mcatrophy
Privileged to ride a 2018 FJR1300AS
Bored stupid with lockdown, tours in Spain and Scotland cancelled, barely ridden in weeks (2 miles each way to go to click-and-collect doesn't really count as riding).
We've had several weeks of gorgeous weather, in fact the driest month for many years, the warmest May on record. But yesterday the rain started again.
So, what do I decide to do? Yes, go for a ride in the rain. Well, I am really missing those Scottish roads, and the inevitable weather you get there. Perhaps it will remind me. And there's been enough rain to wash the dust and other detritus off the road surface that can be so slippery when the roads are first wet after a long dry spell.
So I get togged up - my better suit, it is drizzling, forecast is for showers, I want to be weatherproof. It's not overly warm (unlike the mid 20s [80s F] we were getting last week). Suit hasn't got linings in, can't be bothered with the hassle of putting them in. I put on a fleece and my heated jacket - not plugged in, it has very good insulation, well worth wearing when it's cold.
I choose to ride roads I know well. This means I can have a fairly relaxed ride, I know where the sharp corners are, where puddles sit, blind junctions from which someone night emerge.
I was also hoping, because of the weather, traffic would be very light.
So, off I go. Bike says the temperature is 11C [52F]. Cool, but my preparation is fine. Although the traffic is light, it certainly exists, and many people are being very tentative in their driving. Since many of the roads I am on don't permit overtaking, it can get a little annoying. But I am being good. Well, mostly, I may have accidentally crossed double white lines a couple of times, but never dangerously, they are drawn without regard to the performance of an FJR.
I did avoid one or two of my more interesting roads. I might try to be a little too enthusiastic for the conditions, and some of them pass through farmland where the rain would make the inevitable muck extremely slippery. I was after a relaxing ride, not an adrenalin rush. In any case, I don't want to end up in A & E in the current circumstances. I am more likely than average to suffer if I catch the dreaded Covid-19 (I'm 77, have a heart condition, and, to cap it all, I have blood group A which apparently also puts me at a greater risk). So I went through Matlock Bath, my normal route avoids it along some quite "interesting" roads. On a sunny Sunday, Matlock would have hundreds of bikes parked along the road, their owners eating fish and chips while they admire each others' shiny toys. Today? Not a single bike.
Views away from villages are fairly normal for around here, though there is more brown on the verges and hedgerows than is usual, due to the very dry weather we've had. They will recover quickly in a few wet days. Still very pleasant countryside.
The only real hazard I came across was when going through Chatsworth Park (the grounds of Chatsworth House, a mansion dating back to the 16th century). There were sheep grazing on the grass fields either side of the road, but there was one that decided it was thirsty, and was lapping water form a wet slick (not enough to be called a puddle) that was right on the centre line of the road. It was totally oblivious of cars and the one odd motorcycle going by, but I was extremely careful passing it (see comments about A & E above).
Not much else to say. It was a good run, temperature remained reasonable - never went below 9C [48F], rain came and went and came (forecasts always seem more accurate when they say rain). I did see a few bikes out, mostly off-roaders, and one pair looking like a trainer and student.
A little over 66 miles, TomTom obviously lies about my maximum speed. Always does.
The bad news: When I come to take my kit off, I find I have a damp backside. My "good" kit is no longer good. Oh, well, at least I didn't find this out on the first day of a rainy week in Scotland.
(Click on image for larger view)
Typical view
Tomtom stats:
The route (Click on image for interactive route)
Was this worth posting as a Ride Report? Normally no, but it's unlikely I will get a real ride until next year at the earliest, though there is still just a smidgen of hope for Scotland in September. And I am bored.
We've had several weeks of gorgeous weather, in fact the driest month for many years, the warmest May on record. But yesterday the rain started again.
So, what do I decide to do? Yes, go for a ride in the rain. Well, I am really missing those Scottish roads, and the inevitable weather you get there. Perhaps it will remind me. And there's been enough rain to wash the dust and other detritus off the road surface that can be so slippery when the roads are first wet after a long dry spell.
So I get togged up - my better suit, it is drizzling, forecast is for showers, I want to be weatherproof. It's not overly warm (unlike the mid 20s [80s F] we were getting last week). Suit hasn't got linings in, can't be bothered with the hassle of putting them in. I put on a fleece and my heated jacket - not plugged in, it has very good insulation, well worth wearing when it's cold.
I choose to ride roads I know well. This means I can have a fairly relaxed ride, I know where the sharp corners are, where puddles sit, blind junctions from which someone night emerge.
I was also hoping, because of the weather, traffic would be very light.
So, off I go. Bike says the temperature is 11C [52F]. Cool, but my preparation is fine. Although the traffic is light, it certainly exists, and many people are being very tentative in their driving. Since many of the roads I am on don't permit overtaking, it can get a little annoying. But I am being good. Well, mostly, I may have accidentally crossed double white lines a couple of times, but never dangerously, they are drawn without regard to the performance of an FJR.
I did avoid one or two of my more interesting roads. I might try to be a little too enthusiastic for the conditions, and some of them pass through farmland where the rain would make the inevitable muck extremely slippery. I was after a relaxing ride, not an adrenalin rush. In any case, I don't want to end up in A & E in the current circumstances. I am more likely than average to suffer if I catch the dreaded Covid-19 (I'm 77, have a heart condition, and, to cap it all, I have blood group A which apparently also puts me at a greater risk). So I went through Matlock Bath, my normal route avoids it along some quite "interesting" roads. On a sunny Sunday, Matlock would have hundreds of bikes parked along the road, their owners eating fish and chips while they admire each others' shiny toys. Today? Not a single bike.
Views away from villages are fairly normal for around here, though there is more brown on the verges and hedgerows than is usual, due to the very dry weather we've had. They will recover quickly in a few wet days. Still very pleasant countryside.
The only real hazard I came across was when going through Chatsworth Park (the grounds of Chatsworth House, a mansion dating back to the 16th century). There were sheep grazing on the grass fields either side of the road, but there was one that decided it was thirsty, and was lapping water form a wet slick (not enough to be called a puddle) that was right on the centre line of the road. It was totally oblivious of cars and the one odd motorcycle going by, but I was extremely careful passing it (see comments about A & E above).
Not much else to say. It was a good run, temperature remained reasonable - never went below 9C [48F], rain came and went and came (forecasts always seem more accurate when they say rain). I did see a few bikes out, mostly off-roaders, and one pair looking like a trainer and student.
A little over 66 miles, TomTom obviously lies about my maximum speed. Always does.
The bad news: When I come to take my kit off, I find I have a damp backside. My "good" kit is no longer good. Oh, well, at least I didn't find this out on the first day of a rainy week in Scotland.
(Click on image for larger view)
Typical view
Tomtom stats:
The route (Click on image for interactive route)
Was this worth posting as a Ride Report? Normally no, but it's unlikely I will get a real ride until next year at the earliest, though there is still just a smidgen of hope for Scotland in September. And I am bored.
