Hard Work

Last Friday was Ant ‘Mess Your Pant’ Duckmanton’s birthday, to which Lucy and I went up to Stamford to celebrate. This was fine until I realised I would miss out on my Sunday club run. Due to work commitment and the lack of daylight this is the only training I’m getting at present and so missing a week would be quite a big deal. To which I decided to take my bike and planned on a Sunday morning trek round Rutland Water.
On the Saturday evening I mixed a soft drink inbetween the vokda’s to ensure I was clear headed in the morning. However in the morning I was greeted by dark clouds and rain. Not normally a problem but this week I had borrowed Dave’s DT Swiss wheels to test out some Hope hubs, with his rubber it meant my mudgaurds did not fit. So I was in Stamford with a bike not suited for wet wether, clothes not really suited for wet weather and still a cloudy head. Yet I was not put off I still got ready and tried my luck.

The first 5 miles was really hard work, driving rain, head winds and long slow inclines. After pushing for a while and not really feeling like I was getting anywhere something clicked and it just fell into place. The weather no longer seamed to worry me, I hardly noticed the rain, the hills were just a challenge rather than a heart sinking eyesore.

I was out and about for around an hour and a half before I had to report back home for the British tradition of a Sunday roast!

The cycling was by far the hardest work I’ve done but it was also the most rewarding. It also helped me decide on the Hope hubs; I want some!