" Are we really taking me out today" she whispered as i unlocked the shed and peered inside, maybe i said, well your going to have to attach my front wheel give me a clean oil me a little before you do she said. Ok, ok dont get all excited if we do then it will only be a short cycle around the lanes, anything will do just as long as i dont have to stay locked away inside this shed. You see its been four years since me and my little girl pounded the roads and tracks in the sun and rain so…

For most of April, my trips by bike have been mainly utility journeys and it's been difficult to drag myself out at all on some days due to a combination of masses of work and miserable weather that seems to have gone on forever. Last week, having completed and handed over a large and particularly onerous project, I decided to take a couple of days out to clear my head. I've been meaning to visit my dad in Derbyshire for a while so decided to kill two birds with one stone and cycle…