Week 3

I was about to make excuses for this post based on the fact that I rode my bike for six hours today. Then I remembered that I used to do that every day and I don’t really have a leg to stand on. So, instead: welcome to Week 3…

I’ve had some friends with me whilst I’ve been in the Alps. Some, like me, are here primarily to train, but there has also been a couple here who don’t cycle. One of those two left this morning, leaving the other – let’s call him Geoff (not sure why, that’s not his real name, I just feel like it) – to spend the day on his own for the first time since arriving.

Knowing that I had a fairly big day of riding ahead, yesterday evening I floated the idea of him making a guest appearance on this blog and writing it for me. It wasn’t entirely genuine, but I thought it could prove funny since he often acts in a way that suggests he may be illiterate (among other things). Nevertheless he declined saying, “what would I write about?”.

Exactly, Geoff. That’s the very quandary I find myself facing now.

I had initially thought that writing about my experiences with procrastination could be very fitting given my current predicament. Whilst I haven’t been completely idle this past week, I didn’t quite get round to preparing a structure or specific subject matter for this post. Furthermore, having just finished a degree, I’m very familiar with how unproductive I am capable of being at my worst. However, with only a handful of hours remaining before my unofficial deadline for this post, I don’t think I’d do a very good job at making that subject not boring.

[Side note: Tim Urban writes a blog called Wait But Why and he has talked about procrastination in a post (link) and a Ted Talk (link). They are worth checking out in my opinion – as is a lot of the stuff he writes.]

Returning to yesterday evening, Geoff actually followed up his own question by suggesting he tell tales that would otherwise be reserved for a risqué best man speech. Not that I’d have anything to worry about since I never misbehave, but I promptly rescinded my offer.

So that brings us to now. It’s 23:52 on Sunday night and a couple of beers later than when I started writing this. Unlike many other cases, this isn’t a task I’ve been putting off or procrastinating over. I had always planned to write this today. I have in fact executed my plan perfectly… it was just terrible planning.

I have several ideas brewing for bigger and more worthwhile posts, but they’ll take more time to write than a single evening and will therefore have to wait for another week. I am confident that these posts will improve moving forwards. I’ll do my very best to get to that point before I reach Week 52. In the meantime, for today, I thought I could just update you on a few random and not-related-to-each-other-in-any-way thoughts that have just entered my head.

Tan Lines: I very much doubt that my tan lines will ever again reach the state they did in 2015. If you’ve read my book, you may remember the pride that I took in them. Although nowhere close to their former prime, my tan lines have appeared again, and that makes me happy.

Fitness: I mentioned above how I used to ride for long hours every day and still write a blog afterwards. It’s worth noting (for me; I doubt anyone else cares), that I’m now riding a lot harder and faster than I used to, so the comparison is not quite so black and white.

Fitness progression is often slow and tricky to evaluate since there are so many different aspects to it. It’s a complex topic and the physiological side of it is something that I keep realising I have an awful lot left to learn. It’s why sports scientists and coaches are (rightly) able to make a living doing what they do.

To briefly summarise my current performance: I can ride a bike a lot faster than I could five years ago. Whether or not I can ride for a longer duration is something I often wonder (since I’ve not replicated the sheer volume I amassed riding around the world). It’s plausible that I’ve improved in some areas and declined in others. This is an aspect I intend to explore over the coming year. I know for a fact that I can run and swim a lot faster than I could five years ago, so that’s nice.

Haircuts: I’ve not received a professional haircut in months due to corona virus regulations. My sister cut my hair a few times whilst I was in London, and one of my mates did it out here in France. Of those times, one turned out well, a couple mediocre, and the most recent left a lot to be desired. Even so, all have been passable / workable and I’m currently weighing up the pros and cons of this improvised approach for future implementation.

Loosely related – I of course still shave my legs. Thankfully I don’t need anyone else to do that for me.

Photos: Here are some photos from the last week or so. Hopefully they make this whole thing go down a little easier…

Have a good week.

Tom