First day of spring, and the first splashes of summer kit are spotted on the highways and by-ways of west London and Surrey over the weekend.Just the standard 50miles to Box and back, but the promise of longer, lighter, warmer days ahead was putting thoughts of ‘earlier, longer, faster,’ into the minds of these two… A quick 50, it was. Much passing of other road users, there was. Disco, still mashing the iron Wheels of Time on his CX tyred, fixed Kotic was causing consternation amongst his own team by simply not being dropped, even when the pace crept up to 11-sprocket on-the-drops mouth-open charging. After a typical burst of 30mph+, Dixon and I would look around at the familiar, but impossible sound of inexorable agricultural machinery cranking and clicking, and the famous white Catlike would cruise past, it’s rider invariably with DiscoSmile flashing, cadence seemingly unchanged. The only time a gap opened was with a DC attack on the roundabout run-home he loves so much. Long and straight and open, the boy can’t resist it – there’s a muffled ‘bang’ as air resistance gives up, and he’s gone. The elastic in front of my wheel stretched hopefully before snapping, whipping back and tangling itself around my hopes of a catch. He’s gone. A fine sight, the B disappearing off like that…There was something of a sprint off as we rolled back into the park, with Disco doing the Cancellara-style lengthy lead-out. Dixon went too early, the shadowy Cap’n straight onto his wheel before jumping past, mouth agape, BPM 300+, legs blown well before the line… but so had everyone else’s.
