Lockdown, Pt.41: Back to work - on the bike!

Last week's rides...

Sunday, ride to the Tatsfield Churchyard, 16 miles.
Monday, ride to Westerham, 20 miles
Tuesday, Washpond Wurlitzer, 15 miles
Wednesday, day off.
Thursday, ride round the block, 8.9 miles. 

Friday, Washpond Wurlitzer, 15 miles.

Saturday, Westerham, 21 miles.

Total: 95.5 miles (last week's cycling). 

This week, it's only Thursday and I've already put in over 88 miles.

All of last weekend I was bugged by the notion of returning to work. It's just that the last six months have been spent at home and now the process, the routine, has to change again. I'm not too bothered about it, to be honest, and you could say a change is as good as a rest, but, in the same way that it felt odd packing up my stuff in the office and heading home to work, now it's the same but in reverse.

Sitting on the green at Westerham behind General Wolfe...

But before we get on to my week at work, which, as I write this, is drawing to a close, let's look briefly at last week's cycling, which totalled 95.9 miles. I rode to Westerham twice, according to my list, although, now that a week of work has almost passed, I can't remember much about it. Two rides to Westerham? Apparently so, on Monday and then last Saturday. In between I threw in a new ride, the Washpond Wurlitzer (basically a Washpond Weeble with a Ledgers Road loop thrown in) and I did a crazy 8.9-mile hoof around the suburbs, taking on all the hills in the local area.  I took Wednesday off.

And so to work, but not in the way you might suspect. Damned if I would contribute to the economy, I decided to bypass train fares by taking the bike to work. As avid readers will know, riding to work (as opposed to riding for leisure) are two completely different things, but I managed to sort it out. There's a great shower in the office, which means I can simply jump on the bike (having remembered to pack a towel and a change of clothes) and then jump in the shower. I left the house around 0630 hours daily and I reached the office around one hour and 10 minutes later. Not bad going. The problem, of course, is not the inwards ride, it's coming back. While the route home is exactly the same as the route back, it's in reverse and that means hills. Big hills. First the hill just beyond the bridge over the motorway on the Warwick Wold Road (or whatever the Warwick Wold Road becomes) and then, after a serene stretch of cycling along Springbottom Lane, I have to tackle the almost unbearable White Hill Lane. The bike slows right down, I slam the gears into ultra low and when I hit the lowest gear I say to myself, 'that's all you've got' and carry on up the hill, huffing and puffing as I go. It's a great relief passing the Harrow pub in Chaldon and then sailing down Stanstead Road, but then another hill presents itself: Tithepit Shaw Lane, a short, sharp, intense hill that is also almost unbearable as White Hill Lane. But it's not worth stopping as there's no way I'd get back on again, so I persevere and reach the top. Once over Tithepit the route is flat and eventually I find myself sailing down Church Way towards home.

Today is Thursday and I've so far managed three days of it - Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. My cumulative total for the week is just over 88 miles and I'm hoping to keep it up, although today I might have to forfeit a ride. I've got a Zoom meeting at 0800hrs and then it's a case of do I ride in or catch the train? I reckon it takes roughly the same time. Anyway, I've been riding 24.5 miles per day for three days in succession and I feel good about it. I've been going to bed around 2100hrs every day too and getting a good eight hours of sleep. I'll admit to feeling a little weary around 1930hrs and falling asleep while watching the TV, but overall it's all good stuff, apart from the fact that I've put on weight. Put on weight!!!! I was hovering around 12 and a half stone, but I'm just short of 13 and I put it down to chocolate bars and cake, which now must stop. There's no point cycling 24 miles a day and putting on weight, that defeats the object.

That said, when I reached the office, one of my colleagues said that muscle was heavier than fat and that must be the reason, but I'm not so sure. When I think about the last six months and all the food I've been eating, like my family size pack of Alpen. So today, when I nipped up to Waitrose to buy, supposedly, a family pack of Alpen, I hesitated and decided not to buy it; instead I bought some own brand muesli (Swiss style). We'll see. At work today I had three small chicken rolls and that was lunch. I must admit it was a relief not having to ride back on the bike, those big hills I mentioned earlier are no joke, so getting on the train was easy and these days there's nobody on them. This morning, on the journey in, I was the only passenger in the carriage and because I'd got a lift to the station the journey was only 30 minutes all in, from door-to-door. As a result, I'm more alive tonight. If this was yesterday I'd be feeling weary and ready for bed, but here I am sitting here writing and watching the television at the same time.

Being back at work has been fine, much needed in a way, a change is as good as a rest and all that. It was good to see people I haven't seen since March and because the office had been configured in such a way as to keep us all apart, it was good not to be crammed in between two colleagues. Space, That's what's good about the office this week. And now there's just one day left. Next week I've got a week at home and then back in to the office the following week. I like both scenarios. I thought I wouldn't enjoy going back in, but I did, especially the cycling. 

A much needed cup of tea...

Oddly, just as things seemed to be getting back to an element of normality, Boris Johnson and his team decided to abolish all meetings of more than six people. That's put the spanner in the works. Anyway, it is what it is and everybody's blaming the younger generation for their 'gatherings' and their refusal to socially distance themselves from other people. Well, to be fair, the Government had been relaxing things. We were all being encouraged to eat out or go to the pub and then we were all told to go back to work to boost the economy, start paying extortionate train fares, part with ridiculous amounts of money for a cup of coffee and pay through the nose for food that isn't really that good. Still, it is what it is, but I was determined not to boost the economy. By cycling in Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I saved the best part of £27 that I would have spent on train fares. Alright, I had a beef and horse radish sandwich was Sainsbury's on all three days, but I have to eat something and I couldn't fit a sandwich box into my rucksack. Well, that was my excuse. 

And now, as I sit here with Celebrity Masterchef on the TV (a kind of 'best of' that I'm half watching) my thoughts go to tomorrow. Having a missed a day of cycling I'm feeling a little daunted about starting up again tomorrow, waking up at 0530hrs and leaving at 0630hrs, but I owe it to myself to ride in, for one last day, because next week it's back to the Washpond Wurlitzer and the Churchyard Chuffer and other rides I've christened with silly names (they're all on Strava).

Cycling to work on a daily basis has been a real eye opener. The fact that it was not too bad (except for the hills) and the fact that it added a bit of zing to each day made it worthwhile. I might well try my best to keep it up, or certainly ride three of the five days. Well, at least until the weather closes in, the clocks go back and it's dark and dangerous on those country lanes. You do have to be careful as there are plenty of nutters driving cars around. There were certain spots where I was ultra-vigilant, the first one was riding down White Hill Lane on the way in and turning right into Springbottom Lane, very dangerous if there's a car behind trying to get in front. The second was the ride down what becomes Warwick Wold Road, just before hurtling across the motorway (the M23 I think). The bike picks up speed, there's a couple of concealed driveways and you just have to keep your wits about you. On the way back, coming up White Hill Lane was a little dodgy, but the rest of the ride is great, apart from Tithepit Shaw Lane, a nasty, albeit short hill. The ride back was a little daunting generally, mainly because of the three punishing hills. But once all three were out of the way I was elated at the thought of a short ride into Sanderstead High Street and then a leisurely roll down Church Way towards home.

Right now the idea of the ride is looming somewhere and I'm starting to wonder whether I should hit the sack now, at 2031hrs, or stay up a little, watch the news and then head for bed. I'm starting to doubt whether I'm motivated enough to do, but I've simply got to get out there and take it on, the last ride of the week, which will bring my total to something crazy like 112 miles for the week.

I'm going to sign off now. Looking forward to meeting Andy again at the Churchyard on Sunday.