CENTRAL PERK
Jack Thurston is barrelling along with the unchecked enthusiasm of a man unburdened by complex assignments and tight deadlines. “I’m just loving this ride,” he exclaims, as we hit the foot of yet another sharp climb in a part of England that he only halfjokingly, I think, calls the ‘Leicestershire Alps’.
There is, undoubtedly, a lot to love, with mile upon mile of pin-drop quiet lanes piercing this magnificently and, somewhat unexpectedly for me, undulating land. But that isn’t why Jack is so happy. Well, obviously, in part, it is; this is an author who’s built a career on routing lanes exactly like this one for cyclists throughout his Lost Lanes series of books, which is now a collection of five. No, he is loving it largely because his work on his latest route compendium, short of a few media assignments like this one, is done.
The last time Jack was here, on a day last year that was even greyer and colder than this, he was deep into the work on the, released in May. That meant coming up with a suitable route, and all the trial and error that involves, inside a couple of days. There’s a pressure that comes with that and, now unshackled from cumbersome planning and logistics, Jack is able to enjoy the fruits of his labour. And enjoy them, we shall.
