Cycling

The next demon tackled. I've started cycling to work again. It's about 14 miles or so each way. I take a slightly different route due to hills, darkness and so on. I'm knackered when I get to work and even more so when I get home, but that should improve as I get fitter. Conditions on the road are slightly improved, the potholes are still there but I can now use one of the new Cycle Superhighways (no.8) along the Embankment. A nice bit of relatively flat, blue coloured road, varying in width but which does seem to have a deterrent effect upon drivers, especially when turning left. They really do seem to start indicating much earlier and realise that they've got to look for cyclists in the blue stripe zone before turning. If only we didn't have to to put woad on the road to make them think.

I have, of course, chosen the week when Winter has finally arrived to do this. So, Wednesday and Thursday found me with thermal leggings under my tights. The painful, cold hands go through a strange routine when I'm cycling which I had actually forgotten about. I think I have a form of Raynaud's syndrome. I can get extreme pain when my hands get cold, the fingers go white starting at the end and I can actually see them reheat and watch the blood return. The pain is at the make-me-cry level, so not nice. For skiing, this has started to affect me over the last 4-5 years in particular and I have discovered the joy of handwarmers which are activated by exposure to air. Pop one of those in your ski glove and no problems at all. Not as practical to cycle with a lump in the palm of your gloves but I have tried. But, what happens is that I go through my hands getting cold then as I continue to cycle I think my overall circulation improves and the hands and fingers re-warm. This only happens on a longer ride, so I hadn't been reminded of it during my usual pottering about over the last few months.

I've only got to work out how to keep my feet warmer now, buy a new saddle (ermm ouch.....) and I may even get to like cycling.