Got out for a few miles on Sunday on the AO8. A bit of mixed fortunes, I went out across the Moors and over the nature reserves near Glastonbury, stopped for a drink at a new pop up cafe (basically a horse box with a kettle and a few picnic chairs, but the tea was good, the cake was excellent), then made my way through Glasto' and over into Wells. Wells was busy, but I stopped to see the cathedral clock striking, then headed on towards Wedmore.
And that's where the fun happened. I heard a vehicle coming up behind, and being in a narrow lane I slowed down as I was approaching a pull in where I could stop safely. A few seconds later I found myself flat on the deck, struggling to release from the pedals and get up again, while watching the aforementioned vehicle disappear into the distance. I got up after a few seconds, and made sure I had two of everything still attached and unbroken. I was very lucky - total damage was one torn glove, one bruised knee, torn bar tape, and a scuffed brake lever hood. The driver obviously couldn't wait for me to stop, tried to squeeze past, and caught my saddle bag.
Fortunately my camera was on and wasn't damaged, and on returning home I found I had everything on film (well, on microSD card, but that doesn't sound so good, does it?). Video's now been handed to the local police force, and the owner of the vehicle will be getting a knock on the door in the next few days - apparently he's looking at a minimum of two offences including Dangerous Driving and Leaving the Scene.
I'd just about recovered when I got home, and my wife had a cold G&T ready - another positive thing about cycling technology is Strava Beacon, guaranteed cold or hot drink waiting at your destination. I mentioned this to a workmate a while back though, his reaction was something along the lines of "You mean you
pay money to let your wife know
where you are?!"
In summary a nice ride, and vintage bikes are wonderful, especially when teamed with modern technology.
Wells Cathedral Green
Chain Gateway, Wells. It connects Vicars Close to the Cathedral so that clerical staff could get from home to the Cathedral without getting rained on.
Moat and walls around the Bishop's Palace, Wells.
Milestone between Wells and Glastonbury.
Rhyne beside the cycle path out of Glastonbury; Glastonbury Tor is in the distance.
Cycle path headed towards Glastonbury. This path is built on the trackbed of what was the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway.
That's a bit close!
Oh **** It was more than close.