Cycling Update

Last weekend I set out for a decent length cycle - aiming for about 30 miles with some off road sections. I managed 25 in the end, although mostly due to bollocksing up my drivetrain than anything else.

After getting out to Bishopstone and beyond, I was cycling along the clifftops along to Three Cliffs Bay. Fine you may think, until somehow I managed to hit 3" deep sand. Now, I don't know how many of you have tried cycling in very dry sand, but it is not easy. After falling off several times and smacking my knees to shit, pushing my bike up a hill where the only alternative was a broken sand covered wooden boardwalk, I then had a decent downhill section through the woods (no sand). At the bottom (after managing not to fall off into braken and spend 15 mins pulling thorns out of my hands as I had earlier), I discovered two things:

1) my chain had dropped off
2) my drivetrain and front derailleur were gunked up with sand.

Balls.

So with a few quick repairs I managed to get the chain back on and shift into the middle ring, grinding away all the time, but couldn't change down easily. I decided to sut my losses and return home, with a very stiff drivetrain making the hills all the more enjoyable. Luckily I fluked a mostly downhill route home.

So now I have to take the thing to bits, clean it all, relube it and put it back together. Unfortunately the weather has turned to shit and the ground is covered in slush from the snow that basically shut the Uni down - all .5" of it!

Slackers!