Rollers are harder than turbo

And in other statements of the blindingly obvious...the pope is catholic, etc.

Seriously, though, I had forgotten just how hard it is to stay upright on rollers. I always used to train on rollers but over the last five years I'd been using my husband's turbo in the hall as it was easier just to switch the seatpost on that than it was to go to the shed and dig out my rollers. But I know that I get tired on turbos. I get bored. And I watch tv. And my form goes to pot. My hips waggle about and all that is terrible for my knees. If I want to get strong again (which I most determinedly do), I need to keep good form and to train regularly.

So tonight I got out the rollers, dusted off all the spiders webs, sandwiched them between a solid table and some solid chairs (as emergency grab points). And then I went for it. I tried initially to multi-task and watch tv but that was pointless - endlessly grabbing for the table as I'd lost focus.

There was nothing for it but to turn on loud music and get stuck in. Oh MY. My core was feeling it. My hands were feeling it. I haven't focused on anything so hard in a long time. More rollers will be needed!

Out on the road again

Hurrah for term time! I finally had a child free morning... but first I had a few obstacles to overcome

1) exhaustion. Thanks baby for waking us up 4 times last night. Fortunately : coffee. Parental cliché no1.

2) tantrums. Once baby despatched to nursery, 3 yr old was NOT impressed that after cycling to preschool I was going cycling without her and VERY VERY CROSS that I have cycling shoes and she does not. I had to tell her the story about Jens Voigt and his riding on a kid's bike with toe clips to finish a race to make her understand that it's not the gear that makes a rider,

3) finding bike stuff. It's amazing the amount of STUFF you use for a long ride. Pump, HR monitor, garmin, gilet etc, and if you don't get out much (like me), it's rarely all together. Garmin has given up the ghost so I had to just guess where I was going. And, literally, wipe the dust off my poor neglected best bike.

But off I went and it was the best Monday morning a girl could wish for. 90 mins of huffing and puffing through the lanes. My knees hurt throughout, sadly, but physio says that doesn't matter and I should man up. [I am inclined to think he's wrong, but never mind]. Now I need to order a spare belt for my rollers and see if I can remember how to do it....