Deer Peeps Deer! Spring has Sprung in Richmond Park

Mice Log Spring has Sprung Date 92 A trip around a different Park. Non Stop 31.57 miles in 2hrs 21 with an average speed of 13.4 and a maximum speed of 25.8 on the Marin!

Whoop! Whoop!  Spring is here, it really is!  I realise it may be gone tomorrow but for today it sparkled everywhere.  The air temperature was a bit chillier than I had hoped for but the sky was blue, blue, blue! 

With my first very long ride of the year possibly taking place this Saturday I realised that I needed to push myself a bit.  A pootle round a park wasn't quite going to cut it - I needed some hills (well small ones at least). With my new found confidence from yesterdays trip to Crystal Palace I chose Richmond Park as today's destination.  

What a day too! The traffic was minimal thanks to the schools still being on holiday and there were quite a few cyclists about also doing laps.  One of them had calves the width of my waist and was wearing the sort of aerodynamic helmet that Bradley Wiggins wears and he was on a time trial Boardman! I was a little green with envy! My Boardman, when it eventually comes out of hibernation, will never, ever be that fast.

But I was on a mission.  Three laps of the park admittedly anti-clockwise which is the gentler route.  The deer were sitting in various groups, all facing into the wind which was quite hilarious when cycling around behind them - literally!

I was scalped a lot, but I did do the circuits in full and I did raise a few double takes being on a Marin Mountain Bike Frame, 28mm tyres and Sidis (my favourite cycling shoes)! 

With Saturday's ride in mind I was trying to cycle for a minimum of 30 miles without a break of any kind.  This meant three laps and a couple of mini trips across the middle.  Success. 31.57 miles in 2hrs 21 is the longest and fastest I have ridden this year in one go!  I felt I had earned a cup of tea and managed to talk myself out of the delicious home made treats. Next time!

There were a couple of incidents which made me wonder how things were going to work out through the Summer as cycling numbers increases.  F'r instance - cycling past a cyclist just 10" off their handlebars is really not a clever thing to do. Nor is bashing your pedal against someone's front wheel ie the spokes as you walk yours to your car. And not an apology in sight.  Then someone actually parked their bike over-lapping mine and locked it to the railings!  

Not to mention the potholes the size of swimming. pools.  Well fish ponds at least.  The local councils really need to allocate a cycling officer to their borough and give them clout to make things happen. Empower them to make a difference for cyclists.   

As for the guy in a van driving down Priory Road well quite frankly he should be in The Priory.  What a ridiculously close pass.  If he does that to someone who is on their mobile he is likely to knock them off.

But I wasn't going to let that ruin my day. I was still buzzing with excitement about my ride and I was still cycling!  I headed on to Victoria, loving the sunshine.  By the time I reached  home my totals were 38.56 miles in 2hr 58 with an average of 12.9 and my max speed was still  25.8.  On a Marin.  Not too bad!   Well, for the longest and fastest ride of the year so far at least.  The grin on my face is as bright as the sunshine!