Sunday, October 20, 2013

Blame the dog (TT column 20.10.13)


Last week I completely jinxed myself. I proudly announced the pleasant conclusion to a previous cycling incident only to open the doors to another one. As winter is apparently on its way I thought it might be time to dust the cobwebs from my sturdy mountain bike, okay this was mainly due to the allure of a potential race. With just two days to go until my first ever cyclocross event I thought I had better familiarise myself with the off road variety especially after my summer spent cycling with skinny tyres and cleated shoes. Ironically I was riding across Dartmoor thinking this must be similar to getting in a tractor after driving a Ferrari, it feels so safe and stable. There is also the added bonus of no traffic, but, yes there is a big but, there are animals. I made the error of riding a quick short stretch of downhill on the newly surfaced cycle path. The smooth Tarmac was so refreshing I couldn't resist a bit of freewheeling; I did not envisage a little 'jacket wearing' terrier to be sharing the path. Jumping out of the bushes and running straight towards me, I could have sworn it was suicidal. Luckily I just avoided a collision as it ran on completely oblivious to the fact it had caused me to land in a crumpled heap ten metres further down the path.

I call this time of year 'transition', as it is hard to know exactly what activities to do or what clothes to wear. A prime example of this was the horse racing over the weekend, with both jump and flat meeting fixtures. I accepted an invite to the conclusion of the flat season at Ascot. It's obviously ready to close as the ground was announced as soft which resulted in an open day of racing and some happy bookmakers, but thanks to the aptly named Olympic Glory I didn't contribute too greatly to their bank balances.