Push, Push, Push, ARRGHHHH!!!

Hello blog lovers,

What can I say about today's ride? ARRGGGHHHHH is what I was saying on the way round some of this route, and some other choice words!!

The Old Boy has become my personal bike trainer! And he is a tyrant! "Push, push, push those legs, dig deep, keep it going" and that was just getting my jog pants on! He didn't let up one bit. He let me choose the route, and as it was quite windy out I decided that maybe we will only do a ten miler today, with one of my nemesis hills at the end. Up to Greenstreet Green and then either PerryHall or Poverest road, before heading off home.

He was fairly quiet behind me as we rode on up the A21, with just the occasional "come on" thrown in. I knew what he would be thinking when these two guys come flying past us, while going up hill! The Old Boy said he could quite easily have 'taken them'. But after we got there and started the homeward journey, things changed!

"Come on, no more leisure ride" he starts, "I'll give you 'proper cyclist'" he says to me. What do people mean when they say stuff like that!! He stayed behind me all the way, every so often barking out his orders "Push those legs you lazy mare" And not only that but he was inches away from me! I am not the worlds best bike rider, in fact I am probably the worse, because I slow down, I can't keep my pace going all the time. On the harder bits, up hills and even on the flats I do tend to slow down, to get a lung full of oxygen and then go again. He knows that, yet he still rides pretty close to me, so that I feel I can't slow down or he is cycling on the left side of me

We get to Orpington, and its time to switch our lights on, my super duper new 'send Morse code' to overhead jet planes light! And I decided to have a quick look at the Garmin. 29 minutes had passed. Wow! that's not bad at all. All that barking the Old Boy did has worked its magic! I don't think I have ever got to that point on the route in that time before! Nagging really does work. (It does in my running too, I should have expected it to work on the cycling) Then, as I was contemplating which hill I shall be conquering, the Old Boy said, "lets add a bit more on this, and go to Crittals Corner, we're doing pretty good time" I just agreed, I was feeling pretty good anyway, another five miles is not going to make much more difference.

So that's where we headed for. The Old Boy took the lead down Sevonoaks Way. We rode on the bike path. I did try very hard to keep up with him, but I was also secretly just riding at my own pace for a little bit, with the occaisional blast to try and catch him. The las bit towards Crittal Corner was a killer for me, and I was so glad that the Old Boy was ahead of me. I don't think I could have taken his 'push push push' technique just then!

I saw him waiting for me at the top, I 'dug deep' and tried to go as fast as my legs could push the peddles to reach him. I was totally knackered by the time I got to him. But he said that we are still doing pretty good time.

From here to we got home it was non stop, relentless nagging from the Old Boy, I was answering him back, and telling him to keep way behind me. Goodness knows what all the pedestrians thought, me and the Old Boy 'arguing' while we ride along.

Just Southborough Lane to do now, and still he is going on and on, I try and keep to the ruddy pace (his new toy has a lot to answer for!), "Just one more mile per hour and we are on track" he says, "Surely there is one more mile in those legs" ARRRGGHHH I am pushing harder and harder now, screaming up to the top of the hill, looking forward to the down hill. But I am going to peddle, peddle and keep on peddling till I get home now.

Through the park, the kids are out in force, and some of them are on the cycle path with these really funky scooters. One lad decides to play 'chicken' with us as we all start riding towards each other. Of course I slow down, I don't want to have to swerve out of the way and fall off my bike, I have had enough of crashing my bike (I did it again on Saturday, I sort of fell into the fence as I was riding up my path!)

Out of the park now, and ride as fast as I could down the last road, but there is that head wind again, it was there on some of our ride today, and it really is taking its toll. I don't seem to have the strength, I push as hard as I can. I stop my watch just outside my house!

Here, check out my geek stats!! And, keen mad cyclist dude, check out what the Garmin said was max speed!! I so needed a laugh like that after today's ride!



I will correct it when I write my next cycle blog, I shall use the max speed that is on the Old Boys gizmo!