Out On The Special One!

Hello blog lovers.

A lovely day deserves a lovely evening ride.  It was only going to be around 20 miles today, and also we are going to be doing our old route of Halstead then Biggin Hill.  Well, I just had to get out on my Specialised, she has been sat the for ages now, quietly waiting for the time when I take her out.  This evening was that time.

I have been so excited about getting my bike, and then when I bought it, I had all the training for the marathon to do, so she got neglected a bit. But then when I eventually went for a couple of long rides all sorts of problems arose.  I am not sure what the problem is, and I am getting very anxious about it. 

I had some slight problem with my hand before I went on my last FNRttC, and I have come to realise that it was probably made worse.  The whole pins and needles things in the hand, and then on that particular ride, I had the total failure of my left hand to work the gears!  It just didn't have the strength there.

After todays little ride I find my hands again pins and needles.  I have changed the stem turned the other way, the handle bars bought up, the handle bars bought down. Not only that, but pulling on the brakes to stop at traffic lights, it seemed, took all my strength to do, something I really need to be as easy as making a fist!

Anyway, it was a good ride, I even had myself a race on! After being over taken by all the Lycra clad guys, shooshing pass me in what seemed a very leisurely fashion, as we were going up the hill towards Cudham south Lane, I saw a cyclist, not wearing Lycra, just in shorts and a polo shirt. but he was cycling well. I thought I would beat him to the top. But do you think I could.  I think he heard me as I changed gear and he pushed a little harder.

He beat me to the top! I was hoping he was going to turn right, and that would be the end of the race. But he turned left and then right! The exact way we were going!  I still have a race on. I tried and tried to catch him, I tired a little on the hills, but gained on him with downhill sections.  It was like this nearly all the way.

I pushed a little harder, and I really started to gain on him, I was just about half a bike away, and then I slowed down. I wasn't going to overtake him, I just wanted to catch up to him.  I knew for sure that I wouldn't be able to keep up in front of him, and there is nothing worse than being overtaken by the person you flew past!

But just as I was thinking "That's it, I done it, the Old Boy started pushing me up behind him. We were pretty close to him, so I couldn't actually say "I wasn't going to over take him" But that's exactly what I did, helped by the Old Boy of course.   

It did feel good, but I knew that any moment now he will fly past me, there is one last hill to get up, and I know I will be slow to climb that, my 'race' seemed quite fast on the up hill section, in spite of him being 73 (he wasn't, he was just joking when I went past him )  and fly pass me he did.  I thanked him for our race, I think he enjoyed it too.

So although I really enjoyed being out riding on my new bike, I think she still is punishing me! So any cyclists out there who have heard of this problem before or anyone suffered the same and has over come the problem, would just love to hear from you.

Anyway geeky stats this evening from the Old Boys Garmin, I forgot to start my as usual! But the Old Boy was behind for most of the way, with just a little blast up to the Shampan to beat the guy I was 'racing'.