Lisa's back!

That's right ... I'm back!  That's not to say I actually went anywhere, but I think my spirit took a bit of a knock the last couple of weeks and I wasn't my usual lively self! 

But this weekend, thanks to fellow cyclists Ren, Tony and Nigel, along with personal trainer, Rob, - or should I just call him Superman (what? he's had other superhero titles in this blog ... Ironman ... Batman ... why not Superman??) :) as well as my best mate Caz, her brother George, and a whole host of children I am, as the title suggests, BACK! 

So a quick explanation ... as you can see from Tony and Ren's blog entry I joined them for a little saunter along the country roads in Milton Keynes on Saturday, and as they say, we learned a lot!  However they missed off one important lesson ... 

Always ensure that you are ahead of Nigel.  That way, when he starts singing 'I Feel Good' you can get away quickly! :) 

Thanks guys for a great day cycling.  Sad I couldn't join you on Sunday but Easter Egg making, rolling and hunting with 100 children (!!!) was on the agenda instead!!

And then came today.  Joined by my best mate's brother who lives down the road from me, we set off in the rain to cycle the 26.6 miles to my best friend's house.  Within 30 minutes it was clear that anything claiming to be waterproof by brand is lying and we were soaked right through.  Nonetheless we persevered, taking in the "delights" of Harringey, Tottenham, Edmonton and Enfield before hitting the slightly more rural are of Waltham Cross, Harlow and finally Sawbridgeworth. 

A short lunch - Thank you Caz - then I set off alone for the 26.6 miles home again!  And whilst the rain had stopped (momentarily), the wind had certainly found its strength.  It was like cycling uphill the entire way!  Really very unpleasant!  I hope we don't have crap weather on the actual trip ... cycling in sunshine sounds so much more appealing! 

And so, this weekend I have totalled just over 100 miles ... 

Given this blog seems to be about lessons learned, here goes:

1) waterproofs are not waterproof

2) chaffing, sadly, isn't a myth and really does exist (too much detail??) :) 

3) I need to get some better socks and some overshoes ... my feet are consistently cold on these cycles

4) I have made some amazing friends on this trip (and Kilimanjaro of course) ... thank you all for putting up with me these last few weeks

5) Nigel needs to find a new arrival song for this trip. There's only so much of 'I'm feeling good' one can stand ... 

6) Rob, aka Superman, Batman and Ironman all rolled into one ... having now met you in the flesh you look nothing like the guy withe the fridge on his back in Nigel's earlier blog post.  Are you sure its you?  I'm not convinced ... I think we need more photo evidence! ;) 

Over and out ... oh and Happy belated Easter! :)