Top banana

It’s raining. Again. Let’s face it, summer’s over. Gone is the sweltering British humidity, only to be replaced by the increasingly common British monsoon. The other day some places saw a month’s worth of rain in a couple of hours.

So, with such perfect seasonal weather, what better time to embark on an epic cycle ride from Newcastle to Edinburgh?

Last year's cycle trip – at the highest point of the National Cycle Network and not a banana in sight

Mentioning the cycle trip to people has spurred a range of different responses. Some people are impressed at the energetic nature of the holiday. Others offer sage advice – one author informed me that saddle soreness was merely a symptom that the saddle is the wrong height, and that gel-padded seats are a worthwhile investment. And others repeat spurious stories they’ve been duped with over time…

One colleague informed me that the best thing for saddle soreness was a banana.

‘A banana?’ I asked.

‘Yes,’ she replied, ‘I’m told a lot of top cyclists put bananas in their cycling shorts to combat soreness.’

‘Really?’

‘Yes.’

‘As in “Are you keeping yourself comfortable, or are you just pleased to see me?”?’

Cue blushing, little bit of fluster, and my colleague cursing some japesome friend of hers.