Victoria Road Hale

I have just been to look and measure some of the pot holes along Victoria Road in Hale.

It is a short unassuming kind of road in a wealthy area.  Is is also a main route for cyclists heading out towards the Cheshire countryside as well as a popular route into Hale village itself where there are some lovely shops.


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I have managed to take about 130 photos in all.

And I am not sure whether I am cross, disappointed or just plain angry at the moment.  I think maybe we are all just so used to the state of the road we have become blind to it.  Maybe we are so preoccupied at dodging the holes (and rightly so) that we switch off to how bad it has got.  Either way, walking down it and taking a more analytical look at the road surface has left me fuming and sadly one member of the club in hospital.

I have taken so many photos it would be impossible to post them here, so I have uploaded them to Flickr. Flickr photostream

But have a look at the video I made at the end as a brief overview.

I would love to know your thoughts.

Time for Tweed! This Saturday 6/10/2012 from 2pm

Time for Tweed! This Saturday 6/10/2012 from 2pm

Mad Cycle Lanes of Manchester: The Trans Pennine Trail - Heatley to Dairyhouse La...

Mad Cycle Lanes of Manchester: The Trans Pennine Trail - Heatley to Dairyhouse La...: This is a three and a quarter mile section of former railway from the edge of Rushgreen just over the border in Cheshire to the edge of Bro...

The super Mad Cycle Lanes blog has picked up on the section of trail I have previously moaned about.

I love this blog.

But I am not suggesting A frames.  I was asking for input on their problems.

Included is the new entrance from the car park with the swing gate.

Will blog more tomorrow.

Thanks MCLoM x

Ooooh get a load of me....

Slater Heelis have put me on their website.

Quid pro quo and all (they like all that Latin stuff these Law types)

Manchester Solicitors, Slater Heelis - client testimonials

I Love My Local Bike Shop

I do I do I do.....

Like Tom Cruise on Oprah, I am feeling all loved up at the moment.

Without sounding too schmoozy, they are the nicest bunch of blokes I have ever met.

Ladies and Gentlemen the wonderful Bike Shak Altrincham also to be found on twitter if thats your thing....

@Bikeshak

I called knowing they were probably too busy to help me.  Their workshop is so popular (cos its good) its normally booked up for a fortnight.  But no, bring it down, lets have a nosey.

I have been having indexing problems for sometime and during the Manchester 100 it meant for a few miles towards the end, I couldn't get on my big ring.

H brought his Toddlebike and sat and watched Joe while he worked away.

Bless him, he was still shouting "BYE JOE" by the time we had got three miles down the road.

Whilst there, we talked about their lack of female customers.  It has got me thinking why it might be.  The easiest answer, is just the lack of women cycling.  But hang on......I know hundreds of women cyclists around the Manchester area.  Hundreds. 

OK, so they're all not local to Altrincham, but where are they going?

One problem a lot of Indie Bike Shops have, is they're tucked away.  Often you find the only people who know they're there are other cyclists (if that makes sense). Is it a lack of high street presence then that manifests itself in a lack of female customers.  Do they prefer to go to a big chain (like Evans)? Does it feel more like the Tesco shop?  I realise I am in danger of being sexist, but I think its an important issue.

I am going to ask the other Breeze Ride Leaders and the ladies from Glow what they think and report back.  

Manchester 100

A few months ago, it was suggested a few people from Seamons might like to ride the Manchester 100. Its no biggy for most of them, but for me it was going to be my first bike event.

I have done Sprint Triathlons before, but never anything so long.

I stupidly agreed and set about doing a bit of training. My plans of lots of summer cycling were consumed by the uncoordinated turmoil of the summer holidays and compelled by a general malaise. 

By the time I had got the the start line, I had just a 45mile ride under my number belt.

I took the sensible decision early on to ride the 100k rather than the 100m.  

The ride started at an already busy Wythenshawe Park.  I had set off at 6.30 to be there for a Seamons photo call at 7. My partner in crime (Frodo) had spent too long having all round faffage so it meant we got there just after and missed them

They had invoked rule #87 http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/

After speaking to some of the lovely Glow Ladies and posing for a photo we collected our route map and headed off.  I was amazed at how many of the riders completely ignored the first few red lights!  Its not a race.  Is your bike computer that shit it cant tell the difference between stopped and moving time? Good grief!

I think the route took in nearly every single hill I hate in a 50 mile radius from where I live.  I have never been more glad I took a shorter route in all my days.  I take my hat off to the 100 milers.

Anyway, here is my first ever photo in race kit.  Thank you to http://www.cyclesportphotos.com/ for sitting at the top of a huge hill and laughing at our anguished expressions.

The Monsal Trail

Today as a 'something cheap to do in the last few days of the summer hols' day out, we visited the Monsal Trail in Derbyshire.  From our house in Trafford it was only an hours drive, about half an hour/twenty minutes further up t'road than one of our other fav haunts, Lyme Park.

We (me, being the resident geek) had looked at the maps and decided that we would head for Millers Dale. It was the closest car park that has decent access.  For us with H in the trailer we often come across trails that start with a small A frame or a gate, or worse a set of stairs.  It takes me about 15-20 minutes to get bikes out and trailers etc put together, so to do all that and then to have to head somewhere else, is not an ideal situation.

We headed out of the carpark to the butty van to stock up on food and get change for the pay and display.

After a short conversation with a lovely pair of ladies enquiring about trailers and whether it had caused shaken baby syndrome in my rather dopy-after-being-in-the-car toddler, with the promise of train tunnels on a bike ride, we were off to Wyedale.

The tunnels are great.  They are cold feeling and slightly spooky.  We mused it would be a great baddies lair or the entrance to the Batcave.  H's trailer is equipped with a DVD player so we get a bit of peace, and the sound of Mr Tumble rang out against the chilled dripping wet bricked walls.

At Wyedale, we about turned and headed towards Hassop.

Me and Mr Mancbikemummy have spent the most wonderful Christmas weekends in Hassop Hall, and it has a very special place in my heart.  It was a slow slog, but O did brilliantly.  He now has an Islabike with gears, so it was much easier for him to cover the distance.

We reached the cafe and book store at Hassop just as the small inhabitant of the trailer woke up.  Two mugs of hot choc and a shared sausage butty and we about turned and headed back.

I will probably take some photos when we return.  Because I have to say, it was the best family friendly, accessible cycle route I have enjoyed to date, so we will definitely be coming back.

No A frames, go gates and guess what......as far as I can tell from a quick bit of research, no abuse.  So why can a successful trail like this be accessible to all, yet some councils feel the need to gate off and make access difficult for huge sections of the public?

Anyway, to end on a positive......if you cycle with children, or want a nice walk with a buggy, or ride an adapted bike or trike, or wheelchair, if you have a pulse, go and visit the wonderful Peak District and specifically the Monsal Trail.

It is a thing of beauty!