Hiatus - Life Updates ~ Sept-Oct

I've been quiet.

September was a busy month - a mix of long-days out on local lanes, trips away to see friends and celebrations (anniversaries, birthdays, etc). It was also a busy, busy period of job applications, interviews and pitches, which hasn't given me a lot of time to pause and reflect.

The good news - I have a new permanent job! The type of job i've been waiting for - a great career move and the financial stability to start getting excited about new trips, upgrades to the bike(s) and potentially other life changes. Obviously, that means a reduction ride time, and perhaps a shift in what I need (ie. 6 hours a week means I hardly need loads of bikes) so i'm reviewing my initial bike upgrades in favour of more specific adventures as well as more targeted weekenders.

Given it suits me more, my (fairly light) indicative schedule leans a lot towards gravel:

• Sherwood Pines Glorious Gravel long (Jan-March)
• Scarborough / North Yorks Moors (TBC - Date)
• Norway Gravel (recce) ?? (May)
• Slovenia Glorious Gravel (June 3rd-June 8th)
• Dunwich Dynamo > Suffolk (20th July tbc)
• Provence (Ventoux) - (31st - 5th September)

I'm also hoping I can apply for a Glorious Gravel season-pass to cut the costs of the rides and jump onto one's as/when my schedule is light/I can. Otherwise, I also want to try and get a couple of Audax's under my belt, body, mind and time permitted.

For now, it's back to (probable) damp weekend club rides, indoor sessions and hopefully some slippy, sloppy gravel winter fun!

Life Updates / Next Events

I've neglected this for a while - life has been ever-changing, weird and stressful.

After finishing up the Scarborough Shores event (last post) unfortunately I had Covid (which I didn't realise) which turned into a chest-infection, likely due to the sloggy rides I've been doing.

Thinking whatever I had would naturally clear (I have a pretty good immune system and know my body well), I carried on cycling, doing two 100k rides out to Belvior and Melton Mowbray - one as support for a club training ride, and another at a tempo intensity. The days proceeding that I could feel a lot of lethargy, struggling to do most things, and finding my muscles cramping a lot, even with time off the bike. It's been a weird weather season, so I put it down to that and just slacking on nutrition/water intake.

It's taken quite a while to get over it - I've just finished a long course of anti-biotics, although I haven't rested as much as I would like because... I got a new job!

It's a big life change from being a freelancer - I'm now in a 9-5.30 office-based job, local-ish to me in Peterborough. It's a 30-mile round journey, which is fine distance wise and is mixed terrain - fun in the dry, less so when it's been raining and sloppy! I'm finding a balance with it, riding Tues, Weds & Thurs, and car-sharing Monday and Friday. The weeks are tiring. I received a great comment on Komoot from a follower saying that my route is the nicest commute possible around here, so yes, a lucky man.

I'm also bereft of new challenges, rides and events for the future. With work, training for events becomes harder, but i'm determined to get something diarised so I can look forward to something big. Unfortunately the job (with a long-probation) means it's unlikely I'll go cycling abroad this year (again, sob), but next year I'm targeting *something*. I'd love a short trip out to Girona, so i'm going to look into that and see who wants to go.

For now, when i'm not commuting, i'm going to focus on enjoying cycling, feeling good health wise and enjoying the summer while it's here. Over and out.