The Invisible Man

Spooky happenings out there on the mean streets of Preston. Apparently when on the bike I am invisible to trucks, cars, and coaches. That would make the several ridiculous circumstances that happened to me, all within the first thirty minutes of my ride, far easier to explain. But lets not dwell on morons in metal boxes.

I went out today with the idea in mind of putting in a slightly longer effort. Yesterday was sweltering – ridiculously so. There was absolutely no chance of a bike ride. I held slim hopes that some of the more poorly maintained local roads may have melted and then re-solidified in a more agreeable manner, but I was sadly let down by mother nature. Pot holes and collapsing surfaces remain.

But today being cooler I found the ride pleasant, temperature-wise at least, from the off.

I figured I’d go out on the flat stuff, then cut through the countryside and head up towards Longridge. I had a climb in mind: one part up Jeffrey Hill called Birks Brow. It’s a decent little climb when you get to it. But the way up is a really sketchy gravel track that’s barely wide enough to fit a car down. Anyway, I gave it a good effort on that climb. Nothing amazing, but I was already 30km into the ride at that point. Felt good though.

Really, this one was about pushing my longer distance fitness. I’m comfortable at pacing myself for an hours ride now. I know my limits, my ability to endure around that length of time and distance. On my best days I can average just over 30kph. Today I managed to average 29kph over the longer distance of 50km or 1h 45m of riding, so really pleased with that – especially with the climbing work thrown in.

The plan is to do a shorter one tomorrow though – back down to the hour mark, and keep it a little less intensive. The truth is my legs aren’t used to climbing lately, and as above, the longer rides do take their toll. So I have to be sensible and put in something more endurance / recovery tier next. But still, better than nowt!