Thursday 18th July 2013 - my wheels are hot!
(Total distance so far = 605 + 5 = 610 mile)
Yesterday was the hottest day of the year (about 30°C) and today can't be far behind! I am going to my brothers this eve so I wont be skating back today, so this morning I decide to take the slightly longer run from Shoreham to Worthing (about 5 miles) so I can get some excercise. There is a nice easterly breeze most of the way, its hot and bright, the sea is sparkling deep blue ... it's a lovely, lovely day :-)
On the road up to the Shoreham lagoons a car comes towards me and looks like he or she won't leave me much space. As it gets closer we just happen to pass each other by a parked car so there is even less room. I am forced to go close-in to the side of the road where there are piles of beach pebbles. I come off. Luckily I anticipate the whole scenario and manage to keep on my feet and 'run it off'. Still this is the peril of being an 'alien' on the road (people don't know what to think or do about a longboarder on the road as they don't see many around).
The run along to Lancing was fine. At the Lancing Green the grass near the path is so burnt-out and brown, that the mud left behind can be skated on. It makes an easy detour if you need to go off the gnarly concrete path (the grass would normally stop you quite quickly).
From Lancing to the start of the Worthing promenade run (at Brooklands) there is a nice, very slightly downhill and smoothly tarmacted run. I often can't make the best use of this bit, either because the wind is a bit erratic here, or because cars come out of the houses on that side. But today it was perfect. The wind was with me, there was nothing in my way ... my wheels were hot! It was lovely whizzzzing along to Brooklands. I have set-up my longboard speedometer so I was able to measure my speed along the whole route, marking parts of the run that might be interesting to look at later. According to this data I got up to about 14 mph on this part of the run, before I had to slow down for the junction, see graph below. This is not a bad speed considering the whole run today is basically on the flat :-)
The promenade run from Lancing to Worthing was great. It follows the coast and is right by the beach so you are as close to the sea possible. It's just lovely to skate along by the sparking blue sea :-) The wind was veering a bit to the west now and again, but in this heat I didn't mind a bit of a breeze against me. At one point a girl on a trials bike joins the path just in front of me. I have to cut-her-up a bit as I go past her, to keep to the smooth parts of the path especially to avoid those anoying ribbed 'path joiners' at the exits (e.g. see the second picture from left in the series above). I make good progress along to Worthing (at about 10-12 mph) way ahead of her. She finally catches up with me at the bottle-neck at the start of town. When she passes she looks around and gives me a big smile - a recognition of how great it is to be out by the sea, in the sunshine on wheels! I get to Luna's in Worthing, have a coffee, water and write my diary while waiting for Samuel, Oliver and mum to meet me for lunch.
THE CREATIVE SCIENCE CENTRE
Dr Jonathan Hare University of Sussex, Brighton.
e-mail: j.p.hare@sussex.ac.uk
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