Tuesday ride report by Meg.

I’ve been hearing the screams of “toughen up princess” all morning, so in an attempt to purge my soul here is my confession. This ride report really starts before this morning though. Key points that impacted on the ride: within the last 5 weeks I have ridden once, so yes, I’m aware that the first ride back is not going to be pretty. For some of the last 5 weeks I’ve been tango dancing in Buenos Aires. Important point because it reminded me that 1) not all forms of exercise require you to wear deeply unflattering lycra and 2) actually there are some forms of exercise/movement which actually cause you to feel euphoric. This is a very different feeling to the one that comes with completing a bike ride which is more along the lines of deep relief that you have survived and that the pain has now ended. Previously I had been tricking myself into believing that euphoric = deep relief that pain had ended. Final key point, and I’m not sure if anyone else has noticed this or not, but its been pissing down with rain lately. Oh and its been a bit chilly. To summarize, I have no illusions – I’m not a real cyclist, I’m just trying to fake it and failing miserably. My first ride back is going to be a disaster and its going to hurt like hell and the coffee at the end had better be good!

So despite what it is sounding like I’ve been trying to rustle up some bike love. Checked the weather report – rain clearing. That could mean that there would be less rain in the morning. Managed to fit in a run last night between rain storms, so that could also be construed to indicate that the rain was clearing. Anyway it was enough to dust off the bike, pump up the tyres and throw the machine into the car, ready for the early morning start. (Oh minor footnote here; when Argentinean tango dancing in Buenos Aires, one is dancing at 4am and thinking about moving on for a hot chocolate before stumbling into bed at 6ish. Much more civilised than waking up at 4.30/5am to head out in lycra and the cold and the wet)

The alarm went off, I could not hear any rain, so I pulled on multiple layers of lycra and with my housemate’s voice in my head distinctly telling me to toughen the f*ck up I drove to work. The weather was being decidedly British (i.e. a bit shit, a bit of a drizzle but no rain pelting down so not really enough to not do something, but just enough to make it unpleasant). Got the bike out of the car, and yes it definitely felt like the rain was slightly more than a drizzle, but surprisingly, I had that little thrill that comes when you clip in. That sense of an open road and you are going to smash yourself and its going to be fantastic. This feeling carried me down the road aways, before the cold, the puddles and the rain joined forces to confirm that actually it was a bit shit, and I really was not enjoying it.  The next bit will be unbelievable to many of you (well actually probably all of you) but what happened next was……I turned around rode back to the car, put the bike back into the car and went and had the hottest longest shower of all time!!!! And it was good. I’ve had an incredibly productive morning at work, and I’ve even found time to write up this blog and there is the chance that I may get to go home early!

Conclusions: I’m piss weak, you cyclists are seriously hard core. As the sun has come up, it has stopped raining and it is looking like it might turn out to be a nice weather day which is bloody typical. I’ll spend the rest of the day trying to not regret my non-ride ride because I think if I’m honest I’ve actually missed riding and I’m keen to get back into it. Yes it is going to hurt and yes I’m going to be really bad, but the coffee and the chats at the end are worth it.