Touren » e to Yorkshire using Gary Ballan

Call me a Cinderella cyclist. Im happy to gear up and ride anywhere, anytime -- until the clock strikes a certain witching hour. Then Im pedaling home hard to beat the sinking sun. Riding at night is an activity Ive avoided since I picked up road biking a decade ago. Id sooner hop on an indoor stationary bike to train for triathlons and even longer races, like centuries and gran fondos, than hit the road when the streetlights come on.Why am I so afraid of the dark? For starters, I dont trust drivers partly because, as a native New Yorker, I never got my license. I worry that I dont understand how folks behind the wheel think. These four-wheeled beasts feel foreign to me and my two-wheeled steed. It doesnt help knowing that more than 800 people lost their lives in a bicycle and motor vehicle collision in 2015, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. One in five of these fatal crashes happened between 6 p.m. and 8:59 p.m., reports the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center.Bottom line: I love my life, and putting it on the line for an evening ride never seemed worthwhile to me. I know that sounds dramatic, especially to some of my daring friends who think Im being overly cautious. Theyve long told me how peaceful and fun night riding can be. I dont doubt it. I know this bustling city, particularly Brooklyn where I live, can feel calmer in the darkness when everyones winding down from their workday. And frankly, as an anxious person, a little calm would do me good. In those ways, I realize Im missing out. This is why I was open to the idea of getting the right safety gear to finally give this a go.The detailsWhen I received an opportunity to test the new Visijax LED Cycling Jacket with Turn Signals from Sharper Image ($154.99, sharperimage.com), I initially wrote it off for the aforementioned reasons. But it stayed with me. Truth is, the best story ideas scare me a little. And I really do wish I were brave enough to bike at night for fun. A few days later, I returned to the website to watch the video on how it works and then read reviews on Visijax.com. One customer comment in particular gave me some hope: The lights are really, really bright and even when theyre not on, the yellow is unmissable. So I ordered one.Unlike my other cycling jackets, this unisex model had 23 built-in LED lights and reflectors strategically placed throughout, including the chest, arms and back. It comes with a small, lightweight, rechargeable Lithium-ion battery pack that lasts roughly 30 hours. It discreetly plugs into the jacket via an inside pocket and hidden cable.Flicking the lights on or off is easy. You just push the power button sticker on the front of the jacket, which connects to the battery, and choose from three operating modes: one tap to switch on front and rear lights (slow flash), a second tap for quick flashing mode, and a third to display all lights with no flashing. A fourth tap turns it all off and youre back to just a regular, no-frills neon jacket.The coolest part: Motion-activated turn signals in the sleeves (on the front and back, just below the shoulders) flash for about 5 to 10 seconds when you indicate youre heading left or right. This way, youre better able to communicate your riding intentions to others at all times.The testOn an unusually warm night this fall, my friend Tishon met me outside my Brooklyn apartment at 7:15 p.m. to bike about eight miles round-trip, heading north towards Williamsburg. I felt good about this little adventure because its a route Ive done many times in daylight and Tishons one of my badass friends who enjoys pedaling after hours. The minute I walked outside and switched on the jacket, I lit up like a Christmas tree. From the look of surprise on Tishons face, it really felt like Xmas, too.We laughed over my light show, then hit the road, down the highly trafficked street of Vanderbilt Ave. Using the well-marked bike lanes helped ease my nerves. My jacket was so bright that I didnt even use my standard mounted bike lights. When it was time to make a right turn, I happily flung my arms out to signal my plans. So far, so good.Once in Williamsburg, we veered to the left (arm up!) to this hidden little park overlooking the East River and Manhattans twinkling skyline. Then, after about 20 minutes of star and skyscraper gazing, we headed back south, toward home, but first we stopped for tacos. This afforded me another half-dozen brilliant turns onto main roads and side streets. By the time we got to my apartment around 10 p.m., I felt like a bonafide night rider. The cherry on top was when my neighbor Pepper, who was standing outside the building, looked at my shining armor with envy and asked where she could get one.What I likedFull disclosure: I love bright things. I own a fluorescent pink bike helmet and snazzy