Not your ride today....

[gavgav]

I feel your pain. Wash out last Sunday because of the weather, but forecast for today was reasonable last Monday. Unfortunately, as the week wore on the forecast got progressively worse, and today was another wash out .

The coming week looks even worse 😩

 

[ColinJ]

I had forgotten that this thread existed but @RickshawPhil has just posted a reminder elsewhere, so here I am, making excuses for why I have not done a ride today....

I did a good forum ride with @Dadam last Saturday despite having a few warning signs that I was coming down with yet another winter bug. Sure enough, I woke up on Sunday with rapidly developing cold symptoms. 🤢

The lurgy seemed to get bored of living in my nose and sinuses after a couple of days, so it moved south to check out my lungs. As a result, while my lungs are not getting a workout on my bike, violent bouts of coughing are giving them an unpleasant form of indoor interval training!

It has been one of those sickly winters. Not so much 'two steps forward, one step back', more like 'two steps forward, two steps back'!

I probably won't ride again for at least another week so I am spending my downtime planning rides for when I am feeling better, and when the weather has improved. Which reminds me - it is time to update the thread for my second 2026 forum ride. Be there, or...

... be somewhere else instead!

 

[wiggydiggy]

'two steps forward, two steps back' sums up my January as well. Februarys not got off to a good start either. I've optmistically booked a desk in the office for next thursday, current forecast is rain all the way to Wed so I'm not confident that won't get cancelled.

Friend of mine sent me some pic of his new chainset ("New cog thingies" he called it) so when we meet next week for a liquid catch up we'll get a ride organised I'm sure.

 

[cyberknight]

Club ride planned today but i bailed when i realised it would mean close to 70 miles for me by the time i got home and the forecast was cold and wet which turned out to be true .

 

[C R]

I'm trying to work out a route that avoids the flood road closures, but I would end up riding on A roads mostly, some of them a bit too narrow and fast for my liking. Keep looking.

 

[biggs682]

The roads were very wet on my morning trundle it was full time concentrating on avoiding the pot holes and the unknown what lays below puddles

 

[sevenfourate]

Quite a few rides from me in January; inc 2 x qualifying rides in the 50k / 50 mile Challenge. But with 2 of my riding buddies currently AWOL and a constant flood (sic) of wet, dull, grey days coming….. my motivation of a moist, cold solo ride has waned since.

As soon as it’s even semi pleasant at a weekend - or even a weekday so I can make a decent ride into work; I’ll be back in the saddle. But the notion of doing it ‘just because’ in miserable conditions isn’t happening…..

 

[ColinJ]

A stroll to Lidl and Aldi yesterday evening told me that it would be sensible not to do even a gentle turbo trainer ride while my cold symptoms linger on.

I am not feeling too bad when sitting quietly (apart from my nose and chest still being congested) but even mild exertion still makes my heart rate shoot up.

I am not in a hurry to repeat the foolishness described below!

I thought about [recovery from a cold that I had been suffering from] before I set off up a local 12% climb, about 60 minutes before I came round in a pile of damp leaves on the wrong side of a dry stone wall towards the top of that climb...!

(I was clearly not as over the illness as I'd thought that I was. The strain of the climb got to me and I started to feel really wobbly on the bike so I got off and sat on the wall, but then realised that I was going to black out. I just had time to put my bike over the wall and clamber over, then - *POW* - out cold. I felt really wretched when I woke up. I turned round, headed straight home, and spent several more days in bed before I started to make a proper recovery.)

As for the weather...

The roads were very wet on my morning trundle it was full time concentrating on avoiding the pot holes and the unknown what lays below puddles

My sister tells me that her local roads in Devon have taken a real hammering from recent flooding. Many of the potholes that had gradually been fixed over the past 5 years are now back. Oh, super!

I had put up with playing dodge-the-pothole for over 4 years and may have to start doing that again. I hope that the council can get most of the holes fixed before I cycle on those roads again in April.

As soon as it’s even semi pleasant at a weekend - or even a weekday so I can make a decent ride into work; I’ll be back in the saddle. But the notion of doing it ‘just because’ in miserable conditions isn’t happening…..

I am much more picky about riding in poor weather these days, which is why I have a smart turbo trainer permanently set up in the corner of my bedroom!

 

[sevenfourate]

Anyone else’s ‘SAD’ symptoms / feelings get worse with age ?

I mean I’ve not been diagnosed, I’m not manically depressive or anything: but living like a mole in Winter gets worse with my increasing years…..

 

[sevenfourate]

A stroll to Lidl and Aldi yesterday evening told me that it would be sensible not to do even a gentle turbo trainer ride while my cold symptoms linger on.

I am not feeling too bad when sitting quietly (apart from my nose and chest still being congested) but even mild exertion still makes my heart rate shoot up.

I am not in a hurry to repeat the foolishness described below!



As for the weather...

My sister tells me that her local roads in Devon have taken a real hammering from recent flooding. Many of the potholes that had gradually been fixed over the past 5 years are now back. Oh, super!

I had put up with playing dodge-the-pothole for over 4 years and may have to start doing that again. I hope that the council can get most of the holes fixed before I cycle on those roads again in April.


I am much more picky about riding in poor weather these days, which is why I have a smart turbo trainer permanently set up in the corner of my bedroom!

