The speed work has kicked in, and with it new sessions to learn for which need to find appropriate roads and find the determination to ride above lactate threshold.
I thought I had found the ideal road, only 30 minutes from my door, flat, no traffic lights and lit at night. The trouble is it seems very popular with youths in fast cars. I had the closest call to immediate death last night.
Please remember that to give my family peace of mind, I have all the lights in two modes and wear one of those Hi-Viz vets (over my beautiful Assos top). I was doing an all out effort, I noticed the car coming towards me very fast, just another guy having fun in a car I could only have dreamt of in my day, when another car (a japanese sports) pulled out from behind him to overtake. Suddenly I was blinded by headlights and a deathening roar of an engine. A wing mirror travelling at well over 100mph swept past my arm. A few inches to my right and I would have been a goner, small concolation that it would be instant.

Ah, well I live to ride another day, and that is what I've be doing. Some of the hard speed work is still followed by a couple of hours of riding. My legs are certainly pleased when the rest day comes round.

Saturday was a 21/2 hour, 50 mile round trip, in a high cadence. It probably would have been a nice ride in daylight, at night Biggin Airport seemed like something out of the X files.

Sunday was a 31/2 ride concentrating on hills. I have a love/hate relationship with this session, the 90 minute version leaves me tired, this 180 minute left my legs fading badly on the way home. I used the Dulwich Paragon 10m TT course, which is a nice loop. This was of course a very rare day ride, at night I may have trouble down these unlit roads, which is a shame. I get a nice feeling to have pushed myself.

Once home I became a horsey for my children, which I look on as being core training and may go some way to help me hold the TT position for 9 hours.

I've put a late entry for a 25m TT this weekend. I don't know if it will be accepted. I have a zone 4 training ride booked, so it fits in nicely. Unlike the East Surrey 30m TT where I stayed firmly in Zone 3, I should be able to really push and may try for Z5 for the last 15 minutes. It's nice to feel part of something, my training is very lonely.

I've been checking out 100m TT courses near me to practice on. The A31 seems the most likely, it may get repetitive but it will give an idea of how fast I can go unhindered by traffic controls. If my entry for Sunday isn't accepted, this is where I'll head to. I'll then have a picture of just how far I to go.

The dishwasher now works, although never start plumbing just before lunch is to served.