Just as I was getting ready to ride today, my new Topeak UFO light arrived from Chain Reaction.  Good timing, no?  Well the last one may have stopped working, but it was good while it did, so it seemed reasonable just to buy a new one.  Not a case of it ain’t broke so don’t fix it, more it is broke just replace it.  Very briefly it was the cleanest thing on my bike…which as Andrew will tell you, is not difficult 😉

So I rode today.  Obviously.  Otherwise this wouldn’t be here and you wouldn’t be reading it.  Just me this time, which it hasn’t been for a while, but it was none the worse for it.  Even with no-one to witness my antics and shame me into trying to do better, I decided I should do some hills.  Well, the odd one anyway.  Maybe better without an audience too?  Well no, not according to Strava, but those that I did do felt pretty good, so maybe that’s more important than the time from top to bottom?  It’s too early in the season to hope for great things…

Yes, that was the big hill of the day.  The others can be found here, as Strava tells you what I did, in case you care.  A case of, as ever, round in round in circles, goes the teddy bear.  Or should that be the Mad March Hare?

I was pondering on the nature of life and how much of it is circles and cycles and wheels.  The annual cycle, the monthly cycle.  The world spins.  Every sportive season starts with the Mad March Hare, to which the year has rolled around again.  All the routes I ride that by necessity start from home and go out and back, over and over again in every increasing circles, in spirographic fashion.  My monthly cycle determines how much pain I’m in, for which I should apparently blame the moon.  And Elton John sang about it, so it must be true.  OK, ok, so maybe too much time on my own is not a good thing 😉 *grin*.

Which, join up the dots if you will,  reminds me of lions and gazelles, and I’ll be paraphrasing because I can’t be arsed to look up the quote but, essentially it doesn’t matter whether you’re a lion or a gazelle, all you have to be is faster than the slowest gazelle.  I like that. As goals go, that one may be achievable…

So here we are again.  March is here.  Spring may be around the corner, though I wouldn’t lay money on it.  It does however look unlikely that it will snow on Sunday which has to be an improvement on last year.  I’m looking forward to getting the season started – it feels like time to get on with it.  The esteemed GB will sadly not be joining me, due to ill health, but it would appear that I will not be left alone, and am indeed spoilt for choice when it comes to company.  Thanks guys – and don’t worry, I won’t hold you to it – apparently I’m still capable of riding on my own 😉 *grin*.

Cycling time: 2:01:19 hrs
Distance: 30.3 miles
Avs: 15.0 mph.
ODO: 16071.99 miles