On Sunday I reported that my inability to open the garage door damaged my ability to go out for a ride. I have now discovered a new problem: sticky sheet syndrome. For some reason, my considerably better half who is away this week with her elderly Mother visiting the flesh pots of Weston Super Mare: no, I have never been, thought I was being rude when I mentioned this to her. SSS removes my ability to get up when an early morning ride has been planned: I am great at planning, crap at doing. As the said better half is away and as work is quite slow this week, morning rides were planned for Tuesday morning to the hospital for my check up: drove; Wednesday home from Shrewsbury as my boss was out of the office all day so wouldn’t be checking up on me: watched baseball all morning instead and this morning out to get some prawns and sliced beef for the cats breakfast….. they had fish in butter sauce and boiled chicken instead. Bit of a wasted week really. However, finally, finally, finally, I managed to drag myself out this evening for a reasonable 14 mile trip around the aptly named village of Ranton before it got dark. A couple of words of praise to drivers on the Woodsleeves to Great Bridgeford road who gave me so much room I wondered what was doing wrong! And a big boo to the morons who live in Derrington: it’s a fat bloke on a bike, get over it! Anyway, changed the sheets with the hope that tomorrow morning I will spring out of bed and head out for a ride…..oh, looks like rain….can’t go out in the rain as the bike will melt.

I have finally decided what is the most difficult thing about cycling. No, its not a full on headwind, although they are a right pain when you have a drag coefficient of a supertanker like I do. Nor is it hills of over 5%, although they aren’t nice if you weigh the same as a small car. I have even disregarded stupid car drivers overtaking on a narrow single track road at speed, whilst pulling a caravan. Hey, there is always the hedge you can hid in while worrying if you are going to get home to the wife and kids……kids???? Nope, the hardest thing about cycling is none of the above but is the simple act of getting the bike out of the garage. Sigh. Take this morning as an example: up at 7am with the plan of cycling to Newport and then either back or on to Shrewsbury returning via Arriva Wales and London Midlands finest DMU’s. However, its half ten and I am still stuck to the sofa: the sun has gone in, the wind has picked up and the roads are now “busy” (Stafford is never busy compared with quite a few other towns). Shall I go out, or Shall I stay in…its was too late to go to Shrewsbury and get back in time for the Arsenal game (ONE NIL TO THE ARSENAL…ONE NIL TO THE ARSENAL…..:-) ) so come on me, do a local ride and have the afternoon in front of the telly…. So, dragged myself out to the garage, pumped the tyres up….had another cup of tea and out for a short local ride battling the wind. However, what’s this….some power in my legs???!!! How did that happen??? Anyway, my plan was to stop after 6 miles at the home of the MIGHTY Penkridge Town FC and then to return via the lumpy route via Leverdale. But, something strange here…. I did the first section in a time five minutes faster than ever before. So instead of returning home straight off, a loop around Church Eaton, Low Ohn, Weaton Aston, Penkridge and then home was undertaken… a grand total of 49.3km…..I was tempted to go around the block a couple of times to click over to 50km but the neighbours think me strange anyway (with good cause of course). Checking my stats on Strava (got asked by a colleague the other day if I used Strava as: “all proper cyclists do….” Didn’t argue with them but smiled to myself… a proper cyclist: blimey!) my average speed of 21km was the fastest I have done over two years, while my PB on 10 segments were “smashed”….. well beaten by a few seconds: I am still on the last page of most segment records . So it seems once you get the garage door open, the world is your oyster: other seafood is available.