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Chronicles of the Overlord – Lockdown Bike Rides

Commencing operation . . .

Overview

As lockdown continues, I have spent a considerable amount of time tidying the garden.

Chopping down branches
Trimming the bushes
Pulling the weeds

I am pleased to say that the worst of it has been taken care of and the garden is now in good order. With that task accomplished, I decided to grab my bike and take it for a couple of rides over the past weekend. It gets me out of the house for an hour and gives me fresh air, while simultaneously getting some exercise in. Win-win!

Let’s Ride

Fortunately, just before the lockdown was instigated, I took my bike to my local bike shop to inflate the tires, as I had not ridden for over a year. I own a single speed hybrid bike, which is excellent for durability as it requires next to no maintenance. The absence of a gear system simplifies the design, and fewer parts mean less problems.

I purchased the bike way back in 2014 and used it mainly to commute to work. Six years later, it is still in great condition, and I suspect it will serve me well for many more years to come.

Anyway, I hit the road, and the Basingstoke canal is ten minutes away from where I live and makes for a nice, scenic ride.

I noticed during my ride, that there are generally more people around, in comparison to a month ago, when I went to get my tyres inflated. I also observed that people are publicly disregarding social distancing protocols more so than before.

I cycled past a pub and saw a couple of people seated within proximity of each other. I think patience within the UK citizenry is growing thin and there is a silent rebellion to move things back to ‘normal’.

Anyway, as I rode back home, I changed my route slightly and passed by a house with a small box of books with a “please help yourself” sign attached. I hit the brakes and manoeuvred my way towards the box and began examining the tomes. There were around ten books, and I admittedly wanted to take most of them, but I lacked the storage capacity to do so.

I could only take a maximum of two books so decided on ‘The Librarian’ by Salley Vickers and ‘Man’s Search For Meaning’ by Viktor E. Frankl.

One fictional and one factual.

I tucked them underneath my shirt and continued my journey back home. I will likely return and grab some more reading material in the future.

As I approached the final segment of my journey, I overtook a teenage cyclist and descended a sharp hill. As my speed stabilised, I noticed he was right on my back as we approached the final hill climb of my journey home.

I am going to leave you in the dust! Do you think you can keep up with me? I am a fighting fit athlete, bring it on!

I went all out on the hill climb of death. Remember I ride a gearless bike, so I have to overcome elevation through sheer muscle prowess and effort rather than manipulating gear ratios! I was pretty dead by the time I reached the top, having to stand up and pedal to overcome the final ten metres of the climb.

By the time I regained my composure, I had looked for my self-perceived opponent, but he was nowhere in sight. He either diverted course prematurely or was still climbing, in either case, victory was mine! A few minutes later, I was back home safe and sound.

Conclusion

Hopefully, the coronavirus situation will stabilise over the coming weeks and lockdown lifts. Cycling is an excellent way of getting out and exercising during this time, as is running, but I hate running. Reading is another great way to spend your time, and I encourage you to do both!

Mission complete – Overlord Drakow signing out.