First feel good ride of the summer

It's a balmy 15 degrees in Bristol and it felt like summer on my quick 28 mile ride.

It's Thursday afternoon and I've got the day off work because I'm flying to Berlin for a stag weekend later this afternoon. I'm going to try hard not to embarrass my country but a small part of me wants to walk down the street waving my arms around and singing 'stag do, stag do, stag do, stag do' like a football chant.

I hope you'll allow me this one indiscretion, for some bad news befell young Benjamin this morning. I was all set to take my van for its MOT at 8.30 then get out on the bike for 2 or 3 hours. I got into the van and realised something was missing. Some swine had broken in and stolen the steering wheel. The bastard STEERING WHEEL! Who steals only a bastard steering wheel? Clearly Helen's driving glasses and a tin of travel sweets aren't the sought after property they used to be.

I spent the morning ringing a combination of insurance and breakdown companies and garages and second hand dealers instead of riding my bike. In the end I settled on an ebay steering wheel and a re-booked MOT and then got out on the bike for an hour and a half.

The ride itself took me on my time trial route, along the A38 towards the Severn Bridge, around in a 10 mile loop, then back to Bristol. I felt good for the first eight miles of the TT but a nagging pain in my thigh made me slow up for the last two miles. I clocked 26m 40s, which is two minutes off my normal pace. Nothing to really write home about but it did feel great to be out in the sunshine, forgetting about thieving scoundrels and second hand car parts.

Once again a case of life getting in the way of cycling. Best laid plans and all that.

Song of the ride: pretty much anything by Modest Mouse. Start with Paper Thin Walls, Gravity Rides Everything or Float On and continue from there.

Auf wiedersehen for now...