Today it was bikes again. We're so keen (OK, it's me that's keen) that we're at the bike shop as it opens at 9. Actually, it's not open - they're still hoovering the floor, so we wave from outside. Guy wonders if they'll know why we're there... we're in cycling gear, we're wearing helmets, we're waving - they'll work it out. Guy decides he'd like gloves as his hands were sore after last week - not good for a musician. So we look at gloves (we because I decide it's A Good Idea too). Easy choice - I pick the ones that match the turquoise stripe on my tri-shorts (and matching top today - how co-ordinated is that?!). Guy takes a little longer, considering boy-stuff like practicality, protection, fit, length, price.... It's really so much easier if you just go by colour.
We collect the bikes, and we're off! This time we're heading for the Taff Trail, an amazing (well, I've heard it's amazing, I've not actually seen it yet) path that goes all the way from Cardiff Bay to Merthyr Tydfil. We're joining it at Tongwynlais and heading south to Cardiff Bay - the seaside! We have a slight hitch when we can't find it, and then we're pedalling. There's only one teensy problem... as well as being a bike trail, it's also used by walkers, dogs, people with pushchairs and horses. It's a Bank Holiday Saturday, it's a nice day - it's HEAVING! Apart from negotiating all the piles of horse dung (which is good for my slalom skills), the dogs are the worst - they can't hear you coming (actually, nobody can, we have to resort to 'EXCUSE ME!' and 'THANK YOU!' - I'll have a bell when I buy a bike). Anyway, the dogs... Mostly they amble around sniffing stuff, as dogs do. But they can change direction at any time or, in one case, get confused and sit down in front of me. It's ok though - I may not know where the gears are, but I know where the back brake is! The nearest I come to falling off is when we pass a small group of teenage girls with a little dog on a nice wide bit of path. Girls gossiping, not watching little dog. Dog wanders across path to grass. Not a problem, except for the extending lead he's attached to... suddenly we're in danger of being garrotted (albeit at knee height) and, again, the brakes are slammed on.
We find the Taff Trail at Tongwynlais and end up cycling at the bottom of the hill of the castle where we got married - Castell Coch. I say 'wouldn't it be great to cycle up and have our picture taken on the drawbridge so that we can put it beside the picture of us on our wedding day?' I'm not entirely sure Guy actually agrees, but we pedal that way anyway. It is a VERY steep hill. My front gears, the same ones I had trouble with last week, are still stuck in 'middle'. There's no way I can cycle up the hill. We look at the gears, Guy tries to get them working in case it's me, but they're stuck. Hopeless. It's not exactly the same photo if you've walked up the hill pushing the bike... we give up and head back to the Trail. There's a right turn off the road and I'm very proud of (a) indicating right by sticking my arm out and (b) not falling off while doing it.
Now we're on the Taff Trail proper, and heading through the north end of Cardiff. The Trail is still incredibly busy - and almost everybody is going the other way. Although I suppose if they were going the same way as us we wouldn't meet them, would we? Duh. There are lots of joggers, mostly carrying water bottles. We pass one bloke carrying TWO bottles - by the look of him I reckon there's gin in one and tonic in the other... We pedal on down next to the River Taff (very scenic) and now it's almost flat so that we do have to actually pedal from time to time. We are almost knocked off our bikes by two power walkers coming in the opposite direction who won't get out of the way. [Note to two power walkers we met: Do you know how wobbly I am on a bike? Next time, I'd move - if I run into you it will hurt...]
There's a really pitted bit of path that we have to ride across and it is incredibly painful on the, er, nether regions. It's hard to tell how Guy is doing behind me as it's so difficult to ride on I daren't look round. When it gets a bit smoother I say that it hurt. And Guy agrees. In a strangely high pitched voice... It's then that he tells me these road bikes have no suspension. That's no suspension as in NONE AT ALL. Ouch, ouch and OUCH!
We cross the River Taff at Black Weir in Pontcanna Fields - we pause to watch a very handsome black labrador retrieving an enormous stick from the river. He bounces around a bit on the shore and his master lobs it in again - very handsome. The dog, not the master. We carry on down towards the cricket ground and I veer off into the stadium area - excellent place for a photo opportunity! We also want tickets for the Twenty20 game in September, so we go buy tickets... And take a photo or two.
Then it's back on the bikes all the way to the bay. We cycle round the mini roundabout in front of the very swanky St Davids Hotel just because we can, and because it lowers the tone nicely. Then we're into the Bay and the Cardiff Harbour Festival - it's fabulous! Loads of craft stalls, loads of food stalls, loads of boats. We'd like a longer look round but we don't have padlocks for the bikes and there are so many people that it's a bit difficult negotiating everybody with a bike beside you. We find ourselves a quiet spot and then I go for coffee. I also pose (in my New Gloves) for a photo with boats (ships?) in the background...
We meet Sue and Jenny from the Clog dance side that Guy plays for. They recognise us even in our cycling get-up - I ask how and they said 'you look like Sarah and Guy'. Should we be worried? Are we that distinctive? Or weird looking?
We pedal on, heading for the train station as we're going to catch the train back up to Caerphilly - yep, Guy won on that one! Actually, it's taken us nearly 3 hours to get down to Cardiff Bay - must have been the detours to Castell Coch and the cricket ground - and we've only got the bikes for one more hour, so we really can't cycle back. We take a short cut through town next to John Lewis - and there's somebody in a shop near there who's promised to do something and not done it, so I jokingly tell Guy he should go into the shop in his helmet and shades and look Mean and Menacing. No need - there's the bloke standing on the pavement chatting up a pretty redhead! We get him in a pincer movement with the bikes and he is, fair to say, a little startled. We still have helmets and shades on. Nicely mean looking. We have a polite discussion and he agrees to get on with what he's meant to be doing. How about that for a coincidence?! I wonder how he got on with the redhead?
We pedal a bit further to the station and buy tickets. We hear our train being announced on the platform, and we hurtle up the stairs carrying the bikes (with mine over my shoulder, just like my nephew Charly did) just in time to see it leave.... but it's only 15 minutes to the next one. Guy goes to get another coffee and brings me a bottle of water. And Maltesers. Apparently I asked for them. I could have sworn what I said was 'I'd like a bottle of water please' so it seems my subconscious is now requesting chocolate without my knowing - useful, but not helpful to the diet.
We seem to get in everyone's way on the train (bikes are BIG when they're on trains) and I say that I don't think we did much pedalling on today's ride - to the extent that 'we didn't even break wind'. Guy thinks I mean 'break sweat'. He could well be right...
And that's it. We're done! The train drops us off within 50 yards of the bike shop. The boys in the bike shop are great and give me all sorts of tips for getting a wetsuit on and off. Actually, only on - they agree getting it off may be quite funny. Apparently to get it on you put on thin mid calf length socks and then pull the wetsuit on. I'm thinking 'I have to swim in socks?'. They gently tell me to take the socks off again once the wetsuit is on...
And a last thought. When I have my own bike there are a couple of clients near by that I could cycle to. But I may have to do something about the helmet hair...
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