Great Expectations

Great notions for the season can then be firmly put in place. It’s straight out with a big black pen to choose my dates and plan my assault on the roads of Ireland. What courses “suit me” (if any)?!, a Saturday here, that Sunday there, every weekend in March, out with Google Maps – Where the f*ck is Magherafelt? And the big dramatic finish - A3 National Championships (if only!).

A Dark Place

“Dr. Google” says the standard recovery time is 6 weeks. 6 weeks from 22nd July is 2nd September, add in 3 weeks to get a few sessions in on the bike and we’re up to 23rd September. The Armagh Road Race is on that day, one of the last races in the calendar. I could possibly make it, couldn’t I? I could still salvage something. I don’t need to win it, I just need to get one point.

In the beginning

After months of conversations around biking and promises of how much I would enjoy cycling, my brother-in-law finally gave up on me buying my own bike. Instead he decided to force his old bike upon me, perhaps with the hope of guilting me into doing something with it.