My plan for this morning had been to get out early and enjoy the deserted roads down by the South Coast. The weather forecast wasn't too favourable, with heavy rain predicted from early light. Despite this, I wanted, in fact, I needed to get out on the bike, so I didn't set an alarm (don't really have to these days) and naturally woke up around 06:30. By 07:00 the bike was out of the garage and I was heading out just as the skies started to brighten.
Brighten is probably going a bit far, because by the time I got to Lulworth Cove it was still fairly murky.
I parked up down by the water and just stood there watching the waves crash up against the shore, listening to the wind and emptying my mind of all my troubles and problems.
It was beautiful.
I was running through a series of bends and as I leant the bike over to the right as the corner crested a hill, the front tucked. Not full on, but enough to make the heart miss a beat. I found myself say 'jesus' inside my helmet, the irony of which, wasn't lost on me in the slightest.
At Sandbanks, the skies were brighter, but the wind was throwing the waves up onto the shore. There were a few people out; running, walking their dogs and for me, being a Londoner, seeing the sea is still a magical experience. Its so vast, but yet so fragile. Incredibly hard, but also strangely forgiving. If there is one thing I change in 2016, it will be the time that I sit down, take a moment and just let the waves falling on the shore be my therapy and antidote to life's troubles.