Tap, tap, tap

Been out for 4 hours this morning. All but the last 30 minutes was fairly dry and then it made up for it, raining hard like needles on your face, water finding any gap to trickle inside socks and jackets. A mountain of soggy kit is now whizzing round and round in the washing machine, exchanging soapy suds for sweat and rain.

The ride was fine. Nice chat and 60 steady miles of tapping away, duracel-bunny slow. Plodding on. I am thinking a lot about Strathpuffer and whether or not I would like to be riding around an icey, treacherous and windy course in Inverness for 24 hours with 18 hours of darkness and few people other than Rob cheering me on.

I decided that yes, I probably would.

Ps: As I write this James is in the lead by 2 minutes. Go on Leavesley!

Training, raining...

Picture: View of the Quantocks from a lovely lane winding its way along the edge of Exmoor. Sigh...

I have had a great few days training, despite the weather. I seem to have a knack for picking the break in the rain to zip out on my bike. My road bike is covered in thick oily sludge and needs a good scrub but I'll do that today before I go to work.


I have ridden all over the Mendips lately. Rob and I had a beautiful ride early on Sunday morning. We beat the traffic and got up onto Cheddar early. The air was drowned and we were blown sideways at times but it was invigorating.


A few times I have had to reroute my rides to avoid floods - England seems to be under water at the moment - but on the whole my riding has been smooth and uneventful. I still have no oomph but Rob assures me I don't need any and that we are still building the base of my tower so it can go higher and higher (so that when I jump off I land a long way from the base). It all makes sense, honest!
This is a road, honest...


I feel very engaged with life at the moment. In contrast to some other female riders I know, my kit is clean, my bikes are working, my work is fulfilling, my life is in order and I am marching forwards WITH cycling - as a pleasure and a discipline - rather than flopping helplessly with cycling as an escape.

My kit - clean, washed and drying... I love the battle, not just the victory.

PS. Good luck James at Strathpuffer. Go get 'em!

Roadie style...

Picture: Nearly at the top of Burrington Combe, Chew Valley Lake in the background.

Road riding has it's moments. Today was cool and yellow, sunshine pouring through the hazy winter clouds (in stark contrast to yesterday's horizontal snow). I could have ridden with the tri club this morning but fancied some time to myself so headed off to the Mendips on the road bike. It was peaceful and bright and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I rode strong and consistently, climbed steadily and practiced cornering on the descents.

The only thorn in my side was, well, a thorn in my tyre. I'm not sure what it was, actually, but I got a puncture in the same place as Thursday and found a slash in the tyre. I am guessing they weren't the highest quality tyres in the world. I managed to break my pump in the process of fixing it and had to wobble back to Mud Dock with 15psi in my rear tyre. Matt Carr then gave me one of his own tyres and I changed it there in the shop, destroying the last of my beautifully manicured nails!

Now I'm in bed and will spend the afternoon getting on with some reading before popping out for a glass of sherry with some friends later!

Picture: Bright blue sky and a long road descent down the side of the Mendips.

Endurance challenge

Yesterday I pulled on 6 layers and went out for a 4 hour ride in torrential rain and gail force winds. It was grim - struggling to stay verticle let alone move at any sensible pace. I struggled on and gradually felt my body freezing as the water penetrated through each layer and got closer to my skin. Just when I thought I the weather was turning and I would be fine - given the soon approaching long hill that I knew would warm me up - I got a flat.

I have never fixed a road puncture before - not on the side of a road anyway - but had that tyre off and new tube in within seconds. Needs must... I was extraordinarily proud of myself (and laughed heartily (inside) at my male companion who struggled feebly before I took over).

4 hours seems like a long ride but my legs felt pleasingly strong. I got my nutrition and hydration spot on and coped with the weather with the resolve and commitment required of a 24 hour racer. No point wishing the time away - just get on with it.

Today the weather is worse but I only have a recover ride to worry about plus a few car trips (which stress me out far more).

Bring on the summer.

Oh the mud

Split training session today so I awoke very early and read for 2 hours before the sun came up and then did an interval session round the woods for an hour. You always feel a little begrudged when it takes 20 minutes to clean your bike and you've only been on it an hour, but it WAS fun.

Mountain biking just has that edge over road riding. Like when the back wheel slips and sends little jolts of adrenaline up your spine or when you pick the perfect line and descend fast and smooth or when you climb something slippery and steep and you know it is only the grit of your determination that got you up there.

I love it.

But boy was it muddy.

Relaxation

How to relax...

1. cook

2. movies

3. reading

Granny has sent me Great Granny Arthur's chutney recipe so this weekend I'm going to give it a go. In the mean time I must find something new to make for tomorrow night. Any ideas?

Rob has lent me the Flying Scotsman cycling book so I aim to get stuck in but also have 2 books I must finish before a meeting on Friday.

No training today, just study. Had a delicious lunch with Rob and have worked hard all afternoon. Thoughts smoke around in my head and gradual form solid shapes. Catching them in words is a great feeling. Watching them slip away is eternally frustrating.

I'm so cold. I'm huddled in a duvet sitting at the desk. Brrrr....

Bleedin' Brake Blocks

Had a lovely fun bimble this morning with Zandy and Faye. Faye has literally just bought a mtb and was sporting running tights and trainers but despite her inexperience showed impressive stamina, resolve and calmness. She took the muddy trails, steep descents and slippery roots in her stride and raised one metaphorical eyebrow at log jumps and drop offs, overcoming most obstacles with panache.

So having had a genuine social ride with some good mates I headed home to warm up and tinker. I love tinkering with my bikes - although tend to do it in the middle of winter rather than on nice bright warm days (when I'm riding them not fixing them). But today I made great strides at moving towards my indepenence resolution. I:
- changed a puncture
- cleaned all 3 bikes
- fitted a mudguard
- changed some pedals
- fitted 3 out of 4 brake blocks (my coach fitted the 4th which was being particularly irregular)

Not bad, eh?

Tonight is my housemate's first New Recipe of our One New Recipe Per Week resolution. Love new year, gives you an excuse to change stuff.