Photo: Stephane Tougard
Fri 6th May
The weather forecast for the ride this Sunday is dire: cold, wet and windy. I canvass opinion from my fellow riders and get two useful responses, apparently I need a cape, neoprene overshoes and waterproof gloves. Shouldn’t be more than £50. Best not tell Mrs Land.
Sat 7th May
Skipped golf to go to my local bike shop. I think I’ve mentioned before that the owner’s bonkers, cycles everywhere, all the time, any distance, any weather. Apparently I don’t need any of the stuff that’s been advised, not in the summer. It’s more important to keep warm than dry, so a good base layer shirt and tights – neither of which he sells – will do. I leave more confused than ever and decide to try just cycling in my normal shorts and top, they were expensive so they must be good.
Sun 8th May
The great day dawns and the BBC are all wrong; it’s breezy but dry after a very early shower. I cycle eight miles to the Village Hall where we are meeting and am dry again by the time I get there. Sign in, collect free banana, energy gel and recovery drink mix and we’re off. Encouragingly, the cyclists are a mix of local clubs – ‘Watton Wheelers’, ‘Datchworth Dirtkissers’ etc – and families. I start off tailing someone who looks as if he knows what he is doing and soon realise, to my surprise, that I want to go quicker than him. And another – and so on. In the end, I go straight past the first two rest breaks and stop only after 35 miles. I complete the 50 miles in a little over three and a half hours, except I got lost twice so I reckon I did 54 miles, so I’m very pleased with myself. At home – another eight miles – I realise that I’m completely bushed, there’s nothing else left. Worrying as on the big trip I’ll have to do exactly the same, plus another 50% in the afternoon – and then the next day the same, and the next. I’m getting a bit scared.
Mon 9th May
I’ve been thinking about hills. I realise that when I first started cycling, I loved downhill parts, for the obvious reason that they’re easy. Now I hate them because I know every time I go downhill, somewhere I’ve got to go back up again. Funny thing, my brain.
Tue 10th May
Apparently food supplements are the thing. Some of my fellow riders are emailing details of their favourite energy boost gels, potions and powders. Apparently they all work, but where to start? Thankfully, my secretary Leanne is on hand and she’s going to brave Holland and Barrett and, apparently, ‘sort me out’, preferably with something legal (!). I can’t wait!
Sat 14th May
Now my Mother’s sponsored me as well. Damn, that means it’s definitely too late to pull out.
Sun 15th May
Yesterday and today I’ve done 30 mile runs both days, first time ever I’ve tried that. Surprisingly the recovery seems almost complete by the time I set out on the second day, which is good, but I find I’m getting bored, which isn’t. I have however at last got to the stage where I’m not thinking about cycling as I poodle along. Maybe that means I’m becoming a cyclist for real? Unfortunately, I don’t look like one as the short socks have all disappeared (into my daughter’s drawer, I suspect) so I have to shame myself in the long ones again, pending another excursion into the sports shop.
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