Motivation

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It seems at the moment I can't turn the computer on without reading of some amazing cycling adventure or achievement by a friend. I can follow Henry Whaley in London-Edinburgh-London; there's Jim Cameron on the Transcontinental; then the awesome Naomi Freireich comes British 24 Hour MTB champion (frankly Naomi, along with Amanda Tweedie, is/are my cycling hero/es). There are people competing in British, European and World events; or undertaking immense personal challenges.
And then me. Who 5 weeks after breaking my arm (one day short of 5 weeks actually...), struggling to the halfway point in my first proper interval session on the turbo in the garden, was wondering who I thought I was in the midst of such company.
Okay, this is a bit obvious, but Tubthumping by Chumbawumba came onto the playlist. "I get knocked down... but I get up again." And it got me thinking, I might be a halfway up the field rider at very very best; but I loved getting to that point last season, and had actually enjoyed the fledgling amount of 'proper' training I was doing. It doesn't matter what your own aims are, as long as you do what you can to achieve them, whether it's riding across Europe, or taking that first tentative ride on the cycle path to the shops.
But sod it, this turbo lark is hard. 50 minutes, had me as tired as any road ride I'd been doing. Hills provide variety. Flat cadence holding is torment. Which in itself made me think of the good it is doing. And so I may not become a world beater, and my gains and achievements will likely remain personal ones, but I'll be back stronger, fitter and faster. Though I might take corners a bit more gingerly.
Whatever Davie Lines tells me I need to do, it'll be done. And every single session, every heart-pounding last 30 seconds of an intense interval, I will continue to curse Gary Macdonald for ever putting this idea in my head.
So every one of you, carry on as you were posting about your rides. Keep sticking up pictures of your bikes at the tops of hills looking out on the descent to follow. Keep reminding my how awesome getting out on those two wheels is. I can't name check you all, but can guarantee I've read your posts.
In the meantime the race bike is getting a new headset cap. It'll simply say, "... but I get up again."
Soft / motivational post over. Time for another cuppa.