Very nice thank you!
I met the lads in the car park and told them that I was worried about the near certainty of ice 'on the tops'. We talked about it and decided to stick to the planned route but proceed with extreme caution where necessary.
The sun was shining all day, but the air was really cold. The windchill on the descents was pretty bad but we were all wearing full winter kit so we coped with it.
Sure enough, we did start to encounter ice and slush across some of the really quiet lanes. A few times we were reduced to walking short stretches but 99% of the route was rideable.
It was soon obvious that DCLane and Hicky were coming through the winter much fitter than yours truly and tubbycyclist. I was slow and my legs didn't have any oomph, but I was actually quite pleased with how I coped given that I have had no exercise whatsoever since November 20th! I noticed that tc had dropped back before we got to Laneshaw Bridge and I waited for him and asked if he was okay. He said that he hadn't eaten enough and was close to bonking. He'd just eaten a banana but it hadn't been digested yet. We regrouped and rode round to the cafe at a gentle pace to save what was left of tc's energy.
It was nice to get in the warm for a while. I didn't check how long we spent in the cafe but it must have been close to an hour during which time I managed to consume one of the all-day veggie breakfasts which I'd been so miffed to miss out on the last time we called in at Coldwell in November.
We discussed the post-cafe ride home and decided to be sensible and knock about 8 miles off our planned route and return via Widdop Road, the most direct route. It was the right decision.
I think DCLane rode the whole steep Thursden climb but the rest of us walked parts of it. It is often covered in ice at this time of year, but for once, the local council had actually managed to grit it and so it was largely clear. I have to say that the 2 or 3 councils covering today's route had done a pretty good job for a change. Most of the roads were perfectly safe, and the only ones with dodgy ice patches were very minor.
We ended up doing 33 miles on a very cold day and I'm perfectly happy with that. Though the sunshine was great, it was so cold that I reckon I wouldn't have gone out without the motivation provided by my 3 fellow CycleChatters -
thanks chaps!
I didn't realise how chilled I was feeling but I'm sitting here now in front of a gas fire and I still feel pretty cold.
I hope it is a bit warmer for next weekend's forum ride which will be double the length of this one (though far less hilly)!
