That’s right! Road cycling. Cycling on the road. Not on a turbo trainer or rollers. Actually out on a road! I’m 99% sure that I’ve not taken the road bike out on the road since last year’s Wiggle Sportive.

Anyway, I decided that today was the day to change that and, having checked the bike was road-fit, I donned by very sexy DHB lycra-cycle shorts and jacket and headed out. I’d set myself out a course which took in the delights of Allington Lane, Fair Oak and Eastleigh before heading back through Mansbridge to do the loop again. Each loop was about 14km long so the plan was to do 28km.

Other than one right hand turn at the start and end, all other turns would be left turns. Always a favourite direction for me as a cyclist!

Not much more to say about the ride really other than I had a few silent one-way discussions with other road users who either cut into the gutter and, therefore, didn’t give me room to roll on by, a lady that insisted on stopping and then reversing into her driveway without letting me by and numerous mumbled comments about the poor state of the road. In places, the road quality was shocking and I’m glad that I don’t mind road vibration, ‘cos there was lots of it.

Garmin tells me that I burned 890 calories for my efforts. I’m not going to argue as I need as many banked as out for a birthday meal for Daniel’s 8th birthday!