I'm 49 today. Tomorrow at 2pm this 49 year old body will be pushed to its limit for an hour on a 46 year old bike. I'm not sure which is more likely to fail first.
Me: I've recovered, more or less, from my painful back injury of a few months ago. It stopped me standing, sitting and certainly cycling and rendered my right foot and calf numb. Ironically, the only bike I could cycle for a month was the Chopper because the upright riding position minimised the pressure on my spine. Since the injury my lower back, leg muscles and tendons get so tight I'm always having to stretch to avoid pain, especially in my knees.
The Bike: Like me, it's old, a bit battered, heavy and seen better days but it's a survivor. It's been wrestled around the Chilterns, including up Streatley Hill. It's been rattled for hours on rollers and soaked in sweat during the dark winter evenings. It's been thrashed for a week through the lava fields of Lanzarote. It's been chucked for 4 hours 40 minutes and 70 miles around the country lanes and over the cattle grids at the Wiggle New Forest Sportive. It's been blasted for 31 minutes and 34 seconds over the Maidenhead & District Cycling Club 10 mile time trial.
Come on old thing. Almost time for our biggest battle yet. You can do it. And you, Chopper. You can do it too.
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