The second in Megi Rychlikova's blogs as she prepares to ride the Tour de Yorkshire cycletta for women.

All winter, my cycling has been restricted to commuting in town or riding fantasy rides on fixed bikes in a gym in front of a screen showing spectacular American countryside.

I've "ridden" up some incredible mountains I would struggle to get up on foot, let alone on a real bike. But now the warmer weather is finally here, I can get out on a real bike in real countryside.

The first ride of Spring is always slightly nervous while I discover if my legs have remembered the different lighter feel of my hybrid bike, after months on my heavy town bike with its panniers and mudguards.

My light hybrid bike has neither. But in less than a mile, all that was forgotten as I crossed the ring road and was out on beautifully empty roads with no parked cars pushing me into a line of constantly passing traffic, no pedestrians about to step without looking into my path, and masses and masses of space to avoid the potholes.

Town riding is technical and stressful. Country riding is bliss, not least because villages have pubs.

I hasten to say I don't drink and cycle, which is as illegal as drink-driving. But pubs also have coffee, especially the increasing number catering for cyclists.

Coffee is just what I need after two hours hard riding and I rank pubs by the quality of their coffee, not their beer. Pubs also have cake, but as I'm on a diet, that is off the menu for me.

There are side effects of getting out into the countryside. My first ride was straight into a strong headwind for a whole exhausting hour. Once I turned for home, I was flying up the hills and tried to convince myself this was because my legs were stronger, and not the strong tailwind blowing me home.

The next ride was colder, so I put on all my cold weather cycling gear and told myself I would be warm once I got going. How wrong I was. Most of me did warm up, but my toes never did. Two hours cycling with frozen toes is not much fun.

Roll on the Spring.