we did the club run at a monster pace, especially considering the january type weather. i thought i had woken up 5 months earlier!!.
i made the mistake of bieng pretty under dressed and i would suffer like hell later on!
anyways, we stormed through the lanes. it kept together very well. george and paul were trying out there tri bars....although pauls looked more like a bar of lead bent into a huge square
we got to the duel carriage way and george told us of a cafe at a garden centre. unfortunately as we were going along george got a puncture, and we didnt notice until half a mile down the road, where we thought was the garden centre. paul and sylv went in, and i went back for george.
it turned out that wasnt the garden centre he was talking about
... it was more of a farm. we went around to investigate but couldnt fine sylv of paul.
so george and i headed off, but this is where i started to suffer. i was soaked to the bone, it was windy, freezing cold and i couldnt feel my hands. i was shivering pretty unn controlably. luckily we arrived at the garden centre and george and i warmed up a bit with a tea and coke.
as we went outside to set off again down the A23 to get home faster. this was where i suffered worst of all. ive been pretty cold before in my life time, and this is no exageration, its probably the coldest i have ever been. i was tucked in behind george and i could only just keep the bike up. i was shivering so badly i was not sure if it was the road surface or me shaking the bike, i was getting real dizzy too, but the worst thing was getting cramp in my neck and jaw from the shivering... i was on the verge of calling it quits and any more and i would litterally have hitched a lift in a strangers car if they were up for it!!
luckily george spotted my trouble and told me to go infront. this worked a treat, i worked as hard as i could, (not very hard though as my body just didnt want to move). thankfully after about 10 mins i had stopped shivering and i felt mildly warmer.
for the rest of the way back i relished bieng at the front, and whenever george was in lead i would hang back a bit so i could work harder.
when we got to coulsdon george got another puncture but told me to go on without him, so i obliged
today was enough to put you off cycling for life!! its the first ride ever where i have not enjoyed it, and wished i hadnt come out!...but now im warm again im feeling more positive, so ill be at palace tomorrow.
cheers
stu
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