The tools of the trade

Being a new entrant to the world of cycling is a rather alarming experience. Firstly, there is the getting use to the actual physical side of riding - hills/distance/speed and then there is the mental side of things - roads/traffic/dealing with death every few seconds and then there is the technical side of things - what the hell is cadence and does average speed of 21 km/h mean I am quick or does it mean that I am the cycling equivalent of a tortoise.

To comprehend all the minutiae that cycling fanatics judge themselves on I have purchased - or rather more accurately generously been given by way of a birthday present - an all singin' dancin' get ready it's taking over the world speedometer. This thing is so clever that I have at the back of my mind that it is actually going to start riding my bike - if only. Now, I am not one of those dullards who can't comprehend the information that my speedometer is cleverly illustrating for me but I do like to frame my statistics within context of how fast others are to give me an understanding where I am at.

Please bear in mind that I am a novice and I am riding around in London so lots of stopping and starting, but my headline stats are so far...

Opportunist Cycler's stats.

Average speed - 20.2 km/h

Top speed - 39.3 km/h

As well as hopefully getting a few comments, why doesn't anyone love me, I think this is actually quite a neat way of judging my improvement over time and well hopefully as I improve as a cycler.

I will let you know if they improve after tonight's ride around Richmond Park which is key preparation to the Hampshire Hilly this weekend. The Opportunist Cycler is stepping up to the mark, come follow on...