Cycling is the new rock and roll. Well it is for 41 yr olds who play guitar badly. I first got into cycling in 2003 when I decided to get fit again after 25 yrs of playing rugby. I entered a triathlon (swim, bike and run in that order) and got sucked into the whole multisport thing. There is a problem with triathlon however. It is a sport designed for compulsive obsessives as you need to do six training sessions a week to get up to proper fitness. Compound that with having three children ,a wife who would like to see you occasionally, a job, the British weather and an arthritic knee and you can see that something has to give. In my case it was the swimming - booo, and the running - hooray.
I 've regularly cycled into work since then and really enjoy the ride home especially in Summer along the canals. No cars, few people, water and the odd barge. How good is that for the middle of a big city? When motivated I've joined up with a Saturday morning road ride from Birmingham City Cycles birminghamcitycycles.co.uk . That's at 7am on a Saturday! but boy do I deserve (and not feel guilty about) a full English upon my return.
Of course yesterday Alister from the shop put a load of new kit on my steed and had it primed and ready for my dawn attack on the peleton. Nothing was going to stop me. Except this mornings downpour and how comfy my bed feels at 6.30am on a Saturday. Muesli it is this morning..