Too Busy For Words - the PaulWay Blog

I've now officially been riding to work for more than a year now. That, however, isn't supposed to indicate that there's been any consistency to this - I've ridden 56 times in 365 days. Like any good geek, I've been noting my times and speeds and so forth, along with some little personal notes like "Ugh. Unfit again. Stupid!" and "Good speed considering I wasn't totally shagged out afterward :-)". It's little nuggets like that that cheer one up, you know?

I've discovered a few other things during that time. My cadence has sped up as I've realised that I can actually speed up your pedalling rate without going into a whirlwhind of thrashing pedals. (I still maintain that cadence is not a linear progression but more of a power function - after a certain point you put more effort into moving your legs at that speed than you put into moving the bike.) Headwinds seem to make a lot of difference. I like spring and autumn best, because your hands don't freeze off and you don't finish up covered in sweat.

But the weird one I discovered is that my times are always better when I pass (or get passed by) people. I've suddenly discovered a competitive urge in me that I didn't really know about. And, to tell the truth, I'm not that happy with it. I was the typical nerd at school who was hopeless at anything requiring gross motor skills but who was first at the door when the computer club opened every day. So why this sudden urge to be better than others? Or has it just lain dormant and affected everything else too subtly for me to really see?

Hmmmm.