{"id":488,"date":"2010-09-14T21:47:13","date_gmt":"2010-09-14T21:47:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/reubenwilcock.com\/?p=488"},"modified":"2021-12-29T11:11:38","modified_gmt":"2021-12-29T11:11:38","slug":"jogle-day-10-slippery-when-wet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reubenwilcock.com\/?p=488","title":{"rendered":"JOGLE Day 10: Slippery when wet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What a day! Tasker rocked up at our stopover in Kingswood on his lovely looking carbon framed Cube and in his Welsh dragon shirt. Apparently this was to offset the fact I was bypassing Wales on my trip, but for whatever reason an extra layer would help him later when the heavens opened. We set off in the direction of Hawkesbury Upton, winching ourselves up the winding hill and it was soon clear to me that Tasker\u2019s recent foray into the world of road riding had come with a good slice of RacePace \u2013 he wasn\u2019t giving an inch. We quickly reached the A46 and a new level of hell. The rain had set in, the visibility was poor and it was rushhour. I may have forgotten to mention yesterday that Gloucestershire drivers were the worst for passing wide, but this was something else. The cars were just plain ignorant of the fact we were on the road at all \u2013 at one point a large lorry practically ran me off the road. For the uninitiated, when a lorry passes you at 60 \u2013 70 mph two things happen. First the air they are pushing in front hits you, pushing you away from the vehicle, then the vacuum following them pulls you in. Depending on the proximity and speed, this effect can be quite profound and we were experiencing it regularly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wet through to the skin, with our sealskin socks filling with water, we were being honked at for no reason and truly having to fight to stay on the road. The weather was making this whole experience worse and I felt bad that Ian had chosen such an awful day to join me. We stopped in a lay-by for a regroup and Ian\u2019s observation was a classic: \u201cBlimey, this rain is bloody wet, innit?\u201d. Off we set once more, into the heavy wet traffic. Then some fat idiot on a motorbike that barely supported him pulled over to Ian and gave him some abuse, then caught up with me and did the same. In a way I respected his genuine commitment to the task \u2013 when it was my turn he took the time to slow down, and actually lift up his helmet visor so I would hear him shout obscenities about being slow. Now, that\u2019s how you give insults properly. I figured that he was jealous of our obvious good looks and muscular figures, so I bare him no malice \u2013 really, who could blame him? The other possibility was that it was Davenport or Paint on a dirty tricks campaign\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally we headed into Bath, it had been RacePace all the way and Ian was having no trouble keeping up. Bath was again a traffic nightmare, but when we were out the other side the car situation started to calm down. The weather was still shocking however \u2013 the rain was just relentless and there was a headwind to make it even more fun. As we made our way towards Chew Lake the roads became even better and quieter and we were both pleased to be doing the sort of riding we enjoyed. A long steep climb out of West Harptree (around 800 feet) tested us well, and soon we were heading towards Cheddar Gorge, which had been one of the landmarks I shaped the route around. As we neared the top I rotated the iPhone to attempt to take a video of the descent. It\u2019s a long video but gives a good idea of the speed and overtakes, despite the lens being blurry and full of water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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