It used to be that we judged a rider by the way that they smoothly turned the pedals in perfect circles. Their ease on the bike. The definition in their legs. The weathered look about them and the confidence gained from miles on the bike in all weathers.

You could ‘see’ who had put the work in and who had ‘form’. No ‘kudos’ was given. If you weren’t on the ride, you could only imagine, but you could see the effects of hard work.

I’ve been largely off Strava over the last couple of months. The opportunity to be social and even to show off or self depreciate has been strangely absent. 

Secret training has a strange satisfaction. The effects are beginning to show. Pedalling smoothly and beginning to feel the hunger again gives hope in the dark months. Winter may be coming, but the form of spring must surely follow.