It's Friday 4th November. It's 1130hrs and the sun is shining, the skies are kind of blue. But it's not warm, not like it used to be when I last rode to Redhill. Warm, no. Cold? Not really. Put it this way I didn't wear gloves or the bobble hat under the helmet but I did have a pair of jeans on over the Lycra shorts. I was planning on a visit to the Pop Inn cafe and my ETA was something like 1245hrs or thereabouts. As it turned out I was spot on. I followed the route I'd been taking throughout the summer: down Tithepit Shaw Lane, up Whyteleafe Hill, along Stansted Road, right on to Springbottom Lane, left at the end of it, over the motorway, Warwick Wold Road, Merstham and then into Redhill. It felt sluggish because I hadn't done it for a while, but I hadn't really lost much in terms of time. It was still roughly one hour and 10 minutes there and back.
 |
| Lunch at the Pop Inn... |
My pal Garth joined me for a cup of tea and and we both ordered a sausage and egg bap, each paying a reasonable £5 - all week I'd been making my own sandwiches so I felt I earned a caff lunch. We sat and chatted about this and that and then walked in to town, me accompanied by the bike, which I had padlocked outside the Pop Inn. Once Garth and I had parted I walked to the park and then jumped on the bike and headed for home. I knew that in front of me there was White Hill Lane to conquer. In the summer I was fit enough to tackle the hill without much effort, although I would be the first person to say that however fit you are, White Hill Lane is always a struggle of sorts. Today was no exception, although, in all honesty, it was easier in the colder weather and I didn't feel any of the pain I had felt in the summer when I quickly broke into a sweat as I ascended the hill. Today was different, in fact I won't lie, it was fairly easy, although perhaps that's a lot to do with climbing Titsey Hill every weekend, I don't know. Tithepit Shaw Lane was easier too and soon I'd finished the ride and when I reached home there was nobody around so I chilled, watched Louis Theroux's interview with Dame Judi Dench. Is it Judi or Judy? Hold on while I find out. It's the former. The light faded and soon the house was in darkness. I switched on a small light not wanting to use up unnecessary energy and after a bit of faffing around on the computer I was no longer alone. I feel good having cycled around 24 miles. It means that if I go tomorrow I would have completed three rides this week so here's to riding to Oxted in the morning.
 |
| About to turn left and tackle White Hill Lane... |
I said at the start of this post that it was 1130hrs, but that's wrong. It was 1130hrs when I was about to set off on the ride to Redhill. When I started writing this post it was around 1930hrs, or around that time. Right now it's 2007hrs and I'm back to chilling out. After a good ride I always feel chilled out. I can sit on the sofa and enjoy feeling restful rather than restless. So here's to tomorrow and that all-important third ride.
 |
| At the top of White Hill Lane... |
While on the ride today I felt good. The fresh air, the breeze, the motion of the bike. All the hills were manageable, all the straights were straightforward, there wasn't much in the way of traffic. When I left the house there wasn't that much on the road and when I returned early afternoon things were relatively sleepy. I had a strong feeling of accomplishment as I rolled up on the front drive and checked out my Strava. I opened the garage, wheeled the bike in and then closed and locked it. Job done, I thought. Job done!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment