Being able to walk 15 minutes to work or cycle it in 5 minutes is a lovely position to be in. A slight downside for me is not being able to enjoy the workout of a more demanding cycle ride.

Partly as a result , my lady and I have taken to cycling east to the Marshes and the Olympic Park.For me, it's that moment when I cross Clapton Pond and start on Millfields Road that I start to feel free.I'm sure i'm not imagining the wind in my face that is already coming off the River Lea .The feeling of space once we arrive at the Marshes at Cow Bridge, wide open green , is wonderful .

The Olympic Park is just a short ride down the towpath, and feels like another planet , it always does to me and mostly in a good way, it's the space again, so unlike most of London. Even deckchairs out yesterday.

the Olympics were over six years ago of course and I don't really know the Park anything like i'd like.The wide open roads are great for riding and exploring around and the Velopark is perfect for training on , a mate introduced me to it when preparing for the Dunwich Dynamo in 2017.

23 degrees and a blinding lunch at The Breakfast Club helped with it all too !