Missing out

So last weekend was the first “Gone Gravelling” ride out from The Trailhead bike shop in Shrewsbury. I’d love to tell you about how great the route was through the Shropshire Hills, how I made new friends and hooked up with people with invites for future rides. How although I was tired at the end it was all worth the effort and the pizza and beer reward at the finish was the best thing ever!

Yes, I’d love to tell you all that but unfortunately the weekend before the event I had a full on man-cold. Starting with a less than par ride that should have been easy to the next day when the sore throat began to full on constant runny nose to a sinus infection meant the weeks commute riding was a write off. Hoping that the enforced lay off the pedals would hasten recovery I left my first ride post cold to two days before the Gone Gravelling start. This ride didn’t go as I’d hoped. lacking energy i managed around 17 miles before heading home for a little lie down. I knew then that even though the ride was billed as going as fast as the slowest rider I would not have enjoyed the hills there, we don’t have the same gradients or length of climb here in North Worcestershire. “suffering” might be the buzz word for cycling in some quarters but in my mind that’s only acceptable if you are holding off the bunch with 10k to go at the end of Paris-Roubaix. Holding on to disappearing riders in the hope that there was some pizza left by the time i got there isn’t.

So it was heavy heart i messaged by friend that I was pulling out. I hate letting people down, I dislike not sticking to the arranged plan but it was the right thing to do no matter how much it sucks.

I’d been dreading seeing the pictures

Inevitably Sunday evening brought the deluge of pictures from the ride, filthy bikes and mud splattered smiling faces, pictures of pizza, beer and big grins. I’d been dreading seeing those but actually it cheered me up. It meant that the ride was a success and that could mean it’ll happen again and next time I won’t be weak and feeble!

So if you are planning a ride or gathering please invite me I don’t want to miss out on anything!