Week #48. 2018. Still managing the weather.

A successful week but mainly retracing wheel ruts often discussed in these pages.  The main thing is I am happy to have had another good week distance-wise and am closing in on my 2018 challenge to self of cycling 5,200 kilometers in the year.

The  weather continues to be changeable and that’s OK – that’s what it does in Spring in Tasmania.  We haven’t had many complete days of rain so generally it’s been worth taking the gamble, packing wet weather get just in case, bemoaning the lack of front mudguards and just going for a ride out on the Norfolk Plains with fingers crossed.

The sun-damage removing cream is making quite a mess after some 4 weeks of application.  I am finding the helmet is getting a bit hard to wear because of the sore spots but so far it is not unbearable. 

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Time for a Flashback.

I realised that some time ago I had created a video of Colin and myself riding a rather awkward path into Longford along the banks of the South Esk River while negotiating a set of obstacles – and I have never provided a link to it.  So here it is :

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As the week went on as normal until Friday.  I visited Deloraine for the usual River Road ride and returned to the car via the river bank path.  There I found the township has added several new sculptures.

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Friday afternoon Ken and Diane arrived for the weekend and in the back of their car was a surprise – a Greenspeed GTO.  Turns out it was the trike I had spotted on the Gumtree Classifieds while I was on the mainland but when I returned to Tassie the ad had been removed.  Then it recently returned to Gumtree and Colin was interested but, unknown to us, Ken snapped it up!!

Friday evening we unloaded the GTO and Ken asked me to take it for a ride to make sure all worked as it should.  It did – and worked very well too.  So, on Saturday morning Ken and I went for a gentle roll around the streets of Longford as Ken got used to his new ride.  All went well and we ended up at JJ’s Cafe for coffee.  It was packed.

The street outside was lined with motorcycles – it was the day of the annual Christmas motorcycle Toy Run to Hobart.  The outside sitting space behind me was filled with cyclists and then Colin turned up to park his Warrior with the 2 Greenspeeds.  I wonder if this Cafe has seen 3 trikes together before?

Some of you may recall that Ken loaned me his recumbent Bike E earlier this year and it was really that which got me into recumbent riding.  That bike is a bit hard for Ken to ride and it was good to see on Saturday (and then again on Sunday morning) Ken having good time on the GTO.  It looks like they were made for each other.

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So, here we are.  4 weeks left in 2018 and 280 ks left to ride to make my challenge.  I will not tempt fate but just maybe ………

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Total for week :   148   k                                      Total for year :    4,920 k     

Kilometers to go in 2018 :   280  k                   Number of weeks to go :  4

Brompton :  33  k                                           Magnum :  115  k