5~7°C, grey, dank and a S breeze
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/328970721
Slow but long. 4h 40′ and the headlight lasted (though the orange warning light came on). Better still, the phone’s battery (a Motorola g6) ran down to 87%. My old phone (a Samsung S3) could run flat in less than 3 hours and I had to carry a booster at all times.
A good outing. Good figures and a good feeling afterwards. There was a time when a metric century was the normal for a Sunday ride.
5°C, strong SE, dry and clear, moonlight
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3285512167
I love it, the blackness and a probing circle of light to ride into. Potholes and ripples in the tarmac are in sharp relief in the headlight. Either side, wet fields and distant streetlights. This is such a nice route. Nobody in sight and a light tailwind. I got home with hunger setting in and cold fingertips.
…not really.
11°C, W wind with clear sky. Dry of course.
Not the ride I wanted. The canal section was spoiled by a fishing competition and then a puncture. The self-sealing tubes failed to seal the leak. I blew the tyre up and rode as far as the pressure allowed and then inflated it again. Eventually the valve broke off inside the pump (see above). That stopped everything; no longer was there a possibility of swapping the tube or patching because there was no way to pump it up. The walk home was 2 miles. The sun shone.
11°C, sun and cold wind. Rain to finish.
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3280048873
Besides that, here’s an anecedote. The bike got quite muddy on this outing so normally I’d hose it down. Today, I have no access to a hose. Instead, I used a watering can and.poured it from height. Soon it stopped with a blockage. In the nozzle was a little face poking out.
The can was stored near the bins along with another one so I swapped them. The face was a field mouse that must have drowned. A sad and sorry end. Worse though, the other watering can also had a mouse’s corpse. I think we should store the cans inverted I told mum.
8°C, clear sky with brisk W wind and cold.
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3279276373
Here’s a first, an off-road ride in the dark . The hard contrast from the light make ruts and pits easy to spot. Last night’s rain made the surface quite squelchy, that back wheel didn’t always follow the front. I did not fall.
It’s been a fun day. First thing, I visited a geology muse in Birmingham, The Lapworth Museum. This fossil as a cast, you can see that in close-up. Bits of white plaster show between the grey. I think the grey is graphite powder that was rubbed in.
Anyway, Lapworth us a well laid out museum with plenty of interesting exhibits. I highly recommend it. There is a rock wall made of samples and a key. I played the game of guessing and then looked up each type to make a score. I got about 1/3 correct. Clearly, I need to read up on peridotite.
11°C, some rain early, brighter later on, brisk SW.
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3272450158
A sluggish ride but that doesn’t matter, it’s December. The fitness miles don’t start until January. Winter miles lead to summer smiles, as they say without cringing.
8°C, short sharp showersh.
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3270371716
Battered in blustery showers. Apart from some dramatic skies, there were no great events to report. The Arrow bike has a new lease of life currently. I’ve taken the rack off and it handles very nicely. It’s the best bike for these winter road rides.
5°C, stormy return in headwind.
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3266109343
The idea was to ride to the beach machines and drop into the bank. Actually, that went to plan but the rain arrived early. Then the return was a slog into the wind and rain where speed dropped as low as 7mph. The route was flat too, a-hem. Both hands and feet were cold by the finish, more because of the wet despite extra layers.
5°C, grey but calm.
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3261885259
A short outing, a circuit around Southport today. I’m really enjoying riding the Arrow. It’s happy on the muddy roads and the gears are close enough to get the right cadence.
This, I think, is probably the culprit. This bird’s regular visits explains why I have no more frogs in the pond. dammit.
7~9°C, clear with cold easterly. 0 cloud.
https://www.mapmyride.com/workout/3253994575
This ride felt like an uphill push the whole time. Partly caused by the easterly wind. Unlike the Midlands, I had no option to plan a route in some directions, the Irish sea prevents some route choices.
Note to self: fit new blocks on the front brakes.
Micycle 