A December day that felt more like an indicator of Spring. I didn't get up in time (of course) to see the rain that Kelvin said was coming down this morning, which is probably a good thing as it would have reduced my desire to ride.
Today was almost an 'accidental epic'. We got to a point on the ride where we decided to scope out a new trail and headed off to where the map told us to turn left. The left we took found us in someone's farmyard, where we were told that there was no bridleway, and that we needed to go such and such but 'You won't get bike's there!'. Pah! Not the time to explain to her that we are rulers of the Cheek, and if anyone knows how to navigate in places where bikes normally don't go, it's our lot. Off we went in search of the right trail. Since it was a bridleway we were after, we followed the horse tracks (poop).
Several water crossings later, we found the track we were looking for. It probably took an hour from that farmyard to the right path, and as the crowflies it was all of a half a mile. Oh well, a half-decent day on the bike is still better than the best day working.
I still can't navigate the silly steep cobblestone trails though. I tried the other day and had to bail on a grassy slope because I'd locked up the brakes completely and was still accelerating downhill. I think that this type of trail is the last major hurdle of UK riding that I have to overcome. It's also the type that scares me the most.
--Subject change--
I think there should be a new chapter in psychology books about the 'internet persona'. Are people who act like assholes on a public forum, but are otherwise somewhat nice, really showing their true colors on the internet? Or are they just taking advantage of the machismo that you can adopt when hiding behind a computer screen? I'm sick of reading things that people post on forums that are purely incendiary, nasty, or rife with malicious intent only to hear from somene who knows them things like 'oh that's just him/her, if you ever met him/her in real life you'd see that they really are nice'.
Bite me, is what I have to say to that.
Everyone pretends to be something they aren't at some point or another, but this kind of behavior takes multiple personality to a new level. Frankly, I don't care to meet anyone who acts one way on a forum, but an entirely different way in person.
My only solace is knowing that there are guys out there who think they are talking to some buxom babe on a 'Do me now, I'm waiting for you' forum or chat room when in reality the other end of the cyber network is some guy who looks more like Fat Bastard.
Just freakin' be nice, people!
3 comments:
And it wasn't even a bad ride, really. Just some extra traversing that we didn't plan.
I'm sick of reading things that people post on forums that are purely incendiary, nasty, or rife with malicious intentDon't read them then... :-)
In the same way as people feel they can say stuff on a forum because 'it's not real' - it should mean that you should find it easier to ignore...
"the last major hurdle of UK riding that I have to overcome"
Well before moving to the area I refused to ride down even the little cobbled bit from Brink's Top pub to the road. At some point I must have got a handle on the "riding without any chance of stopping" style required to go down those things. Try and stop and you speed up! Anyway you haven't hit the last major UK hurdle 'till you've ridden clay based trails after a rainy spell, preferably with vee brakes and old tyres that should have been replaced when they went bald.
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