Spring is nearly here........

It seems that all the last few weeks have brought is rain. On the odd days where it has been dry i've been busy so haven't had the chance to get out.
I've also had an exceptional bad run of luck. A broken set of glasses was the least of my troubles (still no response from Wiggle by the way). Next to fail was my wireless router but fortunately Belkin customer service is a lot different from Wiggle. I called them, they emailed me a freepost label and i've posted the old one back for a new replacement to come by return mail. No quibbles, just great customer care.
This was the least of my worries though when we came home to a burst hot water tank. Parting with that much money when it's not a bicycle related purchase is a real shame. Could it get any worse? Yep. My 3 year old son is struck with an illness that requires 7 days off nursery and here's me with no annual leave left.
Still, it all seems to be in hand now so I can concentrate on the bike again.
The classics season is now upon us and i've decided that it's probably my favourite time in the cycling calendar, so much so in fact that i've sunk to new geek lows and have been watching the untelevised cycling on the live internet feeds.... in Belgian. Still it's good to watch and you had to feel for Juan Antonio Flecha to put in that much work and get pipped on the line on Saturday.
I dusted off the bike for the first time since last week's trip to Brighton and headed off into the country lanes with a couple of the guys. Felt good to be out and we managed to steal some Spring sunshine. The route wasn't billed as a hilly one but there was a fair bit of rolling road with a few punchy little climbs thrown in for good measure.
At this time of year, I know base miles count but i've found that my biggest progress in the last year has been my leg power and I think that comes down to sprints and hill climbs. As often as I can, I sprint up the shorter hills until my legs give out or I reach the top - whichever comes first! I think this helps with learning to recover quickly too.
In the end it was 55 pretty hard miles with a few bonus climbs thrown in at the end. I was pretty ruined by the time I got home and had to chuck a protein bar down my throat and slip into something more comfortable - my Maxgear compression tights.......