Fat burning can be fun

For two consecutive mornings, I've dragged myself out of my lovely warm bed well before the Terry Wogan Hour.
Creep down the stairs, on with the gear, a half pint of water (yeeeeuch) and then out of the door for an hours ride on an empty stomach. At the beginning, it's cold, I'm sleepy and hungry, and I'm wondering why I have inflicted this torture upon myself. I dream of bacon and egg. But after a couple of miles I start to warm up, the power gradually flows back into the legs, and the bike starts to fizz along the black top. It can be almost mesmeric to spin those pedals at a constant and comfortable cadence, with the procession of the chain and gears, and the wheels spinning underneath. The bike seems to float along the road and the music on the iPod sounds fantastic. I enjoy the ride, and it feels good to know I'm stealing precious time that would otherwise have been wasted in bed.

Did I mention the wheels?


The roads are virtually deserted at 6am, but when you do meet a car down a small country lane, you can see the startled look on the driver's face as he is shocked back into the land of the living by the sight of me on my bike. 'What is that barking nutter doing out on his bike at this time in the morning?' Lipolysis. Fat burning of course.

I'm home within the hour, for a pot of tea and porridge with syrup. The dog and cats need feeding, Sarah wants her toast, and then it's a quick shower and shave before I'm off to work.

This weekend I'm on-call so I will have little opportunity for riding. I need a couple of rest days, so I'm not too worried.

Maybe I'll play with my wheels.