According to my blog, the last day I cycled was October 16. It’s quite a long time, huh. So I decided to kick myself out of my cozy nest and have a ride. It was March 21, when I decided to visit my Latvian friends in Mickleover. The morning was coldish and I knew that all the way to Mickleover I will have to cycle uphill. That was quite a big challenge, especially because of the fact it was my first day of cycling. My bike computer didn’t work, because the computer wire was damaged. And it is only natural that you can’t expect a miracle, if you lend your bicycle for someone else. It took me a little more than usual to reach Mickleover. I cycled cautiously (AKA slowly) and also uphill wasn’t a piece of cake. At least the way back was easy and fast enough. Altogether I cycled a little more than 10 km.
Photo: Martin Fisch (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The next week I had a visitor, my friend Ella. She really likes shopping and that is of a great value, because in a very magical way she always manages to find something also for me. I got really nice shoes, a dress and some nice cardigans for the summer time. So the first day we did a shopping marathon until all our money was gone. As the result it was crystal clear that on March 28 we’re going to cycle. The weather was really great – warm and sunny. So I took Ella to the Elvaston Castle. We cycled a little more than 20 km. It was her first cycling day, so I really admire her endurance and avanturistic spirit.
Ella's visit to Elvaston Castle
These two days of cycling are my first steps to a bigger goal. I have made a decision – this season I’m going to cycle to Loughborough (40 km in one way). I almost did it the previous time (in August), but I run out of water and got confused in finding the right way. So this year I’m going to prepare better: 1) I will prepare a proper map (it wasn’t really reasonable to try to find the way just like that; however, it was a spontaneous ride without knowing I’m going to cycle a long distance, so eventually it was a great adventure); and 2) I will take plenty of water and food with me. But first, I need to practice on a little shorter cycle routes. 🙂
Cycling for Libraries via Dace 