some short sharp back and forth paddle action; to get up the hill and through the obsticle. Once again Richie was not quite prepared and once again he finds himself cought out, luckily the way the barriers are set, he gets cought on them as he tips over and the bike stays in an upright position, allowing him to get his feet out and walk the bike up the hill. Crossing the road and joining the cycle track again the other side isnt much better and this is a sharp twist into a down hill with 2 more bariers, so its just a twist to the left and a flick to the right, hands on the brakes bend your knees and flick to the left, lets do the cycle warp again; na your fine I will pass thanks :) . Who ever designed such an obsticle on cycle tracks should be taken out and cycled over.
Finding free path in front of us we quickly realise that it is seldom used as there is weeds and crevises on it, but we follow along it anyways with a sence of inquisativeness about ourselves. One thing we did descover about cycle tracks and paths is that they tend to take a long way for a short cut, had we negotiaited the big roundabout I mentioned before we could have saved ourselves about a mile and a half of cycling and been at the same point, but then what fun would that have been, huh? Finally coming off the cycle track; after giving the same old lady a heart attack twice; dont ask; we find ourselves on the roads again. taking a slightly different route to the last time we passed this way we come across some cobbles. Now we know what it must be like to cycle in the Tour De France, Richie on the other had thought I went that ways just for a cheap thrill. Leaving cobbles and cheap thrills behind we head out the long road to what seems like nowhere and the wind seems to pick up a bit and no matter how we position ourselves there is just no drafting off the person in front. Pushing through the wind it is still comfortably warm although it is some what slightly taxing and does require a wee bit effort to maintain a good pace; for us anything over walking pace is a good pace, lol.
Turning down towards Troon and once again we find the wind, nothing to exciting takes place and the only thing we have to do is decide which way from here; do we turn and head back along the main road, definatly no, to busy at this time of night and the roads full o nutters. So do we head over the 'Hill' or go on a bit and head via symington. Rather than make the choice, Richie is lead rider so I give the desition to him.
Right or Wrong the Torture is on
Approaching the mini-roundabout the left hand goes out indicationg we are going over the 'Hill', the man is possessed by this demon hill. Its not to bad as we start our assent and there doesnt seem to be any wind, things should go smoothly. How stupid it was to think that, not even 300m into the climb and my chain jumps a ring and has came off, luckily I am able to free myself from the bike and get the foot down; only because I had managed to build up a wee bit of momentum was all that saved me from a side plank. Bike upside down as the chain is cought, chain back on, wheels on the ground and now the fun begins, trying to mount a bike and get moving while on an assent, but surprisingly things go well and I dont need to push the bike up the hill after all. Pushing on Richie comes out of hiding on a small side road he managed to slip into and stop while checking I was alright. As we climb ever nearer the top a couple o blokes are fast approaching on the desent, to be followed swiftly by a couple of cars. The car in front decides it is a good time to over take the front cyclist who is a good bit out from the edge doing a fair speed, Richie and me are climbing doing no speed but between us and them there is bearly enough room for a car to fit, however this guy is getting through no matter what and luckily enough he is passed and in just in time before we all meet in the middle so to speak. The second car pushed through forcing us all to breathin slightly but its all good. this little bit of action forces a slow down and so further up the hilll I try to change up my back ring, only i am already in top ring and I should have dropped a front, so guess what; yep the chain jumps again this time i have no momentum and the feet are well and truly stuck in place. Things tend to happen in slow motion at this stage and it was all I could do to have a look round and assess the situation; I have two choices here 1) I have the road and gravelly bits to the right of me or 2) I have softish grass verge slightly out of reach to the left of me, as much as it was just out of reach I opted for the softness of the grass verge and somehow manage to get there without touching the road. Richie who was behind at this point was fair impressed as he explained 'You sme how managed to elongate your legs and body to reach that grass' Once again the chain is back on and once again with little effort I am on the bike and moving. Reaching the top, finally the view is well worth it; as the photo at the top shows; from here it is all down hill. Dropping down through the gears I push as hard as I can, today there is no wind or rain like the last time I was still unable to get past the 35 MPH Grrrrr, although there is a section that goes down ten dips and comes back up dropping about 8 MPH. Still managed to come back into the village speeding, do you think you can get a ticket on a bike for speeding while cycling?
Sightful, but not Eventful
From here it is back along the same old roads as before, the differrence being that there is little to no wind and ther is no rain in sight. Nothing happend on the way back and the right home is some what uneventful. I will say however that the views are fantastic, we can see for miles and miles. Its amasing though as you look out over the place we can see where we have been cycling and it looks like it is miles away in the distance, yet not so long ago we were over there looking over here, now we are over here looking over there.
Coming back to the final few miles we take an unshedualed detour along a wee back country road, that was closed for months due to water works etc being done. The road looked like the surface of the moon, but now the works are all but finished they have resurfaced some bits and put in a new road for the most part, sadly there are still bits that could have been doing with resurfacing but that aint been done, cant grumble to much though as the new surface is fantastic makes for good cycling.
