March 2010 cycling progress

I did very well in the middle of February, getting out most days - but then I had to go away for a week (without a bike!).

When I got back it took a few rides to get back to my pre-trip - don't you think it's shocking that even 10 days off the bike can cause so much decline!

Anyway, I reckon 10 days off the bike took 10 days to get over (the first few days I was also getting over jet lag and over eating maybe).

Then just when all was going well the weather turned horrible again. Last week I did my first ride this year wearing shorts, then just a couple of days later and it's too cold to go out. The annoying thing is, it looks like a beautiful day outside but really it's about freezing point and with a very cold strong wind.

Maybe I'll brave it for an hour later today but maybe not...

So net result is, I'm no nearer my goals now than I was six weeks ago, and possibly a bit behind the level I had then. So i'm pretty unmotivated to be going backwards already!

Not a happy picture and I'm hoping by mid-April I've got much better news to report - mostly because I'm booked in somewhere in the Limousin (hilly part of southern France) for a week in early April and I want to try out a few decent hills while i'm over there.

Meanwhile, speaking of France, someone left a question on an earlier post but I'll repeat it here in case someone has a good suggestion and doesn't notice it. Please leave any suggestions in the 'comments' further down:

My names Olly Clarke, I am a student at Durham University. My friends and I love fitness and are wanting to raise money for charity by cycling from England into France, around France and back again. We all have road bikes at the moment but some worse than others. They would prefer to (if possible) hire a better bike for the event. Do you know of any "hire cycling shops" that would allow ourselves to cycle over to france?
Thank you for your time.