20K Time Trial

Quick trip round my regular 20K time trial route on my bike to make sure I'm improving. East wind today so first 4.5K are all dead into the wind. Its sunny but air temperature is still cool. I've got my new cycling shorts on...nether region padded up like I've got most of a burst couch down there.

First 4K done and I'm up over Hedgehog hill and I stand out of the saddle about 25% of the way just to get it done. Not so bad and down and onto the next big hill through Ohain, again you know you are going uphill and you're right down the gears but I did the same two hills after 50K on Saturday so its all the less daunting. I stood up about 10% of the second hill.

Its rush hour so the queue at the lights is long and quite a few cars block my ability to go up the inside side, so it takes me longer to creep up but I don't actually have to unclip from the pedals which is good. Round at Ransbeche and its now wind in my tail on smooth tarmac. Flying along cruising between 35 and 40kmph and hardly working.

I reach the carrefour at Carrefour and throw a left through the car park. Back onto the cycle path down the N5, wind from left to right now. I'm 33 minutes to the Nightclub at the far edge of the Waterloo battlefield. It would appear that the locals have little or no reverence for such a historical battle site as there is also a knocking shop(Club Victor Hugo) 200m further down the N5 on the other side of the road. Handy for Napoleon and his Officers I suppose as all the available action is at the French end. It all adds to the rich mix of living on the Condiment.

Sub 40 is a non starter from here at this time split. Down to end of N5 section turn left straight into the wind but its smooth road here so hinderence from the wind is minimised. Down the big hill and up the other side, finish in 46.27 on my watch and 45:47 on the bike computer(it stops the clock when the bike stops). So only 4 seconds faster than my previous time of46:31 but much much better condition at the end with heart rate at only 116 and not really feeling like I've worked too hard. In fact I'm hardly sweating to be honest.