Boxing day, crisp, cold and bright. Too good to miss the chance of a quick bike ride and a few photos. Neck warmer, skull cap, gloves and neoprene overshoes helped to keep the cold at bay. 
I headed for the Peak District. 
Looking through a millstone at the side of the road. 
A wind swept tree reminded me why progress was slow. 
I was at the side of the road fumbling with my camera when I realised I wasn't the only one daft enough to be out on sub-zero boxing day. 
And then I saw some more! 
Another cyclist. Here the road became incredibly icy as I gained height. Confidence in my smooth Continental City Contact tyres was becoming shaky at this point! I left the front brake well alone - squeezing the back brake on this type of surface (when riding in a straight line!) can give you valuable feedback on how much grip there is. Maybe studded tyres for the next icy ride? 
Big sky and a beautifully bleak frozen wilderness. 
A group of runners meeting at the roadside and heading onto the moors. They must be mad! 
Some thick ice at the roadside gave me a good incentive not to ride too close to the kerb. Wide road positioning meant that extra traffic awareness was called for. 
A frozen mill pond. Uphill with a headwind. Minus 10. Lovely and fresh. 
Very impressive riding conditions. Makes me feel really wussy right now for not riding just because of a little bit of rain ... roads were very slippery though .. maybe studded tyres for mossy wet roads? :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Groover, I'm sure your training schedule is anything but wussy!
ReplyDeleteThe studded tyres will certainly give you grip but will offer up a lot of road resistance as well. Mike