Deja vu?

It was a little remiss of me to take a trip out, and fail to log it, only to remember the journey with the assistance of one's Garmin, which announced delightedly that on a previous occasion, (a week ago, to be exact) the same distance was travelled, in exactly the same time.....

So, a week has passed since the last time I headed out on the metalled highway, the roadside a blur of drystone walls, farmhouses and startled coo beasties... And a week away from the wheels does seem to have done good things, as my initially complaining legs soon felt loostened up and stronger, inclines were tackled with more vigour, downhills were raced over, and the long climb to the top of the Campsies was, well, panted up, with much groaning and whining, but it was positive groaning.....

I do wish there was a speed camera at the base of that hill, as I tore into Lennoxtown after the long fast descent I confirmed I was exceeding the regulatory speed limit by almost 10mph, and a small thrill of lawlessness ran through me, I confess! I will endeavour to remain under control though.... The trip was uneventful to be honest, enjoyable, a small shower near the end of the route and some failed traffic lights added an element of the unknown, but not enough to have Mulder and Scully reaching for their raincoats.....

On returning to my humble abode, I pondered the difference there would be betwixt this powerhouse roadtrip and my previous outing, how much time had I shaved off? Had I twisted the laws of pyshics, arriving home before I left, without the use of the international date line? Was the tarmac still smokin' from my passing by, A tin registration plate, spinning on it's end, as a testimony to my time travelling speed?

No. The distance travelled, 28.3 miles, or 45.6Km. The time for said distance 1.57.12
the previous time for the same distance......1.56.57.

I have therefore come to the conclusion that getting fitter does'nt make you faster, it just means you wont ache as much the next day....... today, I wonder when the aching will stop...... :-)

The Supercomputer in the Batcave tells me that my combined distance for the two outings is 91km, and promptly issued me with a fine for my speeding in Lennoxtown.

Where's the hammer? Stay safe, Dark Knight.

Alpe D'Huez lives up to its reputation

The memory has ironed out the ascent of the 21 bends to the top of Alpe D'Huez at just under 6000ft. The smell of burning clutch permeates the nostrils as you search for your next breath.

Today was a refresher. It was steep. It was hot. It was humid . And it was breezy!

The col du CArnock may be steep but Alpe D'huez is relentless. The prize was a cool beer watching the Tour stars do their stuff on the Bar TV.

On a positive note, no precipitation to deal with on the descent.

Tomorrow is another day. Day 1 of the altitude training for the Col du Carnock complete but it was tough