This is the second half of yesterdays blogging. First half was about my mob match, a 5k run! A PB was reached! Which I am very pleased with.
Then I just took her along to the local bike shop, next door, just to show her what proper bikes look like, not the thing that I had to ride to her house the day before, and what is parked outside the cafe!! Her eye immediately fell on to a lovely second hand Trek. Guess what! She bought it! She rode the old one home to get some cash, while I rode home to get my car, to pick her up so that she could go and get her new bike. Once it was all ready to leave the shop then we just had to test it out.
The OB was out on his travels today, a bike ride, done at his own pace, without me keeping him from blasting up hills. I told him what NS had bought. He suggested that I meet him up at the Blacksmiths Arms! I mentioned it to NS, and she was well up for it. So as she rode her bike to my house so that I could get my bike.
That is when I told her that the Blacksmiths Arms is at the top of Cudham North Lane! She had a super duper new bike, with this mega gear thing at the back which is supposed to help with hills, so its a baptism of fire for her. Thrown in at the deep end! And why not.
She was ahead of me as we rode down the A21, so far so good. Then it was 'THE DREADED HILL' She wasn't looked forward to it, I wasn't looking forward to it! I am a total hill dodger! but again, she was flying up ahead of me, in fact she was so far ahead of me that I could no longer see her on the winding road. So again, as in the park run earlier, I did my own thing. I got a tune in my head and made up some words to go with it as I struggled and pushed and puffed up the road.
Towards the top, however, I saw NS pulled over! She had her phone in her hand with the 'pretence of ringing me' to find out where I was! I just carried on past her, I didn't want to stop, and just said "Come on NS, get your legs going again" She was back on her saddle, and immediately over took me.
The pub was a welcome site. It was a very pleasant, warm afternoon, and sitting outside, looking totally bored by now, (he has been there for about an hour and twenty minutes) was the Old Boy! We had a break there, the OB looking over NS's new bike. Then it was back to it. NS was expecting to go back down the way we came! Oh if only. The Old Boy very rarely likes to take the same road twice in a ride, (apart from today, because of where we were meeting him) He told nagging sister that we are heading up again, and then shooting across to go to Biggin hill. "Where" he assures NS "its nearly 90% down hill all the way home"
Now I agreed with the Old Boy. But I have been cycling now for 16 months, and I had forgotten what it was like going up Grays road. There are a few hills, but then its all down hill. NS seemed to enjoy it more, once we reached Biggin Hill and those lovely downhill coasting sections. But then I heard her moaning, "Oh! I thought you said there were no more hills" And she moaned like that from Biggnin Hill airport, to the right turn for Keston. To be honest, I had forgotten the little hills, and slopes that was on here this particular stretch of road. They don't seem to bother me any more, apart from one that is, the last bit before the turnoff for Keston. NS moaned and swore, and lagged behind, just as I used to do. I couldn't help smiling and giggling as she reminded me so much of me, this time last year!
It's working, it's is slowly working. I am getting faster, and I am getting stronger. Ok, so the faster bit is when I'm running, but the stronger bit is definitely on the bike, I am riding up hills now, hills that I used to dread, and some of the slopes that I used to moan about, just pass by as if they were just a slight inconvenience.
Geeky stats for Saturday Ride.
And so for todays little ride. Me and NS was planning on doing a LSR today, but we thought we would do a short bike ride instead.
She rode over to me, and then we hit the trail. Well the roads anyway! I tried to keep it as a fairly flat route for her, with a stop for refreshments before going back to mine for lunch. A nice Greek salad! And it was a fairly flat nice easy paced, easy on the bum, pleasurable ride.
When we reached the Red Lion NS wanted to know how many miles we would do. I told her it would be about 8 miles. She wanted to do about 10. "We could always go up to....... No, no" I said and she said "Go on what?" "We could always go up to the tigers, give the OB a call to see if he is home and he could meet us there before going home for lunch" I could see she was interested in this. "That would make it about 10 miles" I said.
"Yeah, go on, lets do it" Says NS, and then I told her it would involve going up summer Hill! ARGGGGGHHHH says nagging sister!
As it happened we took a slightly different route up to the Tigers, we rode down Sundrige Avenue and then up Yester hill. While we were riding up here, there was a female cyclists there, putting on her gloves outside her gate. She smiled at us as we struggled on up the hill! But then she was on her bike and overtaking us "Show off" Says NS jokingly to the female cyclists. I heard NS cry out in pain as she stopped. I was quite pleased she had stopped. I didn't want to be the first one to give up on this hill. We took a quick breather, no walking up, just waiting till we were ready to get on up, and then we were back at it!
We struggled up the hill only to see the female cyclist with her cycling gear, and her Specialized racing bike being pushed up the hill with her walking along!! We did feel a tad smug as we cycled on past, and she called out to us, "Good on you girls, well done, total respect" as we both cycled on past! It was a short lived lead though as she caught us up at the very top of the road at the lights. From there her bike came into its own as she sped off with a cheery good bye!
The Tigers was not far now. We arrived before the Old boy. We sat in the Garden with the sunshine beating down on us, ok, it was shining, but still just a tad chilly when the wind blew. After a pint there we went home to the lovely salad I had prepared earlier.
A very pleasant just over 10 mile ride!
Geeky stats for todays bike ride.
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