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….has a puncture!!

Not often get to sort a puncture out in an old station

The son and I went for a little ride (I was exploring) in West Moors plantation (I am still trying to find a route through the plantation to the A31 so I don’t have to ride around West Moors residential area to get back to Hurn Forest on my long Throop loop ride).

As the son likes steam trains I took him up a section of the Castleman Trail that runs along side part of the plantation. He has ridden a couple of section of the old railway line trail but not this section which goes up to the old Ashley Heath Railway Station. About 40ft short of the old platform I felt those tale tale feeling of a flat tyre, quickly followed by the sounds of a completely flat tyre from the front wheel. I pushed the bike into the station.

Once I had removed the tube from the wheel I found that the valve had been pulled out of the tube (well partially) and as this was a Dr Sludge inner tube there was a lot of beige coloured latex bubbling fourth from the base of the valve. I can honestly say that I am not that impressed with these Dr Sludge inner tubes as they have caused nothing but problems since I got them and this was one of the two replacements I had for the first two……….

Once a new tube was fitted (I carried a spare) we were off, back the way we came. We turned back in the West Moors Plantation. What started out as looking for narrow single line trails turned into a hunt for muddy pools. Being an 11 year old boy he still has that “lets get dirty streak him in”. Suitably muddy we returned to our start point, a whole 6.7 miles covered.

Been one of those weeks, up and downs as per my roller coaster comment of yesterday. So much so that I have not ridden all week till this morning and the reason, well lets say I need to pull my finger out and get sorted. I am letting thing get to me and when they do I just say hell to it and don’t bother doing anything.

I was not intending to ride today, I was expecting to wake to gales force winds and rain, which is one of the reasons I decided not to ride the Dorset Dirt (a 30 mile loop around Dorchester). When I got up it was wet (but not raining), windy and sunshine. By the time South Africa had beaten Wales in Wellington, New Zealand there still was no sign of rain so I headed out to Hurn Forest with the my son for a ride. The son wanted to ride as he wanted to try his new cycle helmet out, yes we found one that fits, a Bell XLV Fusion Sport, which comes in UXL size (Universal Extra Large, that what is says on the box), 58 to 65cm. When we fitted it on him it is not at its maximum size so there is still a little room for growth. Don’t know what we will do if he grows out of this one as it is about the largest you can get at the moment.

It was only his second real ride on the bike and he found it hard going in the heavy wet ground by the time we were 3/4 round the route he was struggling with anything other than a flat gravel path. But fairs fair, he attempted every muddy section and cleared most of them.

Here is a couple of pictures from his first ride last weekend, (I forgot we had taken the pictures).

New Bike complete with reflectors and badly fitting old cycle helmet

Showing dad the way

Got up early ready for my ride this morning, pulled back the blind and it was raining, should of really gone back to bed but decided that as I was up I might as well stay up. I checked the rain outside the back door and decide that it was to heavy to ride, I don’t mind riding in the rain if it starts when I am riding but I hate starting a ride in the rain.

Instead I sat drinking tea and getting my Google Calendar embedded and working in Mozilla Thunderbird e-mail client (if you want to know how let me know and I will tell you). By 9 o’clock it was starting to ease off and as predicted by 10 o’clock it had stopped, it looked like it might start again but I got ready for my ride.

When I left it was cold enough to wear my jumper, I managed to keep the jumper on until I got into Ramsdown Woods. Everything looked like a winter ride with puddles and mud everywhere. I tried some new paths when I got into Hurn forest, some better than other. Because of the late start, still impeding rain and thing that needed doing at home I opted not to head out towards the Castleman trail, just carried on with my normal Throop Loop.

Coming back across the fields from Merritown to the weir at Throop I past the spot where the Red Arrow Crashed a couple of weeks ago. The area was decorated with red, white and blue bunting and balloons and several bunches of flowers, I thought about taking a picture but that felt a bit morbid.

