they weren’t needed this afternoon, but another 2-3 inches of rain coming over the next 4 days. This area often has standing water after big storms, even during the recent drought years.
Low snow levels in the Sierra mountains, you gotta zoom in a little to see it:
Nice negative split on power (yellow trend line) during the business end of this 2.4 hour ride. Now I just need to survive another 2 or 3 rides on the trainer during this next set of storms!
Can we change this to the 'Where did you ride OUTSIDE eventually ’ thread. Friday evenings forecast looked horrible
and a few folk said they were giving it a miss. So I thought I’d do like wise and sign up for an online TT. I finished 2nd but there was only 7 riders today. I maybe should have rode it on Tues night as there was a bigger field and my time would have been first.
So I stepped off the turbo about 21.5mins later to find I was in the same spot What I actually found was a growing WhatsApp conversation. A few folk had went out and whilst it did look a bit showery and blowy, it wasn’t half as bad as the forecasted heavy rains and strong constant winds and it looked like it was drying.
Just when I was really about to kick my self though I thought rather than do that Id get some fresh air. When I got out to the country lanes I thought I’d check their local pub (about 10 miles from me) and sure enough they were there. I didn’t end up doing as many miles as my improvised plan for some reason . I ended up taking a slightly longer way back with one of my mates who hadn’t went out first thing either.
I rode out of town (Peterborough) with some mates to meet some other mates for a gravel/ mudfest. As we often do we headed to the Fineshade mtb cafe and whilst somefolk headed home a group of us went on to Wakerly Woods and the track round an old airfield. It was that day between mild and wet period and a freezing but dry period so whilst it was blustery and muddy it was about as good as you get at this time of year.
That was a big puddle and took up the entire lane, thankfully no cars coming so I rode over the yellow line. The shoulder that I usually ride on was about 3 feet deep
Very little traffic as it was a holiday for a lot of folks, but not me I had back to back meetings starting at 7am.
Turning south onto Sloughhouse in between 4 minute z5 intervals:
A quickie at the end of the day for me. I haven’t done a late afternoon ride in quite a long time. After getting delayed with a Zoom (my fault for saying, “sure, right now for <30min”), I got out at 4:35p instead of before 4p. That mattered a bit because when I needed to get home to fire up the BBQ. The ride plan was to work toward reclaiming a Local Legend I lost yesterday (a climb, of course), but getting out 30min late and falling snow meant I did not have the time.
The picture is the location of my decision point (the saddle in the elevation chart). Do I continue across the bridge to the right, cross a road and ascend that side of the valley to (start to) reclaim my LL (I’d be tied with the thief :)) or left and do my “fav” local ascent? Time dictated I go left, which meant no more climbing once I got up the hill.
Bonus pic… my new RTP (ready to paint) frame at the painter’s, where I visited yesterday to select the colors. New Bike Day will be in March, but maybe in April.
Sounds like last night, I got home a little late, which would have been fine but I forgot about cleaning the BBQ as it hasn’t been used since Christmas Day when I made standing pork roast. And pork ‘seasoning’ doesn’t sound good with grilled chilean sea bass with with a butter/garlic/parsley drizzle (? I’m not a chef).
We finally got a beautiful sunny day, temps a little chilly but nothing like a California sunny day…
roads south of here were closed, so I had to wait for 2 cars (Waze!) before slowly crossing that puddle. And then I snapped one of Mt Diablo because it was so clear today:
The story is in German, but your browser can translate the story, if you’re inclined to visit the gifted link (I subscribe to this news service for the towns around Lake Zurich). This story centers on a town on the other side of the lake, and I have not seen frog signs on our side.
Here’s the gist:
Are the frogs really already on their way?
It’s January and icy cold. Nevertheless, panels have already been set up in Küsnacht to draw attention to the amphibian hikes - as early as never before.
Because nights with temperatures from 5 degrees and humid weather are a signal for grass frogs, toads and mountain newts to make their way to their spawning waters, says Fierz. In recent weeks, these conditions have already been met a few times.
