Patch Tuesday–no work Wednesday?

My posts are dropping out of chronological order – not that it really matters, I tend to witter about things that have occurred recently but specific rides tend to get their own dated Posts. Well I have discovered some “old” pictures taken last week that I’d forgotten about and yesterday was Patch Tuesday when Microsoft blesses us with all sorts of updates for our software – well if we use their software that is. I do so I have had the Valentine Patches delivered to my machine

A previous Valentine present – Chocolate fridge cake - yummy

To cut a long story short despite having been out for a pleasant, but stick ride in the Fens this Post will be about something else. Mainly because I have spent most of the day dealing with patching problems. They didn’t go well and I had to force my machine to power down. When I do that the RAID disk needs to do a consistency check which supposedly happens in the background whilst the machine is running. But it doesn’t leave an awful lot of foreground. So yesterday’s ride will have to wait.

I went out in the car last Friday – partly for time reasons and partly because it was so cold and I was feeling lazy. Actually I went to the bank to pay in a cheque and under normal circumstances it is much easier to cycle to the bank ‘cos then I can park much closer. But this time around I was visiting Newmarket so I went to the bank there – unlike Cambridge Newmarket still has pretty cheap car-parking with spaces available. (Think 50p for two hours!).

A while back I mentioned a problem with the road near a school in Newmarket – well it looks as if they will get a crossing thanks to campaigners. It is a pity that schools need campaigners to make them safe from cars.

One of the reasons that cycling in Cambridge is better is apart from when it is very snowy and icy a bicycle is a more reliable method of travel. At the moment “Gas works slow city to a crawl” Check out the first comment from Cyclist if you don’t believe me. Mind you country lanes also get blocked, a nasty crash occurred up by Witchham Toll, let’s hope the occupants weren’t seriously injured – the roof of one of the vehicles was cut from the looks of the picture.  I have not noticed before but from the looks of the OSM Cycle map more of the National Byway has been mapped out not far from Witcham Toll. The route between Sutton Gault and Chatteris is very pleasant and although there it can be prone to flooding on a bicycle you can take the raised footpath. The East of England is still in development on the National Byway website.

I took a slightly scenic route back via Fordham and took a couple of pictures of the snowy fields. That tree sits on a bridleway between Burwell and Exning called Haycroft Lane

And this is the view the other way and is I think Crowhall Farm with a bridleway around it that I have never cycle along, although it seems better suited to horses than bicycles.

A fine filly? by the Cycleway (or should that be Horseway?)

I was amazed to see the pictures on the Copenhagen Cycle Chic blog – Bike n Skate. Respect to the guy in the ninth picture down. I struggle to cycle on ice paying total attention to the road and with both hands on the bars. The guy in the picture is cycling on the ice with one hand on the handlebars and the other texting. Clearly growing up somewhere that gets cold in the winter teaches you some ice skills. Living in the flatlands I find bridges hard work to cycle over.

Finally a quick mention of the CGB (Cambridge Guided Busway) there are reports on the forums that it is pretty tricky in the very cold weather. There are areas that melt during the day, the water collects and then freezes over night making it quite hazardous for cyclists. There has been a call for better lighting along the cycleway – but Council dismisses those calls. There have been accidents and people don’t always feel safe on unlit routes.  I do find myself thinking what a load of cobblers when I read the quite from the Head of delivery of the busway. There ought to be a law against inane quotes in the press.

CGB Cycleway before the blacktop in the Winter

The “busway court battle ‘could last until 2015’” and there are very large sums of money involved. I am glad that is not a battle I am involved in. Let’s just hope the Council is right on this one.

Cambridge Guided Busway – and cycleway in action

Whilst mentioning buses apparently “Bus drivers fear for jobs as subsidy cuts back on agenda”. The trouble is that we don’t like the congestion on the roads – but we don’t want to pay for any solutions.

Almost finally I rather likes this Post – which has too long a title but starts off reminding us that cycling campaigners need to avoid coming across as shrill or entitled. Hum I plead guilty to that sometimes. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar as an old colleague used to say. Speaking of which perhaps we cyclists ought to carry round a jar of honey to deal with road rash – it would be a source of energy as well.

I have to mentioned a couple of cyclists – Contador stripped of Tour de France title and Armstrong in the clear after Feds drop doping probe. Races won and lost in the courts. Speaking of courts – here are some pictures of Amanda Knox on her bike – wearing a helmet too.

Bob wearing his helmet (loosely) on his fine steed in India