Last week it was slowdown and now it is a complete halt. The next time I will ride a bike will be in France. Not a major ride, just a quick familiarisation with the area around Ventoux. A warm-up ready for Saturday. Spot the route to the mountain….. Like I could miss the mountain…..
The final ride in Holland, for now, was accomplished on the reserve bike as the primary is already in France. A nice warm Saturday, medium distance at a relatively high-speed, helped by the fact that the wind was quite benign. Good to get used to warmth as it will probably be warm next week, certainly in the lower stages of the climb. All done in less than two hours. The bike was then put away and will not be coming out again for a short while. I flirted with the idea of a further short ride on Monday or Wednesday but actually what would that achieve? After over three-thousand kilometres this year, what difference will thirty really make?
Less than a week to go so there is no point in riding for the sake of it. I am as well prepared as I can be. No point in pushing it harder. Just some gentle strolls to keep the condition up and a wary eye on the diet to keep the weight off. It would be stupid in the extreme if, after all of this, I were to arrive in France too worn down to make the climb. That could happen in any case but not due to over-preparation.
So a short moment of calm, a brief layover, a last countdown. Then time for the job at hand.
0 Comments