I wish... I cycled to work (part 4)

Train with others to raise your game and have more fun.

"Are you coming out with us on Friday?" asked Terry, my brother-in-law.

I knew what that meant. It meant a big cycle ride with him and Mark after work. It meant pedalling as fast as I could to hang on to their back wheels. It meant strained lungs and jelly legs.

"Yeah, sure," I replied.

The pace was relentless. I tried to keep up whilst Terry and Mark chatted side by side. Every now and then one of them would look over their shoulder to check I was still there and say, "Alright Rich?"

About 15 miles in, they challenged each other to race up a small hill. How funny would it be if I sprinted past them both when they were least expecting it? So I did.

I veered over the white lines in the middle of the road to get past them, but as luck would have it, a car appeared over the brow of the hill. I swerved to avoid it and was promptly overtaken by Terry and then Mark.

Glory stolen and power drained, I trailed behind the other two until we reached The Six Bells Inn at Chiddingly to eat and drink and regale our battles on the road. 

We mounted our bikes once more and headed into the darkness. I marvelled at the hills to our west silhouetted against a dark blue sky. At moths dancing in the beams of our lights. 

We whooped and laughed like naughty schoolboys. We should have been home over an hour ago. The women in our lives would not be happy.

20.61 miles at an average speed of 18.2mph. That was quick. Quick for me anyway.

What is your wish of the month? Who could you team up with to make it happen?

I wish... I cycled to work

Cycling to work sounds fantastic: It's cheap, good for the environment, improves your fitness, and you don't get stuck in traffic jams.

On the other hand, cycling to work sounds awful: It's hard work, subject to weather conditions, and undeniably dangerous.

So why do I wish that I cycled to work?

I loved cycling when I was a child. I loved it when I was a teenager. I forgot about it when I discovered cars and girlfriends. But I fell in love with it all over again when I moved to London and realised the quickest and most reliable way to get around was on two wheels.

I cycled six miles to work, then two, then four. Along roads, along cycle paths, along canal towpaths. As long as I could shower or change at the other end, the weather didn't bother me.

Then I moved out of London.

I couldn't cycle to work anymore. I had to catch a train. Two hours each way. Horrible. So I got a new job. Bit more local. Thirty to forty minutes each way. Better. But by car. One word: traffic.

I wish I could cycle to work again.

It's 18.8 miles. A climb of 1309 feet. 1 hour 58 minutes of cycling. According to Google Maps. It's not something I could do every day, but I could do it once. I could do it by the end of September.

I will cycle to work by the end of September!

What is your wish of the month? What are you going to do about it?