Strava

Week two began well, I managed to not die which was nice. I listened to a rider at work, who gave some sound advice on my pace and effort to reduce my times. I somehow managed to get home in 29 minutes, which is a whole 11 minutes quicker than my first day! With this in mind I really pushed myself on the Friday afternoon and somehow managed to get home in 26 minutes, albeit a little worse for wear, but I knew I could do it. Now all I need is a road bike and some nicer weather, and I know I can hit the 20 minute mark that was quoted to me by a colleague.

Twenty minutes is only twice the time it takes in a car on a good day and only 5 minutes more if there’s heavy traffic, this astounds me as I was so used to driving everywhere when I worked 30 miles away. I actually enjoy the weather now, I don’t care if the wind is high or the rain is heavy, it’s just another challenge for the ride, and I love it.

I found myself pushing my body further and further each day as I chased the Strava records for sections of my journey that were marked out on the app. One particular section was marked as 0.6 miles of country road, which currently takes me 3 minutes to complete, compared to the unbelievable all time record of 53 seconds! This revelation was such an embarrassment that I had to reveal to my colleague, who proceeded to tell me how shit I was, which is fair enough as I was cycling slower than anyone on the journey.

Strava was kinder to me at the end of the week as I managed to beat all my personal records for every section of the journey, which wasn’t too hard since I was cycling with no purpose on the first week, other than getting to work alive. I am not completely addicted to Strava yet, which is also a bonus.

Next week: I plan to travel over Barrington Hill which is one of the steepest climbs in Cambridge. I hope I don’t chicken out when the time comes.