So. Day off yesterday. It was busy, and I was surprisingly achy. Being 46 and 280lb, I want to make sure it don't overdo it.
This morning, though, I was up at 7:30, and on the bike by 7:40. There's a little unodapted road that runs from the school car park, parallel to the main road. I set off down this, thinking I was quite familiar with it, as I often walk this way to get the weekend morning papers.
I hadn't previously noticed the small but high speed bumps, installed by the farmer! I also hadn't noticed that the first section climbs. Not anything anyone on here would call a climb, you understand, but upwards, nonetheless.
Secondly, I hadn't noticed that it then drops away and heads quite significantly downhill. Strange how when you drive everywhere, you assume that the roads are all flat...
Lastly, I hadn't noticed that at the bottom of the drop off, where I'm now going way faster then I have been previously, the Tarmac ends, and the surface becomes packed dirt and gravel, quite badly rutted by the farm traffic. How could I have never noticed that, when I've walked this way perhaps a hundred times!?
That bit was scary. I had to slow down to a stop, whilst trying to pick a route. I had to stop because it was very worrying indeed, and whilst I managed to stay upright and stable, I can't really say I was in control the whole time. After a couple of deep breaths, I completed the road out at a more sedentary pace.
From there, the loop back is up a dual carriage way with a cycle lane. That went well, and I felt very much in control, keeping the bike nice and straight. After all that descent, thou, it was uphill all the way back, and it was hard. By the time I'd got back to the turn off to our estate, I'd realised that if I was on a gym bike machine, the saddle would be at least two inches higher than mine was. So on the return, it was out with the Alan key. I haven't tried any of the fancy techniques for getting a proper saddle height, I just put it two inches up, tried it for ten minutes, put it up another inch and tried it for ten minutes again.
Now it's three inches higher, and pedalling feels so much easier, it's really quite amazing. At this height, I still have bend in my knees at the bottom of the stroke when I have my heel raised, and can still drop my heel at the bottom of the stroke, so I don't think I've gone too high. I can also just about touch down with toe on one side whist still in the saddle, as long the bike is tilted just slightly to that side, I can also then set off comfortably from that position.
So, I'm going to let my wobbly legs recover a bit more (cycled about two miles out and back, and legs feeling just that!) and then I'll try another ride this afternoon and see how I feel about the saddle adjustment.
Still a buzz to be back on a bike!