track | BrownhillsBob's #365daysofbiking

Posts tagged ‘track’

#365daysofbiking Under the cloak of darkness

Tuesday, October 27th 2020 – Another cycleway, beautiful in the autumn night, but very treacherous as I found out, very nearly taking a spill on a corner.

This is the shortcut between the A51 near Beacon Park and Leomansley, a great way of cutting off the Friary island that pops you out further up the Walsall Road, giving a great route through the park when coming back from Lichfield.

The leaf mulch here was very wet and slippery, and despite taking care, my summer tyres still failed to grip as I skirted the anti-vehicle barrier.

Thankfully I held it and no harm done, but a timely reminder that there’s danger in the darkness.

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#365daysofbiking Autumn trails

November 1st – I was working from home and had to pop to Chasetown. On my return I came back across Anglesey Wharf Heath from Paviours Road to the M6 Toll canal bridge.

Although the day was murky and damp, the scenery along the way was beautifully coloured in all the shades of autumn.

I’m. not happy summer ended but I might as well enjoy autumn while it lasts I guess…

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#365daysofbiking Going green

March 26th – Telford, early morning on a chilly but beautiful day.

The cycleway to the Priorslee Bridge from the station is really greening up now with this season’s new leaf growth.

In no time at all, this will be a green tunnel again, like it is every year – a real joy to the heart to ride along, alive with birds, squirrels and wildflowers.

Real beauty exists in even the most improbably urban situations.

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#365daysofbiking All misty wet with rain:

September 4th – A very wet commuteto work along the Goscote Cylceway on NCN 5 was actually far better than I would have expected, as the rain on on the hedgerows and berries lit them up and made them precious.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a hawthorn harvest this heavy – from a distance the hedgerows and trees appear red.

Not a bad ride, despite the weather.

July 3rd – Growing along just about every lane, track, cycleway and footpath at the moment, a very much overlooked purple wildflower.

No, not thistle, but knapweed. Similar, knapweed is not hostile or prickly, but flowers similarly in strong purple, a favourite of pollinators and a great source of high quality nectar, it’s seeds feeding many songbirds too.

Sometimes the best flowers fly under the radar.

May 25th – A dreadful commute, in both directions. It was the first rainy day for ages, so I can’t complain really by by heck it was wet. I got soaked in heavy rain in the morning, battling my way through standing water and on slippery roads; then on my return in fine, penetrating, all dampening drizzle.

The roses along the cycleway in Goscote looked beautiful on it though.

Hopefully a better day tomorrow.

April 16th – What a difference a bit of sun and warmth has made.

Cycling to work on a sunny, pleasant Monday morning, the trees and shrubs of the Goscote Valley Cycleway were all of a sudden bursting into life.

An it’s very welcome. So green, So fresh.

November 23rd – I mentioned this earlier in the week, but it’s deadly at the moment, so bears mentioning again – watch the paths and cycleways at the moment. They’re more slippery than a grease deal dipped in baby oil.

Algea, leaf mulch and general damp slime are combining to make the less well used paths treacherous. I nearly lost the bike twice today. The main reason is.a few days of light drizzle, but not enough rain to actually cleanse anything.

Although the routes in Telford are beautiful, they are to be ridden very, very carefully – and they’ll be in the same state everywhere.

October 29th – A real wet feet moment up on the old Ironstone Road at Bleak House. Time makes you forget where the deep standing water is.

Note the scraping afterwards – thats wet grit in the brakes – the sound of wearing components!

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July 7th – I’ve been up the Wrekin before, but never on a bike. And it was a great, if tiring experience. The view is as stunning as ever, and the views of Telford, the Welsh Mountains and even the Malverns are commanding. Even the idle and closed power station in the gorge looked tiny.

The ride up (about 85% ridden, 15% pushed) was tough but not as hard as expected, despite rock and loose gravel making the way treacherous, and the descent was easy too (although scary in some parts and it ate a pair of brake pads).

Two things of note – it was chilly up there, and the crows seem very tame and will actively try to take your snacks while you’re eating them.

The many dogs up there seem to enjoy it too.