Firstly, I have been hampered by a dodgy knee that I twisted playing football. This really only kept me off the bike for a week or so, but during that time I wasn't able to do any exercise at all, so it probably cost me pretty dear.
Next up: a rant. As I've mentioned before, I did quite a lot of mountain biking during my teenage years, and as such I like to think that I'm already aware of a number of biking's unavoidable truths:
1) A repair will take at least 3 times longer than you expect, no matter how simple.
2) "One last run" will always end in a crash.
3) A lost part/tool will always be the exact tool you need for your next repair/alteration.
4) Flashy equipment is no substitute for fitness.
and finally...
5) Mini-pumps are a waste of time and money, and don't work!
I was cruelly reminded of this recently, when I decided my tyres could use a little top-up. First, I tried a SKS Piccolo mini pump, which only succeeded in deflating my tyres even more. Next, I thought I'd go old-school with a trusty Halfords pump. Nope, leaked before I reached the pressures I was after. Finally, after a recommendation from Malc (who had actually remembered rule no. 5) I bought a Topeak Morph Mini pump, which was up to the task. This debacle cost me the best part of a week, spent twiddling my thumbs with flat tyres waiting for pumps to be delivered. Nightmare.
Lastly (and probably quite predictably) I would like to blame the good old Scottish weather! It's been properly rubbish over the last few weeks. However, this got me thinking: if it's this bad in October, how am I going to cope through December/January?!
This leads me to the one piece of good news I have on the training front this month - the purchase of my lovely turbo trainer! Luckily, my old man was kind enough to spring for a Cycle Ops Magneto, which I have used a couple of times since I got it about a fortnight ago (pics to follow in updated Kit List).
I am more than aware that the above reads like the feeble excuses of a lazy so-and-so. Rest assured that this will be remedied in the month of November! I'll leave you with my stats from October:
Distance cycled: 38.6 miles
(Total distance cycled: 114 miles)
No. of outdoor training rides: 2
No. of indoor training rides: 1
Average ride length: 18.7 miles
Time in saddle: 4hrs 40mins
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| View North from Old Military Rd, near Drymen. |
