The highs and lows

Easter weekend. Four full days of fun, family and free wheeling. And, for me, at least two opportunities to get out on the bike (I waived Easter Monday for a tourist trip to London museums).

The result: I enjoyed the very best and worst of cycling within about 24 hours. And here's how...

Day 1: Good Friday

And what a good Friday it was! I had an absolutely epic ride down to the Kent borders from London, in bright sunshine, barely a cloud in the sky. Decided on a southernly route, taking in some nice climbs through the North Downs and clocking up over 100km (it just sounds better in kilometers doesn't it?).

The only minor downside to the day was arriving at my halfway point to find that Westerham Cyclery and its cafe (The Drop Bar) were closed on Good Friday! Undettered, I settled for nearby Food for Thought and enjoyed a suitably satisfying high tea, overlooking Westerham Green and of course, Sir Winston Churchill.

Day 2: Easter Saturday

Saturday morning, 8am. A quick weather forecast check tells me that the predicted gales aren't due to start until at least 11am. Spurred on by the previous day's success, I seek out any remaining clean cycling gear from the back of the wardrobe and head out to Essex. 

Not even 10 miles in and - pop! - something has definitely burst my tyre. No problem, I think. I'm an old hat at puncture repairs now (see last week's triumph). Not even phased by the fact that it's the back wheel, I flip the bike over, whip out the tyre levers and get to work. It's not exactly the speediest tube change, but I manage it without too many hiccups and get the pump ready for action.

15 minutes later and I'm fed up. My newly changed inner tube just won't pump up and I'm hardly within walking distance of a bike shop. Feeling deflated (pun absolutely intended), I call for a cab and hightail it across to Cycle Surgery, where I discover that not only is my brand new tube a dud (or most likely I punctured it whilst replacing it... oops), but I also need a brand new tyre. Apparently, whatever I ran over had completely split the back type (double oops). 

Weekend purchases

1. One new tyre. Puncture resistant apparently.
2. Two plastic tyre levers. Let's try to avoid puncturing the new tube in future.
3. Three new inner tubes.

March Highlights

• 6 March: 57 miles (Essex, Blackmore)

• 12 March: 56 miles (Essex, Matching Green)

• 13 March: 45 miles (Essex, Blackmore)

• 20 March: 37 miles (Oxfordshire)

• 25 March: 69 miles (Kent)

With the five month countdown now in sight, let's just see if I can keep this up!

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