Well, I didn’t get any photo’s but as ‘first’ rides back go that went pretty well. Slightly shorter than I had planned and we changed the route slightly at the top of the first climb, but I managed not to get too dropped (it turns out that several months ‘off’ affects your climbing… Who knew?!) and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
That last point is probably the most important one. It was nice to go out with some good company and hit a bit of a hard ride up to shock the body a little. It’s been a long while since I’ve genuinely enjoyed riding, mostly it’s felt like a bit of a chore for about a year, so to go out and have fun while trying to hold a wheel on a 30+ minute climb was a real change. Amazing what few positive changes in your life can do!
I’ve come out and made some calls about being back on to riding a couple of times this year, so I’m reluctant to make a heap of noise about it now. What I will say is that I hope I’ve found the joy in it again and that I can sustain it this year coming.
Happy trails everyone!
