Having not been on my bike for four days I was like a dog off a leash, pedalling until my legs hurt just for fun. I singlespeeded along the towpath like a man possessed, then up through the Million, down through Enville, and back along Kinver Edge.The trails were in perfect condition and I felt fantastic, fresh and full of energy. Great for me, but not so great for Carla, who wasn’t feeling so good. However, she never complained, not a word, even when I swung onto the permissive bridleway for an extra loop. She knows that her turn will come.

I’ve fitted some RockShox SIDs with a handlebar lockout to my Singlespeed. These are great because it means I can run them really soft to accommodate my dodgy shoulder, them firm them up when I want to get out of the saddle on a climb. The only problem with them is that the control mechanism fouls the frame if I turn the bars too far. I worried that a crash could put a serious crease in my frame. Thing is I’m enjoying them too much to do anything about it at the moment.