PEAK PERFORMANCE

BECAUSE THEY DON’T MAKE’EM LIKE THEY USED TO

“THE STEEL EXOSKELETON MEANS THE CX-T IS BASICALLY A MOBILE PANNIER RACK”

I start with a spot of sheep herding. Trickier than it looks, especially when two stand their ground, presumably as bemused by what’s doing the herding as I am to be doing it. By midday bemusement has given way to amusement. At the end I look as though I’ve had a vigorous dust bath during which elephants have gustily hosed me with powdery silt, an experience I seem to have thoroughly enjoyed. No seem about it, I did.

Although what ‘it’ is, is an altogether tougher nugget to crack. Definitely, as we shall discover, an endangered species. But not one that should ever be cooped up and simply ogled. Well adapted for its environment, too. Although I think even Darwin would struggle to identify which branch of the evolutionary tree this particular leaf sprang into life from.

But as is