Hello everyone
So, in my last training update I said that I would go out training last week on Thursday, Saturday AND Sunday. And I did! Hurrah!
Thursday was my usual 20 mile round the burbs trip. Bit yawn but I didn't get lost and the steep hill up to Crystal Palace is actually getting easier. On Saturday I managed to sleep in a little and wasn’t up in time to get to Crystal Palace to meet Dulwich Paragon Cycling Club for their weekly ride. Instead I pootled off down to Surrey on a wee thirty mile loop that took in some very ‘Surrey’ villages as well as Chipstead Downs and, shock horror, yet another muckle A road – the A217.
It was grand day but I did realise that there are two good reasons to cycle with other people. (Okay, three if you include the fact that cycling with other people who know where they are going means you don’t get lost or end up on dual carriage ways.) Anyway, one reason is that when you are on your own, it is always a bit too tempting just to take the easy route…so, on Saturday when faced with ‘White Hill Road’ or ‘Chipstead Valley Road’, it didn’t take me long to take the easy option (the valley road, obviously!). This means I’m probably not improving as quickly as I should be.
The second reason is that cycling on your own all the time can get, well, boring. And a wee bit lonely. And also sometimes a bit scary if you’re miles from home. So on Sunday, instead of going off on some big long trek again into deepest darkest Kent or Surrey, I decided to cycle up through London to sunny Walthamstow (insert East17 jokes/songs here) to visit my good chums Stevie and Lyndsay. That way I would have some human interaction to look forward to as part of my cycle. Woop! And, perhaps a consequence of Lyndsay being nine months pregnant, lots of snacks!
Hmmmmm. Snacks
. So far so good! A whole weekend of cycling without ice, getting massively lost or falling over. Winner! I even remarked to Stevie as I left their house after two hours of eating and chatting to cycle the 15 miles home... “Nothing bad has happened this weekend. What am I going to write about in the blog? I think people sponsor me more when I’ve done something stupid.”
WHAT WAS I THINKING?
I did, surprise surprise, speak too soon and as I merrily cycled home through Clapton my rear wheel started to feel funny. Of course! A Puncture! Brilliant! Oh, look! A puncture that has also ripped my tyre making it really difficult/impossible to fix on my own. And it’s five o’clock so the nearest bike shop has shut. And I’m 10 miles from home! Yay!
After a brief sit on a bench as I weighed up my options and swore quietly at the hubris which got me there, I realised that thankfully I had brought with me my trust tool kit of cycling.
Namely:
My oyster card
My Bank card
My phone (with GPS)
The phone was utilised to search for the phone number of the nearest Evans, surely they would be open til 6pm? A swift phone call confirmed that yes, yes they are, and my damsel in distress act convinced them to fix it even though their mechanics were all busy.
The oyster card got me and my bike on the train from London Fields to Liverpool Street.
The bank card paid for a new tyre and inner tube.
And my bike then got me home.
Phew.
So, last week I cycled 88 miles, went to one spin class, spent an hour doing weights and travelled two miles on a train whilst muttering to myself. This week has been quiet so far, BUT, excitingly, Frank and I will be re-united this weekend and will be going training together. I know you just can’t wait to find out what disasters be-fall us as we speed around the bonnie Borders. Stay tuned to find out!
Thanks so much to everyone who has sponsored us so far! Your generosity has been amazing and so far we have raised enough money to send over 1000 books to libraries in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond. Good work!
www.justgiving.com/pedallingpinders
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