Cycling and more: 05/05/18

Saturday, 5 May 2018

Early summer sun with Rosie

I had originally planned a second shoot with Rosie for last Monday to coincide with me having the D810, but the weather was horrid, it rained heavily all day.

We were promised better for Friday, and we weren't disappointed.

Rosie once again was well prepared and the chosen area for the shoot was tidy and ready. But in the end the veranda didn't hold our interest for very long. The rest of the location was just too good.

on the veranda using a softbox flowery dress

Softbox camera left

veranda reflection in the mirror

The next area we went to was the cherry tree, in full blossom. It would certainly been a shame to miss it.

Rosie looks great, relaxed and serene. Pull back on the zoom and she is actually perched on a ladder.

You would never guess from the two pictures above.

Behind the scene Rosie up a ladder, slippers on

Then finally a walk through the woods. This was the most challenging area. Dappled light meant I had to keep an eye out for blown highlights and the leaves caused an incredibly vivid green light. It was very hard to get ride of. What do you think of my efforts?

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long weekend cycling

After the last week it was good to wake up to the sun on a weekend. Matt is globe trotting so I'm on my own for all three days.

It gave me a chance to put a few miles on the road bike. And to tackle a couple of local hills. I have mentioned before White Hill Lane, it is a very steep, long hill that gets steeper the further along it you go. There is shorter hill, Waller Lane that comes up from the valley, it's not open to general traffic, their route is Church Road. The lane is used for the Waller Pain time trial every year. In previous years I have seen the reminder too late to attend, but not this time. It use to be used by the Catford CC for the Catford Hill Climb back in the 1890’s, they have now moved on to other challenges. The last few years it has been run by the Caterham Round Table as part of the Caterham Festival.

I have walked up it a few times so I thought I'd try it on the bike. It is hard, especially the lower section, there is a flatter part that I mistook for the top. On race day I planned to stand up and really give it everything to the finish. It was then that I was glad of this test ride. The flatter section turns a bend and climbs again. I wouldn't have had the energy needed for that final section had I gone all in so early. I'll wait a little longer on the day. Strava has the fastest time as just over a minute, the last few years have had winning times around 1 minute 17 seconds. I'll aim for a time that starts with a one.

I'm glad to be out, it feels so good when it's warm. I stopped to take a drink and snap the scene.