This morning I felt heavy inside and disgruntled, kipped a bit sideways by work -a gig at a free moving dance workshop - the night before, and logy. Sleep hadn’t lifted everything and breakfast had possibly contributed to the weight. Came a break in the weather and a time of the day when I could choose: sleep more, or ride. Nobody from the regular riders I knew fancied it but the weather was warm and the sun, albeit watery, putting in an appearance. I knew the light would be beautiful out there. I could take some pictures.

I cornered Auerbach and decided to turn North, chasing down a guy in yellow and knowing the wind would be behind me at least for a while and I’d had enough of battling it already. He turned just before I caught him, never mind, at least I had a head of steam up and momentum, spinning pedals and breathing in rhythm. I felt I was doing alright but then a car closely tailed by a fast boy over took and pulled away ahead, I watched him in all his joy vim and vigour and panache dance out the saddle, around the car and felt with him in his beauty as he danced. Soon he was gone but I was alive, awake, shedding skins as I sweated. The wind stayed kind. On Postfenn as I descended I was greeted with warm smiles and waves from comrades ascending, everyone out who could be to catch the weather and rejoice in the sudden community of these moments. Light skidded from the water across the denuded spiky forest but I decided not to stop, to savour the moments, to capture the images later.

A mistake actually as the light shuddered down in the advancing cold gloaming and the views faded all too fast. The one beach I stopped at was littered with cars and somehow cluttered. The road pulled on, now into a stiff head wind and up a drag to get me out of the valley back to the Krone. Here, mercifully. I could turn again, pick up the tail and work my way North, across the city West and home, heavy legged and light hearted.