I had an eventful ride home tonight, plenty of ups and downs. You’ll groan at that one later when you read the whole post.
My wife calls me around 4.45 and blurts something along the lines of “halfpricechristmastreesattescowhenareyouleaving?” which, as any married man will realise, translates to something like “why did you have to take that stupid bike today of all days i mean couldnt you tell this morning tesco were going to do a surprise christmas tree clearance this afternoon and get the bus despite it being slower stop talking on the phone and leave now what are you waiting for silly man?” … so soon I’m hammering it home along the shorter of my two regular routes.
Traffic is unusually heavy, the weather is cool and dry – like and unlike me respectively.
I make my up to the top of Antrim Road climb in record time only to find total gridlock as the Police have closed the road, footpath, sewers, trees and everything and all traffic is being diverted – that’s right – back down the hill again! I jokingly asked the officer (re)directing traffic “Are you going to send me all the way back down that hill?”. “Sorry, sir” he replied. Well, at least he was nice about it.
I take a side road so I don’t have to go all the way to the bottom, select the lowest gears for the 10-15% climb up the other side of this new hill (Prince Charles Way) and … I’m struck by the dreaded chain-suck as my chain wedges itself between the cranks and the bottom bracket.
I stop (as if I had a choice) and prise the chain out of the frame, then start spinning up the hill. This was the first time for a few months that I’d tried this hill, shying away from it due to the pain and suffering it inflicted when I tried it back then. But this time it’s much easier and I get to the top without too much trouble. It would seem that all my commuting training miles are having a positive effect after all.
I get home and we actually make it down to Tesco in time to pick up the final tree in the shop. Mission accomplished, Christmas is saved.
