Today I rode a bike further than I have since July last year, when on the last day of my holiday I rode 700km+ from Colmar in East France, all the way home to North London. Now today I didn't really get near that sort of distance, but it was still around 225 miles and that, dear readers, is now my daily commute.
At the end of last year, I was commuting the 8 or so miles from North into Central London, taking around 35 minutes. Between January this year and the end of July, I was riding the bike around 16 miles to work in around 30 minutes to one of the most Southern parts of Dorset. Now, I have the chance to ride 112 miles one way in two and half hours to my new job in Surrey.
Now here's the but....there is no way I'm going to ride that distance to work on a regular basis. My plan is to drive a few days and maybe take the bike once a week, assuming I don't have to go anywhere else. The last thing I want to happen is my riding becomes a drag and something that I don't look forward to.
Anyway, back to the ride. The ride to work was great with dry roads, and little traffic on the A272, which is always good to ride. The way back however, was eventful to say the least.
Rain had started to fall lightly in patches along the route and by the time I was approaching Loomies in Hampshire on the A272 / A32, the roads were wet and greasy. The bike was behaving itself and I was getting enough grip from the tyres, but when I was joining the M3 motorway I nearly highsided the bike. It was probably a combination of the wet greasy roads, a brand new tyre, not enough weight over the rear and more importantly, too much power for the conditions. I was eager to get some speed up in order to join the motorway safety and the back stepped out, popping me out of the chair in the process. Thankfully, through sheer dumb luck and stupidity I managed to stay upright. Then, about 20mins later, less than 5 miles from home, a pigeon flies out of a hedge and bounces off my front fairing and helmet. Im just glad that now all rides are like this.
At the end of last year, I was commuting the 8 or so miles from North into Central London, taking around 35 minutes. Between January this year and the end of July, I was riding the bike around 16 miles to work in around 30 minutes to one of the most Southern parts of Dorset. Now, I have the chance to ride 112 miles one way in two and half hours to my new job in Surrey.
Now here's the but....there is no way I'm going to ride that distance to work on a regular basis. My plan is to drive a few days and maybe take the bike once a week, assuming I don't have to go anywhere else. The last thing I want to happen is my riding becomes a drag and something that I don't look forward to.
Anyway, back to the ride. The ride to work was great with dry roads, and little traffic on the A272, which is always good to ride. The way back however, was eventful to say the least.
Rain had started to fall lightly in patches along the route and by the time I was approaching Loomies in Hampshire on the A272 / A32, the roads were wet and greasy. The bike was behaving itself and I was getting enough grip from the tyres, but when I was joining the M3 motorway I nearly highsided the bike. It was probably a combination of the wet greasy roads, a brand new tyre, not enough weight over the rear and more importantly, too much power for the conditions. I was eager to get some speed up in order to join the motorway safety and the back stepped out, popping me out of the chair in the process. Thankfully, through sheer dumb luck and stupidity I managed to stay upright. Then, about 20mins later, less than 5 miles from home, a pigeon flies out of a hedge and bounces off my front fairing and helmet. Im just glad that now all rides are like this.
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