Time for Plan 'B'

New date - Monday 15th March.

I almost got in before skiing but the new date meant I would have my Consultant's 'assistant' do the operation. He may be fine, but I would prefer to stick with the chap who is most highly regarded in this area, especially amongst those of us who need to get back to their chosen sport as soon as possible.

I'm working on Plan 'B' now.

Everything grinds to a halt

So, things were looking up.

A group of two for the night ride (one more than normal), a matured chilli con carne was defrosting for afterwards, wine at the ready and a plan for 2500 calories used and 2499 taken onboard was hatched. Then it all went wrong on so many levels.

The hospital called to cancel my operation because they have a Norovirus outbreak at the hospital. Not a massive psychological issue, more a practical one - I had days off work mapped out, time to rest, training plans to think about, Oh - and we are skiing in seven weeks and I need to be fit. Bugger, bugger, bugger ...

The night ride was pure slog throughout. Mud (slip), slush (slide), water (splash) then repeat. After the slow passage through the first wood, we amended the route to avoid the second and opted for some of the larger bridleways that may be kinder to us and get us home before midnight.

We had a good climb up to one of the highest villages on the route - about 500' - and made our way through the backstreets. There was just one last hill before we drop down to the river when disaster struck. We are out of the saddle to knock this sharp incline off in short order when Mick feels some wiggle out back and stops to have a look. He picks up the bike to get it off the road and the back wheel comes off, disk pops out and brake pads stick together.

It's a shiny new bike and he doesn't want to try a mini bleed and mess anything up so I volunteer to race back to the start and get the car. Mick misses out on the second half but I had a night ride with everything, including a time trial.

The thaw really sets in and most of the slush has gone by midday on Saturday, so plans are drawn for a sedate spin to the cafe on Sunday afternoon for latte and cake.

It was a stunning afternoon with clear blue skies and enough meltwater to disable half of the local low-level routes. It will, no doubt, subside in a day or two, just in time for the next band of heavy snow forecast for mid week. Don't you love global warming.

All that remains is to sit by the telephone and wait for the hospital to call.

Just gotta ride.

Things are moving quickly and there's little time to fit stuff in.

The snow has caused a few problems for a lot of people but we have been fine thanks to the Disco that has safely transported us all over the place over the last two weeks.

I've been desperate to ride because the letter arrived from the hospital last week and the arthroscopy is on Jan 18th !! A few weeks with little real exercise looms and I know I'll be tetchy. The weekend conspired against us and all the daylight was used up with essential jobs and errands and so there was nothing left to try than a night ride. A few phone calls later and I was still convinced a night ride was a good idea, but no one else was. So I went out on my own.

They say the Panaracer Trailrakers were made especially for the UK mud, but they're pretty good in the snow too. Having said that, the conditions were pretty perfect, with a few inches of fresh snow on top of the hard pack. I had good grip throughout, no slips, no falls, no mishaps. Hard work though. I didn't see another soul out there, in fact the roads were virtually deserted and the few vehicles I did see were taking it very easy just like me.

I would like to say that whole route was glorious singletrack with virgin snow and no footprints, but that wouldn't be true. It's too crowded around here to find all that sort of thing too often.


But, I got out and burnt a few calories and that was a bonus.

Just back from the hospital having had my Pre-Op assessment. Had the usual checks, plus an ECG (over 50 year olds only I guess) and good news - the BP is fine at 120/72 and RHR 46 (and that makes me quite athletic don't you know) but I'm still in the obese sector. Surprised that the fat nurse breaking the news to me wasn't more embarrassed. She was my weight and 5' 4" !! :-)

The New Forest

Well, that's what it's supposed to look like in The New Forest.

The thousands of acres of woodland and heathland, set aside by William the Conqueror for the pleasure of hunting, is a popular spot. We thought we would sample it during off-peak time - between Christmas and New Year - when most folk are still sleeping off the excesses of the first holiday and catching their breath before starting the second.

The theory was sound, the hotel was good and a fair price (http://www.swaymanor.com/ and + 44 1590 682754) but it rained all the time. It was miserable, wet and foggy. Visibility was about 70 yards most of the time so we didn't see a great deal. We dragged our soggy arses round a few towns and drove around a bit. Luckily we have both had our annual colds all over Christmas, so perhaps a few days rest was for the best. The rain stopped at breakfast time on the day we left ...

Back home for the New Year and we jumped at the chance of a late ride round a short circuit on the South Downs. Cold, bright and pretty much perfect. Got back to the car and Molly suggested I did it again at my speed (which isn't much faster) to use up some more energy. By this time the New Forest rain had frozen inside the gear cable outers so I had no granny for the main climb. (Thank goodness I wasn't in the big ring at the time) I managed to 'clean it' though, perhaps I need to try harder ! Two rides for the price of one - what a great start to the year.

Arrangements are being made to re start the night rides, so I may be out with the big camera to catch some action later this week.

Happy New Year to all.