Nothing But Trouble

28th May 2015

Journey Length 11.1 mile

Click here for route on Strava

Texting Graham in the morning “ Fancy ride around ring road tonight, you up for it”

Reply “err OK” then “I think” unbeknown to us that would set the tone of the day.

On my arrival home from work I was met by an exited Peggy Lou who was on her way to see Take That in Manchester, that just left me on my own with Lucie our Jack Russell who still needed a walk before I could get ready to go out on our adventure. Now with Lucie walked and settled, I text Graham to let me know when he was on his way and I would meet him at the “Frog”. Whilst I was waiting I decided to replace the broken rear light on my bike, a 5 minute job I thought , oh no, screw too short find another, lose small screw, light wont fit, then get Graham’s text he was on his way, arrrrhhhh, just threw everything in hall and set off. Once at the “Frog” I waited for a couple of minutes then get a phone call Graham’s got a puncture he at the junction Long Ln and Radcliffe Rd so I met him there.

We pushed the bike to a corner and replaced the inner tube with a spare, but couldn’t get it to inflate with our small bike pump, so off to my garage to use the foot pump, up went the tyre, then down went the tyre, well nothing else for it take it off and repair the original.

Running 45 mins late we set off through Leverhulme park and out onto Bury Rd before turning right at the traffic lights along Crompton Way towards Tonge Moor Rd, we followed the ring road round to its junction with Blackburn road pulling over to let an ambulance with its blue lights flashing zoom past.

Up the hill past Astley bridge park on our right and then past Thornleigh college, my old secondary school, down the hill and then up the climb to the traffic lights at Halliwell Rd, just as I got to the lights they changed to red as I was half way through, looking behind me to see if Graham had got through I couldn’t see him and then I spotted him still coming up the hill, when he was through the lights we took a short break, Graham saying he’d found that last bit tough. After getting his breath back we again set off along Moss bank Way up the small incline past Moss Bank Park towards the roundabout near Doffcocker Lodge, here again Graham said he was finding it hard going, so we decided to take another break. Here he said he’d have a look at the bike thinking the front disc brake was binding but on further inspection it turned out to be the spindle that was the problem and as we didn’t have all the tools to fix it, but as an intrepid adventurer he vowed to continue on.

Now aware of Graham’s problem with the bike I kept checking to see if he was managing to keep up as we went down the hill on Victoria Rd to Chorley New Rd. The lights where on red at the junction and as I stopped I looked behind me and saw Graham coming down the hill some way back , I had been free wheeling down about 25 mph but as he told me when he caught me up he’d been a little concerned about the spindle seizing up all together and going head first over the handle bars. Down Chorley New Rd we took a short cut through Queens park onto Spa Rd and then through the town centre down Churchgate before we parted company on Radcliffe Rd at Jim’s Chippy where I offered Graham chippy tea as Peggy Lou and Val were still swooning at Take That in Manchester but he thanked me but said he would head straight home so I decided to treat myself to a chippy tea yum yum!.