Weather

Friday is long run day. So I left work early, and managed to get home, changed and out by 4:30. Driving home, I thought the weather looked almost spring-like, and I was tempted to go out with just a couple of T-shirt layers on. I was glad I didn’t though, and instead opted for...
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Well three cheers and a "Huzzah!" for the weather this weekend - the roads were neither covered in snow, nor frozen with sheet ice! What better excuse do you need to get out in the elements and experience some wind-in-your-face cycling? I did one of my favourite loops, taking in the three hills at Sidegate, Stanley,...
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Something strange happened overnight - it warmed up, and the ice over all the roads and pavements pretty much vanished. I hadn’t noticed this before I left the house, so with my ice shoes on, I sounded like the cast of Riverdance going for a run. What I did notice was the weather: blowing a...
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So my plan today was to ride 40 miles. With the weather forecast sunny with light winds, it finally looked like I’d get to go outside and play. The initial idea was to ride south west towards Consett and into the wind, and then get an easy ride home. But out walking Huge Dalmatian,...
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My car was at the menders this morning (FOURTH time the turbo inter-cooler hose has come off. I would say, BAH!, but it’s all under warranty, so it’s inconvenient rather than costly). While the car was on the operating table, I could either lounge about and drink free cappuccinos… … or, seeing as I missed...
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To stop your bike getting stolen this winter . . . … hide it in the snow. Better still, get a friendly snow plough driver to bury it. That way if part of the bike is still visible, anyone wanting to steal it will either have to dig through the compacted ice &...
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I actually don’t have any bikes that are suitable for riding on either loose snow, or ice. Yeah, I know I could get / borrow a mountain bike, and then either buy or DIY some studded tyres for it. If I really wanted to, I could ride in this weather. But after my experiences last year,...
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The icy weather continues. To try and keep my bike legs in shape, I’m booked in for weekly spin classes (where, no doubt, some young slip of a girl in the front seat will kick my butt), but I was also intrigued by the idea of studded tyres for riding on ice & hard-packed...
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Here are the official unwritten* rules of weather forecasting if you’re going to be riding a bike: The official weather forecast is always wrong. It is always cycling weather. If you’re in any doubt about the Met Office’s nameless supercomputer ’s accuracy, you might be tempted to opt for more traditional methods - a bit of...
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I’ve got lapse. Very very lapse. These posts by Andy In Germany and Imagine No Cars reminded me that principals are actually important. More important than convenience. Somehow that ride to work (15-18 miles) is just too far. Then there are all those local trips - just a few miles, but always in a...
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