Last year I seemed to be ill more often than not. Having a toddler at nursery meant that the house was rarely free of coughs, tissues and Vaporub and as a result, I rode fewer miles than in any since I gave up cigarettes and bought a bike in my late-20s.

This malaise carried on into the start of 2017. In fact, January 2017 was the first month in more than 15 years that I didn’t once ride a bike. Not only have I gained 10 kilos in the last 9 months, the lack of exercise has affected me psychologically.

And so last night, I was feeling ‘notquiterightbutbetterthanusual’ and decided to get back into character, set the alarm for an early start, ignore the weather forecast and ride to w*rk.

We’ll see if there are any lasting effects (my last ride in December, even though it was only 10 miles or so, led to complete exhaustion and two days in bed) but was great to be back out on a bike.

Feeling the rain on my face, startling the deer as I rode through Bradgate, and watching the skies change colour on my way home were all glorious reminders of why I’ve been a bicycle commuter for so many years, and why I’m desperate to get back to riding daily.

Wish me luck…