Dammit, it’s colder than I expected and that breeze is a bit fresher. I’ve got all the wrong kit on. I’ll be even later if I go back and change now – might as well press on.
Jesus! Was that car close enough? And why on earth is the driver shaking his fist at me? Idiot!
How can I be breathless this early in the ride? That was barely an incline! So much for all the off-season turbo work. Perhaps I should have laid off the wine last night.
Where’s that irritating click coming from? Is it the left pedal – or perhaps the crank? It sounds like it but who knows? I could have sworn my last mystery noise was coming from the bottom bracket and it turned out to be the rear wheel skewer.
Both hands are seizing up now because of the cold and my wrists are getting stiff – especially the one I broke last year when I came off. There’s that dead spot on the ball of my right foot too. My toes will be dead too before long.
Ouch! I didn’t see that pothole at all. That felt like a potentially expensive crunch. Lucky not to come off really…
Oh great, there’s that muscular pain in the side of my chest again. I wish I knew what that was about. It feels like a strain in the intercostal muscles – but I’ve been getting it for months now. It’s actually a bit worrying.
If it wasn’t for all the traffic – easy mate! That was a bit close for comfort! – and the dappled sunlight on the road, this would be a really nice descent. As it is I’ve no idea where the potholes are and I can’t really swerve to avoid them anyway, without veering into the path of all these cars. Ah well, better just hold on tight and hope for the best.
I hope things are ok at home. I know coming out today was not a popular move after the number of rides I’ve had this week but how else am I supposed to stick to my plan? Still, I’m feeling a bit guilty about not doing my share of the parenting. Maybe I should pick up a peace offering on the way home…
God this hill shouldn’t feel this hard. If I’m struggling here just imagine how hard it’s going to feel in the Alps in a couple of months. I’m going to get dropped on the big climbs, I know I am.
Now my neck’s gone stiff – I’ve only been out for a couple of hours! And my arse is sore again – I wish I could find the right saddle, I really do. But I can’t afford another change so soon. Especially not after splashing out on those wheels last month. I still can’t quite believe I spent that much on a pair of wheels. God if she ever found out how much this hobby costs…
Hold on a minute! How is it possible that the wind is still in my face? I’ve come almost full circle – I swear the wind has been following me round.
Oh no, now the shifting’s slightly out again. Why is it that the more you spend on a groupset the more fine-tuning it needs to run smoothly? Surely that’s not right! Does my head in…
Woah! That was close. Because my hands are now so numb with the cold I’ve lost all my fine motor skills so I’m just grabbing at the brakes with all the subtlety of a drunken gorilla. Not a good idea when going a bit too fast into a tight corner with a little pile of gravel at just the wrong place. Still, there’s nothing like a nice shot of adrenaline to wake the system up I suppose.
Home again. Average speed lower than hoped; out for longer than I promised. Here we go…
“Hello love! I’m back! Yes, lovely ride thanks…”
