Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Did my first metric century in over a year!

Used to ride longer distances quite regularly, metric centuries and even the odd double metric century nearly every weekend, as well as 30-40km round trip to work and back. But the last year or so I have changed jobs and suffered from a severe lack of motivation and haven't been doing much riding except to work which is only about a 5-6km round trip. Anyway, I received an email about a 115km ride that my local cycling club was organising and decided to go along and try and complete it. I had ridden the route before so knew roughly what I was in for. I was still strong on the flat and downhill but couldn't climb as well as I used to, especially later into the journey. Anyway I completed it without any dramas, though I was pretty stuffed by the end of it! I surprised myself. Even rode my bike to work on Monday!

One small step for Falchoon, one giant leap for bicycling!! Well done, mate. Now summer is dawning in the home country, do you have any other plans?

I went for a shorter but faster paced ride today, about 50km I think but nearly didn'y make it home. About 1km from home on the way back I overshot a slow downhill corner and went from the ashphalt path onto the grass and tried to slow myself down using front brakes and the front wheel dug in and down I went. Helmet literally saved my life as my head slammed the ground. Helmet cracked but my head didn't feel a thing, not even a headache. My leg copped a nast graze though, and a minor one on my shoulder as well. Bike was still rideable but rear deraileur might be bent as the gears were jumping.

Used to ride longer distances quite regularly, metric centuries and even the odd double metric century nearly every weekend, as well as 30-40km round trip to work and back. But the last year or so I have changed jobs and suffered from a severe lack of motivation and haven't been doing much riding except to work which is only about a 5-6km round trip. Anyway, I received an email about a 115km ride that my local cycling club was organising and decided to go along and try and complete it. I had ridden the route before so knew roughly what I was in for. I was still strong on the flat and downhill but couldn't climb as well as I used to, especially later into the journey. Anyway I completed it without any dramas, though I was pretty stuffed by the end of it! I surprised myself. Even rode my bike to work on Monday!
Felt good, didn't it?