The end....

I've got a new job! :)

Unfortunately I won't be on the canal anymore..... so here ends the blog!

I'll leave it online for now for anyone thinking of riding the whole canal. Hopefully there are some useful snippets of information under the relevant label (over there on the right.)

:)

In other news...

... I've not been cycling in for a few weeks. The bike needs some maintenance and I've taken to running in once a week instead for a while.

Crane finally removed from the Leeds Liverpool Canal

Ha.. I can't quite believe what a big job this was. It took the best part of a month to sort out. Look at the size of that crane! It makes the other one look like a Dinky toy.

Source: http://www.towpathtalk.co.uk

#leedsliverpool canal

Towpath closed at Apperley Bridge and Canal Road,  Leeds.

Bottom bracket fixed but..

...  It seems to have been the actual pedal making the cranking sound.

Looks like another trip to Halfords is on the cards.

Oops..

.. i fell off my bike yesterday (on the towpath). Luckily no injuries or onlookers but my new banana yellow jacket took on a new muddy look!

.. and (in unrelated news) my bottom bracket has gone :(

also,  hardest ride home ever.  Very strong wind, very cold, very wet and plenty of horizontal hail... #lovedit

This looked eerie in the dark this morning..

BBC Look North (@BBCLookNorth) tweeted at 5:22 PM on Fri, Feb 01, 2013: Crane falls into Leeds-Liverpool canal at Apperley Bridge during an attempt to remove & replace gates at Dobson Locks http://t.co/WglxsrGw (https://twitter.com/BBCLookNorth/status/297394479067959296)

On the road...

... and I flew in today!

The A65 was quiet at 6am and I made good time to Leeds.

Had a mile on the canal before Harley Davidson to see what it was like and all of the ice has now gone.

Next week back to the towpath. I ill just have to cycle the detour at Apperley Bridge.

nb. must check online to see how long it's closed for.

Wow.. ice cycling, the new Olympic sport!

After not making it onto the towpath last week (I did run in one day so wasn't completely lazy) I was back on track this morning.

It was a challenging trip though. After a short delay because of some unexplained clanking on my bike, the towpath at Apperley Bridge was closed. This forced me to reroute up the road towards Sainsburys at Greengates and then head left towards the Stanningley Bypass (two pretty big hills!)

Soon enough I was back onto the towpath at Rodley but it was ice, ice, ice from there on in.

The snow had part melted and then frozen leaving smooth, icy, footprints and bumps across the towpath along large stretches. Eh? I thought eveything was meant to have melted yesterday?!?!

I passed another cyclist walking (as was  soon after) but I kept on pushing it. The two bridges by the marina coming into Leeds were awful and I had to pull myself up them using the handrail before slip sliding back down the other side.

I didn't fall off when I was on the bike but had quite a few close shaves. It was just crazy ice. I was running late and very likely to go crashing into the water so I left the towpath and came down past Armley Prison, tired.

600 calories of porridge sorted me out. See you tomorrow.

Puncture

Oh balls....  a puncture!

My first for 2000 miles.

First spare tube...  faulty valve.
Second spare tube... accidentally holed in anger.

Taxi!!


EDIT - fixed. The tyre had ripped at the side exposing the tube.

Breakfast..

-4°C this morning. A hard ride in breaking the icy puddles as I went.
2 bowls of porridge,  2 bananas and some branflakes should see me right.

Snow

Not too bad this morning.

The snow slowed me down a bit though.

The footprints made it interesting to see what else / who else uses the towpath before dawn...  quite a selection!

Happy New Year (belated)

Cycled last Wednesday,  yesterday and today.  Good to be back on the bike although my legs are tired after a run at the weekend too.

I will only be able to manage 2 bike commutes a week for a while due to work and home commitments but at least it'll go someway to sorting the extra Christmas pounds.

In a few months time I should cross the 3000 mile mark which will be good.  That's nearly 2,500 accident free miles (although two idiots did their best to squash me last week!)

Nothing exciting on the canal at the mo.  A closure  at Rodley and works at Esholt along with the first rats of my commuting  life.

Bye.

Mud rating: 7 :)

That's better..

After last week's soft tire trouble, the bike was back on form today and I flew into work and then home again.

I'm back! (and it's cold and wet enough to be interesting again!)

T-shirt weather ...

.. this morning although my toes were f freezing. Nice and muddy. Nothing exciting happened. Great sunrise but phone buried in rucksack so no photo.

Was meant to cycle last week but spoke broke. Only 85p to fix it but kept forgetting to drop off at Halfords....

Nice to have the lights back on properly. Dazzled a few dog walkers.

Bored now..

Scouts

- Had a great trip today. 15 miles up the towpath (with some scouts and dads for fish and chips at Skipton) and then back again. 125 miles this week. Tired..

I wonder how many people...

I wonder how many people saw a swimming deer, a kingfisher, 4 herons, a jay and 2 dippers on their commute to work this morning?

Sorry..

.. I know I wasn't going to post anything else boring this week but ....

My legs are knackered! Tomorrow's going to be hard and Thursday, Friday more so.

Also, I've just remembered we're cycling the footpath to Skipton on Saturday with the Scouts .... :|

Riding again.

Well, back in the saddle after 4 weeks.

Maybe it's just because I was tired after my camping holiday but my legs were slow today. Surely it can't still be tiredness from the Liverpool to Leeds trip !?!

Lovely sunny morning though and incredibly wet under foot which made for an enjoyable and muddy ride in.

Kit washed in the shower and hung outside to dry before tonight's trip home. It really adds something to the look of the office car park!

Will try to cycle every day this week but I promise not to update the blog with boring nonsense every afternoon (just today) !