Too much cake...

Today was our first bike ride since my last post here. It was one thing after another - both reasons and excuses! We'd a visitor, so we were doing the touristy bit. It was fun - toasties and scones, and craft shops and bothies for sale, more coffee and cake and sitting chatting but no bike riding. What little weight I had lost I have regained!! Then we both had a bug of some sort - too much cake!!? Then it was foggy or too windy or it was raining, or I was too lazy or I was preoccupied with work problems but, again, that's another story and not for this blog. But today, although it was blowing a gale to start with, the wind died down, the sun came out, and off we went and it was great. Felt a bit tentative to start with, but did better than I thought. Again we went on the same route as before. I think we're kind of stuck with that until 1) hubby gets his mountain bike (soon - hopefully it should be delivered next week!!) and 2) I lose a little of my fear of the traffic. But the route we are doing is great for me learning at the moment. It's a bit hilly, has a few bends and it's quiet countryside scenery, averages just one car passing us on each trip. I think I am getting the hang of things now and just need (lots) more practice. There are woodland trails branching off it that we'll tackle once hubby has his MB and we are both really looking forward to that. My new padded-bum leggings arrived from the US. Have I mentioned this? I'll get on my hobby-horse again for a bit... It would appear to be impossible to buy large sized cycling gear in the UK. Obviously most of us stiff-upper-lippish Brits think that large women shouldn't be encouraged to get fitter and certainly shouldn't be allowed to wear appropriate clothing if we do! Companies here XXL size (if they do such a thing) is a size I'm not likely to be in a month of Sundays.

However thanks to some of the members of the marvellous http://www.bikeforums.net/ I discovered that I could buy big stuff there at a very reasonable price (even including the postage), so that's what I did. See below:-

http://www.aerotechdesigns.com/

There's another couple of companies I'll have a look at too. But, anyway, I would certainly recommend the padded bum pants! I've plenty of padding of my own, but they really seemed to make a difference! Not sure I'm built to look good in lycra, but who cares if it does the job! Just need something now to stop my face going beetroot red and I might lose my self-consciousness altogether!! So let's hope for another nice day tomorrow...