 |
| What is B for?... |
Well I decided as I have a free day I would just pedal my Specialized in a loop around my area. No really huge hills, and the traffic is not that bad, I have been in worse! But when I woke up this morning there was the wet stuff falling from the sky! Darn it. How am I supposed to 'try out' the changes on my bike if the wet stuff comes down?
Only one thing to do and that's fall back to sleep and dream of winning a prestigious award for some sort of cycling event! But as you can probably tell, I did eventually go out for a ride. Only after doing the house top to bottom. And only because my son eventually came out of his hibernation and started to make a mess again! Agghh, I think I would rather cycle around in the rain than to watch the eating machine leave a trail of devastation in every room that he goes in!
The sky had cleared and it even felt rather warm, but that could be due to my manic house cleaning. I had my 'running' Garmin with me, mainly because I'm not quite sure how to attached the Old Boys 'bike' Garmin to my bike so I shall just have to remember to turn it off once I reached my 'Lets have a nice cool cola" stop.
I was looking forward to this ride. It's just me, nobody else, I don't have an agenda, I don't need to be back at a certain time and I am not meeting up with anybody on route! It felt quite liberating really. Sometimes solo cycling and running is even better than rest days! The route is one of mine and the Old Boys short routes. I didn't want to go far, even though I had all of the afternoon to do as much as I wanted. I didn't want to include any hills either, major hills that is. I need to 'ease' into my Spesh, try out the changes etc slowly and gently. I think that could be the answer.
I was really enjoying my ride again, but what I didn't count on was the ache in my arm! If it's not one thing its the other! My hand still felt a little week, especially when I pulled on the brakes, but the discomfort now is in my left arm at the top! I kind of slept on it during my holidays recently, whilst stretched out on a sun lounger enjoying the peace and tranquillity of Kefalonia! Since then I have had this slight pain and discomfort at the top of my arm, and it's all just a tad blooming annoying.
The last bike ride I had was on my Giant, and all though I felt some slight discomfort, it wasn't as bad as what I was having on this occasion. I was glad I was only going on a very short 10 miler, including a stop for a cola. I kept on shifting positions, changing my hand positions etc. I also really concentrated on my core. Trying not to lean on the handlebars, and only use my arms for steering. I would really love to be able to do what most of, but not all, other cyclists can do and that's to cycle with no hands! Then I can walk in to that café/bar up in London with a smile on my face!
I used to think that they all did that to show off, to look clever, but I have now realised that its because they have perfect balance and their core is doing its job, where as mine has only just started to realise what it is there for! I guess I should start to learn to get the balance thing going on! I just wish I could be attached to a rope and pulley in case I fall over! How on earth do you learn to do that?!
Back to the ride. It really was a very easy paced ride for me. I didn't want to put any pressure on my self to go super speedy (as if that is ever going to happen!) and also just to tray and relax and begin to enjoy my bike again. I must admit, when I was just poodling along she did feel great! Such a nice smooth ride! I almost smiled, until I had to shift again because of the ache in my arm!
I arrived at The George in Hayes, and remembered I had forgotten to bring along a lock! Oh dam and blast. So I parked my bike just by the entrance of the pub, and did this 'crab like' walk into the pub, one eye on my bike and the other on the look out for the bar staff. Fortunately for me I didn't have to wait long. My cola ordered and I even treated myself to a packet of crisps, I went back outside to enjoy my drink.
As I was sitting there just taking in the whole solitude of my ride today, the rain started to ever so gently fall. At first it was hardly noticeable and I thought I must have been imagining it. I was looking at the sky, putting my hand out, looking at the table to see any signs, and I thought I would probably be ok. But then it came down just a little more. Just ever so gentle, like the early morning dew touching your face, (Yes, I have actually been up that early to feel early morning dew!) That made me decide to go home, rather than go a little further up the road, to Keston.
I went through Normans park and just enjoyed the traffic free riding for a short while. The rain still falling as heavy mist, making me feel quite 'sticky', is the only way that I can describe it. I kept looking at the sky and hoped that it wouldn't actually pour down until I got home. As it happened, the heavy mist rain fall was as bad as it got! Maybe I should have pushed out just a little bit more!
Anyway, geeky stats for you
Oh and just one thing more, this a friend of mine, a great champion of cycling, enthusiastic and most considerate. Put it this way, I had to stop once, on one of my bike rides, I had cramp. I pulled up and got of my bike, the next minute this chap came out of his house to see if he could help, he thought I had a puncture, and lo and behold, it was Spencer! Now that is a very considerate and caring cyclists. Vote for him ....... pleasee!
http://www.goskyride.com/GetIntoCycling/ShowArticle/Spencer-Harradine-coach-organiser--advocate
No comments:
Post a Comment