You know that feeling when the train next to you at the platform pulls away, or the car next to you at the traffic lights goes before you, and you’re not really watching, it’s an out of the corner of your eye thing, and you suddenly feel like you’re going backwards?

As I rode up the Gorge, with the water flowing down and across and everywhere, making regular pretty patterns over the road, my eyes got caught by all the going down, and even though at some level I knew I was pedalling, and that the wheels were going round, I had this odd feeling that I wasn’t going anywhere at all.  Like walking up the down escalator.  Hypnotic.  Kaa would have approved…

Apparently I was in fact going forwards, because I made it up.  Up where we belong?  Like any of the ups today, I wasn’t beating any records, but I got there.  Without feeling too terrible.  Without getting off and walking.  I ignored the fact that the other three I was with had left me behind, and focused on how I was actually feeling.  To which the answer was usually ok.  PMA!  It all still works, it’s just that the results aren’t as good as they will be after I’ve been doing it more.  My legs feel stronger even if they’re not faster!  Progress is being made.  After all, it’ll still feel like hard work even when I’m better at it, it’s just that the pain won’t last as long!

Today was about the odd hill, a few miles, and lots of smiles.  We kinda made the route up as we went, and it looked like this.  We rode, we climbed, we chatted, we enjoyed the sunshine and fought the wind, and we braved the floods.  Does that make us road warriors?

Strava may not think it was a good ride.  But I do, and I know which is more important :D.

Cycling time: 2:02:37 hrs
Distance: 29.22 miles
Avs: 14.3 mph.
ODO: 15748.26 miles