Day 3
Bikes, tarmac and the people that make it all good....
Today was my biggest trip yet. My destination was Wyke Regis Infant School - more about them later, but first I have a few things to mention. In true Wizard of Oz fashion, some of the fun of today was in the getting there.Firstly, the e-bike! Travel Dorset have a couple of electric bikes available for DCC staff to use. Today was the first day I actually took the battery and planned to make proper use of the electric bike and all it's magical powers. Until now I'd only tried it out in e-mode around the not-terribly-challenging terrain of the County Hall car park. It seemed ok, but I couldn't quite tell what it would be like when properly in action.
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| Kalkhoff Pro Connect e-bike, minus battery. Henceforth known as the Hoffmeister |
Until now I also had an uncomfortable suspicion that any extra force provided by the battery would only compensate for the effort I was having to make to get this, let's be honest, impossibly heavy contraption to move at all.
So what does it do? I'm no expert, and apparently different e-bikes work in different ways. But what seems to happen is with this one is when you give it power by pedalling, it amplifies the power and takes you a bit further. It's wonderfully morale-boosting. Pedalling is no 'easier' than on a normal bike - when you're going up hill you still feel it - and you can't stop pedalling (it's not a moped!). But I found it gets you there quicker and slightly less sticky, puffed out and exhausted than if you did it entirely on your own. I'm a fan.
And basically the more power you give it, the more it gives you. Metaphor, anyone?
After a day's riding, I can easily and honestly answer the e-bike questions that had been bugging me;
Is it cheating? No.
Do you still get a workout? Good heavens yes.
Is it worth it? YES.
National Cycle Route 26
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| Pyramidal (?) orchids by the Weymouth relief road |
Even when you're cycling next to the relief road, you find yourself next to wide verges that are thickly vegetated and buzzing with life. If I had stopped to photograph every orchid on that stretch I'd still be there....
I recommend you check it out.
Richard
Lastly, the highlight of the journey: bumping into Richard. I was trundling/creeping uphill at Bincombe, grateful for my battery assistance, when he overtook me, unassisted, on his road bike.
'Morning!' he said as he passed by, and then as an afterthought, turned and dropped the stinger: 'I was 61 yesterday!'.
In my defence I had 10Kg of compost weighing me down, but still. He was lithe and speedy and clearly enjoying himself.
Bless him, once we'd summited the hill Richard slowed down to chat to me, and I'm so glad he did.
No surprises, Richard has got the cycling bug. This was his daily commute from Dorchester to the adult care centre where he works in Weymouth. He's calculated that in his career he's cycled approximately 57 000 miles in commuting alone. He seemed to know every other cyclist we passed and as he greeted them cheerily it dawned on me that here, just like on my morning bus, was a community. We only had one thing in common, our chosen mode of transport, but that was enough.
During our short chat, it became clear that Richard is a generous and community-minded soul, with a daredevil streak. Over his life he has raised thousands of pounds for various charities by doing skydives and bike rides. His partner has a physical impairment but that didn't stop them cycling the length of the country on a bike that Richard modified especially for her.
He also looked about 41, so that's the magical effect of cycling and a positive attitude right there for you.
'It's another car off the road' he shouted, as we parted company and he whistled off into the distance.
When I grow up I want to be a Richard.
