Turn out of the house and onto the country road
The bike beneath you a trusted companion
Muscles warm slowly as you settle into your all-day pace
Miles become easier as your body adapts to the effort.
Squally showers pile into the coast from the North Sea
The last of the crops bent double under the weight of the wind
You wipe the rain from your eyes and squint to see the road ahead
Hands becoming cold within sodden summer gloves.
The headwind eases and you find yourself in an envelope of peace.
Slick tyres buzz evenly against smooth asphalt
Japanese bearings purr inside their aluminium shells
Breathing and heartbeat thrum together inside your head.
You round the corner and into the wind once more
Rain is whipped up and driven into your face
Shoulders hunched, head down, wishing you had drop bars
You fight your way forward against the invisible hand.
Finding your tempo again the miles tick away smoothly
A Buzzard surveys your progress from its treetop perch
The taloned sentinel unbowed by inclement weather
Ready to swoop at the first sign of scurrying lunch.
The road ahead rises into a climb, gradient building slowly
You drop a gear and push harder, calf muscles burn briefly
Teeth gritted as you force your way into your reserve
The hill soon breaks and you settle back into an easy spin.
A smile crosses your face as you crest the rise
The shire opens out before you in splendid relief
Distant hills bathed in sunlight – it’s all yours
There’s always time for a few more miles before turning home…
