And now for something completely different ... a bike.

A lesson in sods law.

So my running blog is taking a turn, a cycling turn. 

As a slightly more experienced runner I’m inclined to enter every event ballot I possibly can, including the biggies.  Of course I don’t get in. Back in October when I didn’t get into London for the umpteenth time I remembered the scientific Law of Sod, whereby the less interested you are in something the more likely you were to get a place in a ballot. With this in mind and to prove a point I entered the ballot for something I had zero interested in, cycling.  

I’d heard about Ride Prudential, I had Insta-friends that had done it, but wasn’t interested in fact I’ve always shied away from bikes, didn’t even cycle as a kid, and swore blind I would NEVER cycle on London roads because that would equate to death. I don’t even do spin classes because I value comfort in my backside.  But it was ok to enter the ballot for Ride Prudential as I would likely get a place, and prove my point of Sods Law, and then ditch the place in the knowledge that I’m not always unsuccessful in ballots.  Then I forgot about it.

February, I was on holiday and an email pinged into my in box “Commiserations you have been unsuccessful”  … ahh another  ballot reject, sad face, sigh.  The Royal Parks Half Marathon didn’t want me (again). My sadness/ annoyance was, however, immediately followed by fear, as the next email shouted “Congratulations you have been successful for Ride Prudential 2019”!  and there you have it folks a lesson that Sod’s Law is alive and kicking, case closed.

… or was it?  I would have ignored it as planned but when I next went on Instagram all my sporty friends were posting there annoyance of not getting their place in Ride London, and I began to feel a bit guilty that I had a place that I was about to throw away (ok I’m a runner, and I know how it feels to watch someone (a non-runner) get into London and disregard the place without a care (my blood pressure is rising even typing that).  Then I began to think more about it. I’ve smashed all my running goals, learning to run, doing half marathons its not new, its not challenging anymore, don’t I want to do something completely out of the box, something that puts the fear of god in me….. 

Oh dear, you can see where this line of thought went…

So now I’m a novice cyclist training for one of the biggest rides in the UK. Whoops.

First things first

So first things first, I suppose I should purchase some sort of bike thing.  Luckily when the email came through, I happened to be on holiday with a very sporty person who knows everything about everything, so I picked his brains (we just happened to be eating in a cycle café in France when I did this).  Most importantly I learned that bikes come in different frame sizes (I know, I know, but like I said I know NOTHING! About cycling). This was actually a huge relief as one of the things that has always put me off cycling has been that I’m super short and every bike I’ve ever ridden has been like riding a penny farthing (not a confidence booster) he then explained the different types of bikes (helpfully pointing ones out in the court yard of the cycle café).

So I came up with a get on the road plan.  Firstly, I hired a Boris bike (again luckily I’d recently learn that they’d change their frame sizes and they’d also put in comfy saddles) so I found myself pottering around the quiet streets of Chelsea for a first practice.  Next my lovely friend at work who commutes to work every day, let me follow her home, this was a huge confidence boost, we travelled as far as marble arch together. My first go on the big scary roads of London was a success!

Roads still petrified me, but I’m quite a determined person and I knew that confidence would come with practice. Luckily I work in a few different offices, with one very close by (I often run to and from work) so my goal was to start cycling to that one and build to the other ones. I also joined a cycle group that does lots of beginners cycle get togethers. One of things that made me nervous about Ride London (aside from  the hills obviously) is the cut off times, I will have to be a certain speed to even think that I’m going, except I don’t really know what my speed is. When pottering through london I’m constantly stop starting, and I’ve don’t a couple of 10 & 20 mile cycles but they’ve been quite scenic and not allowed me to measure full pelt. And I’m pretty nervous to attempt full pelt on london roads.  Hopefully the group will help my confidence as well as give me a better idea of speed.  Wish me luck.