Sunday Ride 5th Februry

[ValleyMan]

Weather looks marginally better than last week. Meet at 0900 at Bloomfield and plan a route appropriate to the conditions!

[ValleyMan]

Yet another debacle of a Sunday ride, mainly of my doing….

We met as usual at (just after) 0900. Joining club stalwarts Andrew R, Mark, Celia, Dave ‘sweaty’ Edwards, Richard (of flapjack fame), Kim and myself was Andrew soon to be a resident of Clunderwyn.

Andrew R had originally been on a tight leash as he was bound for Dubai, however, the snow had put paid to his plans. Consensus was reached around a trip to the seaside with a couple of hills thrown in for good measure and off we set.

Just past Ludchuch the more observant members of the lead group noticed that we were alone. Doubling back we found the source of the problem; a dodgy from wheel bearing on Kim’s bike. This seemed an ideal opportunity for refreshments and out came the flapjacks from Richard, Andrew R, Celia and Kim. It was like an episode of Masterchef.

Andrew R had now been summoned home to iron his budgie smugglers and finish waxing his bikini line as Janice had managed to book them onto a Virgin Flight. So he and Dave agreed to make sure Kim got home safely and the remaining five of us continued with me leading the way….

First up it was down to Wisemans Bridge, er no, everyone followed me down the hill to Amroth. Realising my mistake I was starting a u-turn when Mark suggested we took the cliff top footpath. This more than adequately mitigated my cockup as we were treated to spectacular coastal views.

Back on piste, we scaled St Brides Hill and at New Hedges headed for Devonshire Drive at which point Mark bade us farewell. We then headed for the Ridgeway via St Florence and the upper slopes of Coal Lane. Celia need to get home and after a bit of discussion (and more flapjack) we decided to stick together and drop back down to Milton and loop back to Narberth via West Williamson, Cresswell Quay and Crosshands.

I led the way again secure in my knowledge of the local roads and ended up in Lamphey. At the junction with the main Tenby – Pembroke road it was helpfully pointed out that I had missed the turning to Milton. There was no real option but to retrace our steps back up onto the Ridgeway. Still the sun was shining! There was also the small matter of being accused of stalking a group of young ladies but that is another story.

Celia sensibly took the lead from this point on. As we headed down to the Quay I was just explaining to Andrew that the In-Laws of one of our number ran the pub then guess who we bumped into walking along the road. Matt was suffering from a minor bout of man flu, however, he still had the strength to enquire as to our route and suggest an alterative as being ‘better’. I am never sure of Matt’s terms of reference as his idea of ‘better’ often seems to involve more and steeper hills.

We therefore stuck to the ‘planned’ route and Richard left us just before Crosshands. Celia and I then left Andrew at the foot of Narberth Hill to find his own way home. However, given the way he was effortlessly cruising up the hills all morning, I don’t think was too much of a hardship for him. This seems to be developing as some sort of initiation for new riders.

No point in putting the 40 mile route up as I am sure it will not be one we will want to repeat! It and it looks a bit confusing with all the doubling back 😳

Moral of the story is don’t trust me to plan a route, let alone lead it.

PS We might have been having a few ‘issues’ with our Sunday Rides recently, however, just see what the Aces have been up to!

http://www.tenby-aces.co.uk/tacc/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=7&id=196&Itemid=118#203

[Sweaty Eds]

Well, I’ve got to say, from a Flat Earthers perspective the ride was a roaring success.

For the last couple of weeks I’ve been busy in my shed designing a device to warn of approaching hills, the Dynamo Altometer Vertical Elevation Escaper or DAVE E for short. I had linked it to a GPS and an old air raid siren that sounded whenever the rider approached a gradient steeper than 1 in 10. I had tried it on the turbo trainer a couple of times and it seemed to work, but I needed a volunteer to trial the prototype on a typical club run, Kim agreed to be the test pilot.

The run through Princes Gate was uneventful, with the DAVE E remaining quiet and calm, but the ride from Ludchurch towards Colby and Amroth and the subsequent threat of out of the saddle climbing kicked the Dynamo Altometer Vertical Elevation Escaper into life. It started as a barely audible whine but increased in volume and pitch in line with the closing proximity of the hills. By the time the siren tester and I were forced to stop, my ears were ringing. It must’ve temporarily deafened the riders in the lead group as well because none of them heard our shouts to wait. An unexpected side effect was the immobilising of Kim’s front wheel. Luckily this proved to be only temporary and soon rectified itself when we were safely headed in the opposite direction towards the billiard table flat haven of the Cold Blow levels.

This was my second prototype. The first, the Magnetic Altitude Transmitting Gyrospectrometer seemed to do the opposite of my intentions and actually seek the hills out…..

[ValleyMan]

Dear Sweaty

I feel compelled by your post to share my own trials and tribulations in attempting to deploy new technology in our beloved sport.

It will be clear to you that my own Variable Altitude (Latitude / Longitude) Enhanced Yaw Multiplexing Android Nanotechnology system failed me miserably at the weekend and it will be going back to Wiggle with a stern note demanding a refund.

In future I will be relying on a recent upgrade, the Variable Altitude (Latitude / Longitude) Enhanced Yaw Gigabit Interference Radar Locating system to find my way home.

I would be interested to hear of any other technologies that you currently have under development.

[Author]

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