Day 5 of the Great Fast.

It took us two hours to cycle seven and a half miles around the reservoir today.

This is not good.

The route is described as being relatively flat and suitable for young children. Lots of young children peddled quickly past me and left me in their dust today. At the slightest incline I had to get off the bike and walk. I guess that must be the effect of not eating for five days.

I have not broken the fast, though just after setting off I did accidentally gulped down a few midges when I tried to reply to the teenager who was ahead of me.

After that I was treated to the dust he raised and I masticated every grain just in case there was any nutrition to be had.

All was going well, and then the teenager’s bike broke down. The chain had come out of position and refused to reconnect with the gears. It took us about half an hour to fix it, which allowed the people whom we’d seen right at the start to walk nonchalantly slowly past with their tiny puppy.

They were out of sight before we were ready to ride again. The teenager tore ahead, keen to overtake them, and I was left far behind in his wake. Geese were swimming faster than me.
Still eventually we made it and we even beat the people with the puppy…just!

I treated the teenager to a chocolate ice-cream and drove quickly home so that I would not be tempted to have one too. His description of the taste of it would not have been out of place on a Marks and Spencers’ advert.

He’s found out!