I have written in this blog of the physical effort and pain I have been suffering cycling even the slightest incline. I worried, because I can feel that my legs are getting more muscular, yet I didn't feel this has paid off in making the cycling easier.
I don't give up easily but I am not the sort of person who perseveres with something if I am not making progress. I know that I am making progress in swimming. I went swimming on both Monday and Wednesday after work. I didn't feel like exerting myself at all, nevertheless, I did several lengths effortlessly. So, although I worried that the law of diminishing returns may apply, it is nevertheless gratifying to know that I can do more now without effort than I could when trying very hard less than three months ago.
Part of the deal when buying my bike was a 'free' service after 6-8 weeks. On Tuesday, Jimmy rode it down the hill to the shop and left it to be serviced. He rang me to say that he had found it very difficult to ride, despite it being downhill all the way, and even allowing for our ten inch height difference. Two or three weeks ago he had observed that my rear wheel was not rigid in the frame. He had had a similar problem with his from the outset, but had got it fixed (he had also needed his saddle mount fixed). Getting his fixed made a tremendous difference to him.
We picked my bike up last night and rode up the hill. It was dark (I had had lights fitted), and having come from work I was not dressed ideally - trousers too flared, jacket too bulky and thick - but nevertheless, I found it a cinch to ride. Admittedly, I did dismount to walk up the steepest part of Brixton Hill (from the prison up to the lights), but that was because there was massive traffic congestion on the road and many pedestrians on the pavement. If I had had to ride up the hill, I could have done.
We went out this afternoon, to Brockwell Park. It is reasonably flat to get there; I think I went in to second gear on one stretch just so that I could coast. Twice I rode up the hill to the café. I am not going to pretend that it is a massive hill, nor am I going to pretend that I did it in a gear higher than first, but it's not a trivial climb, and the point was, I did it much more easily than I was managing even on the flat on Monday.
Which is a massive relief, because I wasn't getting much joy from the hard work I was having to put in. I think we were actually cycling for over an hour - we did also stop for coffee at the café - and I reached home feeling as if I had done a gentle work out but knowing I had more a lot left in the engine.
Still, the hard struggle of late probably won't have done me any harm in the long run!
