Weeknote 134

Cycling nostalgia from ToB and Velothon Wales.

• Making the most of September’s lingering warmth and sunshine, I’ve now added a comfy IKEA balcony chair, courtesy of Mena, to the decking and flower box I installed earlier this summer. My balcony finally feels a bit more inviting.
• Evenings have been filled with cycling highlights, catching up on both the Tour of Britain (ToB) and La Vuelta. Watching the final two ToB stages over the weekend brought back vivid memories from a decade ago, when I tackled The Tumble and Caerphilly Mountain in one day during the Velothon Wales, that was 140 km long! Happy memories from when I cycled far more often and further than now.
• On Wednesday, I met up with Rishee for our ritual pizza catch-up. This time we tried one of the new London outposts of Fatto a Mano, the Brighton-born Neapolitan-style chain. Pleased to see it expanding into the capital and a firm 9/10 from me on pizza quality.
• Saturday morning’s adventure was a cycling trip with my friend Luis, revisiting my old hometown of Tonbridge for the first time since moving to London two and a half years ago. A scenic and nostalgic ride, though, forgot just how punishing West Kent’s hills can be! I was at least a minute down on my personal best riding up Hubbard's Hill near Sevenoaks from four years ago.