Look - Knees!

When a winter drags on as long as it did this year, it's easy to forget that the air can ever be warm again.

But yesterday was a delightful reminder that we do have balmier days when we can wear fewer layers. So, although I still had three layers on my top half, I was actually in shorts for the first time in 2010 when I headed out for a much-needed twenty-miler.

Twenty miles gets me to the top of my hill at Hartest and it's long enough to get a fair assessment of my current strength and fitness. In that sense, also, yesterday's ride was a pleasant surprise. I was a bit anxious at first and felt the first couple of hills out of town but that's partly because I was riding faster than I realised.

Once I was some way into the route I realised I was riding strongly and taking the gradients well. The 'Hartest test' was taken one gear higher than usual and it was great to feel some power in my legs rather than just aches and pains!

I did the ten miles in about 43 minutes. After a short break I headed for home, knowing I had just enough time before sunset, if I didn't hang around.

So I didn't, and the slightly more gentle climbs on the return trip were all much more enjoyable than a week ago, while I kept up a good speed on the flat sections too, arriving home in 38 minutes.

This meant my total time for the twenty miles was close to my personal best for this bike - my heavy mountain bike. After a winter of inactivity, that was pretty pleasing!

I'll never be Lance Armstrong but I will make it across the Alps this September, starting in Le Havre, through Paris and across France, Germany, Austria and maybe Switzerland, and down to Venice.

Of course, I'm keen to collect sponsorship - including a suitable bike if possible - and you can donate to my two favourite charities via the Just Giving widgets on this page.

Roy