Discretion is the better part of valour and it may be that Simon was wise to stay away on this occasion. I have a bit of a reputation for harming my friends on bike rides: Dan getting hypothermia on Hartside; starving Chris to the point of delerium in the snow at Chopwell; and most recently taking Simon out for a night ride on a bike he borrowed from me that had lights that shut themselves off every 8 seconds after being turned on (transport mode it turns out). I would like to point out that its nothing personal: there was, of course, that time I gave myself 2 black eyes in Morzine.
This weekend (and I should point out here that it was entirely Paul's idea) Paul, Jon, Paul D and I cycled from Tynemouth to Corbridge via the pedestrian tunnel and Wylam; and then back via Matfen and the Reiver's Route to Wideopen. A total of 5hrs and 20minutes of cycling covering 62.6 miles. Paul blames the pint he had at lunchtime (mine was fine) but I suspect the unseasonal sunny and warm weather and "the lack of miles in the legs" was to blame. It wasn't my fault.
