Rolling

Today I got rid of a bogey. Not of the snotter kind, I hasten to add. No, this one is one of those things that lurk about at the back of your head and grow to far bigger proportions than they really are. (Which might well describe the nasal sort too I guess) Sorry, shall I continue...

This one was to cycle the main road along the Holm Straights to Kirkwall. Roughly about 20km and one often done by others in the household on a regular basis, it's hilly but nothing really that bad - except in my mind where it is mountainous. I think traveling it by car all the time makes the hills seem higher and the distance a lot further. Also as the name suggests the road is very straight so you can see what's coming. Anyway, for a while now I've been telling myself to get it out of the way.

So I did.

It is now reduced to the size of a still quite lumpy but not really that far classification

I did the northbound part of the run by heading up to Kirkwall via Tankerness. Which is part of the Nat Cycle Route 1. Really enjoyed it, a long slow rise, quite roads and a handy shop at the airport that I stopped to pick up some refreshment at. The last bit is a pretty steep hill up to Kirkwall but that was tamed fairly easily, if slowly.

The southbound section wasn't anywhere near as bad as I thought but I was running on empty by the time I crossed the barriers and hit my nemesis of Norton Hill as I climbed back onto Burray. Possibly because I was too tired to think about it or maybe thanks to the fruit pastille I found in my pocket... I cracked it, didn't stop, didn't fall off, didn't greet all the way up the hill, didn't beg for a tow from passing cars. Got all the way to the top and then kept going a bit so that I could stop and see my house on the far side of the island. Wasn't quite downhill all the way but it felt like it.

And so fell the second bogey of the day... I broke the 40km distance. A year ago I'd have laughed if you said I'd do that.