Today's Sunday so it means it's ride time! It's been a very busy week and an even busier weekend which unfortunately means that today is the first time I'm on my bike for the week. With no mid-week warm ups, I knew today was going to hurt and hurt it did.

Today's pre-ride snack was the Cappuccino flavoured Power-Bar, I prefer the Vanilla flavoured one from last week but I'm working through the different flavours, so far the chocolate is a stand-out but hey no surprises there!

The first lap was again fairly fine, it was late afternoon and whilst the temperature was high it seemed to be cooling down rapidly. Heading along the flat part of the course I was riding against a mild headwind but knowing that it would be a tailwind on the way up the hill, so that brought me some comfort. First time I hit the hill it felt like I was pulling a trailer with me as well, there were moments when I seemed to be going fairly well but just prior to the apex I was doing it tough. And I had at least two more of these to do to reach my minimum.

Once I caught my breath at the top of the hill freewheeling down I had a few sips of good old H20 - no Powerade this week - a decision I'll later regret. The headwind I hit in the initial lap was all but gone so it was a pretty easy ride up until the foot of the climb, I guzzled some more water and got out of my saddle to start the climb. A short time later I hit the right lever to shift me up a gear to ease the climb, the lever goes half-way and stops. I was already on the highest gear I could get up to! Oh crap! I started to urge myself up to it, quickly dismissing the thought of dismounting and walking the rest of the way up but oh no, not moi. I'd hate to have seen how quick my heart was beating (thankfully my heart-rate monitor is out of whack).

After that horrendous second lap I took it easy on the flats, I was about to put the bike away when I decided that all the time and effort to getting here isn't worth a measly two laps. So I set out on my third, which I then promised myself would be the least amount of laps I'd do on this circuit, and continued on my way. Funnily enough the hill, whilst still difficult, wasn't quite the monstrous climb I rode on the last lap. Came to the apex and still panting but not as hammered as I thought I'd be.

p.s. I really should have posted my last weeks ride but for the record I did a couple of short training rides throughout the week and come Sunday I did five laps of the circuit.

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