So I am getting back on track with the cycling. In fact I have just done my first week where I have actually completed the suggested mileage from the folks at The Great British Bike Ride. That means I have actually ridden 124 miles compared to the suggested 120! It is hopefully not the last time either.

So how do I feel? Well, knackered for a start. The conditions probably haven’t helped, as it has been pretty windy this week. Although for me, anything over about 5mph feels like a gale when cycling into it. I think this week it has been about 15 or so, and that has been horrible, especially on the longer runs this weekend. I did 82 miles yesterday and today, and my legs feel like it was nearer 182.

Further to my last blog entry, as I was going along today I was just thinking about something that someone said to me when I started out cycling all those (is it nine?) weeks ago. In fact I think it was a comment that someone put on this very blog – they said ‘welcome to cycling – you will spend more on accessories than you did buying your bike’ or words to that effect. I thought this rather unlikely at best, especially as I forked out £1,000 for my bike. Now just trying to tot things up is a pretty scary thing to do, and I have spent roughly the following…..ahem:

Helmet £60
Glasses £30
Track pump £40
Five cycling shirts £200
Bib shorts x2 £160
Socks x5 £50 (yes really)
Shoes £60
Pedals £40
Cleats £20
Energy drinks £84 (two big tubs thereof)
Energy bars and electrolyte gels £123
Inner tubes £25
Tyres £50
Chain bath £20
Bottles and cages £25
Stand £80

There is more stuff, but that is all I can immediately think of. It adds up already to £1,067. Holy smokes! What is more, I need things like a decent lock, a backpack, some lights etc. So whilst some of the above I could perhaps have done without, I haven’t been overly extravagant at all (OK so £50 a time on shirts is a bit rich I admit,

but they are nice:)). Oh and this before my bib shorts for the GBBR and odds and sods that I cannot recall. Scary stuff indeed.

I have now six weeks before I head off to Lands End – lots and lots of cycling still to do, but a few distractions in-between. Hopefully I get away without spending a further small fortune too.

I think my next post will be on the interesting topic of whether you should wear underwear when you are cycling. That one confused the heck out of me too when I started out, but now I know the answer for sure…….