It's a miracle

Having ridden consistently now for a couple of months, I can now begin to see the investment pay off in terms of feeling fitter and also being able to ride a bit quicker and a bit further. I think I have averaged over 100 miles nearly every week since the beginning of October 2011.

I even managed to sit on the turbo trainer for an hour during a club spinning session last week. Now that is/ was a first.

Turning 40 (hard to believe, but a privilege denied to many) did mean a bit of "down time" so as to enjoy a few pints and the odd bag of pork scratchings but having been active for a few weeks I now begin to feel sluggish and restless if I don't get the miles in over the weekend. It is oddly addictive how riding reasonable distances can be.

It'll soon be time to focus on speed and power but for a few more weeks at least it's still a question of working on the base fitness for me. I've always managed to carry almost no form whatsoever in to the cycling season, this may be a first for me as having a wiser head on the shoulders is making me think about nearly everything as being positive, neutral or adverse to my possible cycling performance. I have managed to cut out the junk food (with the occassional indulgence) and focus on making the most of the time I do have to ride and plan my time. I think my philosophy has changed - if I'm not suffering, it's not training. Or maybe I'm just losing the plot.

This weekend was a real test as it was exceptionally cold, minus 8C was reported for Saturday but having lined up a time to meet with Neil JJ Fraser and Mike Webb, there was less chance of bottling it and simply pulling the duvet back over.

The roads were ok to ride upon, we did however see the aftermath of a couple of cars smashing in to each other - somehow the poor weather exposes the failings of those not adapting to the conditions regardless of the number of wheels per vehicle.  In fact there was a high proportion of divots on display.

But boy was it cold. Very, very cold. It got to the point where my bottle froze and then the miracle of the Schnauzer occurred. It must be divine reward  or some form of Karmic Cycling experience.

You know you've put the miles in when you begin hallucinating - the vision did not come to me until my post 60 unscheduled miles+ epic with the Nomads at the weekend.

Alfie the Dog (left) an Isotonic drink at -8C (right)