Apparently it was last years new big marketing thing in cycling, Cycling on gravel...
err the Victorians who invented the bicycle rode their velocipedes on rough err gravel roads before tarmac was also invented here in Scotland alongside the bicycle.
But here in Scotland where so much has been invented we did not invent marketing, a great British failure!
Meanwhile though people have grown up and cycled and raced on gravel roads too all there life out in the wide flat expanses of the USA... and from it has come a new bike to add to the family- Gravel bikes are big business and if you want to know about them then head over to the blog of Guitar Ted...
Over here we do still have some gravel roads too in the UK, a bit smaller in distance they are maintenance roads throughout Forestry Commission plantations and also through Wind Turbine farms,
And here in East Lothian up in the Lammermuir Hills is Crystal Rig Wind Farm which was the biggest Wind farm in Scotland when it was completed in 2004.
I think Whitelees just outside Glasgow is currently the biggest,
Another phase of new turbines is under construction here in the Lammermuir hills and may well make it the biggest bunch of turbines on the landscape...
Today from Moneynut i rode the drop bar Surly Karate Monkey 29er `Monkey-Cross` while Francis was riding Harry one of her Endurance horses, and we rode a 18km loop of gravel road around some of Crystal Rig...
18km does not sound much for a bike ride, or for Francis an Endurance distance but we did a wee bit climbing which also delivered some nice freewheeling descents for myself to get ahead after trying to maintain the Horses 12km+ speed on the climbs...
Into Moneynut forest and the rain showers that we sat in the 4x4 drinking coffee looking at were well passed by now and the next weather front was a while away yet for us to enjoy the descent back to the car
While Francis stuck to the forest road with the horse i took a detour to the car on a motorcycle trail and it was a bit of a hand full on the 29er, a Fatbike would be easy to ride through here...
Back to the car and loaded up we headed home to the coast...
While two tired dogs used each other for pillows... :)
More soon...
No comments:
Post a Comment