Suffering

Where can I buy one?

A tough couple of weeks since my last post, with a bit of cold which left me feeling quite lethargic. I did the wise thing and kicked back a bit but last Sunday I went out with Simon and Dale for my first outdoor training ride in quite a while. The good was that I did a solid 60 miles, but I was left trailing in the boys' wake. IO had got up at 5:30am to be on the road by 6, so by the time I met them I already had and hour under my belt, but I just wasn't on it. Dale is super fast and Simon has been getting some solid miles in and I just was not able to keep up for most of it. I felt some relief when I turned off to head back home while they got their heads down and rode off to Worthing.

This week has been a little better. My trainerroad sessions are back on track and yesterday I had a particularly good 2 hour session that saw me hitting some really good numbers again, but this had the consequence of my legs being pretty battered for today's steady ride. I did a slow 40 miles with  lot of time spent in the small ring (I know it shouldn't make any difference, but it does, to my ego at least).

 I really could have done with one of those hidden motors that now seem to be finding their way into the pro peleton. I have to say, I share most people's incredulity at this. Drug doping to improve one's athletic ability seems almost acceptable. My take on it is that cycling is often about suffering. Even when it's going well, it is still bloody hard work. It's fairly rare that it ever feels easy, therefore I think one can argue that even if you are smacked up to your eyeballs on EPO, it is still going to hurt. This whole motor doping thing seems just, well, lazy! I mean properly bone-idle. I can't be bothered to pedal anymore, I think I'll use the motor.

Without the means, desire or inclination to cheat (in anyway, I might hasten to add) I am just going to have to continue to hurt in the good old fashioned way.