Downtime. How do I fill it?

So, I know many of you who ride like myself have been making the most of the favourable weather before the threat of snow and ice hits. As they say in GoT 'winter is coming'. The alternative to wet and cold weather riding is sweating it out in the pain cave, aka the turbo trainer. Yes, I have one, but it is a basic one which to hook up to Zwift and other things like it is not the same as a smart system. So that has been upgraded and a new smart trainer is on its way to help with the warmer training.

Oh I look happy to be on my turbo!

We can not spend all our time training as it is the out season and we need to recharge the batteries ready for the real riding weather. Also, in addition to this I have the small issue of trying to get control of my blood pressure.

My not so static Blood Pressure.

Thankfully it has not got back up to the near 200/120 levels it was before Christmas, but it is still not consistently down at the level it needs to be. So I have had to give in to not riding either on the turbo or the road as much as my mind and body craves.

Christmas present.

So, what have I been doing to pass the time? Well I was bought a new book for Christmas and it is one that I fancied reading since I had seen it come out. It is the next of the autobiographical books by the brilliant Geraint Thomas (@GeraintThomas86). ‘The tour according to G.’ The only slight snag in this equation was that I had not managed to read the first of his books. 'The World of Cycling according to G'.

The world of Cycling according to G.

Well that is where I had a brain wave. My subscription to audible had a credit to use so I went on downloaded the audio book and got listening. It was the perfect in-flight soundtrack on my trip home to see my mum, brother and his tribe. It then became the new soundtrack to my drives to work. It made a drive through the Cotswold very enjoyable and I especially liked the narration as I was fit to imagine it was myself driving with Geraint sat in the passenger seat tell me the different things.

So tomorrow I am going to venture out onto the road and see how I get on with the road riding again. Wish me luck.

Oh and if any of you have spare pennies after all of the fun and presents etc. at Christmas please pop over to the just giving page and lighten your pockets, wallets purses or under your beds and lets help this amazing charity which keeps becoming an even more important part of my life with how things are at the moment.