Good friday Fifty/Easter Sunday Funday..... and a few of Team S2P MIA

(written 4th April via Swindon to Paris Facebook group)

Well Paul had planned a nice 50 mile route for a group of us for Good Friday, but for various reasons it didnt go ahead....


1) Paul, Nathan and Gareth crashing last week, hence Paul has had a bad back and buckled wheel, and Gareth has various injuries and a pretty impressive bruise he's showing around, and last I heard he'd gotten himself a warning from the Police for indecent exposure (this is only hearsay, so I'd like to state that off the record)

2) I had a crash the previous week too (2 in fact) when I say crash, my friend pushed me off and have a hip flexor issue... also I piled a few too many miles into my knee I suspect and it's been complaining ever since.

3) the weather was shocking!  (not that we're fair weather cyclists you understand)

It later transpired Dean and Gary had got out and "Manned the F*** Up".

So Paul changed the ride to be today, I'd been out yesterday and didnt want to do any more than 50 today.

When Paul and I met, the sky looked ominous, so I pulled on my rain jacket - which matched my super cool funky "new" cycling shoes - I say "new" loosely, because they're possibly dated from 1982, and they're damned sexy! By the time we'd ridden the 8 or so miles to where we were meeting Gary and possibly Nathan, the sun had come out, and the jacket was coming back off.

Nathan apparently had better things to do - like have a lie in eating easter eggs lke most normal folk on Easter Sunday. Not us - we're dedicated to the cause!

Paul had just had his new gears installed on the Mad One and was making clickety clack noises so took a moment to fiddle with his nobs before we set off again. I was whining a bit about my knee and not wanting to do any hills, and Paul wasnt that up for hills either with his back, so we set off on a flat route out through Cricklade towards Lechlade and Faringdon. Wisely avoiding the spot where Paul last week came a pearla.

Despite the route being flat, it was hard work, every direction we were heading the wind seemed to be in our faces, at about 30 miles, I totally bonked, I'd left it too long before jizzing it up with some gels, we had a look for a coffee shop, but being easter sunday, most folk had better things to be doing than opening up shop (like lie in bed eating easter eggs)! So we stopped on the roadside for a bit for a refuel - and for Paul to fiddle with his nobs once more (he just couldnt leave them alone)! He was also concerned about the angle of the dangle on his hoods and Gary had the genius idea of rather than moving the hoods, rotating the handlebars!! (obviously I'd thought of that, but didnt want to steal his thunder)

After Paul was satisfied with his position we headed off in the direction of home (which was stilll a good 25 miles away) into hideous headwinds.... that made me yell at it and made my face go all sad and troutish. We spotted a sign saying "Tea rooms, open" and whipped in before you could say "one lump or two" and found a really lovely coffee shop with great cake and not so great coffee (as Paul put it - coffee flavoured water) - still, I'd go back. After refuelling once more we had to go back into the wind, the only saving grace was that it was lovely and sunny or I would have definitely cried.... Paul and Gary were perfect gents though and protected me from the wind as best they could.

Paul's gears were still making clickety clack noises for the journey home, so once more, we pulled over so he could have a fiddle. The clickety clack seemed to stop, but it then became "screek, squeak" and I pointed out it was like the little kid on the tricycle from The Shining, all it needed was Paul to say "Red Rum... Red Rum..." not as Gary suggested his head to spin round and vomit (that was The Exorcist)

The last 5 miles I bonked the whole way back (not in a good way either) Gary carried on up broad town and beyond, Paul went to collect a life sized man shaped punchbag (don't ask) and I slumped down the hill and fell through my front door into the bath.

In other news.....

I have just been on the mn4fitness website and had a look at the list of participants... so far the turn out has been slack... apart from the few I've ridden with so far, i've not met all the members, I met Tim briefly in TBAS this week, where he promptly embarrassed me (cheers Tim) and there's a few on the list who've been suspiciously quiet... where are you all?!!