4 Aug 2017

Friday 4th 2017 Just when you thought you were safe..


Friday 4th 62-68F, 17C, heavy overcast, windy with showers or rain forecast, just as yesterday. And it was.

I saw a bright idea by an engineering student to save weight on washing machines during delivery. They might soon have refillable water tanks instead of the usual concrete blocks to stop vibration on the spin cycle.

Look at the [Trykit] rack on that! In retrospect I should have asked for a deeper shelf for the bigger bags I now use.

I understand the bike lock manufacturers are very unhappy about this amazing breakthrough and their shares have already crashed. Because their lucrative sale of reinforced concrete [b]locks to idiot, wealthy cyclists might suddenly end. Is there any other sport where the weight of the reinforced ballast increases as the machine gets lighter and therefore, far more expensive? Welcome to the wacky world of cycling!

All we need now is a means of filling a large water tank outside our usual stopping places. Well, it can't be any worse than carrying an Asbo U-lock, can it? They might have to change the law about urinating in a public place, though. So everyone and anyone can contribute to the cycle, Gold Standard, security tank. With the total lack of public toilets, and an aging population, this idea might actually catch on. Bulky Carbon Fiber bikes would be the obvious first models to fit with <cough> filling cocks and <cough> drain cocks. They could just leave the bladder in there during manufacture. I just need to think of a catchy name. Damn! 'Portapotty' is already taken. But remember, you patent trolls, you heard it here first. 😉

Spent the day getting very lost in Odense [in the car!] after they closed the center roads [permanently] to build more houses and office blocks. No ride today, The Sun has gone away, tr-la!

I have gone overboard and ordered a big, bright yellow, Overboard, waterproof, 40L Classic duffel bag online. Ortlieb do a similar coloured bag but use a top zip. Denmark will freeze over before I trust another zip. After watching Overboard videos it seem the bag has a tall, folding/rolling trunk. A bit like the Carradice Longflap[s] but made of much better material. Weight is under 1kg or <2lbs.

Here's another, quite unnecessary picture of my all stainless steel,  shopping tricycle without so much as a [gas] bag on board. Pretty, isn't it?

You'll be the first to know when it arrives and is safely lashed to the Trykit rack. Very dark glasses may not be optional! I just hope the glare doesn't blind overtaking cars! How do you write two whole page of text about a yellow shopping bag? Dunno, but it makes a change from writing about traffic. Rest easy, there will be much, much more on this subject. Don't say you haven't been warned! 😎 Now I'm off to whittle a plywood base board for my new bag. While there's plenty of room for two bulging bellies, for and aft, on a trike, one does try to maintain standards.

Saturday 5th 59-66F, 15C, breezy, bright sunshine with all day showers forecast. I missed the showers yesterday but the roads were well puddled from previous downpours. Mustn't complain though. Dump is taking a holiday from the high temperatures in Washington but leaving the Paris Climate Agreement on the pavement. As President he has forgiven himself for Dumping in a public place. [The Earth.]

I must try to get out on the trike to keep my legs in good shape. I haven't noticed any untoward tiredness while riding but have certainly slowed while climbing. Getting out of the saddle has become much more the norm.  I've said it before but when I started climbing and sprinting, while standing up, I could barely manage 10 yards before it became too painful. Which is odd because I was still doing high mileages.

Now I sometimes climb 2-300 yard hills entirely out of the saddle. What I don't much like is the relatively upright position when I'm climbing. It just feels a bit like a child standing up on their first bike. So I grab the hoods and lean well forwards over the front wheel.

Finding the correct gear is critical to climbing like this. There must be a degree of resistance, whatever the pedal revs, or it all feels rather pointless. It becomes more like a knees-up on the spot rather than moving forwards.

Enjoyed a walk along the marsh to capture a few images of all the ducks. It has been an incredibly productive year for them with only about a half of them visible in this image . A pair of Moorhens were sitting and preening over on the left on the dead willows. Coots are very common on rural ponds but the Moorhens only rarely seen over here. The Heron took off for a sulking tour along with a pair of Cormorants.

Saturday ride to the more distant shops. A bit windy but mostly a crosswind. A bull passed me on a TT/triathlon bike. He was twice as wide as I am all over and the roar of his tires made me think I was being overtaken by a 4WD with off-road tires. Steady progress towards readiness of the new, roadside, cycle path. Though it doesn't look as if it will be raised on a kerb to protect the cyclists from the an-alphabet drivers. An-alphabet is Danish for not being able to read the speed signs and is remarkably common. Just as I was leaving the last shop it started raining and was soon heavy. I kept poking my nose out from the overhang on the supermarket roof but it was determined to keep going. As soon as I set off there was a gusty cloudburst so I had to retreat back to my inadequate shelter.  A couple of miles, later on, the roads were bone dry. 15 miles.

Sunday 6th 55F, 13C, very light breeze, bright start but becoming cloudy with showers possible. Too busy for a ride. Or even a proper walk.


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