*** Cycle Route Spoiler Ahead ***
21st March 2015 Spring seemed to be popping it's head out for a tester. I took the car in for it's 2nd Annual Service and had some time to kill. My options were to sit and watch Jeremy Kyle in the waiting room for a few hours, have a mooch round the diminishing shops at Middlebrook or go and stretch my legs for a little bit.
With the options ahead of me, I obviously chose to take the car for it's service adorned with my running gear all ready. I had originally planned to do a 7.5 mile run down the A6, back through Horwich and then circle the shopping car parks, but as I got near to Blackrod, I remembered a decent incline avoiding the Blackrod Bypass, and being a hill-lover at the moment I thought I would take on the challenge. This added a further 2 mile onto my run route, but I felt strong finishing back outside the Kia service centre. Unfortunately, I returned before they had even started my car, so a mooch round the lesser interesting shops and then blessing Mr Kyle with my presence had to be endured.
Luckily, with the sun still shining and my father in law living just outside Belmont, once the car was serviced, I took my bike up there to test the cycle route that was to be tackled on the 2nd leg of the Duathlon. My legs already aching from the run, I thought it would be apt training, so saddle ready at the Black Dog, I set off on my journey
I used to do a fair amount of cycling in the past, but my two wheeled accomplice had not been out of the shed since our midnight jaunt to Blackpool, but it felt like we had never been apart. Within minutes I was overtaking my first (and only) victim, a young lad with his jeans too low and gear too high I sailed past him on the first incline. Not too severe, but enough to get the heart working, I was pretty amazed by the vista's presented to me. Only a couple of miles out of Bolton's busy streets is the "middle of nowhere", valleys, hills, reservoirs, wildlife. There are a few hills en route to the M56 roundabout, but nothing too silly, and not being cycling elite, I can safely say with the right gears they should not present too much of a problem. Passed Tockholes and into Abbey Village my thoughts returned to a wonderful curry I once had at the Naga Restaurant, another little climb and then the halfway point was in view. Had I really made it to the Roundabout so quickly? Had all my running training helped me improve my cycling?
As a circled the very busy roundabout with caution, a fellow cyclist acknowledged me and I followed him out of the loop. The thoughts I was having only a few minutes earlier disappeared , the reason I had found the journey to the roundabout so easy could have been due to the fact I had been descending fairly rapidly down a blooming big hill, and my new friend had dropped to one of his lowest gears and started breathing heavily.
The journey back to the Black Dog was a climb, it seemed at the top of every hill was another hill. I didn't remember coming downhill as much as this on the first leg of my journey, who had built all these hills in the last 20 minutes?
Finishing my practice cycle back at the Black Dog, cutting the whole route short by 4 mile I felt more confident about the middle part of the Duathlon now, the scenery is fantastic, the route is very enjoyable and with more fellow saddle sore friends it will be much more fun. Although whilst on the final descent to Belmont, I did find myself singing along the music playing on my playlist, I doubt that the Belmont Residents have heard such delightful tones singing "We Built This City on Rock 'n' Roll" on a Saturday morning, but I will be back doing the route again, so this may be something they have to get used to for a bit, and if you find yourself in a position to be overtaking me uphill (which you more than likely will be doing) please join in with whatever song I am singing, a duet is always welcome
21st March 2015 Spring seemed to be popping it's head out for a tester. I took the car in for it's 2nd Annual Service and had some time to kill. My options were to sit and watch Jeremy Kyle in the waiting room for a few hours, have a mooch round the diminishing shops at Middlebrook or go and stretch my legs for a little bit.
Luckily, with the sun still shining and my father in law living just outside Belmont, once the car was serviced, I took my bike up there to test the cycle route that was to be tackled on the 2nd leg of the Duathlon. My legs already aching from the run, I thought it would be apt training, so saddle ready at the Black Dog, I set off on my journey
As a circled the very busy roundabout with caution, a fellow cyclist acknowledged me and I followed him out of the loop. The thoughts I was having only a few minutes earlier disappeared , the reason I had found the journey to the roundabout so easy could have been due to the fact I had been descending fairly rapidly down a blooming big hill, and my new friend had dropped to one of his lowest gears and started breathing heavily.
The journey back to the Black Dog was a climb, it seemed at the top of every hill was another hill. I didn't remember coming downhill as much as this on the first leg of my journey, who had built all these hills in the last 20 minutes?
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