Commuting to work this morning, I cycled my usual route, which took me up Tothill road and Greenbank road. It was on Greenbank rd that I saw him – a little bit ahead, joining the road from a little side street that doesn’t really go anywhere.
He was on a slicked-up fully rigid mountain bike, while I was on my hybrid. In a way I suppose his back-pack was offset by my panniers.
Of course I didn’t give chase! Oh no! I’m far too mature to fall for that! Ha! After, it’s not a race!
It was simply by pure co-incidence that I decided, micro-seconds before seeing him, to start cycling faster. Perhaps I ought to explain: cycling to work I prefer to take it easy, so I don’t arrive all sweaty. Except today I decided to go a tad faster. All this without even thinking of catching him on his mountain bike, you see.
At the top of the hill I caught up with him, and followed his back wheel downhill to Mutley Plain. When the lights changed he took a different line to me and pulled ahead, while I decided it was an excellent opportunity to practise my sprinting. At the next set of lights we were caught in traffic and how he got through I’ll probably never know, but he did and was well out in front.
I didn’t catch him again until the hill in Peverell, and stayed about ten meters behind all the way until Outland road where again he whizzed through traffic at the lights, while I took a bit longer to get through. He just made it through the next set of lights but I got caught and it took some doing to catch up to him again.
I was faster on the big downhill, but crucially also on the uphill that followed and was about to pass him when he turned off into what must be his place of work.
I got to work a bit quicker than usual this morning! Not that I’m competitive or anything, you understand.
Yes…understand perfectly…and have you got your breath back yet?