I am glad to report that the creaking that has been plaguing the Cannondale for the past couple of months has been cured with the fitting of a new Hope BB. I opted for a Hope BB as you can get replacement bearing (unlike Shimano’s) and they have a very good reputation. Next on the shopping list is a new Headset which should be fitted in the next couple of weeks. Unfortunately with all the running about yesterday I forgot to pick up some degreaser and I used the last of mine yesterday so the bike is looking a bit grubby at the moment.

Finally I am a bit concerned about the weather on Wednesday night, think that maybe the end of the world is nigh!

Bit windy Wednesday night

I heard the clock radio kick in this morning, then an hour later I heard it switch off, I really wanted to turn over and go back to sleep but knew I really had to get my arse out of bed and go for a bike ride.

With breakfast consumed I ventured outside, it was cool enough this morning to wear my cycling jumper. It did not take long to wonder where my cycling legs had gone as they were not with me as I headed for the Stour river path.

I had decided to try my long Throop loop which takes in Moors Valley and then try and find a better route back to the A31 crossing. Well most of the Throop area was much like I found the local heath yesterday, muddy like a winter ride. Every hill I came became a battle of mind over legs and with my legs complaining at every incline. By the time I had finished the “Through the Forest” trail at Moors Valley, my legs were not the only body part shouting at me, my butt was making it’s self known, it really was becoming a pain in the butt.

Things did not improve down the Castleman Trail, I was looking at cutting through some woodland\heathland but every access point had a large no cycling sign on it. In the end it became a futile exercise and I ended riding towards the A31 via road and coming out about a half of mile past the crossing which was not much better than my previous attempt.

I headed back into Hurn Forest and then onto Parley Common, by now my legs were refusing to co-operate and the pain in the butt was getting worse, I was now taking to standing on the pedals to give my butt a rest. By the time I had reached the Parley road I decide to head for home rather than going back around Throop, my body had had enough and I was now listening to it. I don’t even know how long the ride was as I forgot to record my route when I got in, the GPS battery went flat and I lost the route. I think the ride was about 32 miles.

Thing continued downwards while I was cleaning the bike, having only just got the Whyte back running having had the rear wheel re-nippled, I noticed a lot of oil around the rear shock shaft, I think it is time for a shock service. Guess where my tax rebate will be going

Supposed to be going on a family ride tomorrow in the New forest but both the wife and son are not feeling great at the moment so plans may be changing.

Where I ride at Throop is where the Red Arrow plane of Flt Lt Jon Egging crashed last weekend. Living close to Hurn airport we are fortunate enough to see them flying overhead as they fly in and out of the airport several times a year, always putting on a mini display as they do so. The wife and son actually watched them fly into Hurn airport on that fateful Saturday afternoon unaware that one of the planes had crashed. Yesterday morning we watched them fly out of Hurn airport in three separate group, probably for the last time this year. I don’t have any 2011 pictures of the Red Arrows so here a couple the wife took at Swanage in 2010

Red Arrows Swanage 2010

Red Arrows Swanage 2010

Working from home today (seems like I have spent most of my time on the road this week), decided to make a cup of tea and as I went into the kitchen I looked out the window and guess what I saw laying on the grass??

Hardly sunbathing weather

So I grabbed my phone (well what would use your phone for??) gently opened the back door and just stuck my arm out the door and grabbed a couple of snaps before he (might have been a she) decided I had disturbed their rest and trotted off to find a quieter (and probably drier) spot. It is not the first time we have seen foxes in the garden, we have had mum and two pups in the garden before, but it was one of the few times I have managed to get a picture.

Bank holiday weekend and it is raining, no it is going to be sunny, no it is going to be windy, er, it really depends on what weather forecast web site you look at and believe. To be honest the only thing you can say about tomorrows weather is there will be some, what type? well look out the window at 9am and find out.

Hopefully going out for a ride tomorrow morning, not sure where but I think it might be a tad muddy with all the rain we have had these past few days