white sneakers. So I was kinda excited to wear this highlighter-yellow number out in public. That said, even I was a little self-conscious (see cons below), but I did feel very hard-to-miss. Knowing that my fashion statement would stop traffic did make me feel extra safe. This ultimately allowed me to enjoy stepping outside my comfort zone and expand my little world.What I didnt likeAs much as I love all that glitters and glows, I still felt a little shy in this hello-high-beams number. Its hard not to feel geeky in safety apparel in general (looking at you, knee pads), especially something this eye-catching. Also, I was pretty warm under all of these lights. The rainproof fabric, coated with Teflon to keep you dry, is breathable thanks to air vents, but on this temperate night it felt toasty. I had to roll up the sleeves to my elbows to let in the cool breeze as we rode, and that seemed to do the trick.Another concern: The motion sensors didnt always pick up on my turn signals. As the night wore on, my gestures became a bit more elaborate to set off the flashing. That could be because I only charged the battery for an hour beforehand. It probably needed a few more hours to be fully charged.Worth it?Yes, though I havent completely gone to the dark side. Riding on a cool, sunny day in a car-free zone will always be my preference. But with this jacket, I feel less vulnerable, more protected and truly open to opportunities to experience my favorite activity in a new way. In fact, I already have evening plans with another friend to hit the town on two wheels next week. Yup, Im officially taking this dazzling show on the road, and would recommend it if visibility is one of the key reasons holding you back from riding at night too. Custom Browns T-shirts . It says Pocklingtons lawyer filed the appeal Friday in a California court. CTV Edmonton also says Pocklington gave a $100,000 cash deposit as part of the conditions of his bail, and that he will be out on bail until his appeal is heard. Greedy Williams Jersey Large . Ashley Youngs cross was inadvertently headed by Chester into his own net in the 66th minute, allowing United to claim a third straight league win. "We had to dig deep with our fighting spirit and weve done that," United striker Wayne Rooney said. http://www.custombrownsjersey.com/ . Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz were sent to Toronto on Saturday as the Maple Leafs traded defenceman Jesse Blacker and draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks. Cheap Browns Jerseys . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. Custom Browns Jerseys . Oyama had six birdies and two bogeys at Kintetsu Kashikojima in the event also sanctioned by the Japan LPGA Tour. "I have been having this neck ache thats been affecting my golf recently," Oyama said. Yorkshire 291 for 5 (Balance 106*, Lees 63, Bresnan 63) v MiddlesexScorecard Scarboroughs restorative properties have long been proclaimed by many who love nothing better than to holiday in this grand old seaside town. Considering the state of the pound, they might soon be joined by a few more converts. Certainly there is a good case for Welcome to Yorkshire using Gary Ballance on their advertising material after he reacquainted himself with the form that has largely eluded him since he was dropped by England.Ballance is habitually listed as those in the running to replace Nick Compton as Englands No. 3 in the first Test against Pakistan. That he is on the shortlist - albeit a little lower down at the moment - owes as much to his Test average of 48 as much as recent form, but his unbeaten 106 against a reputable Middlesex attack, his first of the season, will do him no harm.It has been a long time coming, this century, and it was a great feeling, Ballance said. I have felt it good nick this season but have not been getting the big scores. It was not so much the nervous 90s as the nervous 80s where I was stuck for about half an hour and thinking about a century but I eased my nerves by getting through the 90s quickly.I would love to get back into the England team but every cricketer will tell you that you start struggling if you start thinking about it. At the moment I am just concentrating on playing for Yorkshire and not worrying about England: the rest will happenHistorians might feel this latest Scarborough miracle was appropriate. Scarboroughs claim to be the worlds first seaside spa report goes back as far as 1626 when it was affimed that the towns spring water possessed medicinal properties. Such optimism was badly needed at the time because in June of that year King Charles I dissolved the English parliament. These days, parliament is not dissolved, merely in chaos. You dont know youve been born.Scarboroughs effect was far from instantaneous - they even use Harrogate Spa bottled water in the dressing room - and Ballances hundred