Back yourself cycling

In Spanish they have a phrase to describe crazy people..."como una cabra", as mad as a goat. And it just so happens that in cycling terms this is the time of the year when people go a little crazy, make mad decisions or lose their focus and become as mad as a goat. I'm talking from personal experience here because I've gone a little 'loco' myself in Autumn time.  It can happen easily. There are a number of ways to lose sight of who you are. The easiest is food. Think about it... you have avoided the Rissoles or Taco chips from Christmas to September. You have denied yourself everything in order to climb hills like Sepp Kuss. By August your arms are so skinny you shop for T-shirts in the kids section of Penney's and your ribs are so visible that even a rampant, starving Grizzly bear would pass you by for lunch.  Then along comes Autumn. Never mind that your DNA tells you to store for the Winter like your knuckle-dragging Neolithic ancestors. Never mind that...

 Fall, Autumn, whatever you care to call it... now is the time to do what our ancestors did and hunker down for what's ahead. As a cyclist you can take a break and gather your thoughts or, indeed, you can race off-road and embrace the smell of upturned soil and power washers. For me it's an odd time in that I'm too old to stop for long, as if I don't use it, I'll lose it. So...I'll be in the woods haring around in the muck and I'll be out on the road in all conditions, frost, wind and rain. Why? Well, if you'd seen me at the pumpkin farm last weekend, having more fun than my kids, you'll know I love Autumn. I love the smells of ripe apples, the last minute work of the farmers in the fields, the unpredictable weather. Washing my bike after an epic spin in biblical weather does my heart good . You may not like washing filthy kit or lubing your bike 4 times a week but I do. In fact I'd go as far as to say that while this time might be Samhain  in th...