Turf Zone – HareWhere
The Turf League. Not sure I like this game. You go to sleep with a lead of 14,000 points and wake the next morning only to see that lead reduced by 12,000 points. Is this what it’s going to be like for the next 32 days of the round? Am I going to have to find 10,000 or 20,000 or even more points every day? I might if there was Turf League medals for reaching each level but there isn’t any, which is a shame. Perhaps there should be?
Then I had the thought, are the other members of my group actively participating in the League at all? Perhaps my nearest challenger turfer BroccoliA-M is only out taking zones and gathering points for other reasons, perhaps seeking turf medals or an increase in rank?
Could I be the only one striving for pole position and the others are just there because they get placed there automatically? I’m now wondering if participating in the League should be optional. Rather than everyone getting added, only those who wish to take part are included? I suppose I may be fighting ghost turfers who don’t even look at their League positions? Guess I’ll never know for sure. Don’t suppose it matters really.
Turfing today was in hill country, namely Gorebridge and the Mayfield area of Dalkeith, with the less hilly village of Newtongrange included on the way back home. The morning session gave me a hilly-hard-won 66 zones taking my points to around 45,500, some 13,000 ahead of my closest challengers in the Turf League. Though I don’t suppose the gap will last very long. If I can work up some energy after dinner, might just turf Bonnyrigg and Dalkeith this evening for a few more points.
Popped into Mutts Cycles on the way home for a chat, a cup of tea, and a chocolate biscuit. The biscuit was most welcome as energy levels were running low. I will not point out that the biscuit was not a Kit-Kat, it was a Brunch Bar but very tasty it was. I must say Scott has a keen eye for bicycles. Within a few nano-seconds of entering the shop he had spotted that both tyres on the Surly Ogre were the wrong way round. The rotation mark was pointing to the rear, rather than forwards. Most embarrassing. Well done for spotting that, Scott. They have now been changed.
Sorry folks, the matter of e-bikes again. Was actually dreaming about them last night. Yes, very sad, I know. The main part of the dream concerned how I was going to charge 4 or 6 spare batteries and how to carry them on the e-bike. Kept me tossing and turning much of the night. All very strange.
My thinking now is trying to decide if an e-bike that comes with the assistance of an electric motor would be a better choice than purchasing a lightweight bike that takes less effort to pedal? Or visa-versa. The former quite likely coming in at around 15 Kg (33 lbs) weight, the latter, around 10 Kg (22 lbs) weight, possibly even less with carbon-fibre frames. I must say I do like the idea of a lightweight bike, be it carbon-fibre, Reynolds steel, titanium or aluminium. I built a lightweight Reynolds 853 steel framed skinny-tyre single-speed a few years ago and loved the way it simply flew like the wind. Still have the Genesis Day One frame in the attic. Kind of leaning towards the lightweight. Choices, choices. Far too many of them. Perhaps I should just forget about other bikes and stick with the Surly Ogre?
While turfing this morning I was thinking about the concept of bicycle weight and fitness. We strive for lightweight bikes to make turfing/cycling easier. Same with buying e-bikes. Yet I wonder if we should be looking at different ways of achieving the same. What about body weight? How many cycle turfers could lose a few Kg’s and get the lighter weight benefits that way? I’m carrying a few Kg’s I could happily part with. And would not increasing fitness levels be better (and far cheaper) than using an e-bike? Food for thought. Or should I say, less food for thought? I have a wee personal mantra for getting fit. I want to be as Fit as Féarglas! Hope she doesn’t mind. Back soon.
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