After a winter flirting with my turbo trainer to
turn some pedals inside the weather has picked up to get outside into
mainly fresh air for some riding. I’ve got out three times in the last
couple of weekends - a bit of crash preparation
for a race in a few weeks. First ride out there was some disagreement
between my clothing and the current temperature which had been quite
toasty the afternoon before but in the morning was dipping below
freezing. It’s been a while since I’ve jumped off my
bike to wobble along on completely numb feet – still lesson learnt and I
was well wrapped up next time out.
I did have the chance to try out my 140 decibel
horn which had a pleasing effect on, well basically everyone and
everything in the near vicinity. Biking has just got a step safer but
definitely a notch louder given that everyone expects
a toot to let them know you are there.
A couple of other things jumped out which I hadn’t
spotted in the past. I think I have figured out what a learner drivers
car looks like. I’d seen these white sort of cheap looking police cars
before – basic white car with a light on top
and some blue stenciled writing down the side. However, this time I saw
one stalled in the middle of a busy cross roads with a young lad
gripping the wheel in terror staring straight ahead with an older guy
going apoplectic in the passenger seat. Certainly
matches my expectation of the learner/teacher dynamic in China.
The other point had always niggled me – why were
the forests that I biked through so dry and dusty. I assumed the wind
cleared out the leaves to stop any sort of mulch forming to leave the
dirt exposed. However, as I rode out I spotted
a small army of people in the same uniforms as those who sweep the snow
in winter cleaning up the leaves with big brooms. My guess – job
creation gone slightly too far. Either way it must be a soul destroying
job, sweeping the leaves out of forests has a pretty
predictable pattern to it!
