It was great to see a few out on Christmas Day, riding muddy local gems, all smiles despite the cloud enveloping the Worcestershire Beacon. Timbo arrived on a roadie, just to say 'hi', but joined us off-road to the top anyway. Malvern breeds nutcases, it's a fact.
Keith was atop a shiny Trek, for which countdown had begun a few weeks before, Just 15 more days to go....14...13.....
So today I had to pass up the chance to slide around in the mud again with friends, as, for the last two weeks, that is about all I have done. To take the day to catch up with myself, let the legs rest from the Christmas MTB socials (of which there has been many) and set up the 29er for a big long steady distance ride tomorrow.
Around mid-morning I realised I had been up for a few hours, and was yet to eat and getting very hungry, so took the chance to take the roadie out for a steady hour of fasted riding. To work on triggering the fat burning metabolism and hopefully induce a bonk. The jury is still out regarding fasted riding, but there is no doubt that learning to 'run on empty' is a key part of endurance stamina. I may go into the practical aspects one day, but for now, I'd rather focus on the ride.
It was wonderful. The grey, yet dry, skies and rushing winds provided the moody surreal backdrop of December, and the shorn leafless hedges allowed the sweeping hillsides of Herefordshire to be appreciated in full, rather than glipsed briefly through gateways. It was great to be back on local lanes, having spent barely any time on the road bike since October. Before I knew it the hour was over. With no sign of a bonk. Maybe the fat metabolism still kicks in when it needs to afterall......
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