What a day! The sun’s been shining I’ve had the wind on my back and I’ve managed to do some decent milage for once! Not sure whether it’s because the sun’s been shining or because I’ve had the wind on my back but that must be the best day I’ve had in a couple of months! For feeling fit that is! I’m sure that I could feel a change in my back/leg today, don’t ask me what it is though it just feels different! Everyday on this trip I’ve been struggling and finding it hard going but today I felt back to my normal self, whilst cycling anyway, I still struggled to walk once I was off the bike but again that didn’t feel half as bad as it has been! Let’s just hope that this isn’t just a one off and it will be the same tomorrow!
East England Bicycle-Tour 11th-March-2015
Garry McGivern’s East England bicycle-tour Wednesday, 11th-March-2015. Gravesend to Colchester. 54 miles. That was a much better ride today, although I’m still not up to my usual mileage. And I probably could have carried on cycling for a few more miles. But then I thought, I know what’s going to happen. My relatively easy day would turn into one of those long days where I’d struggle to find somewhere to stop. Basically, I was just being lazy!
This morning didn’t get off to the best of starts. After leaving the hotel early this morning, I had trouble finding the ferry that crosses the River Thames. Between Gravesend and Tilbury. It was only about a mile from the hotel, but do you think I could find it? After a lot of searching, I found a sign for the ferry pointing down a narrow alley, only to find that that was where the ferry used to leave from. It had now moved three hundred yards down the river.
Then once I’d found the ferry, which is only a small passenger boat, it stopped halfway across the Thames. We had to give way to a cruise ship, which was docking right next to where the ferry docks, and they take priority. We sat in the middle of the channel bobbing around for thirty minutes or so. My short five-minute crossing turned into a forty-minute crossing. I’d managed to cover two miles in an hour and a half after leaving the hotel. And even by my current pace, that’s slow.
Once off the ferry, I had a pleasant ride, mainly following the main A12. I know it doesn’t sound that great, but I was mainly on the old A12, which runs alongside the new A12, or on the cycle path that ran along the side of the road.
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East England Bicycle-Tour 10th-March-2015
Garry McGivern’s East England bicycle-tour Tuesday 10th-March-2015. Bognor Regis to London, Victoria by train. Then London Victoria railway station to Gravesend cycling. 33 miles. I had my hydrotherapy yesterday, which is why I returned home on Saturday. I quite enjoy hydrotherapy as I feel it is doing me some good. But as it’s only once a week, I’ve decided to come away as planned and continue my ride around the East coast of England, so I’m now in Gravesend.
The day started with me jumping on the first available train from Bognor, or maybe not the first but the first cheap train, which was just after ten o’clock. The train ride was okay until we reached Horsham, about midway between Bognor and London. A young woman got on the train with her baby, which was fine. I don’t have a problem with that at all. The trouble was this woman felt the need to constantly talk to the baby in that stupid way that some people do, i.e., “look at the little doggy woggy or let’s take a selfie welfie and send it to daddy waddy!” It was a running commentary on everything she did or what anybody else did! It was driving me mad. Fair enough, talk to the baby but talk properly! Luckily she was only on there for a few stops.
Once I arrived in London, I had a nightmare on the roads. There were a lot of road closures, causing more traffic jams than usual. And because I’m so wide, that’s the bike, not me. I can’t just nip between the traffic. In the end, I gave up, got on the pavement, and pushed my bike. It was a lot faster. Mind you, once I could ride, I had my normal difficulty finding my way out of London. I eventually found the right road, although I’ve not done as many miles as I’d hoped. But then I do seem to be struggling quite a bit lately!
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Garry-McGivern East-England Bicycle-Tour 7th-March-2015
Garry-McGivern East-England Bicycle-Tour Saturday 7th-March-2015. Maidstone to London then train to Bognor. 42 miles. After yesterday’s day of indecision, I was pretty good today and made my mind up what I was doing and stuck to it! A lot of my dithering today was down to the wind direction. I was umming and ahing as to whether I should cycle home or not. But as there was a stiff southwesterly wind to ride against, I decided to give it a miss. I seem to be struggling enough as it is! Instead, I decided to cycle into London and get the train home. I have to be home on Monday for a hospital appointment anyway.
The ride into London, for the most part, was pretty good. I followed the A20, which was good, although I did have a rather big climb over the North Downs. All was going well until the road turned into a three-lane highway with no hard shoulder! It was entirely my own fault, I’ve driven along that road so many times in the past, and I could see on the map that it was a dual carriageway classed as a motorway! And surprisingly, it was! I was just hoping that it wasn’t going to be! After about three miles, I came off and found the cycle route into London.
There’s always a good feeling about London, and I always enjoy going there. After a brief ride around, I went to London Victoria railway station and caught a train home. I’m hoping to continue this ride next week (and maybe get a few more miles in, this week’s effort has been pretty feeble) after my hydrotherapy appointment on Monday. It depends on how I feel. After last week’s appointment, I didn’t feel too good at all. Still, you know what they say “no pain, no gain.”
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