I love cycling, anyone who has been here for longer than 5 mins knows that, but this week, WOW, things have just got so much better, I remember thinking how good I felt, back to April when I did my first 115 mile week of the year, that was on road, on a road bike, pretty much easy roads too and here I am , in December, cycling off road, in the snow and ice, on a MTB doing the same amount of miles .
Snowy Manchester
Thursday evening was a watershed moment for me, my pace was SHOCKING, I thought that I didn’t want to do this any more,my legs were dead, i didn’t have any energy and my bottle had gone (Remember the last time it snowed, I ended up in HOSPITAL) but then I realised , things have changed, I have a bike for the conditions, I am a MUCH better cyclist and I WANT THIS, I want it so bad right now I cant even begin to tell you…I started to think that last weeks trip to hospital might be the culprit…but then I thought, that’s just an excuse man !
Still doubting myself after Thursday night, Friday morning it was Minus 11 !!!!!!…I decided to go on road to work, however, by the time I got of my road and onto the main road I had come off, nothing major, I wasn’t hurt, bike is fine but then, combined with Thursday evening I knew what I needed to do….and that was get off road and get back to fighting and having fun…. So I did:
And WHAT A View I was greeted with:
Cycling In The Snow ! (Looking Back at where I came from)
Its been a while since I was down there in the day light, this reminded me of what its all about !
Coming upto a bit where you are foced to get off to get though the gate I thought I’d snap the SEXY Cube.
Cube Ltd Team 2011 in the SNOW !
The next 4 miles were pretty hellish TBH, I was , Minus 11 when I left, the Canal always feels colder than the road, mainly due to lack of car emissions etc ,my feet were in so much PAIN I couldn’t think straight , the last mile was on road and was again, more slippy than the canal and I hated it,the driver (like they have been all week) were SHOCKING, but the sense of achievement once I got to work was AMAZING.
My Hat & Scarf had become victims of the weather however and had frozen to death 
and my water had that much Ice in it, that it had turned to SLUSH !
Frozen Scarf and Hat
Friday night I snapped some pretty great beam shots of my Magicshine, will post them up next week, but for now, I am sitting back and relaxing after a great week.
Great pics Gaz, excellent work and I bet the rides along the canal in the snow are very entertaining!
Cheers
Si
Cheers Mate, Its gotta be the most fun I have had cycling for a long time.
Cracking pics mate, the cut is a giggle ain’t it!
Lov’in every second mate. Just ordered a Studded tyre for the front end, don’t fancy another topple TBH.
I’m getting more and more frustrated, waiting for this stuff to clear from the roads. I, very much, like the idea of getting a bike to suit the conditions. You seem to have cracked the problem and defeated a few ice demons as well. Go for it! Cheers
Get yourself a nice MTB mate, In fact, not even a nice one, I’d say anything with Disk brakes TBH (To ensure you can keep your speed controlled) but that said, I want to BEAT the CRAP of my new Cannondale and cant
There is at least 2-3 months of this weather left yet mate, lets see if by March , if I can really say those ice daemons have been defeated
Gaz