In the middle of the week, the weather forecast for Saturday and our inaugural EGCC Chain Gang didn’t look too bad. But as the week progressed the forecast looked worse and worse. Come Saturday morning I found myself gazing out of the kitchen window while I chowed down on my muesli. The heavy rain had turned to heavy snow and it was looking decidedly chilly out. It is mornings like this that when we need to draw on the inspirational words of Sean Kelly, one of my all-time heroes and legendary hard-man who said “You can’t tell how cold it is by looking out the kitchen window. You have to get dressed and go out training and when you get back, you know how cold it was”. Time to get kitted up!
I arrived at Horne Golf Club and was starting to think that I was the only one mad enough to be out it these conditions when Luke and then Nick and “Nick’s Dad” (who I believe, outside of EGCC circles, also goes by the name of Dave). We hadn’t long set off when we were joined by Gemma and Mark (who had been delayed by somewhat of a headwind out – err, OK so it was a howling gale!!) to bring our number to six.
Cold howling wind, diving horizontal rain aren’t exactly conditions conducive to smooth and efficient through and off style riding and our opening laps were a little ragged. However, with perseverance, patience and practice our style improved every lap and by the end of our hour of hard riding we had attained a good level of fluidity and where riding as a cohesive group.
All those present agreed that it had been a fun session, and the improvement in our ability to ride smoothly through and off was visible in just that one short session. Just think how slick we’re all going to be by next season! And to all those who missed the fun this time around, some words from an interview with Robert Millar (another of my heroes from the 80s):
Interviewer: “What motivates you to go training when you get up, look out the window and realise it’s raining and cold?”
Robert Millar: “Well, you judge how cold it’s likely to be, look at how hard it’s raining and realise that Sean Kelly has already been out for two hours without gloves”
Don’t get left behind again! Next session is 09:30 on Saturday 12th December at Horne Golf Club.
