This morning, I headed out on my bike for the first time since returning from Zambia.
I initially tried to keep up with some of HC Velo's faster riders but fell back once we reached the hills, so went my own way. As usual I had my Garmin and Strava turned on, but I wasn't really interested in tracking PRs or segments and didn't even have a particular route in mind. I just wanted to ride again and ended up along some of my favourite roads that I had used many times during the months of training over the summer.
Although the sun was out, it was a bitterly cold morning (2C) and the temperature was just one of many things which were so different from the four days spent cycling in Zambia, where the temperature peaked on Day 4 at 46C.
There were cows in both places, but instead of goats, wild turkeys and the odd vulture there was the more familiar sight of sheep, crows and a couple of buzzards.
Instead of small groups of children and adults at the side of the road shouting "Hallo!", "How Are You?" and "Where Are You Going?", the only people I saw were other cyclists, and the only greeting a brief nod.
Instead of arid tracks of sand, gravel and the corrugations in Zambia, I had relatively smooth tarmac, with the odd pothole and a few puddles after the rain on Saturday.
Instead of old, beat-up trucks and people walking vast distances to the next village to pump water and buy or sell food and provisions for the day, there were just a few people out in their Range Rovers, BMWs and Audis, probably off for the Sunday papers or to meet friends for coffee or brunch.
And of course, instead of mud huts, I rode past some very large mansions, some owned by Premier League footballers.
The contrasts really got me thinking and many great memories of the people I met and places we went came flooding back.
Of course at the back of it were our thoughts for Jayne's family and prayers for a speedy recovery for Julia and her return to the UK.
In the end I cycled just over 70km which was the distance we should have cycled about 10 days ago before the tragic events of Wednesday 26th September cut short our challenge. I managed to get all of the Zambian sand out of my shoes and cobwebs out of my brain. As a result, hopefully the great memories will keep coming back and will remain there for a long time.
Just over a week after our return from Zambia, we have had an initial update on the fundraising target. As of Friday, the Cycle Zambia Challenge has raised £219,000 which is just £8,000 short of the recored set last year by the South Africa Challenge. 
