20th March: Well, after the longest break I can remember taking, I finally got out for a ride tonight. We had a week or so of crappy wet weather earlier in March followed by a good week of ridiculously windy weather centred around storm Gareth but, finally, an area of high pressure has arrived over the UK. The temperature display in my car read 19 °C at lunchtime today and there was barely any wind so I was looking forward to the ride. It had cooled down by evening but I wore my new Orro bib shorts with the Castelli over my merino underlayer with my Giro mitts and headed out.
It felt fresher that it should have done and my legs felt a bit off at first but I soon got into it and had a really enjoyable ride in the end. It was still just about daylight when I headed out and night fell as I rode which was interesting, bats flitted across the path in front of me on several occasions chasing the flying insects which was very cool. Anyhow, I did the usual and then headed back via the kebab shop for a very enjoyable 25.1 miles.
23rd March: It was quite a pleasant, sunny day today and it hasn't rained for a while so I took the Strael out for it's second spin of the year. Because it was quite sunny, I wore my new Orro shorts and my Giro mitts and then realised it was actually only 8 °C or so but it was OK when I warmed up. Talking of the weather, I have finally replaced my cycling shoes! My Shimano MT31s are at least 19 years old and they've always felt slightly tight, I suspect that's why I get frozen toes so easily because they restrict the circulation. The Giros are a lovely fit and it feels like there is room around the toes to keep the circulation going in winter so fingers crossed. Anyhow, it was very enjoyable ride and I saw loads of other cyclists out enjoying the sun which is always good and another 25.0 miles on the clock.
25th March: I wanted to get three rides in this weekend because I had Monday booked off but Sunday was ridiculously windy so I stayed home and gave the Strael a much needed wash instead. Anyhow, the weather was gorgeous, lots of blue skies and around 9 C, on Monday so took the freshly washed Strael out for another ride. I didn't do anything unusual, a quick look up Siding Lane and the usual three ups and downs of the farm path. Because I set off at about half two, I knew there'd be a small flurry of cars at one point as the local schools finished and parents picked their kids up. On my second down I saw a freshly run over hedgehog on the path which I'm sure I'd have noticed on my first 'up' if it had been there. I can only assume one of the cars got it as it tried to cross the path. Unfortunate but we live a car oriented society unfortunately. Anyhow, 25.4 miles.
27th March: The area of high pressure is still with us and it was a very pleasant sunny day today so I took the Strael out for a spin after work. It had been quite warm today but I heard on Radio 4 that some areas of the UK could freeze overnight so I was in something of a quandary as to what to wear. It was a bit chilly so I wore my Castelli bib longs and decided not bother with overshoes. As I set off, it did feel cool and my fingers were cold as I was wearing my mitts because they're so much more convenient than gloves which get sweaty and hard to take off and on. I soon warmed up and my hands were fine but at around 8 o'clock, as I was coming down the last 'down' the temperature absolutely plummeted and the the Wahoo said it was 36 °F which is 2.2 °C. I don't think it was that cold but by that point my feet were in agony and my fingers were starting to get really cold. One thing I forgot to mention is that as I was cycling along Barrow Nook Lane, I glanced up and it was a huge heron, it looked to have a good five foot wingspan. You see them all the time driving along the M62 to and from Manchester but I haven't seen one around here before. Anyhow, I manfully made it back and stopped for a warming kebab on the way home for another 25.1 wintery miles.
28th March: It was supposed to stay cloudy today and be a bit warmer than it was yesterday so I wore the same gear as I did yesterday and headed out to do the same ride. Like the ride yesterday, my legs felt great but the sky was fairly clear and I ended up with cold feet again so from now on I'm adopting a new rule: If it's cold enough for long bibs, wear overshoes! Anyhow, I had another strange animal encounter on this ride. I was on my second 'down' and was just puzzling over why about fifteen youngsters were coming along the path in dribs and drabs in the opposite direction to me (without a single light between them...) when I came across four miniature horses just milling around in the path.
Not wanting them to wander off and get run over I headed to the big horse farm half a mile up the path and cycled into the yard and chatted to a very nice young girl who said she thought she knew who they belonged to and would round them up on her way home, result! My feet were cold by this point so I headed home and cycled right down the bypass and came back through the industrial estate and the shared use path for 22.7 miles.
30th March: Today's ride turned out to be rather longer than anticipated. It was slightly warmer than it has been recently so I headed out to do three ups and downs of the farm path. I'd done two when I stopped to check something on my phone. As I put my phone away and was about to set off, I noticed a kid on a mountain bike passing me who said "Race, race, I'll race you on them skinny tyres!" I laughed and carried on soon proving that mountain bikes aren't as fast as road bikes and then decided I was bored of the farm path so I decided to do the 27 mile route because I've not done it for ages. As I was riding along, I noticed a rattling sound which was very hollow and plasticy and getting louder.
