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Round two

It's not easy getting back on a bike.

I have lots of good reasons.

• The weather in London sucks.

• We only have a few hours of daylight most of the year and the roads are crowded then.

• I walk a lot anyway. At least 30 minutes every day, often an hour or more.

• I'm convinced by something I read that physical exercise doesn't actually contribute to weight loss and may, by increasing appetite, actually promote weight gain.

• I have 200 things on my to-do list, so who has time for bike riding.

• My bike had been put (not by me) to the back of our dusty, damp shed. It was dirty and the tires were flat.

But today -- like yesterday -- is a stunningly beautiful London day.

And as I told friends yesterday, there's just no excuse on a day like today to not cycle.

On Friday, also a beautiful day, I purchased a mini bike pump and a reflective jacket for night riding. (Too bad I forgot to bring my London Cycling Campaign membership card; I'd have saved 10%.)

So after 18 months, I've finally added air to the tires (couldn't figure out how to do this, then went here), taken the bike out of the shed, dusted it off and gone for a spin.

Not much of spin -- not even a full mile, really. But just enough to get the feel of what it's like to be on a bike again.

I think I'll go out again now -- take my lock, my wallet, maybe actually go somewhere. More later.

UPDATE: Just did a two-mile spin nearly to East Finchley through some back roads, and back. Tired! But delighted that today equalled 1/10th of all the riding I've done so far on this bike.


Odometer at start: 32.8 miles
Odometer at end: 35.7
Ride: 2.9 miles (4.7 km)

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Comments

Well done, Eric. I'm very impressed.

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