Phew. What a relief. My endless scouring of the weather forecast didn’t do anything to make it read any better so I was absolutely dreading the 15th September. Last year we actually quite enjoyed getting soaked to the skin in the company of a jolly bunch of hardened Cumbrians. It was fun. But the prospect of strong winds on top of the rain was daunting to say the least. Good call, Andy.

The added bonus is we now have time to do a bit more on the bike before the event. Our efforts this summer have been derisory, as evidenced by previous blogs.

Well, ok. Blog.

Here is a description of our training efforts over the August Bank Holiday, with the red letter day looming large on the horizon:

Saturday:
Me (chirpily) “shall we go for a bike ride?” Him “Yes. Good idea! But… erm…. there’ll be loads of traffic, so shall we hike round Lord’s Lott instead?” Me (thoughtfully) “Yes. OK”

Sunday: Me (eagerly) “shall we go for a bike ride?” Him “Yes. Great idea! But ……the wasps are currently winning the battle of the plums. Don’t you think we’d better get them picked before they’re all ruined?” Me (reluctantly) “Yes. OK”

Monday: Me (hopefully) “shall we go for a bike ride?” Him (looking out at glorious sunshine and an enticingly pleasant breeze) “Yes. Brilliant!  Although………the weather’s perfect for a sail, and it might be the last chance we get this summer”. Me (envisioning picnic and bottle of wine whilst drifting gently down the Lake) “Oooh yes. OK. Lets.”   It was a great weekend. Well, apart from the wasps.

Day 1: Saturday 20 April 2013

Go to garage. Bring out Florence. Inspect dust and cobwebs on Florence. Go and get duster. Return to Florence. Florence has blown over. Pick up Florence and cling on tight. Watch happily as howling gale removes every speck of dust and muck from Florence. Replace Florence in garage. Settle down in front of roaring fire with papers and mug of hot chocolate. Reflect contentedly on my early start to this year’s training for the World’s Best Bike Ride.