It adds up quickly. Cadogan Square to Richmond Park - 7.3 miles. Four times round Richmond Park at 6.9 miles per circuit - that's 27.6 miles. Then the slow, tired slog back home, that's another 7.3 miles. 41.2 miles.
I broke into the park from Sheen Lane and it was like slipping into a parallel world. With the heat shimmering over the long, tall brown grass and the deer nestling under the shades of the generous trees, one could have easily mistook SW19 for Africa. Due to the smooth roads - a rarity around here - the Richmond Park circuit is very popular with cyclist enthusiasts. The going is challenging, with plenty of hills to humble even the fittest riders. I was told by a fellow cyclist with gargantuan thighs that "20 minutes is fast and if you can't break 30 you are going too slow."
In all it took me 3hrs45mins to make it back home. I averaged 11 miles an hour. When I finally got my incredibly sore behind off the saddle and slithered onto my kitchen floor, I could not imagine that in two weeks I would have to do double what I had just done. Four days in a row.
So I did what any sane person would do: had a smoothie, showered and watched Germany thrash England 4-1.
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