Intelligence

I've learned an awful lot about cycling in the last 3 months. Don't get me wrong...I'm still only on the first rung of the ladder, but perhaps I should be keeping a little black book in which I can record 'learning points'.

For instance, when you ride a bike on a summer's evening at speed down country lanes, unless you wear sunglasses you'll be catching flies in your eyes within a few minutes. I've known this for 30 years or more and yet I am stupid and still go out without my glasses and soon have big black flies stuck on my eyeballs. It's horrible. It hurts, you have to squint at the road ahead, and your nose starts to stream from the irritation. It won't be long before you catch another little blighter in your good eye, and then you're really in trouble.
When I did the HH100 I was riding in a group for the first time, close to the rear wheels of the other riders. Thankfully, I had my Oakleys on. It was amazing how often my lens were hit by bits of grit and other debris.

When you ride a mountain bike off-road, the knobbly tyres pick up loads of crud which sticks on them until you get to the next rapid descent. Then the centrifugal force flings the crap all over the place.... including your Mark 1 eyeballs.

So... I should always wear my sunnies. Obsessive perfectionists probably have special glasses with interchangeable lenses for different light conditions.

Another scary thing are the number of bees which land on you as you cycle along. Usually it's in the groin area, which is not conducive to a relaxed state of mind. What should you do about them? Flick them away, or wait patiently until they fly off? I'm a flicker, so I guess it won't be long before I get stung. When I was a nipper, my first ever sting was from a wasp or bee which flew up the leg of my shorts.
A couple of years ago I was painting the eaves, 20 feet up a ladder, when a wasp flew out from under the roof tiles, crashed straight into me and stung me on the eyelid. Ouch.
Nasty buzzing bugs also get lodged in the gaps of your helmet and remain trapped by the air pressure. It gives me the willies because you can never be sure what's stuck up there and I'm definitely not going to stop and take a peek.

Back to learning stuff...... or perhaps I may tell you about my 12 year-old and the lesson I'm trying to teach her. She wants another mobile.. about £100. She lost the first, or it was stolen. I've pointed out to her that if she hadn't frittered away her money on iTunes rubbish by McFly, plastic jewellery, Playstation games etc, then she would already be half the way to saving up the 100, and then I might be prepared to lend her the rest. So, she's outside washing my car.That's £2 for starters. Money doesn't grow on trees. How many times did my dad say that to me?

I was woken at 3am last night by the hospital, so I'm tired today. A brain scan. I'm not planning to train until tomorrow when I'll be doing 3 hours or so up and down as many hills as I can find. I've reversed the stem so that my handlebars are 3 or 4 inches higher than they were before. I don't think it looks good, but I'm going to give it a try and see how it feels. Remember, L'Etape is mainly about climbing, not speed and slip-streaming, so the higher position shouldn't slow me down. It might take pressure off my back, shoulders and bum. We'll have to wait and see.

That's another thing for the little black book. There are endless variations and adjustments in the fit and geometry of the bike, and experimentation is the only way to find out what's best for you.