Back on the bike - and a struggle

After a week feeling sickly and then a long weekend in Cornwall i found myself vexed by my outright failure to clock up any miles for the past 9 days.

Today I intended to rectify that. The soggy weather of the past few days had subsided and faced with a spacious, powder blue sky and a particularly radiant sun it seemed like the perfect day. This coupled with the fact that I had just finished a particularly protracted and increasingly infuriating work project made the prospect of a ride-out inevitable.

After a quick change that included donning a thermal vest, long lycra bib pants, thermal socks, a tee shirt over the vest and a cycling shirt over that I was at last ready! I set off from home at a pace, pushing harder than usual as if trying to make up for recent failings. My route was tried and tested, local lanes and villages taking in a few stiff rises. I quickly regretted not wearing sunglasses - the sun was low and unremittingly bright. I paused at the top of the first decent hill, an impressive 360 degree vista stretching out to the horizon. The low lying fields spotted with a myriad of shining puddles from the recent rainfall, stretching out as if a hundred mirrors had shattered and been thrown to the ground, each one glinting in the sunlight.

I pushed on breathing harder now with my legs already complaining at the effort. I managed a stretch at 20mph and things began to feel better, the wind which had been tugging at me since I started, had now dissipated - it was getting easier. I flew through the small villages that I know so well, each twist and turn measured with the precision that only repetition can provide. All too soon I was within sight of my village Church and home - 13.5 miles - not a long ride by any estimation but satisfying and suitable on this first day back after a break. I felt reasonably good, the month is too old now for any hope of achieving a high mileage but with a little over a week left I shall try to reach 200miles.