I, spanner

Saw an osteopath today who has figured out the root of my problem: lack of flexibility. so I’m on a strict diet of stretching to regain some. He reckoned I am only about 30% as flexible as I should be which is what has been causing me all these aches and pains. So I can get back on the bike this weekend and take it fairly gently.

I will have to get some new cleats though first. I did actually buy some cleats today, sadly I bought the wrong ones: I got Look Keo rather than the standard ones which are called Delta or something similar. So if anyone needs a set of Keo cleats, the red ones, please feel free to drop me a line and you can have them for a tenner if the nice man in Evans on Rathbone Place won’t take them back.

I was entertained by an article in The Daily Telegraph (yes it does happen) entitled “My name is Toby. I wear Lycra which struck a chord with me. In it the author talks about the obsessional nature of cycling and how you can start out just enjoying going places on the bike but at some point you can become obsessed.

For me I replaced the obsessional buzz of alcoholic oblivion with cycling. Being out on the bike pushing myself with my music on is a place where I can switch off my head and just go completely blank. No worrying about fixing the shower or whether I’ve left another lazy typo somewhere in this blog. Not even about how fast I am going or how long it will take me to get up the next hill. There’s just me an the bicycle going somewhere and enjoying the sensation fo doing so without a care in the world.

This may not be the best sort of training but it is definitely the best sort of riding. Yes there is something to love about pushing yourself to the limit up a hill or on a training ride in the sense of overcoming a challenge but for me it doesn’t compare to the thrill of finding yourself rolling along at a fair clip without a worry in sight.

Perhaps my favourite album for doing so is The Memory Band’s eponymous debut. In particular, Madlove and the Bee is about as great a piece of music as you’ll ever chance upon for those lovely days when you are rolling through the cool woodland and warm lanes of Surrey.

You can, and should, pick up a copy from Amazon.co.uk:

And now I must away and try and get these stupid wrong cleats changed at Evans. This should prove a challenge.

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