By Bike, By train, By Bike, By Pain!

A Return to college on Monday meant a return to the commute / ride to Sheffield:
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Rather than arrive wet through on the 1st day i opted for the train (for those who don’t know it’s basically rained for a month solid here so train is not too much of a wimp option)

Those train commuters sure do give you some funny looks when you’re in the bike gearm & big MTB invading their space!

Painless and practical journey later arrive at sheffield.

On the return I got to the station just in time to miss the train and with the options of waiting an hour for another one or ride home i chose the later! (always going to win)

The towpath was a bit of a nightmare as half of it was flooded & the other half over grown so there’s only about a foot wide strip to ride down which makes for some crazy sort of northshore to tunnel to northshore type ride…. not very relaxing, when the only bail out option is the canal!! yuk!

Anywho By the time i got to meadowhall (big shopping center) I’d had enough so on to the TPT (trans Pennine trail) and low and behold rabbits!

Big Ones!

On Bicycles!

Ello Wabbit!

Scores of the secret commuter bike race by the end of the TPT section +1, +1. +1. -1, +1 = +4 (not bad)

I now ventured through Canklow woods a new one for me but the guys at the LBS sometime ride through here. I imagine it is a real good laugh to blast through in the reverse route that I did but my way was all up hill very steep Loads!! & Loads!!! of stinging nettles! grrr! aaarrgghh!! my legs!

By the time I exited having stopped once to assess where I was going (have a breather before i collapsed!)

I then took in a long slog up hill back to my village and a mad cap dive through the Gorse! On the edge of the field I was feeling pretty tired and not paying enough attention to what was coming up and then suddenly rocks!!

Attempt Manual….

Manual fails..

Tyre Hits rocks & stops…..

Fall into big HuGE patch of nettles!

(deleted for general public due to colourful & abusive language)

That hurt.

Got home very muddy, Very Very sore. Had enough.

No commuting for a few weeks due to working at the top of the world (near the highest Motorway in England!)

But it is close to Leeds so hoping to meet up with Fatlad.

VIew out of the window!

View Out onto yorkshire dales