Saturday 17 January 2009

Back at R.P.

I saw him before he saw me. I wanted to ease up so he would ride past but he didn't. He went in front and slowly but surely ramped up the pace. I hadn't planned on sitting on any wheels for at least a few weeks but it was too late. I was now taking turns with this guy who couldn't believe his luck. We'd spoken before but hadn't exchanged names. He could tell I was out of shape and now it was clear that he rather than me would be dictating the pace. Oh Shit!

This American dude joined in so we were now doing a 3 up. The American guy asked how training was going and I managed to puff-out "not bad" as a response. The other guy who wore a yellow top annoyingly changed up in gears and I think I may have howled quietly to myself in despair. 60 minutes later the American guy said farewell and headed off towards Camden Town. My man in yellow smiled and continued ride hard infront of me. I tried to ignore the stress it was placing on my lungs and just as I thought about dropping off he finally eased up. I completed two more laps alone at a leisurely pace with Chris from Mosquito Bikes.

I think Joe Friel said that veteran riders shouldn't allow their fitness levels to drop too low because it was such a bitch for older guys to get their fitness back. On my last lap I saw Stefano (Fit-For.com) up ahead. He looked back hoping to find a training partner. I slowed down until he rode out of sight.

2 comments:

Phil Sheehan said...

Good to see you back with the diary Toks. I've been sick this past week but easing myself back in on the turbo. Should be out on the road for 3-4 hours - steady pace 180-220w on Sunday morning before work. Be great to ride together and natter a bit, am absolutely not going harder than that pace though.

Ade Merckx said...

Cool dude. I haven't seen you since your daughter was born so it would be great to hook up. I'm not 100% about Sunday but I'll let you know