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BB2011
: The BOOT'n'BIKEboys'
Corona Relay Round
Wednesday
15th April 2020
I
didn't expect to be writing a report so
soon. After all, we still in Coronavirus
Lockdown and only allowed out for an hour
a day for exercise, which makes getting
us together physically (as opposed to Zoomistcally)
impossible.
However,
when we thought about it, it needn't stop
us linking our efforts to create a relay
round. No baton of course, just a
2 metre separated greeting then off goes
one to the next participant whilst the other
goes home.
The
challenge was to create a suitable circuit.
Of the BOOTboys
living locally, there are two distinct groups.
Those in the Lyth Valley and those in the
Kendal area. Between them lies the
mass of Scout Scar. How to join the
two sets?
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The
answer was by bicycle
I
had the honour of starting the
Relay which meant having to
head for Levens which is at
the south end of the Lyth Valley.
I
have a very fast bike, not that
it has been used for many years.
It has very high gears,
a very hard saddle and very
narrow tyres pumped up to 90
psi. Never mind what the
numbers stand for, that is about
three times the pressure of
a normal car tyre and about
twice the pressure of a mountain
bike tyre. Designed for
fast runs on perfect tarmac.
If only! The state
of the local roads make for
a very uncomfortable ride, especially
for a bum that has grown soft.
Nevertheless,
a job had to be done. Levens
was the target, a village at
the south end of the Lyth Valley
where Terry lives.
It
was a beautiful morning with
just one problem, or so I thought.
There had been a frost overnight.
How slippery would the
roads be?
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Then
the next problem arose; the email I had
been dreading. Terry had done his
back in due to a surfeit of gardening and
was crocked. Somehow Mike and I were
going to have to compensate in order to
retrieve the schedule for the others. A
change of route was adopted. For me this
had the side benefit that, although a bit
longer, more of it was on a well-surfaced,
fast road: the A590. For Mike it was
about the same distance but also an easier
ride.
The
roads weren't slippery and the A590 was
fast albeit with far more traffic than I
anticipated. Mike and I met at Sampool
Bridge, as re-arranged, took photos of each
other and went our separate ways- Mike,
on his electric bike (jealous), to hand
over to Martin. As for me, home in
surprisingly good shape apart from a rather
sore pubic symphysis. At least I think
that is what it is called.
Martin,
on foot, crossed over the valley, had a
longering look at the Punchbowl then carried
on to meet Stuart. Meanwhile Bryan was on
his bike, tackling the fearsome double climb
over the scar from Kendal without artificial
assistance.
Stuart
crossed the fields to meet Bryan at the
Black Labrador and send him on his cheery
way back across the hills which are even
more challenging going towards Kendal
than from it.
Nevertheless,
as you would expect, Bryan attacked it with
vigour and reached Stan at Greenside (nice
open area at the top of Kendal) with time
to spare.
Inspired
by my Rohan retro attire, Stan had raided
his museum and was wearing the same 1970
vintage (and very practical) double pouched,
kangaroo style top, albeit in different
colours. Designed when Rohan was Rohan.
Why have they stopping producing them? Defies
practical explanation. Rant over.
Suitably
dressed, Stan dropped down to Netherfield
to meet Tony who had made a great sacrifice.
It was now pie time but he forsook
the need and set off to meet Mike T at Natland
Mill Beck (a lane that, despite aeons of
living in Kendal, Tony had never visited
before).
Mike
then nearly upset the timings as he bumped
into (not literally, just from 2 metres
distance) and chatted with a couple he hadn't
seen for years. I was fretting that
the schedule would be lost but, bang on
time to the second, Mike appeared our gate,
taking the flag for a perfect finish.
Thereby
completed a BOOT'n'BIKEboy
round that was quite different to anything
we have ever done before and totally compliant
with the C word guidelines. Unable
to celebrate with a pint in any local establishment,
we met up that evening in the virtual ZOOMbar
where normal activities were resumed in
mutual, convivial isolation.
The
question hanging in the air was how next
to structure in a group event that remains
within the rules.
Answers
on a post card please. Or electronically
if you prefer.
Don,
Wednesday 15th April 2020
ZOOMbar
Comitibus
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Martin
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Don
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Mike
B
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Mike
T
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Stan
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Stuart
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Tony
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Bryan
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