Turf Zone – SwingItVicky
Well, having managed to not get caught out on all the 1st April Fool’s pranks, though one rather neat one from the Turf Crew where the turf map was turned on its head, did have me struggling to get my head sorted while out turfing in Dalkeith, at least until I physically flipped the mobile phone around, I can now get back to normal turfing. And the topic that came to be while having a bath this evening, yes, an actual bath, rather than a shower, just for a change, was how do I get myself into a totally turf frame of mind.
I was like that once, back all those years ago when I first started turfing and a few years from then, out turfing at all hours of day and night, chasing medals, and points, and just about everything else as well. Yet, today, I’m wondering where that totally turf frame of mind has gone. All I’m doing now is out each day for an hour or so taking zones, or hunting down the occasional fleeting TvT zones, or even more elusive FTT zones before the local rivals, Hodge, sjami44 and MuttsCycles get there first. How do I get myself back in the turf zone, so to speak?
First thought is to get rid of those time-wasting apps on the mobile phone, with Facebook being the first one get dumped straight in the deleted items bin, there to be immediately flushed away forever. Email is fine, as is WhatsApp. I only use the latter for turf and messages from close family and turfing friends. That should save me a whole heap of time, the exact amount of which I’m too ashamed to reveal. A good start.
But what next? What else can I do to help me on my way to collecting that 10,000,000 points for Rank 59 – Turf Titan? (And I’m not even thinking about the next 25,000,000 points for Rank 60 – Turfalicious). Well, I suppose I could simply start by just getting out there on the bike as much as possible, just turn those pedals, take zones, collect points, no thinking required. Keep it simple, don’t think about distant goals or near-impossible amounts, they will come along eventually, probably. Just take it day by day, zone by zone and I’ll get there, well, whenever I get there. A plan, of sorts.
Now, another topic I want to look at is that of turf transport, particularly transporting bicycles to new locations for turf sessions. Taking the folding Brompton’s is okay, though our wee Ford Fiesta requires the back seat down even for one bike which is not ideal. We do have a towbar bike rack but that also requires additional setup and hassle. I find that additional hassle means I tend to leave my normal bikes behind. In addition, the Fiesta I’ve recently inherited from my mother is 11-years old and a new timing belt is overdue for replacement and that costs around £1200 which I’m not happy to pay. So, what is to be done? What would be the most optimal vehicle for turf transport?
First, let’s look at what I want to be able to do when I head further afield for a bike turf session. Ideally, I want minimal hassle from start to finish, the bike already fully loaded and ready to ride with luggage, lights and so on all setup. Just strap on my helmet, wheel the bike from the vehicle and ride away into the sunset, so to speak. No messing about.
So, after much Internet browsing, I’ve decided that a van is the answer. Yes, I’d rather have a Landrover Defender 110 but I’m trying to sensible. As if buying a van is even remotely sensible, I suspect you may well be thinking. However, I’ve never been one for following the crowd and being sensible. If our ancient ancestors had been sensible, they would never have explored the next valley, worked out how to create fire and we would now probably be extinct.
Okay, a van. Not too large a van like the famous Ford Transit and not too expensive either. That leaves two options I favour, the Ford Transit Connect and the Volkswagen Caddy, both available in short or long wheelbases, though measurements suggest that either will suffice for my needs, even for carrying the fat-tyred Trek Farley. Interestingly, the Ford is actually based on the Volkswagen platform, to basically the same van. So, that’s the plan, get a van, hopefully, in the not-too-distant future.
Now, it’s the Sunday of a Round reset and I’ve just been out on the bike grabbing a few zones. Of course, I checked the weather forecast beforehand and it did not look good but I hoped for the best and went out anyway. And did I get the best? Well, no, I got the worse weather you can imagine. It started cold with bright sunshine, all fine so far. Dark ominous grey clouds towards Edinburgh offered no undue worry as they were missing me entirely. However, same could not be said for the dark grey maelstrom approaching from the Penicuik direction.
Note much at first, just a few hailstones bouncing of the helmet and phone, but soon followed by heavy rain mixed with sleet and a strong driving wind. Sheltered by the side of a van (a Ford Transit) to don the so-called waterproofs. Waited a bit to see if it’s only a passing shower but decided to continue. Bad idea. It got worse and I was soon soaked to the bone. When you reach the stage where you feel your underpants getting wet and water running into your boot, it’s time to head for home. Even back home, struggling to undo the helmet clasp with numb fingers and needed help from ChoccyMuffin. So much for waterproofs! Back soon.
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