was hard earned, more a statement of determination and desire than an immediate clicking of form.He confessed in April to undergoing a mental battle after his back-foot technique was analysed and this innings seemed to illustrate that. Like a well-done steak, his presence was forever imposing, but not easily digestible. He was rewarded for his determination, beginning with conscientious leg-side tucks, reaching a sedate half-century in the last over before tea and interspersing some more confident cuts as life became a little easier under blue skies in the final session.Two successive clipped boundaries off Tim Murtagh brought up his first Championship century since his 165 against Sussex at Hove last August - his only Championship hundred last season.Scarborough, holiday town or not, knew the importance of that. Like an annual elephant gathering at a favourite water hole, Yorkshire cricket fans are drawn to North Marine Road by faith and tradition, watching intently, whether the cricket is grim or adventurous, sitting in familiar seats, resuming conversations, warily looking around for signs of change and grateful not to find evidence of many - apart from the seaside landladies, who reputedly are far more genial these days.This is the chattiest of county crowds, social mistrust broken down by the sense that everybody is on vacation for an identical purpose. There was a stall here promoting the good work done by the Yorkshire Cricket Foundaation, but a brief walk along the popular banking is enough to soak up the essence of cricket throughout the county.ddddddddddddIve retired. They asked me back but my knees are knackered.Youve not got more than six all season? Youre kidding.Cant believe they called it off - it stopped raining at one oclock.It is a soulless cricketer who does not love the chance to play at Scarborough. Strange things can happen on this intimate patch of green. Mike Selvey, the Guardian correspondent, watching his beloved Middlesex on a ground he had not visited for many years, recalled dismissing Geoffrey Boycott first ball as the old curmudgeon charged and slogged him to mid-on. Research revealed it to be a 10-over Fenner Trophy match in 1979, but it sounded outlandish all the same.The sun beamed down at the start of play, but this has been the grouchiest of summers and nobody was about to be fooled. All season, coats have been donned as automatically as shoes. For everybody braving a t-shirt, there were half a dozen protected in three or four layers. The Championship table, at the mid-point of the season, remains sketchy and unformed: Yorkshire nine points behind Lancashire with a game in hand, Middlesex in third, a further two points behind.Yorkshire lost two wickets to attempted leave-alones in the morning, both of them bringing catches to the wicketkeeper, John Simpson. Adam Lyth fell first ball of the day to a seemingly innocent, wideish delivery from Tim Murtagh, the home-club boy out before many spectators had adjusted their cushions. Kane Williamson, who needed 36 balls for his first run, erred in similar fashion to James Franklin, although on this occasion against a ball of tighter line.Alex Lees brought up an attractive half-century with a six over long-off against Ollie Rayner which was confidently caught by a spectator with enough theatrical aplomb to win a walk-on part in a holiday show. Remarkably, it was his best score on home soil since September 2014.Batting first was not entirely automatic. A sluggish pitch possessed just enough encouragement for the Middlesex seamers and there was some swing, too, whenever the cloud thickened. Murtagh made best use of that in a probing post-lunch spell, having Lees caught at second slip for 63, and when Andrew Gale followed lbw to a fullish lbw from Toby Roland-Jones, Yorkshire were anxiously placed 131 for 4. Its Not Very Promising, said one woman peering out of the Ladies Toilet, although she could have been talking about the weather. People usually are.Ballance rediscovered that promise, as did the day itself. Tim Bresnan helped him shore up the innings with a sturdy half-century in a partnership that reclaimned Yorkshires authority before Murtagh, the pick of Middlesexs attack, bowled him with a decent delivery.Driving back from Scarborough across the Yorkshire Wolds on a glorious evening - and there have not been many - the landscape beyond Garrowby Hill was dazzling, and bright white clouds were interspersed so gloriously across a fresh blue sky that it was possible to imagine that no clouds of quite that form had ever been made before. Cloud-puffball, torn tufts, tossed pillows, as the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins had it, and many more shapes besides.It was as if the Yorkshire landscape had turned on a show to mark the end of some difficult times.Ballances time will come again. But perhaps not quite yet. ' ' '