Cafe Stop

I'm not a big fan of cafe stops when I'm out cycling. It's not that I'm no more antisocial than the next person, but I get worried about losing my rhythm when I'm riding. As I get older I feel more and more like an old car that needs a fair amount of revving and maybe a little push before it can get going. Normally I take about an hour to warm up, and a minute to cool down. At this time of year I need 2 hours to warm up and 30 seconds to cool down! Even if piping hot coffee warms me up, by the time I'm on my bike again the legs are moaning and the group is looking back at me wondering what I'm playing at. I'm not messing around, I'm just waiting for the engine to get going again. Please be patient guys! So for this reason, I prefer club runs which involve doing the ride straight through with limited stops and a cafe stop at the end of the ride. That's what my club does on its Saturday morning rides.

While injury may have kept me away from the club runs it has not kept me away from the cafe stop. What's more, because I don't have to worry about the cooling down effect after my gentle half mile pootle from my house to the cafe, I can do a cafe stop at my leisure, and even join my club-mates as they watch the world go by. That's how I found them when I arrived at the cafe this morning and I was happy to join them in doing the same! Of course, we eventually sat down for the customary bacon sandwich, cake, coffe and chat.