My youngest child appeared possessed tonight and the demon refused to go to bed as I try was trying to go out. This was an omen. Then the spirits seized my bottom bracket in their icy grasp, a liberal application of holy GT85 and a bit of exorcistesque spinning and that portent of doom was sorted. I carried on unperturbed by the gathering spectres. Upon reaching the trail the still hot body of a newly slaughtered rabbit lay sprawled cruciform in my path and meant that something deadly was out there with the taste of fresh blood in its mouth and a ravening for flesh in its belly. The last sign should have brought me to my wits and sent me scuttling for sanctuary however I ignored the skeletal frame of the abandoned bike trailer, not thinking of the fate its unfortunate owner had met. I pressed on into the blackness. Then satan struck with his cruelest of ghouls – my fricking tyre burped right off the rim and I got to walk home.

Wooo-oooh

(wasn’t far hence CBA to put a tube in)

Nice road ride last night, 18 dry and breezy miles with about 980 ft of climb around Clitheroe and Downham with my regular buddy. The roads were wet and covered in leaves under the trees so we only managed to average 16.7 mph rather than our usual 17 + on dry roads. When the tarmac is wet it’s much harder to see potholes but we had a cracking ride with a full-on blast for the last two miles that left us breathless for a minute or two. Not bad for a pair of 60 year-old codgers.

stars! 15 mile loop round Speyside, new trails (to me), good chat, slippy roots claimed a victim or two..