Heading home the last thing i see that shows that shit can happen to anyone is a police motor coming round the corner with a nice pop and a gush. It suddenly had a blow out. Must say some mighty fine driving from the guy at the wheel though as the car is sliding across the road, he navigates his way safely to the side o the road on a busy one-way street.
And for my next daft thing
arriving in the house I spuradically decide to go for a run, I have no idea as to why I just do. I do some stretching and the nosion for the run passes. Next thing i know i am chnged and heading out the door. Weird, but off i trot, legs feel like I dont have control over them and they are under the control of an external force or even their own force but certainly not mine. I head down the hill and round the bend, a few people looking and wondering, probably as to why i look like I am drunk from the waist down and attempting to run. After a fe minutes the legs begin to find the ground beneath then and things begin to get into a rythme. I actually feel not to bad and the pace isna half bad either considering I have just came of off a 25 mile cycle.
Heading back to the start I feel good, I know i might not be able to manage any furtehr than the two miles I have just done but have not done anything like that for a long time; 23 years; except for the odd 2 mile cycle to training etc; I think I done not to bad.
Not sure if i will make a habbit of a cycle & run on a Friday night however.
Tonights run was 2.01 miles
So the miles for the week so far are 21.66 miles ran
(25 miles cycle)
Total Moggie's Mony Money Miles Ran is 52.50 miles
Unadventurous Adventure
Meeting my cycling companion at the start of the cycle track we head off down the slop, neither of us still having any idea as to where we will venture tonight. We did decide howver to follow the cycle path as far as Irvine, mainly because they have recently relaid the section beyond Springside; which was in the past like riding over a washing board, due to the tree roots and grass etc breacking up the surface of the path. I must say as well who ever done the job of relaying and resurfacing have made a fine job of it, smooth as you like with not a bump in site or under tyre. They have even placed a few benches beside the path if you decide you need a well earned rest. Already the benches have been accommodated with Friday night weekend revellers and this was bearly 5:30pm and some of them looked like they had been at it since 5;30 am, but in fairness they only said 'Hi' and I am sure they even offered us a 'swally o their buckie'. Had I had a lighter with me this rocket fuel substitue could have saved us some leg effort, but seeing as we did not,we gratiously turned down their offer.
Coming to the end of the relaid part there is a short, sharp hill and bend combined, having cycled the old path before I was slightly aware of this and prepared for it with a gear shift and a seat position shift, Richie on the other had got cought slightly un-awares and found himself with a wee struggle on his hands. Lucky for him they had made the path a wee touch wider or he might have ended in the bushies.
Avoiding disaster we cycle on continuing down the cycle path through bordom and to infinity and beyond. Reach the point where desitions have to be made the lazy mans choice was to follow the path round, seeing as we were in no mood to a) naviagte through some wondering lost souls from oldsvile and b) navigate the bloody great big busy roundabout with more lanes and tracks than an Album on 12 in vinyl (If you aint sure what that this is then here is a link -
http://www.fugitivesounds.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/vinyl_record_lp_10inch.jpeg or
http://www.predisc.com/products/vinyl-record-pressing/images/12-inch-vinyl.jpg )
Still Unadventurous But Slightly Unpositioned
Following this path took both Richie and myself into an area that neither of us had ben before and at several points along the way we found ourselves unpositioned and lost of our bearings. Cycling along, figuring as one does, that the path being a cycle path will eventually lead somewhere we know and sure enough it does.
Before that however we cycle along and round a bend only to find that we have cycled onto what loks like a blooming golf course, silly us the golf course in merely a pitch and putt short course attached to a local hotel, no worries there then according to the sign. Sorry but a golf ball up side the head is a golf ball up side the head regardless if its a golf course or a pitch and putt. Swiftly approaching the end of the path once again we find there is a short sharp incline with barriers at the end. Now these barriers aren't very cyclist friendly at the ebst of times but when one rides a bike where ones feet are connected to the pedals things can get slightly tricky. I manage; with some short sharp back and forth paddle action; to get up the hill and through the obsticle. Once again Richie was not quite prepared and once again he finds himself cought out, luckily the way the barriers are set, he gets cought on them as he tips over and the bike stays in an upright position, allowing him to get his feet out and walk the bike up the hill. Crossing the road and joining the cycle track again the other side isnt much better and this is a sharp twist into a down hill with 2 more bariers, so its just a twist to the left and a flick to the right, hands on the brakes bend your knees and flick to the left, lets do the cycle warp again; na your fine I will pass thanks :) . Who ever designed such an obsticle on cycle tracks should be taken out and cycled over.
Finding free path in front of us we quickly realise that it is seldom used as there is weeds and crevises on it, but we follow along it anyways with a sence of inquisativeness about ourselves. One thing we did descover about cycle tracks and paths is that they tend to take a long way for a short cut, had we negotiaited the big roundabout I mentioned before we could have saved ourselves about a mile and a half of cycling and been at the same point, but then what fun would that have been, huh? Finally coming off the cycle track; after giving the same old lady a heart attack twice; dont ask; we find ourselves on the roads again. taking a slightly different route to the last time we passed this way we come across some cobbles. Now we know what it must be like to cycle in the Tour De France, Richie on the other had thought I went that ways just for a cheap thrill. Leaving cobbles and cheap thrills behind we head out the long road to what seems like nowhere and the wind seems to pick up a bit and no matter how we position ourselves there is just no drafting off the person in front. Pushing through the wind it is still comfortably warm although it is some what slightly taxing and does require a wee bit effort to maintain a good pace; for us anything over walking pace is a good pace, lol.
