Punctures and Preparations

I could put together a series of hints that indicate a regimented training schedule is underway. Sadly this isn't the case. As I cycle almost every day, I am trying to take a well-paced and calm attitude in the pre-match. Physically, things aren't looking 100%. The physio has told me to take things easy for a few days. (I am always ready to hear that kind of medical advise.) On the up side, if I continue to eat a controlled training diet, I am going to need to start wearing a belt with my work trousers. So here's the diet. Breakfast is a home made muesli made with oats, rye, barley, mixes seeds, roasted hazel nuts and wheat germ. No sugar, but a few raisins. Lunch is a protein rich, low fat soup. Dinner - well that's where things are slipping. I've been quite busy in the evenings and the food on offer is invariably pasta and some Bolognese sauce, often accompanied by a token amount of salad (not that I don't like salad, it's just the host doesn't leave space on my plate for its inclusion; that's the problem!) Part of my preparations involve pulling together a few bits of specialist gear. It is one thing cycling at break-neck speed for 20-40 minutes in the city. It's a whole different ball game if you are out in the exposed countryside in a winter squall. Two weeks ago emphasised this when I got caught in very heavy rain just a couple of miles from home. I was wearing jeans, so those were like a sponge, but I discovered my gloves aren't waterproof and if there are two extremities that are going to get cold, it will be my feet and my hands. This weekend wasn't much better. Not only was it wet but I got my first puncture with my current bike. That's over 2000 miles of cycling without a puncture! Not to be grumbled at. It all happened on a horribly busy junction at Vauxhall in South London. Thankfully I managed to find a bright, dry and surprisingly warm bit of overhang, just next to the ventilation units on a large block of flats. At least I think it was a block of flats. They did have security and I managed to find myself nicely obscured from the sight of two CCTV cameras. And before you ask; no, it wasn't the MI6 building. The offending item was a large piece of brown glass. Had it been something more precious and not glass, it might have weighed in at around 10 carats. I wasn't overly surprised. The road surfaces in Lambeth are terrible, even without the smashed bottles. Anyway, I was only delayed for 20minutes (a rather slow repair) and then back on my way. Experienced cyclists are always telling me you are likely to get a puncture on wet days. At first I thought this was just them remembering more readily this form of compound misery, however it turns out that the water makes the rubber in your tyres softer and therefore easier to pierce.