I must be getting old.

This is the time of the week where I usually say to my team mates I can’t race tomorrow because of family commitments. That is the case, but this time it is me that suggested a trip to ‘Winter Wonderland’ in Hyde Park on Saturday and not my wife.

It is a dangerous hobby cycling. If you become the least bit competitive about it, it takes over your life, what you eat, what you dream about. How it becomes the most important thing ones life all of a sudden is amazing. If you want to be successful you need to be so selfish, putting in the miles weekday evening and weekends not matter what the expense. Any girlfriend is on rocky ground as soon as ‘can’t you miss the Thursday chain gang just once’ is asked.


I’ve been obsessed with becoming a 2nd CAT these last few months, not beyond the realms of possibility as I clocked up 16 points from just 2 races. But with Christmas forcing me to miss the last few meets of the Hillingdon Winter Series and ‘family commitments’ a couple more I’ve gradually become more relaxed about my ambition. I still didn’t eat a roast potato or even a Quality Street over the festive period and I’ve continued to train as normal, in fact I am probably at my peak.

I still want to race a few premier calendar events this year but the past few weeks have made me realize how much I like being with my family. Yes I can still tell you the make and model of any bike that happens to pass me and I do sometimes drift off into my cycling mind prompting wife to say ‘hello, hello’ on occasion. But I haven’t been angry about missing the races. I check the results in the evenings sometimes and try and figure where I would have come, I look for friends and team mates to see if I need to congratulate anyone. May be I’m just maturing a little, may be I just believe in my self to know I’ll get the remaining 24 points soon, that they can wait a few weeks. Sitting on the floor doing a puzzle with a 3 year is fun, watching a DVD with the wife without being on the turbo isn’t so bad either.

Pat will be racing Hillingdon this weekend, and dating a new girl in the evening. (She cycles a lot too). On paper I should be jealous, but, well I just I hope she IS the one because I’m having trouble remembering all their names.