Kick Cancer’s Butt Day

It’s been a slow start to riding this October. Knowing I was going to be away for half the month, I’d ordered a bike rack number plate for my new car. Leaving home early in the morning in late September, I had my bike and the kids’ bikes ready out the front, and then tried to removed my tow bar to attach the bike rack… to no avail. I’m not sure what’s gone on, but I couldn’t slide the tow bar out. A 1000km drive ahead of me meant I didn’t have time to drop down to the dealership and sort it out. I made the decision to head away from home without a bike. On the first of October, I sported my GCC t-shirt, but didn’t have access to a bike.

Today was the first day I haven’t been travelling big distances between towns, so I borrowed the too big bike belonging to my brother-in-law, left the kids under the supervision of the teenager, and braved some of the slopes close to their house. Their street backs onto a fairly main road, which is relatively flat, but narrow, so I avoided this as much as possible. The surrounding streets are quieter, but sloping away, so the downhill is easy, but the uphill is not so great.

I’m not the world’s most confident bike rider, even into my 8th year of the Great Cycle Challenge, and I haven’t been on a bike in a couple of months, let alone an unfamiliar one. Needless to say, the ride was challenging - I was off the bike walking up the last bit of some of the slopes. In hindsight, I probably should have done some laps of the cul-de-sac.

Anyway, I’m off the mark, and after a massive driving day planned for tomorrow, I’m hoping to be back on my own bike, chipping away at the modest total distance I’ve sent myself for October.