A break for Glasto

On Monday 21st June we went for our last ride before Glastonbury. We didn't have much time to go too far, but we knew we should do a decent training ride before heading off to Glastonbury. We did the route Kirby showed us out through Exminster, up a few hills and back through Shillinford St George. I always forget just how much I dislike this route! The ground is rough and full of potholes and the hills are really steep! Not a good combination in my mind, but I guess it's all good for the training.

Before we headed off to Glastonbury I dropped my bike into the Bike Shed for a service with a big list of issues. As a result, I had a quick session with one of the Bike Fit chaps who checked my position on the bike and measured various distances to make sure it was set up properly. Everything was fine, other than my saddle height, which I already knew as I've been riding it low due to my braking issues. We had various discussions about brakes, but it was generally felt that this couldn't be improved and that I just have to get used to the fact that brakes on road bikes aren't designed to make the bike stop! So - this was a bit of a mixed session. It was reassuring to know my bike is the right size for me and is set up ok, but on the other hand, it hadn't brought up any miraculous solutions to my difficulties or the pains I've been getting in my shoulder. I would just need to persevere...

On Wednesday I decided to take some time to practice my balancing skills and headed over to a car park I've used before. To my surprise, the car park has now been split in two, making it much smaller to cycle round. Undeterred I did a couple of laps before deciding I needed the loo! So - off I went to the other side of the quay and then came back again...only to get back to the car park and run over a huge pile of glass. Closer inspection revealed there was a shard of glass stuck in my tyre, so I wandered back home with the bike and used some tweezers to remove it. Not a great start to my new determination to improve my confidence on my bike!

Then on Thursday we felt we couldn't really afford another night of circling round a car park (or not!), so we went for a quick ride down to Lympstone and back. It was wet and I'd still not put my mudguard back on my bike...I got very muddy! It was a good little ride though and nice to be riding in cooler temperatures for a change.