The secret diary of Peter Land, continued...

Mon 16th May

I have realised that I’ve been unfair to Mrs Land. I’ve detailed her scepticism, her dismissing me as foolish, her refusal to overcome her fear for me enough to support me enthusiastically, how keen she has been to find jobs for me when I wanted to get out riding. What I’ve omitted is how she has at other times arranged days around my training rides, put herself out, worried for me and put up with a mountain bike on a rolling road in the corner of her kitchen – not to mention the loud drone it makes when I’m on it. So there it is, I’ve evened up the comment.

I don’t know how to put this, but I’m beginning to feel confident. After putting in the long runs, many short ones and back to back ones I now truly believe I can do it. I can cycle at 15mph all the way to Paris. Tough, but (I tell myself) doable. The miles on the road, plus the miles on the rolling road, are working. I feel curiously jolly!

Tue 17^th May

Potential disaster. Whilst performing one of my regular and no doubt disconcerting stretches by the coffee machine, my left knee seems to twist. Nothing too unusual there, but a growing pain all afternoon is worrying. Feels horribly like when the cartilage burst a couple of years ago, requiring surgery and rehab. It’s probably just a twist; hopefully it’ll have passed by this evening.

Wed 18^th May

It hasn’t. I slept with my leg up on a large cushion and it does feel a little better, now I’m going to load up on drugs and if that doesn’t work, I’ll have to do what I always do and take Leanne’s advice. That confidence has suddenly evaporated!
The only good news is that one of my clients and generous sponsors has jokingly compared me to Mark Cavendish, who I confess I had never heard of but apparently is Britain’s current best rider and winning stages in an Italian race. I reproduce it below – LOOK AT THE SOCKS!

Take that, Leanne, who’s laughing now?

Sat 21^st May

A tentative 18 miles on flat roads gives me mixed messages; the main problem knee seems at least half better but generally I am slow and feeling miserable.

Sun 22^nd May

Tried a longer run – 38 miles in strong winds and quite hilly. Knee painful and I find myself comparing one pain to another and trying to decide which is tolerable and which not. Not a great ‘swing thought’ as we golfers say. Turns out this pain is tolerable, but only for the couple of hours I’m out today. Needless to say I end up very very miserable, I hate potholes and winds; I hate roads, cars, bikes and hills and I hate cycling.

Fri 27^th May

Recovered my mood a little ahead of the Whitsun Bank Holiday (aren’t we having that a week early for some reason?) but I want to play golf, not cycle. However I will have to cycle and reluctantly I’m going to work out a longer route for Sunday. I have contacted the local cycling club but they haven’t come back to me, they obviously don’t want me as a member – can’t blame them, I wouldn’t want someone as miserable as me either. On that basis, I’m on my own and finding out about riding in a group will have to wait until I get to the big ride itself. Maybe do a short one tomorrow and a longer one on Sunday if my knee holds up? Hope there’s no wind, otherwise I’m going to play golf instead.