Hello blog lovers.
We was on our bikes today. I love my bike! It seems long waits between our rides, but it is well worth the wait.
The OB decided that he wanted to do just about 10 miles. He gave me the route, verbally, which is bloomin useless to me, because my memory is like 'Dory' from 'Finding Nemo' But as we were riding along he had changed the route slightly anyway!
I thought it was just going to be a stretch of the legs, with a pint of lager when we get back to Pettswood, then a slow meander home to cook dinner.
Well it started off something like that. And then we got to Bromley. Up Bromely high street which the OB said that we wouldn't be doing, but he is not pleased with my lights. Did I tell you that some nasty little low life swiped my front light while I was on the sky ride!! Well anyway, I have ordered some new lights now, but in the mean time I have this other light and a head light, so I am ok ish and can be seen!
From here it was straight through the high street, but with some window shopping, and entertainment shopping. (seeing what is on at the local theatre!) It was a bit like it was in the winter and spring, because we stopped off at a 'forward supply depot' cunningly disguised as a mini mart. We stocked up on our chocolate, very important when you do more than five miles! Check out the geeky stats, all those calories, they need replacing!
This is where it changed again. We were not going to go to PettsWood from here, we were going for a pint at the Tigers. They do some lovely olives in there. But that does mean choosing to do one of those rather awful hills. Either Summer Hill, or Old Hill. We opted for Old Hill. It was that hill way back in January that had me walking up from almost the bottom to the top. In fact, I have not yet ridden up the whole hill, not even in chunks. I have always walked up quite a bit of it.
Today I was determined, determined to do my utmost best to get to the top of this bloody hill! I started off ok, I tried not to think about it as it starts off with just a slight incline. Then the pressure on the peddles start as it gets steeper. I dig down deep, change down to another lower gear and try again to keep my pace going. It gets steep fairly quickly after that, I changed down as quickly as I can to keep my pace going. "Get out of that seat" the OB says. I tried, but my backside stayed firmly glued to the seat. My hands gripping on to the handle bars. "Dig deep Old Girl, come on, get your arse of the seat" I think to my self, then the Old boy says again, "Come on, stand up on those peddles" I tried it, I stood up, I pushed down on my legs to get up this awful hill. My Goodness! The pain, it was only for a split second, but I just couldn't do it, my feet came of the peddles as I pulled over to the side. "I can't do it" I said.
The last thing that I wanted to do was to walk, I am not going to let this hill beat me again. I rest up for a few minutes and then back onto the saddle for another attempt to reach the top. There was a narrow part of the road, there were cars behind me waiting for me to get up, and there was cars in front of me, waiting for the cars behind me to go so that they could go. The pressure was just to much, I felt all those pairs of eyes in the traffic behind and in front of me, watching, daring me to get off my bike and walk so that they could drive off.
I did as they wished! The Old Boy rode on up the hill with a pitiful tut tut directed at me. As I stood on the pavement watching his lights go on up the hill, I took ten steps up. "Darn it woman, get back on there and ride, ride ride. Not stop now till the top" I did it! it bloody hurt, but I did it!
Riding that much of Old hill is a step in the right direction for me! I know I am getting stronger! Its obvious to me! I could never have done that much of the hill at the beginning of the year, and who knows, by the end of it maybe I can ride the whole of it!
I was well in need of my pint of lager and olives now, just to rehydrate myself, I was rather sweaty by the time I got to the top. We got to the pub and enjoyed our beer.
But it was getting late, and we still had dinner to cook! So the OB said "Ok, a direct route home, no going through the park" And that's what we did. But we did push it! I peddled as hard as I could, well as hard as was needed to keep a good pace going. I think we did ok on the last 3 miles back home!
Anyway geeky stats for you.
Cycle Ride With Alan by moosh001 at Garmin Connect - Details
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