The Bitchling!

Sunday morn and I was all for a lie-in but the little voices in my head kept screaming 'Get on your bike!'

So I did. Of course, I've now blown all the good I did by stuffing my face with Sunday roast - so much for getting rid of that extra stone before India - but I'm feeling good that I did it, and conquered a few personal challenges along the way.

Wish I'd taken my camera with me this morning although not much good as I can't find how to upload pics onto here (tried to show you Devil's Dyke pics last week). I decided once and for all that I was going to have to beat Ditchling Beacon (Bitchling, as I like to call it!). Yes - at the very start there is a 3-mile ascent! Yep! That's right! Nope! That's not a typo! T-H-R-E-E miles! And that's just the first one, although the rest is merely 'undulating' (very dubious word, that!)

Still - once again, got there without stopping, without getting off my bike and even without changing down to first! (do you think there's something wrong with my bike? hehe)

It was BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!

Coming back, of course, was even better - but I challenged myself to the hill that I swore I would do at least once in this lifetime and never again. Guess what? Never again! Stopped halfway up and yes, first gear came into play, but made it in two. Worth it - lovely roll home from the top. That's the best bit, isn't it?