“He had never liked October. Ever since he had first lay in the autumn leaves before his grandmother's house many years ago and heard the wind and saw the empty trees. It had made him cry, without a reason. And a little of that sadness returned each year to him. It always went away with spring."
Mid October bares down on the British rider like a Kamikaze pilot. The darkness looms. Two weekends til' the clocks change. Lights will be shod upon the single speed and the best bikes will be squirrelled away for safety unless we have an Indian summer and dog days extend. So far it has been a reasonable month on the bike though beset by illness and road works in and around our stomping ground. September concluded as a positive months riding with the most feet ascended since I started using a bike computer in 2009. Prior to that I just rode. I have carried the desire to 'practice' climbing into October and come to realise that getting PB's is a hard thing to attain as there are so many variables on local climbs including weather, wind, legs, heart and lungs. I did Mamhead today and was a good 4 minutes off my best, but today it seems I could not find the right gear. Even on the flat I was battling cadence, but the heart and head felt fine. Tired I suppose. In a way, November and the next two or three months allow the body and mind to recharge as 4000 miles this year is a great figure to attain and as before, I am not a spring chicken. Presently I sit at 180 miles with a target of 270 miles to attain last years figure. I have already beaten the climbing figure which is nice and shows a culture shift in my 'Devon' riding. A new PB on the local Doccombe climb 300 feet to 1000 feet over 21 mins at 231 watts average power. Pleased with that. The descent into Bovey from Morton is something else and again, a gold was attained here. Last week we threw in fast Tuesday and nailed 28 miles in sub 1.30 in windy conditions on a rolling road so that was nice. Still unsure if fast hellish miles beat long ploddy miles, but I suppose the two work well together. Still monstering the bike along is worth every second post ride.
Still half the month to go but apparently a huge storm and 100 mile winds are around the corner which in turn may render this week a total write off. Time will tell. In the meantime, love to all x
Still half the month to go but apparently a huge storm and 100 mile winds are around the corner which in turn may render this week a total write off. Time will tell. In the meantime, love to all x
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