bicycles | Entries tagged with rides

For long and involved reasons my bike and I are both in Winchester. More specifically, a village just outside Winchester. I was meant to be meeting a friend for lunch in town today, so rather than taking the bus I thought I'd cycle in. Happily, today has been sunny and warm - warm enough to be cycling in a tshirt. I cycled along the road then St Swithun's Way on my way in, then along St. Swithun's Way and Nun's Walk on my way back - they're old routes used by pilgrims on their way from Winchester to Canterbury, and mainly following the River Itchen.

But yes, sun! trees! crystal clear chalk river! swan sleeping with its head tucked under its wing and gently drifting in said river! mallards involved in a very dubious mating ritual! mud! Good times indeed.

Only about a 6 mile round trip, but I could have cycled for longer. Am thinking about following the Itchen to its source in the summer.

Wheeeeee!

I've been wanting to bike for about the last two weeks, but for the first week I never got my act together and for the next week it was rainy. Today it was sunny, I had a free afternoon, and I had a nearby errand to run. So I pumped up my hybrid's tires a little bit using my old squeaky & inefficient footpump, biked to one of my LBSs where I used one of their pumps to air up my tires the rest of the way (and bought a stand pump I've been eyeing, because I discovered it cost a lot less than I thought it did), and then continued on to my local yarn shop to pick up the umbrella I'd left there on Thursday. It's wonderful weather out--it's been in the 40s F lately, which would be warm enough for a ride, but today it jumped up to 62°! And I was happy to be on my bike.

I reaccustomed myself to my bike seat faster than I expected. Now all that remains is to build my leg strength back up--today's ride was only about 3 miles and I could definitely tell I haven't been riding for a while!

Cross-posted (but modified) from my own journal.