Plans for long rides went out of the window as I had them overnight at the weekends.
I still managed to get up to Derby to borrow the Greenspeed Glyde velomobile from Rob who kindly let me have it.
It was great fun and if you think you get a lot of attention riding a recumbent, you should try riding one of these. It stops traffic :-D
The plan on having it was to use it for work and then ride over to the Mildenhall cycle rally, do a long audax in it on the Saturday, spend Sunday with it on Kevins pitch chatting about it and recumbents. Then ride it back and do a 600km ride on it the following week while off work.
The ride over took a bit longer than expected due to a puncture on the way through Bedford, tube changed and found it wouldn't inflate due to dodgy valve. Another tube later it was up to pressure and I was away again.
Dragging the 80+lb velo and my 200+lb up over the Greensand ridge after Sandy was slow work but the mountain drive worked well and it was a bottom gear spin up and away.
On the flat the machine went well and could be kept above 40kph fairly easily. It was a bit warm inside and I had to make sure I had plenty of water along the way as I was soaked in sweat.
The next fun bit was after a food stop and I'd got it wound up to 45kph again when the n/s wheel hit a stone and the tyre went with a bang!!
Unload all the camping gear and luggage to get to the spare that Rob had kindly left inside.
More time lost fixing that and it was away again through Cambridge and onto the rally arriving at after 21.00.
I'd found out on the way there that long rides in it were not that comfortable for me as I needed more reach on the steering as it was making my shoulders ache.
The seat could go back another notch and the bars would move forward slightly but this would mean adjusting the pedals and maybe the chain so I didn't bother with it.
It was fine over the distance I was doing in it but it just meant I decided to not start the audax ride. Again this was no problem as I went out on the 65km cake and beer ride instead :-D
Great fun around the lanes of Suffolk and more fun overtaking 3 cars and a TT rider at 65kph
As said above on Sunday I helped out on Kevins (D-Tek recumbents nr Ely) pitch with all his recumbent bikes chatting to all that would listen about the benefits of them.
Beer fest on the Sat/Sun evening was also fun, less so the Thai restaurant that was expensive with tiny portions and rude staff. So bad it was funny!
Monday morning was again spent chatting and catching up with friends before I hit the road for the journey home. Uneventful ride back but a bit slow due to too much drink and food.
As Steph was still in hospital I'd cancelled my weeks holiday as I'd not be able to do what I'd planned, so it was another week of commuting and 12 - 14hr night shifts.
The Glyde had to go back on Friday but I'm hopefully going to try out a Quest later in the year and Rob has also said his new one Glyde will be here in a couple of months and I could have a go in that also for comparison. The one I borrowed was a prototype hence the new one being a lot lighter. Maybe I should make a trip over to the Netherlands again and take up some other offers of rides over there.
It's just a shame I can't afford the price tag on these machines at the moment, but the time will come when one will be mine and I'll be riding about the country with a big grin again:-D :-D
More photo's can be found in various replies on this thread on yacf.
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