The sixth edition of our club secretary's blog
Eight weeks to go til lift off at Brisbane Road and progress continues a pace (I use the word loosely of course).
I found these thoughts recently: “Riding a bike is a proven stress reliever. Regardless of if you are riding purely for pleasure or for a specific purpose, you will arrive at your destination feeling relaxed, energised and happier about the world and yourself. Plus being out on your bike is just flat out fun. The more time you spend on two wheels, the harder it is to take yourself too seriously."
Now the last sentence is the one that matters because I can testify that one does not always arrive at the destination relaxed and energised - sometime far from it. At that point all you have to remember is that the cause is what matters!
Speaking of which, a thousand thanks are due to all the Rovers supporters who last Saturday at the Torquay game threw loads into the collection buckets and helped £1100 on the day, meaning that we are moving nicely up towards the 3K mark, which if achieved will be magnificent. A heartfelt thank you from Prostate Cancer UK.
All of which brings me back to trying to focus on the positives of all this saddle sore stuff, like for instance on the training trip out to Bath last night along the cycle path- what a great community resource that is by the way.
Apart from the lovely evening, sun dappled trees, and warm air wafting it was really great to see so many people either maintaining – getting – or just being fit.
I say this because it is inspirational to see and when the going gets tough there is usually someone around that makes you realise anything is achievable with that certain mind set. I can certainly recommend a walk / jog / run / ride/ picnic along the Bath to Bristol Cycle path.
It of course can also be sociable. On a recent trip along said path I was joined by the whole family; wife, sons and grandson all flying along at various paces and eventually arriving through and beyond the recently opened Two Tunnels out near Midford.
I believe originally a Brunel structure now newly re-furbished and another great feature. The second tunnel of which I have to say is very long, very dark and somewhat reminiscent of ‘Feature Rides’ at the Harry Potter experience in Orlando Florida......well worth a visit….both Harry Potter and the Tunnel !!!....( now that could be another novel title !!!! )….I wonder whether J K Rowling reads this blog ???
Anyway I digress.
Actually a funny thing happened last weekend whilst out riding with my wife Hazel on same cycle path. Naturally I assumed the front position at the top of the pelaton to keep a pace she could handle in addition to doing the gentlemanly thing and screen her from the headwind.
When at the far end of a particularly long straight stretch a passer by flagged me down and asked if I realised that my wife had stopped some way back. My response was to say “Thank Goodness I thought I’d gone deaf” (I don’t believe she reads this blog ).
And so I leave you with another of life’s lessons learnt whilst cruising the highways of the world. On the ride back from Castle Coombe recently and whilst speeding down a narrow, twisting lane somewhere close to Tog Hill along came a man who was driving very slowly uphill towards me, honking his horn and shouting at me.
PIG! PIG! he yelled PIG! PIG! Naturally I’d been warned about these car drivers so I flipped him the finger and shouted back a few things in defence of cyclists everywhere (but which I can’t repeat here before 9pm).
Still thinking about this awful man and his shouting I turned the bend at the bottom of the hill and promptly collided with a pig!!!!
Life it seems is always there for the learning, and of course ‘Giving’…so please continue if you can: www.justgiving.com/rodwesson
Many thanks,
Rod