TdMB : around the world in 80 days

Bike of choice     : Kap
Distance              : 30Km
metres climbed    : +830




They say you can go around the world in 80days .... so if that's true, it's gotta be long enough to get ready to ride a teeny fraction of that distance. 

It was hot today and I knew I was dehydrated when I left the office but a last wee moment of bravado with one of my readers (I've got 2 now, my distribution doubled overnight) had me promising to put in a 1000m climb tonight just because it's another arbitrary number to tick off. The theory was simple, ride up th commute, go straight past the house, stop at the boulangerie and grab a cake before riding on up to the ski station and scoffing said cake in the dying embers of another spectacular spring evening in the Alps.


Did I mention I got a bit delayed leaving the office and I was dehydrated ?

Neither of these things were a problem till I hit the bottom of the climb, 100mtrs later I knew it wasn't going to be hurty :O( .... and was it only yesterday that I said " the fatigue of those first rides is already gone and the dull pain of a lot of effort hasn't arrived yet " NEVER say stuff like that and definately don't write it down.

I slogged and huffed and puffed for 20mins then pulled over to rummage in the bottom of my sack for an energy bar I knew I'd seen. A Trans-Provencian Mule bar was retrieved and scoffed and on we trudged. It hurt a lot all the way but this is a good thing, it's going to hurt a wee bit more on the day, aclimitisation is a necessary evil.

Thankfully the higher I went the cooler the air was and the pain eased - perhaps it was the mule bar, who knows but my mind turned back to the 1000m chat. I'm behind schedule but the boulanger won't be, by the time I get there it's going to be closed and the cake was going to evaporate like a snatched away carrot.

I'll do it anyway, I told Rob I would, stuff that I'm tired and I can make a cake at home, the 1000m can wait for another day ... but it was a baby step it needs to happen - eh WHY we've still got 80days to go and you can go round the world in that time, allegedly .... thinking hard, Lans is in sight. OK new plan instead of riding through the village past the tauntingly closed cake shop I'll ride up the other side of the valley to the Croix Perrin and back down thereby achieving the nominal number.

200m to the top of the climb - I like that plan it works !
150m to the top of the climb - like hell it does, were tired and need to play the long game
100m to the top of the climb - no comon we said we would
90m .... pfffft
85m .... aye but it's important

80m to go to the roundabout and a car draws alongside .... quick glance left, hey it's Wendy of the Chant !
whatyoudoinghere ?
I'm coming to visit you

Hey fantastic, team car with a spare bike on he roof and all thoughts of another 200m climbing are gone.

It was a good decision, the target lives for another day and the legs deserved the break.

Oh and another great thing happened, waaaaay back down there a third of the way up the climb, a car passed me with wee kids I've never seen before hanging out the window.

And they barked at me :O)