Turning down towards Troon and once again we find the wind, nothing to exciting takes place and the only thing we have to do is decide which way from here; do we turn and head back along the main road, definatly no, to busy at this time of night and the roads full o nutters. So do we head over the 'Hill' or go on a bit and head via symington. Rather than make the choice, Richie is lead rider so I give the desition to him.
Right or Wrong the Torture is on
Approaching the mini-roundabout the left hand goes out indicationg we are going over the 'Hill', the man is possessed by this demon hill. Its not to bad as we start our assent and there doesnt seem to be any wind, things should go smoothly. How stupid it was to think that, not even 300m into the climb and my chain jumps a ring and has came off, luckily I am able to free myself from the bike and get the foot down; only because I had managed to build up a wee bit of momentum was all that saved me from a side plank. Bike upside down as the chain is cought, chain back on, wheels on the ground and now the fun begins, trying to mount a bike and get moving while on an assent, but surprisingly things go well and I dont need to push the bike up the hill after all. Pushing on Richie comes out of hiding on a small side road he managed to slip into and stop while checking I was alright. As we climb ever nearer the top a couple o blokes are fast approaching on the desent, to be followed swiftly by a couple of cars. The car in front decides it is a good time to over take the front cyclist who is a good bit out from the edge doing a fair speed, Richie and me are climbing doing no speed but between us and them there is bearly enough room for a car to fit, however this guy is getting through no matter what and luckily enough he is passed and in just in time before we all meet in the middle so to speak. The second car pushed through forcing us all to breathin slightly but its all good. this little bit of action forces a slow down and so further up the hilll I try to change up my back ring, only i am already in top ring and I should have dropped a front, so guess what; yep the chain jumps again this time i have no momentum and the feet are well and truly stuck in place. Things tend to happen in slow motion at this stage and it was all I could do to have a look round and assess the situation; I have two choices here 1) I have the road and gravelly bits to the right of me or 2) I have softish grass verge slightly out of reach to the left of me, as much as it was just out of reach I opted for the softness of the grass verge and somehow manage to get there without touching the road. Richie who was behind at this point was fair impressed as he explained 'You sme how managed to elongate your legs and body to reach that grass' Once again the chain is back on and once again with little effort I am on the bike and moving. Reaching the top, finally the view is well worth it; as the photo at the top shows; from here it is all down hill. Dropping down through the gears I push as hard as I can, today there is no wind or rain like the last time I was still unable to get past the 35 MPH Grrrrr, although there is a section that goes down ten dips and comes back up dropping about 8 MPH. Still managed to come back into the village speeding, do you think you can get a ticket on a bike for speeding while cycling?
Sightful, but not Eventful
From here it is back along the same old roads as before, the differrence being that there is little to no wind and ther is no rain in sight. Nothing happend on the way back and the right home is some what uneventful. I will say however that the views are fantastic, we can see for miles and miles. Its amasing though as you look out over the place we can see where we have been cycling and it looks like it is miles away in the distance, yet not so long ago we were over there looking over here, now we are over here looking over there.
Coming back to the final few miles we take an unshedualed detour along a wee back country road, that was closed for months due to water works etc being done. The road looked like the surface of the moon, but now the works are all but finished they have resurfaced some bits and put in a new road for the most part, sadly there are still bits that could have been doing with resurfacing but that aint been done, cant grumble to much though as the new surface is fantastic makes for good cycling.
Heading home the last thing i see that shows that shit can happen to anyone is a police motor coming round the corner with a nice pop and a gush. It suddenly had a blow out. Must say some mighty fine driving from the guy at the wheel though as the car is sliding across the road, he navigates his way safely to the side o the road on a busy one-way street.
And for my next daft thing
arriving in the house I spuradically decide to go for a run, I have no idea as to why I just do. I do some stretching and the nosion for the run passes. Next thing i know i am chnged and heading out the door. Weird, but off i trot, legs feel like I dont have control over them and they are under the control of an external force or even their own force but certainly not mine. I head down the hill and round the bend, a few people looking and wondering, probably as to why i look like I am drunk from the waist down and attempting to run. After a fe minutes the legs begin to find the ground beneath then and things begin to get into a rythme. I actually feel not to bad and the pace isna half bad either considering I have just came of off a 25 mile cycle.
Heading back to the start I feel good, I know i might not be able to manage any furtehr than the two miles I have just done but have not done anything like that for a long time; 23 years; except for the odd 2 mile cycle to training etc; I think I done not to bad.
Not sure if i will make a habbit of a cycle & run on a Friday night however.
Tonights run was 2.01 miles
So the miles for the week so far are 21.66 miles ran
(25 miles cycle)
Total Moggie's Mony Money Miles Ran is 52.50 miles
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