Mars emerging (at 4 o’clock).
-°3C, clear and still .
I missed the start of the occultation (blame cloud) which ran from 4.58 to 5.56am. however, the re-emergence was clear while on my morning run. Using the outdoor gym was a problem because the machines were so cold.
Kona Jake, 5°C, light E, light overcast.
Icy weather is due in a few days. Let’s wait and see the best way to deal with running on frosty ground in the mornings. Meanwhile, I’ll bank some hours riding. This is the 4th day in a row with 25+ miles. I’ve got layers sorted out now so getting cold isn’t such a problem.
Light start, turned very heavy on the return leg. 9-7°C, strong wind and very heavy rain to coming home .
Just as the rain got heavier on the return leg. my route turned into a narrow strip of woodland by the river. There’s a few cottages and a narrow lane that leads to a school. At Eyes lane, anelderly runner zipped by in the other direction. What’s remarkable was that in the developing storm, he was naked from the waist up. Raindrops got larger in the squall. Was he heading back to jump in a sauna for that ho/cold shock thing that’s popular in scandinavia?
Note to self: at the café in I took a few minutes out to add some pressure to the rear wheel. As soon as I set.off, the bike felt renewed. The handling was crisp again and the bike seemed much faster.
10°C, light at first then rain. Heavy rain to return, included hail.
Kona Jake: missed exercise recently so set off thinking the forecast was exaggerated. I was cold on arriving at the cafe and got pelted with hail on the return.
16°C, strong wind.
Rode the Arrow because it’s too windy to use the single speed bike. The route worked well: head out downwind and come back along a route sheltered by more hedges.
Warmer and warmer. 12 – 16°C, unnaturally Hugh temperatures.
I’ve been for early runs 3 times this week, and used the Green Machines each time. Setoff was around 06.30 in darkness for about 25 minutes . This is a good habit despite that nagging ankle injury from the GR20.
Mustang: grey damp and no wind
Pushed back the ride to get some maintenance done. The Zing has a new chain that I failed to fit. Shimano chains have a single-use pin to close the chain. I broke it. The Jake also has a new KMC chain which was easy to fit but there’s a problem. The cassette is worn out on about 4 cogs. It’s the original on a 2015 bike, so that’s a decent life. The jockey wheels were almost toothless. Changed them too.
Great, an hour’s work and now 2 bikes are unrideable. At least I got a run this morning.
16°C, occasional showers, low sun in strong SW wind.
Each time I ride the Zing, I think it’s the last ride this season. The weather has been surprisingly mild, 17°C today. The problem is that my winter bike is so heavy in comparison. The fixed far better (when the wind is light).
Tarleton ditch: I took a bridle path towards Tarleton to get off the main road. Immediately after passing three folks, my rear wheel skipped. That tipped me off, the bike fell flat and I rolled down an embankment in the rushes. No harm done. I bet they weren’t expecting that. The youngest was walking on her phone but she hadn’t filmed it. I asked.
Banks Birdshot: on riding along the edge of RSPB by Gorse Derry, I could hear gunshots. A cloud of birds took off in front and more shots sounded out. Then the clatter of pellets swept across the grass. Some of them hit me.
Back to form. Ran this morning which was rather nice. My knee hurt at one point so I walked it off for a hundred metres. It worked. The ride was near enough a summer average speed. Perhaps last week I was fighting something off, was that the reason for low speeds?
Micycle 