The weather was overcast and blowy but very warm for the time of year and I felt great on the ride. The new way up to Billinge was fun. It starts by going across the dam, then through some woodland and finishes up along a fairly steep street before emerging on the main road through Billinge. It started pouring down as I headed away from Billinge and by the time I called in at my dads on the way home I was absolutely covered in road grime and the Giant was the filthiest it's ever been; I hosed it down in the garden but it still needs a proper wash and I ended up stripping off in the back porch and having a hot bath straight away when I got in. A wet ride but 26.9 miles to kick November off.
7th November: I was determined to get out the house for a quick ride today so ended up making what might have been a very daft decision! It had rained most of the previous night so I knew it might be slippy but when I got there I found a lot of the road was covered with a very thick layer of dead leaves; needless to say I rode the entire length of the Coach Road very, very gingerly and was very surprised not to have been dumped off the bike by the end of it. Anyhow, 15.5 more miles.
10th November: It's proving to be an extremely windy week this week so I'm determined to get out whenever I can, even if it's just shortish rides. With that in mind I drew this route in Garmin Connect and headed out.
It was extremely windy (the stirrings of storm Abigail as it turned out) but very warm so quite enjoyable overall with a few miles of completely unlit road which made me glad I had the Diablo lighting the road. Another 16.5 miles for November.
14th November: I took Awesom-O out for a blast this afternoon and did the ride above but with the Industrial Park added on, the BBC are predicting 40+ mph winds this evening so I decided to head out in the afternoon while I could. It was pouring down and there were huge puddles everywhere but by slowing right down through the huge puddles I made it round in one piece (I've seen the Youtube videos of riders flying over the bars after hitting submerged potholes!) Despite the wind and the rain it was actually a very enjoyable ride. 20.8 miles for the spreadsheet.
16th November: I took Awesom-O out today for a late afternoon wander. It was very windy (the stirrings of storm Barney as it turned out) and a bit miserable so I did a bit of a loop through Crank, King's Moss and Crawford and then plugged up and down the by-pass to add a few miles to the ride.
To reduce the boredom of the bypass, I took a little detour along a local nature trail and around a small fishing pond which explains the tiny loop on the left hand side! I ended up out and about during rush hour which means it took ages every time I needed to stop to cross a main road which was a pain but, overall, a fairly reasonable ride and another 17.2 miles for November.
19th November: It was very windy tonight (the tail end of storm Barney) but reasonably warm so I took Awesom-O out to do the ride I'm going to call the 'Local 21' from now on.
It was blowing a hooley, especially on the exposed sections through the open fields, and started raining three times but this was one of those strangely enjoyable rides; my legs felt great and I managed to stay fairly dry so another 21.2 miles for November.
21st November: I had a bad case of the 'can't be arseds' today so I waited until 6 o'clock for the traffic to die down and dragged myself out to do the Old Coach Road. It was the first properly cold day of the year so I replaced my fleece with a more wind-proof top and had my choob covering my ears. It wasn't too windy for a change but it was FREEZING! The BBC said it was 2c but some of the puddles along the Old Coach Road were freezing over so I guess it was about 0c in the more rural parts of the ride. My face felt like it was going to freeze off for the first couple of miles but I soon warmed up and had quite an enjoyable ride. 15.2 more miles.
22nd November: I managed to get out the house this afternoon to do the Old Coach Road again. It was warmer than last night but not by much, at least there was no ice around. I might abandon this ride until spring anyhow because it's potato harvest at the moment and the road is covered with mud and I think I've done very well so far managing not to fall off! 15.3 more miles.
25th November: I headed out after work today to do the new local 21 again. It was dry but very windy but at least the wind was fairly constant so not too sketchy. The temperature's are mild again so a good ride and my legs felt as good as they have for ages which was cool. 20.7 more miles.
26th November: I'm low on miles for the month so I did the local 21 again after work tonight. It was warm enough and the wind wasn't too bad but the rain was that weird sort of rain that seems to stay in the air rather than actually falling. This meant that most of the ride felt like I was cycling with fresnel lenses in my glasses, which was sketchy, especially in the traffic-y areas, but I made it 'round unscathed for curry and chips in the village at the end and another 21.1 miles.
30th November: I needed 9.6 miles to get to the magic 200 so I set out to do a shorter version of the Old Coach Road after work tonight. It wasn't a brilliant start because I hit a pothole with a very loud crack just as I got to the base of the railway bridge. I was convinced I'd blown a tyre but I got off and checked and they seemed to be ok. It was very soft this morning which will need investigating but I'll do that when I've got more time. Anyhow, it was another 11.8 miles for the month giving a total of 202.8 not too bad I reckon!
