So it’s been a few weeks since I last wrote anything here and for the lost part they’ve been the usual January post-Christmas recovery period as I try to massage the world back in to a normal shape. The Client From Hell appears to have finally crossed the horizon, but work at the moment is the usual post-Christmas lull as clients decide their budgets for the forthcoming year. Still, not complaining as it gives me something of an easier time than the November / December madness.
One side effect of this is I’ve managed to get out on the bike a bit more than before the break, nothing major (one problem with this time of year is that it’s too dark to get any meaningful miles down before the dark sets in)but enough to keep the general level of fitness in. I’ve looked at what I need to be doing as I ramp up through the year and it all seems pretty manageable really, although I’ll need to get the head down a little bit and start raising the mileage again (easier to do as the days get longer).
Of course there are set-backs – the other day I had one of those over the handlebar moments that could have gone horribly wrong (the chain broke, wrapped around the rear wheel and pitched me into traffic) resulting in me hitting the ground hard in one of those horrible one second slowed to twenty seconds moments. Thankfully the traffic avoided me (and another cyclist helped me up and off the road), but getting up I could tell that whilst it stung at the time it was more likely to be more painful the day after. Sitting typing this now the bruises are starting to appear and certain limbs feel a little stiffer than usual. It’s not the first time I’ve come off the bike (or even off the bike at speed), but it is the first time I’ve been pitched into traffic in such an alarming way.
Still, I got back on the bike and cycled the next day (in fact I did so that night as otherwise I’d have had to resort to public transport and leave the bike at the office) as I thought I must not use it as an excuse to avoid cycling in bad weather – it may be bitterly cold at the moment (the mornings are particularly parky) but at least its dry. I’ve had to get a new chain (and the new cassette is on route as well) but that’s no real hardship. The only problem I have at the moment is that the new chain won’t work with the higher gear ratios (it slips cogs) so I’m left pootling to most places on “easy setting” rather than getting the better miles in – hopefully this will be resolved at the weekend.
Midland Film Monkey 