As the Merlin Ride looms large on Sunday, I’m supposed to be taking it easy this week – tapering down in preparation.  So I deliberately planned out my shortest training route – very nearly the original loop I started on all that time ago when a bike was a new thing…

I headed out in the already warm weather this morning, grateful of the fact that I would at least be generating my own head wind, and thus gaining some cooling effect from it.  It was warm and humid, but not that sunny, which wasn’t too bad.

Apparently, knowing that I was only planning on being out for two hours, and that it was a flat route, my brain subconsciously decided to make up for this by swapping distance for speed and going faster instead!  I was trying not to push it, but there wasn’t much wind, and it was mostly flat, and…ah well, best intentions and all that…  I blame being down on the drops – that’s gotta be it, right?

Cycling time: 1:55:52
Distance: 31.77 miles
Avs: 16.4 mph
ODO: 928 miles

By the time I got in I was dripping, and I actually had to cool down for 15 minutes or so before there was any point having a shower, as the sweat continued to pour off me.  I’m also getting bored of scooping out small dead black insects from my cleavage…  It’s even worse when you get a biter on board – you try fishing one of those out from inside a sports bra as you’re riding along!

I saw the cutest family of stoats/weasels out crossing the road with me on the levels near Mark – that’s my third such sighting this week.  This summer seems to have less birds than usual, but more mammals, and butterflies.  Oh, and suicidal insects.  And sometimes you got past a garden or corner and get the most amazing scent of roses.  Odd how things change from year to year isn’t it?