8 Weeks & Counting

OH MY GOD!!!! Its only 8 weeks until we go!!!! Where the hell has the last few months gone? Ah well, I’m prepared for it, NOT! The training is going steadily! I went out with Emily just over a week ago. With her house move to Milton Keynes she’s been a bit pre-occupied, but is now focused on the matter in hand again I’m pleased to say. We had planned to do around 35 miles, but her sense of direction had gone on strike and we ended up heading back towards MK instead of going to Leighton Buzzard and only did 23 miles. However, it wasn’t a bad thing really considering she hadn’t been out for a while. I think when she goes out with Grant she simply follows behind him and doesn’t pay attention to the roads, bit like a sheep, (I’m not calling you a sheep Em honest) however she has done the Woburn route on her own!

I went out again on the following Tuesday night, but should have got a slapped wrist for it!! I didn’t take a drink with me!! I had prepared a couple of bottles, but left them on the wall at home! I realised my error at Everdon (only 2 miles away), so I rang Martin who was at home and asked him if he could pop out with it, guess what he said? ‘Of course I will! darling’ NOT! He actually said ‘Oh Bloody Hell! I’m busy now’, so I decided, rather stupidly, to carry on. The problem was it was quite warm! Anyway, 24 miles later a very hot, sweaty and shaky Linda arrived back home! I felt awful, I had a headache and my legs were really wobbly (no, not because of all the fat). Guzzled a whole litre of PSP (an energy drink) down in one go. Won’t be doing that again in a hurry!! We (Martin & I) went out for something to eat at Charwelton coz I was too knackered to cook and had a couple of ciders of which the first one didn’t touch the sides!!!

Had a rest day Wednesday and then went out on Thursday. Had a brilliant ride got up to 37 mph going down Staverton Hill! I also managed to stay either just ahead of or just behind the rain. I got to the A45 Willoughby/Barby cross roads and there was a huge clap of thunder!! All I could think about was ‘I’m ok! I’ve got rubber tyres’ anyway I needn’t have worried, because the rain & thunder passed right in front of my very eyes, so by the time I had climbed up Longdown Lane, (this is the hill I reached 35 mph going down) it was blue sky! However, one problem, WET ROADS, BIG PUDDLES, this is the fist time I’ve been out on my bike in the wet (told you I’d become a fair weather rider) and I hadn’t realised how much spray these tiny little tyres can kick up. When I got home I’d got soaking wet legs and bum. When I took my shorts off I was horrified. My shorts are blue, but not any blue, they are PALE blue, and there was a vertical brown line right up the middle of them. Can you imagine what that must have looked like from behind? I’ll bet people thought I’d shit myself!! But that’s another story………………(Only Joking!!!)