You learn something new every day, or so the
saying goes. Some days, you learn lots of new things. This weekend, I learned
that TFL needs to upload a decent map of London to its journey planner. (It
told me it would take an hour to get from one end of Kings Rd to the other, via
public transport. It doesn’t even take that long to walk).
I learned that I need a few extra tools in my
bike tool kit, because a socket wrench doesn’t have enough torque or leverage
all by itself to loosen the socket under the battery case.
I learned how to change my bike battery,
which I’m sure will come in handy in future (but not in the near future,
please).
I learned that my phone has a torch function.
I’ve never had a reason to use it before, but in an underground parking lot,
looking for a tiny screw, it’s very useful. What did we do before smartphones?
I learned that drivers of luxury cars are
just as inconsiderate when off the road as on it (washing your car in the air
pump area of a filling station instead of the car wash section is plain
selfish).
I also learned that I missed riding far more
than I thought I did. It’s been way too long, and my sense memory doesn’t come
close to the reality of the experience. It’s the way, despite the traffic and
the idiots and the roadworks, all my stress melts away and my concentration
narrows to the road and the ride, and for once my brain is not attempting to
multi-task.
This was my first ride on my own bike this
year – weather and battery issues had conspired against my every previous
attempt – and it feels so incredibly good to be back.
Roll on summer, and roll on every possible
Sunday.
