Don't ruin a beautiful friendship

I'm reasonably fit for my age. and this year I have accomplished a few things on the bike that I know logically are quite good for a late starter to the sport of road cycling. But deep in the bowels of my head (I know it's a mixed metaphor but go with it, OK?) is a little voice saying "if you don't keep cycling, you'll lose all that fitness, get fat and go back to being slow on hills again". I listen to it quite a lot, but finally, today, is a triumph of logic over fear, sense over pride, and reason over ambition. That, and the fact that the experience of today's ride is now smacking me in the face, well actually my lungs. The lingering cold seems to have anchored itself in my chest, a sure sign that I'm not allowing my body to recover.

If I don't have a rest I'm going to seriously fall out of love with cycling.

Sorry to whinge, because I actually had a really nice time, for the scenery was wonderful and the company was even better. And whilst my stats were pretty good, I feel totally rubbish, I struggled to climb (and don't be fooled by the bumps on the Charlie elevation profile, this was a very, very flat ride, spent a lot of time sheltering behind Skip's and Boots' wheel, and as for sprinting, well the connection between the mental throttle and the engine has been severed.

So I am going to have a complete rest from all forms of exercise for two weeks (when I'm off to Ireland en famille, and looking forward to cycling somewhere new), and after that I'm going to take it very easy until at least February. I promise.

At 8AM this morning the promised bright sunny day was nowhere to be seen. In fact it was tipping it down with rain. Had it not been for an appointment with Skip I'd have clambered back under the duvet. If I had I'd have missed what turned into a lovely day. By the time I was down in Axbridge the sun was getting its outdoor clothes on, and thinking about going out to play. A really pleasant surprise was that Boots and the Communicator had arranged to meet for an impromptu ride so we formed up into a quadrupetto (a word i have just made up, do you like it?) and headed off to Glastonbury.

Boots is an amazing cyclist. He has recently acquired a new bike, and slowly but steadily his old-school trappings are being replaced by modern stuff. The steel bike has gone, and today he had what was suspiciously like a lycra top on. No sign of a helmet though, or lycra shorts. But just like a butterfly eventually emerges from its chrysalis, so I am sure it is just a question of time.

As we headed across the moors and flats, past Wedmore and the Panborough road, the sun was now outside and having a high old time. We made good time, with the stiff wind at our back, and stopped for coffee at our usual cafe by the Market Cross. There was one lady with her fairy wings on,(Skip reckoned still on her way home from last night's party) and one chap sitting on the cross, in his usual outfit and high-viz jacket. Later on a man resembling Gandalf with a wide-brimmed hat trundled past, but that was it. Still it was a bit chilly despite the sunshine, so it wasn't long before cakes eaten, we headed off again. Looping up over the hill that formed the end of the ToB route, we cut though Street and across the moors to Ashcott and Shapwick.

The north wind was pretty tough by now and one of us (that would be me) was moaning a lot about it. Still the Communicator's weight-loss strategy came back to haunt him as he totally bonked and had to be fed emergency rations by Skip. Soon after Skip and I stopped to wait for Boots and The C at Blackford. And waited. Too long, something must have happened so we re-traced our steps and found that The C had a puncture.

How many cyclist does it take? Well three of us, as Skip laughed at the blokes, we all collaborated to fix it (BTW he has this lovely rim-tape, sort of plastic in shimano wheels, never seen it before) and I got to try out my new CO2 pump. And it is surprisingly effective, though I don't know why I'm surprised!

Puncture fixed we all headed back to Cheddar, and I tried to sprint but metaphorically blew up in a wheezing, spluttering mass, and we all drifted back to Axbridge and home.

So there you have it, the day I finally realised and experienced why I need to rest. I believe it, I'm convinced, I'll do it. Just don't know what to do about that voice though.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/55828460