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Fergie's Cycling Blog |
After such a long illness it was fantastic to get out on the bike today. I took it easy and kept to a low gear as well as only riding for 10 miles. It was quite icy and foggy on the way out (there was also a lot of gunfire in the hills!). The weather became nice and sunny on the way home, the perfect end to a great ride.
Since January 1 I haven’t been on the bike at all as I have been ill almost constantly. For a few days I just felt under the weather but it only got worse instead of better. It all came to a head last weekend when my wife had to rush me to the hospital as I could barely breathe or stay awake! Apparently my auto-immune system went on strike so I was prescribed antibiotics and steroids (these played havoc with my diabetic control!) and so now after another week I am finally feeling much, much better.
After this I am going to appriciate my times on the bike even more, after all we never know how long we will stay fit and able. The doctor told me that it could be another month before I am properly back to normal but I am hoping to recover a bit quicker than that. To help in this I am already reading a new cycling book and planning next years’ Land’s End to John O’ Groats trip!
Here is a photo to inspire anyone who is ill just now to get back in the saddle!
Made it! At the top of the Drumochter Pass
I went out early today for a ride while the roads were still quiet. The weather, unfortunately, continued the 2011 tradition of wind and rain.
The weather has improved enough for a really good ride this morning. The last few weeks have been less than ideal for cycling with a combination of high winds, rain, ice and snow. Today was calm, dry and mild. Perfect.
On most mornings recently it has been quite foggy but it burns off quickly. Cycling through it is quite otherwordly especially when there is no traffic like today and the world is silent, it is very peaceful and I enjoy it.
After last week’s exhausting ride around Loch Tay I have restarted my more frequent, but shorter, training rides so I don’t lose fitness over the winter.
Very foggy around Loch Tay today. Too many cars were being driven without lights – utter madness, especially as there were sheep on the road! I felt tired and didn’t enjoy the ride as much as usual although the weather did improve for the last 10 miles.
I’ve not been out on the bike for over a week because I caught a nasty cold that sapped all my energy. I felt good today though and enjoyed a quiet ride along Glen Lochay where I stopped to admire a new seat that has been installed near the hydro station. The weather was really nice but there is no denying that Autumn is here.
A great quote from Steve Jobs:
“I read a study that measured the efficiency of locomotion for various species on the planet. The condor used the least energy to move a kilometer. Humans came in with a rather unimpressive showing about a third of the way down the list. … then someone at Scientific American had the insight to test the efficiency of locomotion for a man on a bicycle, [who] blew the condor away. That’s what a computer is to me… the most remarkable tool that we’ve ever come up with. It’s the equivalent of a bicycle for our minds.”
Steve Jobs, in a 1990 interview
Although today’s ride was very wet the rainy weather does have advantages. The main reason I like Sustrans route 7 near Killin best when it’s wet is because there is almost no chance of meeting the dreaded pack of walkers. Today I only saw one other cyclist and no one else at all in two hours of riding, it was very peaceful and relaxing.