Those hills are mighty steep!

After yesterdays great day out, I ventured to Dunstable Downs with my Orange Brompton. My reasoning was simple. It got absolutely filthy yesterday so before giving it the makeover it deserved I took it for a spin.

I also took my Ricoh GRD with me to take some arty shots of the English countryside in fashionable Hight street Kensington, black and white. You can see my efforts below.

Yes, it is steep!

An unmapped mountain?

The summit.

It must be said that the hills (and I use that term lightly) were steep! What I can remember from my O-level grade B in geography reminded me that they were hills, but surely they must have been mountains! Perhaps the map people like some areas not covered by Google Street view, missed off these peaks!

I am getting better at ascending hills as I gradually get fitter - all thanks to owning Brompton bikes I might add. I strained, laboured and used mild profanity as I did my best to gain any momentum. From watching the olympics and the cyclist training I had heard all about lactic acid this, lactic acid that. I had no intention of vomiting so I did the only thing a gentleman could do. I nonchalantly got off my bike and took a swig of water, then ate a flapjack.

After this I was on the bike again and trying to get up what seemed like the north face of the Eiger. My assertion that this was in fact a mountain was bourn out, as at such altitude oxygen is thinner. It was fear of succumbing to altitude sickness that induced me to push the bike up to the summit and not the fact that it was damned steep.

As lovely as the scenery was, I think in future I'll stick to Richmond Park!