- Would bananas appreciate spinning almost effortlessly along country lanes; with the feeling that everything is flowing smoothly, hedgerows sliding past, and hardly any sound except the birds, and the tyres on the road?
- Would bananas gain a sense of satisfaction from covering 68 miles, lifting the Eddington number to 47, and bringing the annual mileage a bit closer to being back on plan?
- Would bananas help to navigate a couple of complicated bits of route, that could have saved a few miles if I hadn't got muddled?
- Would bananas have been interested in visiting an early Georgian church, that turned out to be locked when we got there?
- Would bananas have been suitably impressed by the size and defences of the Roman town of Calleva at Silchester, not to mention the size and security measures at the Atomic Weapons Establishment in nearby Aldermaston.
- When I drifted off my planned route, I ended up embroiled in the roadworks at the A33 / M4 Junction 11. Would bananas have understood that the point where the plan falls apart is the point where the real adventure begins, and enjoyed discovering a new route into Reading down the "wrong" side of the canal?
- Would bananas have helped to lift the bike over the extended barriers in Reading that are supposed to discourage motorbikes from using the towpath. I don't know how effectively they discourage motorbikes, but they are an almost completely effective deterrent to a touring bike.
- Would bananas feel a sense of fellowship with the other cyclists who are out enjoying a day in the country, including the man who was cycling home from a meeting of Harley Davidson enthusiasts?
In each case, I think the answer is no.
I don't think bananas are really cut out for a day like today. They wouldn't enjoy it. To take one with me would have been cruel. I'm glad I left them all sitting in the fruit bowl. It was an act of kindness, not the mistake that some people might have thought.
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