What a very mixed day!
I finished the last of my night shifts this morning, rode home on a lovely spring day and grabbed afew hours sleep. Up at half twelve, and off to Crawley on a contrived error to get a run out, the excuse being to get some mapsof the Loughborough/EMA area.
Back past the Beehive, where the council have put up several signs telling cyclists that cycling on the footpath is completely banned. It is also impossible, as all the footpaths are so full of cars that pedestrians cannotpass. No camera with me, but I shall return on another day....
Then onto the "muddy path" Sustrans route out of Gatwick, which is no longer muddy. That is because it is now fine gravel.....and on to a major supermarket, for a bottle of wine and a film for tonight. Up to the cycle rack, and lock mine upnext to a rather spiffy S-Works with all sorts of goodies, single-sided fork, Twin Headlights of Death, etc. I nattered with a rather nice African chap about the bike; it later turned out he knew the owner.
As soon as the nice chap departed, a nice Irish chap came across from his tarmaccing wagon and started trying to pull off the lights. We talked.....
"What are you doing?"
"I'm nicking it"
"No you're not!"
"Oh, I didn't know it was yours"
His three friends then turned up, wanting a "pleasant chat" to pretend that they were not thieving bastards, and eventually they drove off. I took plate details, and contacted security.
The owner was waiting for me when I returned to my bike, with the babylon on his phone. A nice three-way chat ensued, and it turned out that the estimated value of the bike is around five grand. Owner was a very nice guy, lives just around the corner from me, and we had one of those cyclists' natters that makes the world seem warmer. Followed by a pleasantly swift run back home.
He may turn up on an FNRttC, or even here, so make him welcome!
