Tyred but happy!

After Monday's cycle the cold virusy thing I'd been brewing really took hold and I spent the rest of the week feeling a bit poorly with a version of the rotten cough that John has. So no cycling until today. And, yippee! Our first 'group' outing! Well, John, Beth and myself. Alex-across-the-road had to work and goodness knows where Trusty Ironman is at this stage. Anyways, the three of us set out with intentions to cycle for an hour and a half. It is good riding with other people and Beth's new bike is certainly very, very shiny! However, forty minutes into the ride the shininess didn't disguise the fact that she had had her first puncture. Blah. Coach took this as a teaching opportunity and we paid rapt attention as the inner tube was changed using with the help of those 'blue things' (tyre levers). But it was not to be and the tyre would not pump up. Was it the pump that was faulty? Only one way to find out.....John hot-pedalled it back home to fetch the car and the foot pump. Beth and I stood hanging out along this side road when a van pulled up with N Tyres written on the side. Wow! We thought for a moment that John had sent a rescue service to us! It transpired that it was the Universe sending a tyre angel (well, that was my interpretaton, of course. Other people may consider it just a happy co-incidence. How boring.). Nick is a very nice guy who tried to pump the tyre with a very sophisticated piece of gadgetry. But, again, it was not to be, must be a faulty valve. Still, we got to meet a very kind man who restored our faith in tyre fixers....not that our faith in tyre fixers was at a particularly low ebb, but you know what I mean! Plus he wants to cycle LEJOG this year too! Co-incidence? I think not. So, our Irish tyre angel returned and changed the tube again. Bless him. We stayed in the car trying to thaw out a bit. Then hopped back on and cycled some more. John passed us and offered chocolate from the window of the car. This bodes very well for his ability to support us on the long trip, I feel.
Because of time pressure after the delay we only cycled just over an hour but it was good fun, even with the tyre shenanigans.
This week John and I are heading off to Spain in the car for a couple of weeks. We have the use of a villa in Granada (thanks R & T!). We have the bike rack, we have Finn's passport and are looking forward to some sunny cycling.

monday update

It's been a while since last post mainly due to ill health. Saturday before last John sustained what he poetically termed a 'rugby injury'. In fact he pulled a muscle in his calf whilst celebrating Ireland's rugby victory over England. He was attempting an Irish jig. Badly, it turns out. Then he got knocked out by a virus of some kind (karmic payback, I suspect, for telling porkies re the calf injury!). He is still coughing over a week later. I have had a version of same tho I have not made too much fuss about it!!! So following the accepted advice that if the symptoms are below the neck not to train, then we didn't. Until Saturday when the lure of my new saddle was too much to resist. How sad is that? John came out too clutching the allen key for minor adjustments. The saddle is amazing! I will try and post a photo so everyone reading this (all 2 of us) can appreciate it's beauty. Tho to fully grasp it's value you really need to ride on it for 16km or so. No soreness! Except in my arms which might indicate another minor adjustment will be necessary.
In the meantime Beth has ordered and taken delivery of her new beastie. She also has a blog which is www. le2jog.wordpress.com. So do pop over there and give her some rousing support. We should start riding out together this week with a bit of luck and good weather.
Today I took off on my own for another 16km ride. I had to almost physically restrain John from joining me. He is going stir crazy with the lack of exercise but is still sore-throated and coughing and really should not risk wind and cold invasion! And although he tells me it's not a matter of speed I was pleased that I did the trip 2 minutes quicker than we did it together on Saturday! I think he was of the opinion that I should just have gone further. Blah.
Must mention latest joinee of this trip.....introducing Alex-across-the-road. I believe he has already done some cycle trips (London to Brighton and one other which I will find out more about in due course). So it's two women and two men. Nice yin yang balance to that I think.