...To quote my swimming squad instructor on Friday - when I skipped a few laps here and there told him I was just a bit tired after having just ridden (on the tandem) 92km. (After 53 km the day before... and we only finished that ride at about 4.00pm, and I was in the pool for my class only 90 minutes later, for some reasons feeling a lack of power in my legs!)

* [Photo nicked from here]


What did you do that for? he asked.

Training. We're doing a 100 mile ride next weekend, I tell him.

Mad buggers! he said.

He's probably right. Especially seeing we followed that up with another 70 something k's this morning with our ride into town for the community ride. Strangely enough I wasn't at my best riding in this morning. (Starting at 20 to 6!) And my bum. Is. Sore. A bit bruised. And a lot rashy. Eep.

Mad buggers. Indeed. Yesterday at one point I did go through a bit of a 'Why am I doing this again?' phase. And wondered why I'd agreed to ride one hundred and sixty kilometres in one day.

Who knows. Something to do with the challenge, and sense of achievement. (And being able to stuff your face full of anything you can lay your hands on! (We ate lunch out at a cafe... hell of a way to get a meal out with your husband!) And the enjoyment of doing it in tandem (heh!) with him as well. Yes, I know you don't believe me.... but there are 15 of us mad buggers attempting the 100 mile ride, so we are not alone in our insanity.

We are enjoying our cycling related social life. It was Bike Week this week, and on Tuesday I helped the BUG (Bicycle User Group) with a school (on the other side of town) doing a 20km ride along the bike path to the Jetty park and back. On Thursday night we went to a free (sponsored) screening of The Flying Scotsman at a local cinema. We didn't recognise half the other local cyclists there, all dressed in 'civvies' instead of the usual lycra!

****

We are mad in other areas of our life too, being members of the 'visitor-induced-mad-house-cleanup club'. Yesterday we found out that Marc's sister and family were going to call in on their way through. This afternoon. (They live 4 hours away.) Said sister is a clean freak, and despite the fact that I really shouldn't care what she thinks of me/us because we don't go out of our way to socialise.. (so to speak)... one can't help but look at the state of your house, and freak out at the thought of anybody seeing it. So we have had a bit of a cleanup this afternoon - a bit of a 'whip around', as I've heard it put. Wow... so much better. Even if it would still look messy to someone else's eyes, it's 100% on what it was, even if there's a lot more to be done. A good way to start the school holidays. If only I could keep us all on top of it.

(And then said sister rang and postponed till tomorrow!)

Labels: bike riding, clean ups