Each to their own Col - and I’m truly glad you’ve found a dry / warm respite to Winters offerings; but I’m an accidental cyclist who just enjoys being outside. As you can no doubt tell from the plethora of photos on my posts. Indoor riding is about as appealing as chewing stinging nettles to me. I’d rather not and hence don’t 😂

 

[ColinJ]

Anyone else’s ‘SAD’ symptoms / feelings get worse with age ?

I mean I’ve not been diagnosed, I’m not manically depressive or anything: but living like a mole in Winter gets worse with my increasing years…..

I definitely suffer from it. It is like a switch goes off in my head.

I was sitting out in my back yard one day which had very variable weather conditions. Sun shining brightly (I feel great, must get out on bike, do shopping, tackle some of those jobs...); thick black clouds blow in, blocking the sunlight (woe is me, the bike can stay where it is, I bet that it will rain and catch me out if I walked to the shops, I can't be arsed with jobs today...). The clouds blow away and the sun reappears (I feel great, must get out on bike, do shopping, tackle some of those jobs...)!!

These days I just get into a winter routine and pretty much ignore the outside world and weather as much as possible. I am a retired grumpy old singleton though, so I can get away with that. Obviously, anybody who has to interact with other people can't do it.

I have considered getting a passport again and spending my winters on the Costa Blanca. I have watched a few videos recently of pro cycling teams training and racing there and they reminded me how much better the climate there is. I would need to start earning again though to be able to afford it.

Each to their own Col - and I’m truly glad you’ve found a dry / warm respite to Winters offerings; but I’m an accidental cyclist who just enjoys being outside. As you can no doubt tell from the plethora of photos on my posts. Indoor riding is about as appealing as chewing stinging nettles to me. I’d rather not and hence don’t 😂

The thing is, even with the turbo trainer I only average about 10 hours a week moving around. I average around 158 hours a week on my sofa or in bed! Without the turbo I would be sedentary for nearer 163/168 of the week in bad weather and counting the days to a heart attack or some other serious health condition! (Also, even though I am only staring at computer graphics on a big screen, at least I am virtually cycling round nice looking sunny mountains and coastal roads.)

 

[sevenfourate]

I definitely suffer from it. It is like a switch goes off in my head.

I was sitting out in my back yard one day which had very variable weather conditions. Sun shining brightly (I feel great, must get out on bike, do shopping, tackle some of those jobs...); thick black clouds blow in, blocking the sunlight (woe is me, the bike can stay where it is, I bet that it will rain and catch me out if I walked to the shops, I can't be arsed with jobs today...). The clouds blow away and the sun reappears (I feel great, must get out on bike, do shopping, tackle some of those jobs...)!!

These days I just get into a winter routine and pretty much ignore the outside world and weather as much as possible. I am a retired grumpy old singleton though, so I can get away with that. Obviously, anybody who has to interact with other people can't do it.

I have considered getting a passport again and spending my winters on the Costa Blanca. I have watched a few videos recently of pro cycling teams training and racing there and they reminded me how much better the climate there is. I would need to start earning again though to be able to afford it.


The thing is, even with the turbo trainer I only average about 10 hours a week moving around. I average around 158 hours a week on my sofa or in bed! Without the turbo I would be sedentary for nearer 163/168 of the week in bad weather and counting the days to a heart attack or some other serious health condition! (Also, even though I am only staring at computer graphics on a big screen, at least I am virtually cycling round nice looking sunny mountains and coastal roads.)

Oh I hear you. And that’s the same 10+ hours a week I spend outside walking my dog. Horses for courses !

Fingers crossed the 🌤️ pokes its head out for you soon. *Here’s a couple from this Morning in Gt Yarmouth, Norfolk. Which i jumped out of bed and embraced 😁

 

[travellingwest]

Anyone else’s ‘SAD’ symptoms / feelings get worse with age ?

I mean I’ve not been diagnosed, I’m not manically depressive or anything: but living like a mole in Winter gets worse with my increasing years…..

If you don't have full on SAD, you probably have the 'winter blues'. I started suffering about 11 years ago, or at least that's when I noticed it and joined up some dots. Since then, I take Vit D3 every winter starting in late September to build it up. That will help replenish what we don't get from being in sunshine and that's what causes the winter blues and SAD. If you can, get out in daylight for a little while. Even if it's in 10 mins doses, it helps, especially if you are under artificial light a lot during the day (as I am at work).

 

[ColinJ]

Oh I hear you. And that’s the same 10+ hours a week I spend outside walking my dog. Horses for courses !

Fingers crossed the 🌤️ pokes its head out for you soon. *Here’s a couple from this Morning in Gt Yarmouth, Norfolk. Which i jumped out of bed and embraced 😁

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I probably wouldn't still be in bed now if I had woken up to that rather than a very gloomy and wet Calder Valley!

The hills round here are great to be up on in good weather but definitely not in weather like this! And the towns in the valley feel claustrophobic when the surrounding hills are covered in mist.

Right, time to get up for brunch and to recharge my phone - the sofa awaits!

(I am also going out to the shops again before the heavy rain returns later on.)

 

[cyberknight]

made the right choice as i have just seen the photos on the club whats app page and they look wet and cold .