No time trial last week. I had too much on with work, including late nights and early mornings in the city. However, I did do 8 x 80 metres of sprints this morning. Back to the time trials later this week.

I was just thinking to myself, where was I nine and ten years. I had to check, and here are the answers. Ten years ago today I arrived in the southern California town of Brawley, having run alongside the Salton Sea earlier in the day. The Salton Sea is well below sea level, which had me confused for a while when the altimeter on my watch was showing negative.

Nine years ago today I ran into the southern French town of Mauressargues, staying at a lovely B&B we’d visited a couple of years earlier while cycling. Two days later I reached Malaucene at the base of Mont Ventoux.