and no weather in the title!

I've been less than productive during March, i'll admit it, i've been a bit distracted with other stuff and whilst i've made the first tentative efforts towards the next Gaby volume, i've not got far.

So the distractions? Well the biggest one has been my upcoming trip to Germany, a combined research and cycling trip. Over the last 25 years or so i've made a lot of trips into Europe both business and pleasure, often solo but with groups too, road trips, fly drive, coach, train, bike, fly - so i'm a quite experienced international traveller. Then along came Covid, two years of very restricted travel and it was only this last Christmas that i left the UK again.

To be honest, despite my experience, my confidence has taken a knock, i'm nervous and i've been fretting over the whole trip. I know everything is booked, by departure most things will be paid for but it feels very much like i'm starting my travelling from scratch. I'm sure everything will be fine, i'll have a great time and be wondering what all the fuss was about but as the days count down i'm getting even edgier!

The other big distraction has been riding and the impact the weather has been having. March, true to form, has been cool, damp and windy which has dampened my enthusiasm, particularly for those longer rides. There has also been a string of albeit minor, mechanicals, a broken chain, a series of punctures, which have knocked my confidence a bit. I did get in a 100+ mile ride mid month on a rare good day and a bunch of 60 milers mean i'm in good condition for Germany but its been a distraction, having to swap ride days to avoid the worst of the weather and even then i've had more wet rides than i'd like.

On the plus side, my Charity effort for PROPS was succesful raising £101 with a further £20 Gift Aid, a big thank you to everyone who donated in these hardened times.

So what now? Well its just three weeks before i go to Germany, i'll do my best to rouse my muse and get something out for you to read, thank you all for your continued support, i really couldn't do any of this without you.

But what have i been up to since midweek i don't hear you ask? Well the forecasters promised a mostly dry day dor Thursday so i set off full of hope but with an inside lunch venue in mind - well i don't take the forecasting as absolute! So i set off for a sort of mid Wiltshire loop and had barely left Bristol before the first wet, not much but enough to be glad of the rain coat. It was showers tho', nothing more than a few minutes and i was merely damp when i arrived at the cafe.

I wasn't too enthused about stretching the ride, instead taking the road to Bradford, (on Avon that is, not GOC) i'd not got far beyond the town before deciding that the soft front tyre needed some attention. At least it was dry for the tube swap then it was back via Bath and the familiar bike path to record a little over 100km. And that front tyre seemed a little soft again.

Friday started damp but i decided to chance a walk up to Kingswood. It wasn't 100% dry but nor was it too wet. Saturday's forecast was pretty much a repeat so i decided to move the ride to today, instead the first day of April saw me doing a longer than usual walk, only 6 miles but its enough.

And so to today. With some uncertainty about Foxy's front tube still i thought it might be an idea to 'run in' and road test the new controls i fitted to Aunty Bev's road bike that i occasionally borrow. So off i set with no specific route in mind and despite a dry forecast, it was a fine mizzle as i set off towards the Cotswolds. It soon dried up but i was having to adapt to a big wheeler again after an extended period of Foxy riding, the riding position is similar but the handling is completely different.

I hit the first flood in Badminton village, a veritable river flowing down the road for 2-300m as it drained from the sodden land above, at times over 6" deep which may not seem much but is enough to put your feet in the water when pedalling. Over the next few miles there were another four or five of varying length and depth which may have swayed my route to something a bit shorter than i anticipated. I suppose 70km is still a reasonable ride, i'll save a bigger effort for a day with a better forecast.

The next, albeit short, Gaby chapter is now up, read Student Union now!

Well i guess after that diatribe its time to stop, i'll ne back on Wednesday,
Tschuss,
Madeline Anafrid