I had to go it alone today as all my usual exercise buddies were otherwise engaged (mainly working – understandably. It is a Wednesday after all). I couldn’t quite face the Crow Road on my own (essentially in case I died and no one could find my body, or worse I was knocked off my bike into a field un-witnessed and couldn’t reach my phone to call for help due to full body paralysis) (these are the genuine fears I have before setting off for a cycle – running in my mind remains far less hazardous, and hence stressful). So I picked what I thought was a picturesque, yet flattish route to cycle in the glorious sunshine, as frankly what use is one last hill going to do me now.

I cycled out through Milngavie (on the new cycle path on Milngavie Road – don’t even start me on that) to Strathblane, then on out past the Dumgoyne Distillery, left towards Drymen, and back past the Queen’s View and Carbeth Inn home.

But this is the other thing that I am fast learning about cycling. You choose routes than you are used to driving on. And it’s amazing how unaware of gradients we are in cars. Of course why would we notice them when all we have to do is put our foot a little further down on the accelerator when we get to an incline. But I was fully unaware of the what I would now regard as a huge hill that exists on the way back from Drymen. Perhaps my many proper cycling friends can confirm or dispel this, but the hill that essentially starts just after Drymen, and finishes after the Queen’s View (travelling south) seems terribly long, or am I just dreadful at cycling?

Anyway, I remain even more convinced that there is no chance of me getting through day 2 of the cycling to Skye challenge which is “Glencoe Day”. There also seems to be a direct correlation between length of hill and degree of perineum pain and this remains as ever a constant background anxiety (and discomfort). And tonight I have taken the plunge and looked at the route we have to cycle which I attach here – if this can’t persuade you to sponsor me I’m not sure what will. Wish us luck! xx