I stopped at the top of the overpass behind Kirkby and found that the screw holding the plastic cap on the top of my left brake lever was loose. I was paranoid about the screw falling out and disappearing so I had a quick think and then tore a small amount of grass from the verge and stuffed it into the gap between the lever and the shifter body, no more rattling and the screw trapped in place - sorted! I took the screw, and the one from the other side, out when I got home and refitted them with some blue Loctite. Another 29.3 miles.
31st March: Finally, a completed month!!! The weather was slightly warmer today so the new Orro bib shorts got an outing. I took the newly quiet Strael out to do the usual and initially thought, 'Hmmm... not much wind today, this is fun!" before I got to the end of the track and turned around and realised it was because I'd been cycling with the wind - doh! Anyhow, I was getting bored of the track so I did two full ups and downs of the farm track and the road to Holt Green as far as the Derby Arms pub and back for a total of 25.5 miles and a monthly total of 203.1 miles.
27th March: The area of high pressure is still with us and it was a very pleasant sunny day today so I took the Strael out for a spin after work. It had been quite warm today but I heard on Radio 4 that some areas of the UK could freeze overnight so I was in something of a quandary as to what to wear. It was a bit chilly so I wore my Castelli bib longs and decided not bother with overshoes. As I set off, it did feel cool and my fingers were cold as I was wearing my mitts because they're so much more convenient than gloves which get sweaty and hard to take off and on. I soon warmed up and my hands were fine but at around 8 o'clock, as I was coming down the last 'down' the temperature absolutely plummeted and the the Wahoo said it was 36 °F which is 2.2 °C. I don't think it was that cold but by that point my feet were in agony and my fingers were starting to get really cold. One thing I forgot to mention is that as I was cycling along Barrow Nook Lane, I glanced up and it was a huge heron, it looked to have a good five foot wingspan. You see them all the time driving along the M62 to and from Manchester but I haven't seen one around here before. Anyhow, I manfully made it back and stopped for a warming kebab on the way home for another 25.1 wintery miles.
28th March: It was supposed to stay cloudy today and be a bit warmer than it was yesterday so I wore the same gear as I did yesterday and headed out to do the same ride. Like the ride yesterday, my legs felt great but the sky was fairly clear and I ended up with cold feet again so from now on I'm adopting a new rule: If it's cold enough for long bibs, wear overshoes! Anyhow, I had another strange animal encounter on this ride. I was on my second 'down' and was just puzzling over why about fifteen youngsters were coming along the path in dribs and drabs in the opposite direction to me (without a single light between them...) when I came across four miniature horses just milling around in the path.
Not wanting them to wander off and get run over I headed to the big horse farm half a mile up the path and cycled into the yard and chatted to a very nice young girl who said she thought she knew who they belonged to and would round them up on her way home, result! My feet were cold by this point so I headed home and cycled right down the bypass and came back through the industrial estate and the shared use path for 22.7 miles.
30th March: Today's ride turned out to be rather longer than anticipated. It was slightly warmer than it has been recently so I headed out to do three ups and downs of the farm path. I'd done two when I stopped to check something on my phone. As I put my phone away and was about to set off, I noticed a kid on a mountain bike passing me who said "Race, race, I'll race you on them skinny tyres!" I laughed and carried on soon proving that mountain bikes aren't as fast as road bikes and then decided I was bored of the farm path so I decided to do the 27 mile route because I've not done it for ages. As I was riding along, I noticed a rattling sound which was very hollow and plasticy and getting louder.
I stopped at the top of the overpass behind Kirkby and found that the screw holding the plastic cap on the top of my left brake lever was loose. I was paranoid about the screw falling out and disappearing so I had a quick think and then tore a small amount of grass from the verge and stuffed it into the gap between the lever and the shifter body, no more rattling and the screw trapped in place - sorted! I took the screw, and the one from the other side, out when I got home and refitted them with some blue Loctite. Another 29.3 miles.
31st March: Finally, a completed month!!! The weather was slightly warmer today so the new Orro bib shorts got an outing. I took the newly quiet Strael out to do the usual and initially thought, 'Hmmm... not much wind today, this is fun!" before I got to the end of the track and turned around and realised it was because I'd been cycling with the wind - doh! Anyhow, I was getting bored of the track so I did two full ups and downs of the farm track and the road to Holt Green as far as the Derby Arms pub and back for a total of 25.5 miles and a monthly total of 203.1 miles.
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