Cycling shoes

Mallorca 2018 Day One: Around the Airport in 80 Circles

When Sandra asked me to come with her on a cycling holiday to Mallorca I couldn’t think of any reason not to.  Well, apart from the fact I hadn’t ridden a bike for around four years.  After all, you can’t really forget how to: it’s literally like riding a bike, right?  I just wonder if you can forget how to use clipless pedals?

Packing for a hiking holiday is easy: tent, sleeping bag, a fraction of the number of pants or socks than is hygienically viable, and even then you end up with 65 litre backpack called Gigantor.  Imagine if you have to actually live in polite company for a week and take cycling clothes and equipment.  Then you have to turn to Gigantor’s big brother, Megantor(?): a 120 litre RAB holdall, stuffed with enough lycra for a small cycling team.  In actual fact, at only 18.5kg, Megantor was just 200 grams heavier than Gigantor which, considering I had packed my own pedals to use during the week, science dictates that a stash of underwear is a lot lighter than a tent.  Vital information, I am sure you will agree.

Although Megantor came with rucksack style straps, shifting it over the 18.5 miles from Brentwood to Stansted was complicated by a return flight in to Luton and the subsequent need to use public transport rather than my infinitely more useful car. This involved a a wobble to Shenfield Station, a train ride to Liverpool street to meet Sandra and a rather annoying rail replacement coach to the Airport.  Finally, after a walk around in a million circles to find the pick up point for the courtesy bus to the Hampton by Hilton hotel and a ten minute ride later we were at our hotel for the night and a day closer to finding out if you really can forget how to use clipless pedals.