Fish n' Chips, 30 miles and two pints of Shandy

Today I had a huge portion of Fish and Chips for lunch with a very good old friend of mine down at the quayside in Maldon. It was so hot and sunny I couldn't resist a cheeky couple of pints of shandy. The beauty of the taper in training is that you just have to eat as much as you can (to fuel your body ready for the challenge ahead). This part of the training I can do easily. 

The 30 mile cycle to Maldon and back in the hot weather was my last training ride before I head off on Sunday.  It felt quite special finishing today, knowing the next time I ride, it will be at the start line.  I was singing John Lennons "watching the wheels" for most of the last 10 miles quite loudly, a random stranger saw me and gave me a look that was designed to confirm I was barking..

I have cycled at least 2000 miles in the last three months of training, some of it very enjoyable, some of it a chore. All I can say now, is that I am happy for it to be over.  I look forward to cycling when I want to again - when it suits me, rather than having to stick to a relentless schedule to get the heavy miles in. Having said that, as I say, a lot of the miles were enjoyable, and the time spent in the saddle gave me plenty of time to reflect upon life - meditation on wheels I'd call it. I'd recommend it to anyone, especially if you have had recent turmoil in your life.

3 days to go, tomorrow it's a long sports massage , lots to eat and plenty of rest , oh and a whole load of packing....

Til tomorrow, Brett