My week has been an unusual one with Easter being a busy time at work and the weather still trying to defy what is considered normal for this time of year. We had a good weekend at work and alongside the normal once a year Easter DIY'ers we had some fun and raised almost £200 for Leukaemia with our grand raffle and guess the number of mini eggs in the jar. To top it off I met Maisey (Leukaemia survivor from my previous blogs) and her parents, they were all an inspiration and have agreed to come and draw our raffle on the 6th May, what more encouragement does one need to know that all your donations make a difference to peoples lives.
As for riding this week I have managed three trips out and what a contrast, Thursday saw my first opportunity of the week and it was a day that I wished the forecasters had got it horribly wrong, but no of all days they had to be right for once. We had snow, we had a biting Easterly wind and we had rain mixed in, making a truly miserable combination for riding a bike. Undeterred and with all my winter gear on I was determined to rack up forty miles, at the start with little snow in the air this seemed fine. In reality as the miles rolled by and the snow set in it became quite unpleasant but in a sadistic kind of way enjoyable too, enjoyable as the challenges thrown up by the weather made it different to any ride I had done before. The last four miles the snow had become real heavy and was starting to settle, not just on the road but on me as well. I was glad to be home and very satisfied with my efforts. My second ride was a first for this year and the product of British summer time, an evening ride after work, just a blast of an hour but welcome extra miles in the legs. Rounding the week off today with the weather set fair if a bit chilly, was blue sky and sunshine. I geared up minus the winter jacket and with the fingerless gloves in my pocket for when and if the temperature climbed, hopeful I know but lets face it there has been little to get excited about with the weather so far this year. I had with all the best intentions intended to do fifty miles, how the best laid plans of mice and men crumble. Interrupted by my phone and the news that my colleague had had an accident going to work led to a bit of managerial organisation from the road side. Tony was fine if a bit shaken and with the relevant phone calls made it was set that I would be needed at work by the afternoon, the ride would continue but unfortunately curtailed. It was great in the sun and it did warm up enough for those fingerless gloves, I was in my element and thirty two miles was all to short. The one striking thing about the ride today was the amount of cyclists and the contrasting clothing. You see there were cyclists everywhere, how the sun brings them out, some I recognised from my many winter rides and others were obviously out for the first time this year. This is where the contrast became apparent, those of us that had been hardy and out in all weathers were wearing shirts while the newbies were in heavy duty coats snoods and balaclavas and ski gloves to finish the look, god knows what they would have worn in winter or even last Thursday. So with eight five miles in the bank this week and plans a foot to raise the bar in the coming weeks, I look forward to better days with excitement rather than in trepidation, under two months to D day 6th of June and I won't be stopping at the beaches, "Roll on Paris".
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