Two Interesting Rides in One Week

Wow -a week with space for two rides. For the moment we are free of old person appointments so let’s make the most of it.

Ride 1 – A Rubbish Run

It’s Autumn. Ride 1 day began cool, cloudy and wind-free with the feeling of mist in the air. I didn’t take it at face value though and elected to install the solar canopy as the UV ratings are still high when the clouds go away. Once rolling along Wilmore’s Lane I was questioning my decision to not wear heavier gloves. The air was that cool!

There was a bit of traffic around but generally we kept ourselves apart. There was enough traffic to be wary in the tighter bends when you hope approaching vehicles will be either on their own part of the road (oncoming) or not driving too fast (approaching from behind). Too much speed and using “racing lines” (cutting the corners) in either direction can result in drivers needing to alter their approach lines. Only a couple of noticeable swerves required today.

Before setting out I decided I would do a roadside cleanup on Bishopsbourne Road. The section between Bishopsbourne and the railway crossing on the way to Carrick in particular. One or more people have taken up the habit of tossing empty takeaway coffee cups there. As I have said before, they are using the verge like a bottle tossing spot on the Tour de France but without the organisation to remove the rubbish afterwards.

Tour de France rule:

Designated bidon zones are specific areas along the race route where cyclists are allowed to drop their water bottles or “bidons.” Each team typically marks these zones on their route maps. 

The coffee cups are tossed maybe with the expectation that the Council will clean them up. We shall see how well that is working.

BUT, even before reaching this spot I came across two takeaway meals which had been eaten and the remains gently laid by the side of the road.

The KFC box seemed to be full of the remainder of the food plus napkins, plastic sauce pots, eating tools etc. Actually I didn’t look too closely, just rattled the box.

Before reaching the bins at the Sports Ground I found yet another KFC box! I put all three boxes in the waste bin prior to reaching the coffee cup extravaganza.

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I ended up cycling the coffee dump straight riding on the grass, going from cup to cup and bagging them. I also picked up a few glass bottles but they filled the bag too easily – so I left some of those for later.

The haul was 16 complete coffee cups, 2 partial, matching lids and 4 beer bottles plus some bits of aluminium can. There was more to collect but the bag was full.

One day the State will open it’s bottle and can collection depots scheduled for a 2021 start – but still no sign it’s going to happen this year. That will provide a spur to dispose of bottles and cans properly but will do nothing for takeaway cups and boxes. We could even supplement our Pensions!!

As the morning rolled on you can see from the above pictures that the cloud mostly dissipated after an hour or so, the wind stayed non-existent, the day was a good one and I was glad of the canopy.

A good start to the riding week and a good feeling having removed all those plastic-lined coffee cups plus their recyclable lids.

Interval – Ramping Up

On the ride to Meander (last blog entry) Colin and I discussed the need for ramps to assist with getting the trikes in and out of the trailer. One day Colin brought round some strips used with an aluminium roof he thought would work. We tested using trike and trailer and it looked promising.

So I added some bits of old decking plank, mounted the strips on the wood and there they were – operational ramps. Thanks Colin – good idea and saved a few hundred dollars for bought ones.

Ride 2 – Dry Tasmania and an Answer

Later in the week I decided to take a second ride. Although the electrics on the trike worked OK going to Bishopsbourne, I was still not convinced there wasn’t a problem and needed a second ride.

Friday dawned a magic day, my eyes are good thanks to laser surgery to remove scar tissue plus recent scans showed I had no dire disease. I felt good. No wind but with sun and cool temperatures, it was a great day.

Heading out of Longford to Woolmers it was obvious how dry the country is around here. Paddocks still with grass have lost the golden look and are beginning to look quite tired. At Woolmer’s Bridge the Macquarie River looked well down and pretty sluggish. The Council have reworked the road surface on the Longford side of the bridge – this is the bit that floods. The chipseal has been pulled up and a concrete section now sits there which, I presume, will not damage so easily during the next flood.

Down by Powranna Road there were signs of change.

The NMIS is coming to farms in the North Midlands.

Over 157 kilometres of pipe is being installed and paddocks are being opened up to take the pipes as shown above.

I guess we will be seeing lots of new pivot irrigators in the coming years watering a variety of new crops. So soon those paddocks currently yellow from January to April will have green crop circles dotted amongst them.

I turned at Powranna Road and headed back. The day continued to be magic, the traffic was almost non-existent, I felt good – what a great day for a ride. The electrics on the trike held up although there is a discrepancy with the odometer showing too few kilometres when compared to Ride with GPS. There is always a puzzle to be solved!

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Back home Mrs C had returned from the gym and Oscar resumed his favourite meditation position. All’s well with the world.

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Trike for Sale

My friend Ken rode a Greenspeed GTO trike for a number of years. The GTO is an early Greenspeed touring trike made from lightweight steel and comes apart for easy transportation. It was modified to take a 250 watt 48 volt Bafang mid-drive for rider assist. Ken’s family is selling the trike. If anyone in Tasmania is interested in it I can pass your contact details on to the family. Drop me a message to find out more.

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’til next time ……………………….