Have you ever raced with wildlife?

Have you ever raced with wildlife?

It's hard not race the wildlife when your cycling along and some critter tries to scamper off or fly away, because they always go in the same direction as you. I mean, if I was running away from something huge, ugly and noisy, I'd go off on a tangent or head to some safe trees etc, but no, the wildlife has to go in the same direction as me, therefore in my mind it's a direct "Come at me bro!"

Fishermen hate Herons, but I quite like them. For those who don't know a Heron is a great big grey bird with long legs for wading in water, and a long beak for stabbing at fish. Graceful they're not, but elegant yes, well i think so. They take off with such strength and speed it's hard not to be impressed, and fully grown they can fly along at 25mph easily. So back to my point.. they never fly away from you, they only fly along side you, then just as you think you might get ahead of it, boom, they're gone, one feather up in the air.. Did that bird just give me the .. bird??

Badgers are awesome animals. They're massive, black and white, and fat. When they run it's mostly hilarious as their fatness wobbles from side to side as they leggit along the tow path in front of you. Their tactic is to block you, mocking you with their massive ass.. "Kiss it cyclist!" They cant actually run that fast though so they usually win because I'd have to actually run over it to get past, and frankly I'd come off worse if I did.

I raced a rat today. It wasn't as massively fat like a badger. For a rat it was pretty big. It wasn't elegant like a Heron. It was all wet and looked a bit scraggy.. They get a bad rep rats. I don't know why.. but perhaps It's the fact that in the 14th century they killed an estimated 50 million people. This was about 25% to 60% of the European population, though strictly speaking it wasn't the rats, but rather their fleas delivering fresh Bubonic plague to everyone. I personally don't hold that against them though. I think they're cute and they seem clever little blighters! He was also faster than me..

Another cyclist stopped to check I was alright the other day. I'd just finished fixing a puncture, the first in over 7.5 thousand miles actually, and he set off just as I was tidying up and putting the wheel back on. He was riding a smart looking CX bike, with all the proper gear for riding the distance down the canal every day, so I figured I had no chance to catch up with him.. 5 miles later there he was.. and I was slowly catching him up. So we get to a section of bridge which goes underneath a road, and then up through a little tunnel whereby I lose sight of him.. Seconds later I emerge from the darkness and there he is stopped at the top of the slope. Did I get my victory? No of course not. There's a chap collapsed at the side of the tow path. So I stop and do a bit of first aid and take charge of getting the poor soul an ambulance.. the other cyclist hangs around for a bit but in the end he has to go. No wins for me today!

Well you know what they say? It's not about the destination, it's about the journey.  I'd miss that if I use the motorbike... though I win the races a lot more often!

The weather

The Weather

I like it when it's sunny.
The air is warm on my face, and the ground is firm under my wheels
The air smells fresh and sweeter, and all the colours of nature shine brighter
I can ride faster and see further. Chasing the horizon and going as fast as i can go.

I like it when it's windy.
The chorus of nature sings its song and the trees dance into my view.
With the wind in my face i feel the increased burn in my legs begging me to stop,
But with the wind behind me I'm pushed forward and Like a comfy chair i can lean back and relax.

I like it when it rains.
The drops glisten like diamonds, splashing into starbursts when they land
goopy mud laps at my bike and legs, spraying up and out as it escapes my wheels
But My wheels can spin faster, giving more speed to jump the puddles
And When i finally get off my bike, my skins steams as if i'm on fire!

I like it when it snows.
Afterwards the air is still and silent, muffled by the cold blanket covering the land.
The silence only broken by The crunching of my wheels in the fresh white snow.
Everything looks amazing and so different, All is white and clean.
Whispers of creatures revealed by tracks heading off in different directions.
My breath smokes like a dragon breathing fire, playfully swirling in front of my face.

Autumn

Autumn.

The dark pulls you forward,
the wet slippery ribbon of single track stretching away in the dark in front of you.
Exhilaration as you whip round a tight corner, leaning out over the water, not sure if the back wheel will grip on the wet stone below.
The roots, the leaves, the steps, the cobbles, the mud; all retreat behind you into the dark once again. 15 miles of heart pounding fun.

The chase

Spinning along the canal this morning, it’s dark, it’s raining, and there’s a slight headwind. I've no cares as I've set off 20 min early this morning, so I could take my time, but mostly because I couldn't sleep. 
In the distance I catch the flash of reflectors. They're quite a distance off and so I can’t tell if I'm catching the rider or not.

There’s a strange affect that happens to me when I see another on my route. It's a sort of competitive streak that seems to add energy to my legs and motivation to my spin... So I do what any self-respecting cyclist would do. I speed up. Only slightly mind, I don’t want to burn out, as I've still got a few miles to go yet...

As I catch up to him I start to study his riding style. What gear he's using, his cadence, type of bike, what he slows down for, etc.. Looking for any advantage.
My lights are very bright, and will have highlighted my presence ages ago. He sees me, he wobbles as he turns round to see where I am.
I stay behind him for a while giving my legs a rest and thinking ahead for a passing place. Just before the bridge which crosses over the M62 is a nice wide flat fast section. This is where I’ll pass.
In a car this is where you'd drop a gear and floor it... There isn't really an equivalent on a push bike, but, increasing my cadence until I can up the gear is the closest I can think of I suppose... I bolt past. As I approach the motorway bridge, I lock out the front suspension, and get up out of the saddle to make the climb a bit easier. It's only short but seems quite sharp. (It’s not). I suspected that if the guy wanted to race he be right behind me on the climb. He was. It wasn't because I'm an fat old guy of course!

The rider has upped his speed. He's on a narrow tyre hybrid bike, and younger and smaller than me. He should be faster. My bike has mountain bike gears and so top speed is limited by the small front crank. It’s got big fat tyres and has high rolling resistance, plus it’s a 650b tyre size... Recently tested slowest by bike radar. I’m expecting him to pass me, I would have done if I was him, and so I speed up.
I'm burning my lungs and legs as I settle into a fast cadence. I'm minimising the braking under the tight bridges, leaning out of the water to look round for kamikaze dogs and the dazed looking owners. All the time aware of the lights behind me, driving me on, faster.

Blasting through overhanging bushes, splashing through the mud and puddles. Jumping all the canal locks and steps, thinking how much fun this is.

I notice the rider has gone now. I’m now racing myself. Not sure for how long either…
I’m sure the other rider wasn't really racing, or actually cared that I overtook him, but it was fun to believe it at the time, and a new PR on the Strava segment confirmed it was a win after all!