I see with shock that i haven't written since the end of May ... which means that i must rap myself on the knuckles... shoddy i say shoddy! All of which means that this will be a long catch up as i have been busy out on the bike!
Indeed i can feel the progress - yay - i can indeed!!!!
So.... the highlights ....
At the end of May much of my cycling was in and around London and included ... whizzing around town to meet people for lunch .. breaking out my bluey white legs in lycra down at Horseguards for a cheeky lunch break with my dear Olympic torch-bearing friend .... I had hoped that the lovely weather would gradually transform them - instead they are being whipped with rain!! Much circling of Regents Park and around Hampstead ... a wonderful whizz through London on the morning of the Jubilee Pageant delighting in empty roads and feeling the atmosphere build as i got closer to London Bridge... and oh we were lucky enjoying the pageant amongst dear friends on a sheltered balcony - what a wonderful spectacle it was.... The cycle home was however wetter and windier....
I finished off my Jubilee celebrations by jumping on a train with my bike and heading North to Edinburgh ... i stayed in a wonderful wonderful flat for a few days on Gayfield Square and had a wonderful time re-visiting my old University haunts and catching up with a dear friend from long ago... i also discovered that cycling in and around London isn't cutting the mustard as far as training is concerned!!!
During my trip i headed north to Loch Lochy (NW of Fort William) and cycled a circular route of 34 miles which will form part of Day 19 of my trip.... and i realised that hills can be 3 - 4 miles long!!! I had a wonderful (if cold and wet) day ... and it was so beautiful... but it hammered home that good old flat London with its stop-start cycling is not good enough for the trip... after 10 miles my legs felt as though i'd cycled 20.... but i made it the whole route and was particularly chuffed to complete the 3 mile long uphill stretch at the end ....
6 miles in ... soaking up the views....
Pause for 'lunch' at Laggan Locks ....
On the home stretch the weather was closing in ....
Day 2 North of the Border and i was back in Edinburgh enjoying the amazing network of cycle routes that they have there. 27 Miles of coastal cycling heading West to the Forth Bridge (the engineer in me will forever get excited when i see it!) ... blowy weather and i was cycling head on into the wind all the way home.... had a real lesson in the power of the wind!
Yep .... heading East from Leith ... it was dreich!
Cut inland at Cramond ... beautiful!
Hmmmm..... Scottish idea of a cycle path?! Or maybe i've detoured off it!!!!
Heading home i found the most wonderful network of cycle paths running along what i later found out to be the old railway lines... all around edinburgh ... FANTASTIC! This is heading into town from Trinity.
So two good days with decent mileage under my belt! Then on Friday before i got the train home i had fun exploring the city itself - cycling down memory lane as i visited lots of old haunts and favourite places. Sadly the cold and the time pressure meant that i didn't stop and click too many photos but i had a wonderful spin around town....
View across to Arthur's seat from Carlton Hill....
Just love the Gardens in the heart of town.... looking up the Mound across the Galleries... scene of much Fringe fun and street theatre in the good old days!
Since i've been back the stormy weather (i hate to admit) of the last week has sent me swimming more than cycling and i've only done a couple of 30+ rides... but it's all good and (when the weather's good) i am loving it! Hills hills hills are the focus of the next few months....
What have i learnt?
- Buses don't always stop when they knock you off your bike!!
- New mantra 'Hills aren't my enemy as they always come to an end.... Wind however.... '
- Layer up .... getting cold is exhausting.
- Dogs seem to love running at the wheels of a bike.
- 60 miles a day is a long long way!
- Stretch out... stretch out .... stretch out.....
- Music is great for lifting the heart i have no doubt that this adventure will have me stretching my playlists!
I'm not going to say too much and languish on the miserable weather we've been having over the last 4 weeks - but ... Oh - how i hope summer will appear soon.
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