What I resist, persists, and speaks louder than I know

Do you know what my problem is? No I don't either, but if you find out, let me know.

It was one of those "best laid plans" type of days again. Meet Skip in the Square, same time as Monday, and cycle the same route as Monday, but in reverse. I made a strategic decision to put new tyres on K-1, as well as new brake blocks, in advance of the first sportive next Sunday. Moral of this particular story, don't start fiddly, annoying jobs at 10 o'clock at night when you are already tired.

Everything that could go wrong seemed to, I won't bore you with the details, for they seem trivial in the cold light of day, but at the time they all collectively drove me nuts. Being the obsessive type, I had to finish, and get the bike in a halfway decent state to ride this morning. I'd promised to meet Skip see....

But caffeine is a wonderful thing. Despite three hours sleep, a bitter north-east wind and distinct lack of sunshine, off we went up Shipham gorge, and across the top, down Burrington, Walled Garden cafe, Wrington, Ghostly Hill, Sandford and Winscombe.

I like the Walled Garden. I know it's expensive as cafes go, but as my Dad says, there are no pockets in shrouds. It has the best view of any cafe in North Somerset, and great armchairs. And it's on one of my favourite hills, and the scone I had today was superb. Chacun a son gout I guess.

http://www.thecyclingmayor.com/?m=201103

I'd just made the turn towards Barton when I noticed that our convivial chatter had stopped, and Skip was, well, not there. I waited a few minutes, and then turned back, to find her half a mile back fixing a puncture. Both her tubes, (missus) were also holier than thou, so I gave her one of mine. This didn't quite take as long as my fettling last night, but it had eaten into our limited time, and Skip's patience, and with one tube left between the two of us, we made a tactical decision to head for home by the quickest route. Which was up Winscombe Hill to my house in my case, and down the other side for her.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/70890975

My problem? Sometime I don't know when to give up, and sometimes I give up too easily. But how do I know when I've got it right? That is my problem.