Next weekend will be the second running of Vélo Birmingham, though its been renamed Vélo Birmingham & Midlands as we now get sent to Coventry! Last time out in 2017 I rode as a Domestique and will be doing so again. That doesn’t mean I’m carrying lots of water filled bidons, rather along with others from the Boldmere Bullets will be riding the 100mile course looking for those that need a little extra help fixing a puncture or are in need of a gel because they have bonked. However I can tell I’m not quite as fit as I was in 2017, despite loosing some weight. There are a number of factors. I’m getting older for one and this time the Velo is in May rather than September. Looking back at my 2017 fitness on the Strava website extension Elevate I can see, relatively speaking, it was a bit better back then and I have a sense that I am not as fine tuned as I would like to be before a big effort. Thinking ahead to other potentially long rides and touring I need to better understand what makes the latter part of a long days ride a little less enjoyable than the first. Is it just fitness or is it something else?