Love Bikes

Rosemary was kinda asleep when I left. I was heading out for my first group Saturday bike ride in ages.

The group was pretty big when I arrived and the fast lot headed off just after 9:30am. There were a few pro's in this group and I certainly wasn't up to that pace. Rather, I headed off with the 9:40 lot, with much of the group riding like they owned the road. Grrrr....what ever happened to tight formations. I nattered with Tom a bit, but my legs were feeling it, even as we headed up towards Gilmerton. Someone on the front had eaten their Weetabix.

As normal, the pace upped even more as we passed Wallyford and the bloke in-front of me 'jumped' as he got to the front of the group.....not accelerating progressively as is the correct etiquette. Perhaps I wouldn't have been grumbling if I was fit! After about 6 changes, my breathing wasn't as it should be and I asked someone in the slow moving line to let me in. I was pooped though and there was still 45km to go for me.

The pace was just too hard for my 1st time in ages...I'm relatively fit but just no top end whatsoever. I found myself out the back, looking over my shoulder for the slower group behind. After 5 minutes, there was still no sign so I gripped my handlebar drops, dug in and started working again. My lungs were still a bit wheezy from the group ride and I wasn't feeling great. 

I kept pushing and was disappointed that the tailwind I was hoping for at the turn back to Edinburgh did not appear. Still, it was a nice day, albeit a little cold. and there are worse things I could be doing. I even managed to pass a small group of M.A.M.I.L.S coming down the hill at Gullane and pushed on, imagining I was Fabian Cancellara in riding away from the bunch. My legs were screaming as I reached Musselburgh but I choose to push on home so that I didn't freeze. The 9:45 group appeared at Eastfield but I chose to take the most direct route home rather than head into town with them.

The stairs to the flat were a challenge, I collapsed in a heap on the bed for 15 minutes and then got up to make lunch. After that, I snoozed for the afternoon, headed up into town for a few things and then took some piccies.

The day ended on the sofa watching The Voice!