Stories from
the road
(and beyond!)
A day of two rides
…there it sits, provocatively on its stand, just waiting for a turn of the key and an immediate trip into town. It doesn’t need lights finding, or a change of footwear, never mind clothes, to ride it - and it will carry several children and a load, at the drop of a hat. Of all the bikes available to me, it’s the most useful, the most practical.
In the hall, sits a very different machine…
Five reasons to ride your bikes even when it all goes a bit wrong
What is training for, if not a bit of conditioning?! A small dose of hail in the faces, endured by choice and survived, makes for better endurance next time it comes and can't be avoided. Use mitigations (being able to turn round and put the wind at your backs, and doing that before things get ugly) and rewards (hot chocolate and a warm bath at home afterwards) while you have them.
Shakedown
Baby sleeping bags are made of cheap material and don't compress anywhere near as well as adult bags. We have seen other people suggesting buying adult bags and re manufacturing them to baby size. With a bigger budget, I think we would start again and crack out the sewing machine.
Getting some more miles under our belt
Yesterday, we nipped out for a ride before the tail end of tropical storm Bertha hit. We set off down the cycle path along the disused railway line from Stanwick Lakes to Thrapston, turning off the path and taking to the road to ride through Denford and Ringstead.
What did we learn on our first cycle touring trip?
We packed up our tent, sleeping bags, mats and little cooker in our panniers and in the back of our bike trailer and set off yesterday afternoon, a little anxious about whether we were fit enough to pull off cycling with all our gear and the trailer.
We made it! That's the good news. The girls were comfy in the trailer…