Aaaaaaarrrghhhhhhhh where is the time going!
Spring has come and gone and today marks the first day of summer here in the UK. After a bit of a false start in April/May I’m finally starting to get some miles in (compared to what I’ve done in previous years). However, my Strava graph showing weekly miles completed is still looking a little worse for wear…..
But do not fear blog readers – Rejoice! Now that the clocks have gone forward and we have lighter evenings combined with the fact that Sarah is driving again I can now commute to work on my bike which is going to help so much when it comes to my ride in September. This week I’m finally starting to get some serious miles under my belt as the weather has settled and I’m not hiding behind the excuses that it’s ‘too windy’ or ‘too wet’.
Having said that about 6 weeks ago things were definitely on an upwards trend, but then May came along and a combination of days out/weekends away and a 4 day break to Seville (Where Sarah and I got engaged!) firmly put the brakes on any progress (not that I was complaining in the slightest whilst we drank champagne and generally took things easy). As you can see above my mileage was a bit up and down in May with no real consistency in miles or duration which was not good, however, some miles are better than no miles I guess.
The great thing about being able to commute to work on my bike is that I can smash 15 miles in the morning and then take a longer route home (approx. 28 miles) meaning I can clock up about 40 miles a day.
Drier weekends will mean that I can get out early and complete a decent 3 hour ride and still be back for lunch so that my weekend with Sarah isn’t taken up with me being out for hours on end.
Luckily taking part in a few ARCC socials earlier in the year have provided me with some new roads to explore and means I’m not getting bored doing the same routes over and over again. I’ve been able to create a few rides which I can rely on should I be a bit constrained time wise.
1 hour – 18 mile loop taking in Eccup reservoir
2 hours – 30 mile loop out to Otley and back via Creskeld Lane
2 hours 45 – 44 mile loop to out to Weatherby and back via Otley and Bramhope
3 hours 30 mins – 57 mile out to Bolton Abbey and back
It definitely helps knowing my ride ‘window’ so that I can choose the best ride and get it done rather than procrastinating and then sitting on the sofa watching Game of Thrones/Billions/Jamestown etc!
I just need to manage my time a bit better so that I can utilise the free time I have to ride my bike and update you all on my progress as this blog has taken a massive back seat over the last 2 months.
I have some much to update you on like riding the Tour of Cambridgeshire on closed roads, my first ever race, using TrainerRoad and Training Peaks to track my progress as well as my first ever ramp test which comes up in 3 weeks!
Now all I need is a 2 week holiday to get it all done! 😉
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BIKE 