Spring has arrived. I went for a quick spin round on the tarmac last night, mainly because due to commitments and apathy I haven’t been out for a couple of weeks. I also wanted to give my new brake pads a warm up and get them bedded in a bit before the weekend.

While it wasn’t quite “strip down to my Speedos” temperature last night, it was almost balmy in comparison to the last couple of months.

My route was a ragged circle, taking me from home, up The Mount, down Hawks Hill, round behind Leatherhead Leisure Centre then out and up Downs Way. At this point a strange nostalgia came over me and the next few sections of the ride took me back to my childhood, as I rode along the roads and tracks that I used to cycle when I was first allowed out on a bike on my own. I headed up to Windmill Drive, then round past the home of The Stig and out to the back of the old Blind School. After coming down Reigate Road to Highlands Road, I went down Highlands Avenue passed the house where I grew up.

From here I cycled back out toward the Epsom Road, then down Garlands and Copthorne Roads to the Plough roundabout. I took my life in my hands and rode along Randalls Road, then out toward Leatherhead Crematorium, and finally down River Lane back toward Fetcham.

It was at Fetcham Splash that I got the real proof of it being spring, and more than warm enough for all manner of outdoor activities. I don’t know who was more surprised, the guy with the climactic look on his face sitting on the bench at Fetcham Splash, the girl on her knees who “had her mouth full” or me as the pair of them were suddenly lit up as I rode by!

It seems that both spring and young love are most definitely in the air!