Today was a beautiful day, and I just had to get out on the bike.
Unfortunately, I had a cold
And a hangover.
Therefore I decided not to do anything too dramatic, but just spin down to Box Hill with Emily. It was a great ride at a touring pace, and a reminder that cycling can be fun instead of just tiring.
Anyway, at the foot of Box I decided to give it full gas to see if I could improve on my performances so far this year. A flick back through this blog shows that my best time for a Box Hill ascent is 7 mins 1 sec, and so far this year I have been resolutely, and worryingly, around the 8:30 mark.
I jumped out of the saddle right from the bottom of the climb to get the pace up. Back out of the saddle around the 1st hairpin, and then again on the 2nd. Despite my cold-ridden lungs gasping for air in the winter morning, I kept the hammer down on the long drag to the 3rd hairpin, and then was again out of the saddle to the finish.
Stopped the clock at the cafe at the top for a time of 7:26. A whole minute quicker than my best this year. Despite feeling like poo. On my heavy winter bike. With stock (and slightly out-of-true) wheels. This was a good marker to lay down.
Alas, it appears that my bad luck hasn't quite ended however, as I broke my chain again about 5km from home. I was so p*ssed off, I didn't even bother to retrieve it (so if someone wants an Ultegra chain in pretty good nick (probably just needs a new pin), it's on the road somewhere between Sutton and Morden!)
No comments:
Post a Comment