I cl0sed the week with 200 miles on the clock yesterday, all on the commute, 5 days out of 7, I’m hoping to keep that weekly statistic going from now on. Till now I’ve been averaging between 150-170, that’s my rough guesstimate, my bicycle computer packed up again a couple of weeks ago, the wireless link isn’t working?

I was home early yesterday, after a 6 hour support shift. On the ride home I met Neil, the long distance cyclist, I wrote about in my “Just another long distance cyclist” post some weeks back. Usually we just wave as we pass eachother going opposite ways on the B4242, but yesterday we stopped and chatted for a few minutes. It was good to have a chinwag with a fellow cyclist, though it was mainly about the maniacal driving along our stretch of road. About the deaths of 4 young men within the last 2 years on that road, it shouldn’t be dangerous, only when going at excessive speed, which they all seem heel bent on doing.

So it continued to prove to be after I left Neil, lads in cars seemed to be going as fast as they could in both directions. I wouldn’t normally see so many, but it appears these racers were there for the rock festival being held at Rheola. One lad passed me three times in each direction as I passed by the site? Neil had told me that there were a number of police cars keeping an eye on things up and down the road, but I didn’t see one, as cars and motorcycles raced by. The latter did make sure they were well clear of me, however.

I made it safely home, to find my youngest son having a few lagers with some of his mates in the back garden.

One of them had arrived on his new Boardman mountain bike, 27 gears like my GT, but as light as a feather, with big fat tyres. It cost him £650…ugh!  A very nice looking bike though. I chatted for a while about bikes and riding, but I’m sure they thought I was a boring old fart, comes with the territory of being someone’s dad, I suppose. I wish I could get my lads cycling, because it would do them all good.