2023 first quarter retrospective

How often have I wondered where the time went, and now again at the start of May I am thinking how fast the year has gone. 

It started off badly, we lost Sandra's Dad mid January after a short illness. It was unexpected and devastating, and for a while it took over almost all our time. I did a lot of train chasing last year, cycling to reasonable spots where I could take videos of steam trains on the mainline, and I would always send the videos to my father-in-law, who loved trains and was a train spotter in his younger days. After the funeral I had a chance to get a video of a steam train passing by Sandbach, and whilst I walked to the canal and got a decent video, it wasn't the same with no-one to share it with. I will miss his presence on my rides this year, even though he was never with me on any of them - he will be there in spirit.

January was a sparse month for cycling for obvious reasons, and February started slowly. I'd planned a 60+ mile ride on the 11th, but didn't feel like I could complete it early on, so aborted the original route and carried on with a view to a much shorter ride. Not long after I'd made the decision though, I found I wasn't feeling too bad, and kept on plugging away until I got to the point where I realised I could manage 60+ miles. When I got home, I'd ridden just over 64 miles, and although I was understandably tired it was no worse than other rides I'd previously done. The rest of the month was made up of the usual set of rides of just over 30 miles.

March saw me covering the usual roads, with a couple of 50 mile rides thrown in. One of these took me to Kelsall (for a cuppa at Kelsall Cycles) after which I rode to Beeston, one of the more scenic destinations in my portfolio, stopping to take photos at Beeston Castle and the bridge over the Shropshire Union Canal Main Line. I bought a new front light at Kelsall Cycles, and was so impressed I went back the next day to get a front light, this time going north from Kelsall to Mouldsworth for another 50 mile ride.

April saw me resuming the train chasing rides, and the first of these was on the 5th. This was to get a video of the LNER A4 Pacific Sir Nigel Gresley - my father-in-law's favourite and hence a special moment for me. It was a bit of a grey day, and indeed after I'd got the video, on the way back it started raining and didn't stop until I got home. Fortunately I was prepared and was wearing my rain jacket, but it wouldn't be the last time that would happen this month! On the 10th I checked the weather forecast and saw that the morning was showing dry, with rain appearing around lunchtime. I set off for a two hour ride before nine o'clock, and after an hour the first of the sharp showers hit me! A couple more followed before the full on rain set in, and I arrived home looking and feeling like a drowned rat! Fortunately Sandra was waiting for me with towels and a cup of coffee! Another train chasing trip to Wrenbury took place on the 16th (with light showers on the way home), followed a couple of days later by a double! I'd planned my route meticulously, a ride to Dunham on the Hill, a stop for lunch in Beeston then a second video at Wrinehill, back by three! Unfortunately the first train was 45 minutes late, so I had to cancel my lunch stop and head straight to Wrinehill, all the time hoping I'd make it in time. Fortunately I had a couple of energy bars with me, and I made it with around ten minutes to spare. 

I'd noticed to my shame that I hadn't ridden my mountain bike for over six months, so on the 20th I took off to the Peak District for a very pleasant circuit covering the Tissington and High Peak trails and Carsington Water. Despite it being a very sunny day it was quite cold and a strong wind made for hard work in places, but as I loaded my bike into the car at the end I reflected on an immensely enjoyable day. 

On the 23rd I had entered an Audax ride organised by my old cycling club, the Weaver Valley. Audax are long distance rides, usually of 100 / 200 / 400 km, and they have time limits for completion rather than being races. This one was a 100k event (actually 108k), and I'd considered riding to the start and back home to turn it into a 100 mile ride, however looking at the forecast common sense prevailed and I drove the the event HQ. It was a good ride, and although the day was forecast to be showery I didn't get a spot of rain until a couple of miles from the end. It did turn heavy though, so although I didn't get too wet before the finish, it would have been a nightmare having to ride home. The month ended with another train chase, timed to perfection as I only had five minutes to wait, in a superb idyllic setting, and back home in time for lunch. 

I'm looking forward now to some warmer and sunnier weather for the next few months, as although I don't mind being out in the cold and wet, cycling is definitely better with a warm sun on your legs and arms!