[Love/ Hate] the A600

Having turned the pedals rather frequently during the Christmas and new year hiatus, I seem to have covered quite a few miles. In fact, more than I think I've probably ever done with the Nomads in a December, ever. I've even had to clean my bike twice to get the grimeoff. Plus the tumble dryer has packed up under the stress of drying my cyclo-garb (too much information?).

The upside of this self-imposed exile to the lanes, is that I have ridden off a few excess pounds, plus my "bike" stamina has increased from a virtually non-existant level in October 2011 to something like clubman standard over a period of around eight weeks. Aren't I the smarty pants.

Please recall I'd madly decided to do a Hillclimb in late October and that was the watershed for the subsequent mileage. Ergo this bloggage.

Having covered a lot of tarmac (probably 300-400 miles since October), two things struck me.

Firstly, becoming "good" at cycling requires a Zen like ability to reflect on the suffering that you have to tolerate, i.e. riding in to a 20mph head-wind for an hour; or attempting to climb Sharpenhoe on a cold, wet December morning; or having eight pints of Watney's strong ale and a bottle of red the night before a 40-miler around the lanes with Mssrs Webb, Spence and Gomm. 

Secondly, becoming good at cycling also requires the converse, the ability to make light of the suffering. Taking the rip out off Webby usually works for me, and vice versa, and that's where a club setting and "training buddies" helps with the motivational aspects.

In the midst of the effort and the larks however, we all have certain bits of road which we either love or hate. Having posted about my despair on riding south on the A600 from Henlow, I was contradicted by Nick Hickman, as he likes that road. Maybe I despise it (the road, not Nick) because it is usually the last five miles of many a hard ride, and Nick likes it because it is at the beginning of his trips out with the club? 

Maybe there is something in that theory - or maybe it's all bollocks untested.

Riding back from Baldock last week along the main road from Letchworth GC that theory was tested as James Spence and I cycled heroically grovelled along having hacked around the lanes near Buntingford for an hour or two. So to test the hypothesis... ...usually that stretch sees Clive "Jacky Durand" Collins go off like it's Paris-Roubaix and he's trying to get some air time on Eurosport at the beginning of any east-bound club run (at least in my head he does).

Clive leading out the club run near Baldock.

Anyway, the new season is here and for once I have got some pre-January mileage in. May your roads be free from suffering. But not too free (you aren't trying if it's easy).