Sandy's Blog

Slightly related to my last post, my computer has been broken so I have been unable to blog! I went to a LAN party at a friends house on Saturday, and basically my BSU burnt out. To cut a long story short I have purchased a much better, quieter one for £25.

So, what else has been going on? Well, my mother is just back from Thailand which sounded great, but the jet lag isn’t. I am not welcome to the concept of 5am housework anyway - which is why i’m writing this now!

Due to me getting accosted to this LAN party on Saturday, I didn’t go cycling. So when I woke up yesterday I had bags of energy. Really couldn’t face the mountain bike because its so trashed and broken (going to have to fix it for next weekends racing). I decided to go for a decent run on the road bike - with my new gafa’s! They are teh rave!

Went through Penicuik, out via Leadburn (Leadburn Inn is totally levelled due to a car crashing through the front - note that there is now nothing left) and went down the A701 past West Linton. I decided although it was bloody freezing, that I wanted to go on a decent ride so continued on towards Biggar. At some point (somewhere past Blyth Bridge) I take a wrong turn and add a few extra miles onto the trip, and connect up to the A702. Eventually I get to Biggar, and find the nearest tea room.

As soon as I enter the tea room, I realise just how cold I am. There are cold ‘burn’ marks on my face, I can’t feel my feet much, and my hands are purple (even with massive winter gloves on). 3.5 cups of tea, caramel slice, sandwich and a pee later, im ready to head back. Its now 4:20 in the afternoon and most definately getting dark, so I stick my lights on and go back the way I should have travelled down in the first place. Went through Skirling about a mile or two out of Biggar - nice place but not much to it. I decided to ‘rip it up’ from here as I was so cold, and got to the West Linton junction in 30-40 mins where I turned off onto the back road. Those 3.5 cups of tea needed output, but there was always a car going one way or another. When (I thought) it was all clear I took a whizz by a hedge - for a car to come round the corner - doh.

The last 10 miles or so was via Dunsyke Forest on the single track road between West Linton and Penicuik. This, from memory, is pretty shonky in places with huge potholes etc - and it was pitch black I couldn’t see anything. Going through Penicuik met the usual string of drivers try to run me over - I don’t understand when it gets dark, drivers just seem to get more agitated and take loads of risks. I was definately visable (tons of reflectives on my jacket, shorts and shoes, reflective strip on my bag and bike lights). Possibly frustrated because I was travelling at approximately the speed limit and they couldn’t pass?

Got home, totally freezing - hot shower, excellent. Check GPS, 47.5 miles. Not bad going. There is also the added bonus that my bike and clothes are pretty much clean, I don’t sweat much when its as cold as it was yesterday!