I had a meeting down in town this morning. That meant the ride to work took twice as long but also that I got a chance to enjoy the gleaming spires and other architectural delights of Oxford which are not enroute in my regular commute.

It also meant that the next part of my journey required ascending Morrell Avenue, a charming but steep hill. I wasn’t particularly looking forward to it but was delighted to find that I got to the top without needing to drop into my lowest two gears.

When I first came to Oxford and started cycling again, my legs would be like jelly when I reached the top and I would have been in the bottom two gears most of the way up. Even when I got my present bike, a lighter and more thoroughbred machine, I was grateful for the “granny gear”. Continuing my regular cycle to work has clearly made a significant contribution to my leg strength even though I no longer face a steep uphill every morning.