I am fortunate enough to own a car. Mostly I use it to drive to work (when I'm not cycling). Sometimes I drive it to visit friends and family. Occasionally I drive it all over the country to visit places with amusing names. But that's another story...
It's a second hand Ford Mondeo Zetec. Zetec? I think that's what it's called. I'm sure Zetec is on my car insurance. And it's got a 2 litre engine. Or 2.0 litre engine. I don't why the .0 matters, but apparently it does. Oh, and also, it uses Unleaded petrol. That's about everything I know about my car. It's silver too. I forgot that bit. Here's a photo of it.
It's quite a big car. For me. My last car was a 1.0 litre Citroen Saxo, which got written off when another car slid into it on black ice. I didn't replace it; I didn't need a car in London. So I was really excited when I got this. It's the first car I've owned that accelerates up hills. It's very exciting.
The problem is, I don't know how to look after it. Sure, I can wash it with a sponge and some hot soapy water. I can park it OK and push the wing mirrors in so they don't get knocked off. And most of the time I remember to lock it. But what about the important stuff?
How do I change the oil? How do I replace a tyre? How do I stop the bodywork going rusty? What does a spark plug do? What does a spark plug look like? What the hell is that rattling noise?
Why do the wheels look mouldy? What pressure should the tyres be? What is this white stuff and how do I get it off?
And most important of all, how do I remove this dead bug from my rear brake light??
I don't know anything about cars. But I wish I did. I wish I could walk into a garage and understand at least some of the jargon being spouted by the mechanics. I wish I knew how to fix a problem myself or knew what to do if my car broke down on the roadside. I wish I could extend the life of my car and save it from landfill for as long as possible.
So this month I will learn how to maintain my car. I'll get my hands dirty, learn some lingo and pray that my car gets through its MOT test in a few weeks' time. Then scratch my arse crack and have a cup of tea with three sugars.
What do you wish you could do? Take your first small step towards fulfilling it this month.
Like any sport, victory in cycling is achieved by training. Train hard and competing becomes easier.
So I hear. I don't race. I attempted a triathlon once for charity. Emphasis on once! This time I'll be competing against the terrain, although it could become a race against time to get to work!
It's been more than 6 weeks since my last bike ride. I knew that getting back in the saddle would be difficult.
I wiggled into my black padded lycra shorts and blue jersey. They're not flattering off the bike but feel fantastic on it; light and aerodynamic. I stuffed the pockets with essential tools, food and drink.
A lot of wannabe cyclists think you need all the correct expensive gear before you start. You don't. All you need is a bike with working brakes and working lights, something bright and/or reflective to wear, and a helmet. Done.
Over time you'll work out what you need. For me it was padded shorts, waterproofs, gloves and so on. I still don't own cycling glasses; I wear old sunglasses. And the only reason I bought cycling shoes with cleats (the metal attachments underneath) is because I couldn't be bothered to change the funny little pedals on my bike when I bought it.
My bike tyres were soft so I pumped them up until they were hard. This makes pedalling SO much easier. It might sound obvious but I see a lot of squidgy tyres out there.
I cycled to various villages around my hometown in the evening sunshine, admiring fields of hay bales and cows and horses. I stopped a few times to eat and drink and get out of the way of impatient cars behind me. Can't blame them really; I'm a car driver too.
I could tell I was less fit than 6 weeks ago; every hill was a slog and I recovered slowly at the top. But I kept going at my own pace and I felt OK rolling back into town.
14.43 miles in 57 minutes and 25 seconds. "Respectable," said my brother-in-law when I told him. He likes to know the details of my rides. I'll explain why another time...
At that pace I could cycle to work in under 90 minutes. Better than Google Maps predicts. However, the route to work has bigger hills and I'll be wearing a rucksack with a change of clothes in it.
More training needed, definitely.
Do you wish you cycled to work? How many miles would that be?
