The overlap between cycling and trainspotting became clear today – once tried, you can never get free. So yesterday, after several months of clean living, I went out on a pure pleasure trip – escapism – and ended up doing 105km. Yes, it can't be long till I'm willing to dive into the filthiest toilet in a 24-hour service station to rescue that dropped brevet card.
Although I hadn't done much more than 1km when I turned back. I realised I'd forgotten two things: my watch – not needed but I wanted to take advantage of the sunny day to charge it up (it's solar-powered); and a mask – I wasn't planning on entering any shops, as I had lunch and a thermos of tea in my saddlebag, but just in case. Suitably equipped, I set out again. Up through Tortworth – the Farmers Table still closed, or just not open Sundays or something – and some general meandering, exploring lanes I've ever never taken before – because they don't really lead anywhere useful – or rarely. One of these was so small it wasn't on my Garmin's map and I wasn't entirely sure whether it was a road or just a farm track. In fact it is a proper road, yellow on the OS map. This road brought me out by a railway bridge, where I turned round and re-rode the road, but as I did so, I saw three cyclists: one in a white shirt, and a tandem pair with the pilot in fluorescent yellow shirt. Nice to see a tandem but I thought no more of it.
Much meandering later, I was riding through Halmore on my way to Sharpness, having decided to try and follow the route of the old railway to the old bridge (which turns out to be impossible; it's now private farm land and all fenced off) when I saw Keith and Sue on their tandem. Guess what Keith was wearing?
Sharpness is fun anyway: ships and bits of old train, roads, dodgy railway crossings, flat bits and hilly bits, improbably juxtaposition of bridges, a canal, a wind turbine, and lots of easy grass riding. But it was time to head home – via a field to eat lunch.