A new objective

I took a well earned day off the bike on Monday following my first century. My legs were really stiff, but I felt good from the ride. I had a bit of banter with the rest of the cycle challengers in a couple of email exchanges after telling them about my 100 miler. I changed the saddle when I got home that evening. I have a collection of saddles from the various bikes I've owned over time. I decided to work my way through them methodically for a couple of weeks as I consider that you only get to know a saddle unless you sit on it for a good few miles.

I started off with the cheapest saddle of the lot. It came off a mountain bike my Dad lent me about ten years ago now. I was not into cycling that much back then and did not know as much about maintaining it. The bike came as a pair from JJB sports where you get 2 for £200. I guess you get what you pay for, but that, my fat ass; and the fact that the sand from from the cycle paths along the canal into Sheffield worked like an 'Angle Grinder' on the gears, meant the bike was knackered after three months.

I was also curious about whether this seat was more or less comfortable as it was much narrower than the others I have. Anyway, Tuesday felt surprisingly good. Wednesday was a double 'school run' day (drop off and pick up), so more convenient to commute in the car, and today was less surprising, but comfortable.

I have been avoiding one of the main roads into Sheffield as it suffered in the poor weather earlier this year and was very dangerous with pot holes and loose gravel at the edges scope from the pot holes also. The road was re-surfaced last week and is now super smooth, so I have a fresh route into work. It is also the shortest route into work, so this week I have recorded the two shortest times commuting the 10 miles home. On Tuesday it was 40min 1sec and today it was 40min 35sec. So here is the new target...

to commute to work and home in under 40 minutes. This is not as straight forward as it may first appear. The traffic lights, the traffic and the wind needs to be on your side to make it happen, but I will be disappointed if I do not achieve this before I break up for leave on the 2nd August.