This Wasn't Such A Good Idea

It all started off a bit damp and miserable this morning but turned out quite nice eventually. It’s an uneventful ride into work apart from the one incident when I had to swerve around one of those family urban assault vehicles that was indicating right but everything about its manner indicated that it was about to turn left. Which is duly did. Good job I have a sixth sense for these sorts of things.

After work I’m at the pool where there are two women occupying the very centre of the pool, swimming side by side in perfect synchronisation. They are also swimming so slowly, that by the laws of trying to float something in water (not sure if Archimedes studied swimmers) they should have sunk. They’re the type who can do very slow breaststroke for hours on end without getting a single strand of hair on their head wet. Each to their own of course but it makes you want to swim aggressively past them, hoping to splash some water over them.

At 6.30 they put the lanes in as the session becomes a laned one. The women don’t seem to notice and the ropes are laid down either side of them, effectively corralling them in. They don’t for one second deviate from their mission. Whilst everyone else stays out of their way and their lane.

I don’t rendezvous with L, as she running late at work, but I do see her heading in as I leave. Afterwards she tells me the women were still there, exactly where they were when I left.

As I cycle home, to avoid having to cross the ring road using one of the pedestrian crossings there, the ones that never change, I decide to go straight on at Crown Island and go home though the side streets. I don’t take into account what is now quite a strong side wind. As I feel myself casually drifting sideways across three lanes, I think to myself, this wasn't such a good idea was it.

For some reason, when I get home my neck and shoulder seems to be stiff. So stiff it’s actually quite hard to turn my neck. It could be the cycling but more probably the swimming. It’s a dangerous sport swimming. I still manage to kick the ball around the garden for the dogs. This used to be Doggo’s forte and still is but he’s had enough after twenty minutes or so these days. MD though has becoming as ball obsessed as Doggo is but of course he can take it for hours. Good job I’ve not got a bad leg...

Getting A Tow

On the bike again and I try a new route. I’m a bit sick of the long straight stretch through Wollaton. I love the rest of the ride but I really hate that first mile, so I defy death and go down Derby Road with its three roundabouts and fast traffic.

Well, actually I avoid the first roundabout at the QMC by using the cycle path (the asphalt formerly known as pavement) and the pedestrian crossing before joining the road after the roundabout. The second island at Priory was fine but the third; Bramcote Island with its four lanes looked interesting, so I bottled it, waiting for the lights to change then using the crossing to get in position at the head of the traffic.

At lunchtime, the Bridge Inn serves us a killer chicken and mushroom pie under it's 2 for 1 offer, which unfortunately runs out at the end of this month, when we'll have to start looking elsewhere for lunch again.

Now I can barely move. I really need that cycle home, now.

Finally, it is time to cycle home and it's a bit faster than I expected when I catch someone drafting me. I try to outpace him but he stays in my slipstream. So I slow down and let him go past. He's really nice about being a cheeky sod, thanks me for the 'draft' and offers to return the favour. He then goes off like a rocket and leaves me scrabbling for his rear wheel.

We alternate like this for a while, getting faster and faster, until he turns off and I can slow down a bit. It really does work, getting a tow in someone else's 'draft', the only snag is you have to be quite close so you don't get to see the potholes and exposed drains coming, that is until you hit them.

I cycle to the leisure centre to have another go at that elusive swim. I'm armed an extra lock in case I really do need to risk chaining my bike to a fence but wonder of wonders, my little rant seems to have done the trick, not only are the two 'locked but empty ones' now unlocked but the caved in door has been pulled out and repaired. Only one of the three is in use and genuinely so. Hurrah, I get my swim.

Early to bed again tonight, this time with red wine. Have you noticed that the 'a glass of red wine a day keeps your cholesterol at bay' rule now seems to have been scrapped and replaced by 'a glass of red wine a day gives you cancer'. Confusing isn't it and it's no wonder that nobody takes any notice. Cheers.