Cycling Jersey

Today was our first real chance to cycle on Jersey. We had been told that there were about 7 hills on the island and today we managed to ride up all 12 of them. We started out along the waterfront on a lovely smooth bike path, but soon turned right and began heading up a long and steady climb. Each time I put pressure on my pedals, the bike protested with an assortment of ominous noises - none of them pleasant. I soon started to hate the bike.

Our ride continued to the far south western point of the island. This spot is called La Corbiere and the furthest tip is occupied by an impressive lighthouse. Unfortunately by the time we reached this spot the weather had turned bleak and the rain was falling steadily. We decided to head back to the hotel.

Although the first part of the return ride was completed without incident, my ride was soon interrupted by another sudden (and fatal) crack when the rear derailleur fell apart. Obviously the corrosion that had been working away steadily for the past 40 years finally succeeded in making the bike unrideable. That was the end of my ride. While the others rode on ahead of me, I had no alternative other than wheel the bike all the way back to St Helier - a distance of about 6 km. It would not have been so bad if it had not been raining. My mood grew very dark as I began to harbour very unsavory feelings towards the owner of the bike rental company.

I eventually made it back to the depot, where I told someone there just what I thought about their bikes. Unfortunately the person I spoke to was probably just a 14 year old kid on work experience, not the owner. I did manage to get another bike and I hoped that it would last a little longer than the first one.Read more