Although the length of the day also plays a role in the start of the hikes, in recent years and decades - triggered by climate change - there have already been more and more shifts to the winter months. If the first amphibian hikes were previously observed mainly in March, the animals have often made their way to their spawning places in February in recent years.
With all the recent rain, and kicking off a new year at work, I’ve fallen into a bit of a rut. Stagnation my coach said before saying plateau, but I insisted on stagnation. Tonight’s ride is dedicated to the J. Geils band:
“Miles ago, no destination
Is it real, hallucination
Lose the dream, stagnation”
Days like today, when you didn’t sleep much and feel like crap, thats when you fight back the urge to blow off the ride and just start pedaling with no destination
Frosty morning again, still great to be outside in January. Probably the most outside miles I’ve managed in January. Between the weather and my new unemployed lifestyle and my commitment to ride outside when ‘reasonable’ It’s been fantastic!
ETA: Looked back, January 2023 outside mileage is more than all outside mileage combined from previous years
-4 deg C at dawn but it was predicted to rise to +4deg C in the Not surprisingly the group road ride in the morning was called off but given the forecast I decided to go out on the gravel bike.
I went out to Elton then down to Warmington Mill, before cutting down through Ashton Estate. Being so nice I decided to loop round by the Polebrook byway. My original plan after the Ashton Estate was to go on the road round Blatherwycke, but I saw a byway I’d done a few other times the other way. I got half way through then I took a wrong turning (I should have took a tiny track rather than following the vehicle track). After getting back on track (no pun intended), I eventually got to a field and the gravel bike just sank into it. I had followed a tread pattern and assumed it was solid enough but the extra 2kg I put on over Christmas was too much and the bike sank and totally clogged up. When I got back to the road light was beginning to fade so I came back on road via Kings Cliffe, Apethoroe, Nassington and Elton to Peterborough.
A few of the pics and I get a bit snap happy though when its
It was forecast -6 deg C when my mates met. I usually meet them at that time but they said they were going to a cafe near me in Peterborough so I had a lie in and met them there and let the temperature rise to -4 deg C Lol, I was early as usual. So I did a few laps of the access road to stay warm (a relative term). After 3 or 4 laps I thought I’d better check the cafe, maybe they were even earlier The cafe had a sign up “closed on Sundays for the next few weeks” There’s a cafe next door (arguably a better one) but it doesn’t open till 10am. So we went out into the flat Fens on the riverside path to Dog in a Doublet (its the pub where the cycle path bridges over the river to a track on the other side). That warmed me up at first and then we hit the freezing fog. I think Garmin recorded wind chill but it gives you an idea
From the cafe (the one that opens at 10am) we headed back towards their village, with the aim of a pub stop in Wansford. I then cycled with them to their village and headed back to Peterborough so I could clean my bike in the light today
Was planning 4 hours, but a fresh inch of snow overnight ruined the original planned start time. Avg. of 23*F(-5C). Roads were wet with the melted snow, which the bike sprayed all over itself and then froze instantly. Finally found a situation that causes problems for a Varia Radar tail light
What I actually found was a growing WhatsApp conversation. A few folk had went out and whilst it did look a bit showery and blowy, it wasn’t half as bad as the forecasted heavy rains and strong constant winds and it looked like it was drying.
. I ended up taking a slightly longer way back with one of my mates who hadn’t went out first thing either.
Not surprisingly the group road ride in the morning was called off but given the forecast I decided to go out on the gravel bike.
Lol, I was early as usual. So I did a few laps of the access road to stay warm (a relative term). After 3 or 4 laps I thought I’d better check the cafe, maybe they were even earlier 
The cafe had a sign up “closed on Sundays for the next few weeks” There’s a cafe next door (arguably a better one) but it doesn’t open till 10am. So we went out into the flat Fens on the riverside path to Dog in a Doublet (its the pub where the cycle path bridges over the river to a track on the other side). That warmed me up at first and then we hit the freezing fog. I think Garmin recorded wind chill but it gives you an idea 
