Tell us about your weekend ride

^
Could have done with that today.

My resolution to do a 100Km fixed ride every month dragged me out of bed this morning to ride my club's 102Km audax. Pretty atrocious conditions, but quite nice to be out really. 48x17 was feeling a little bit big towards the end, 48x18 would probably have been better. Oh, and it was my first time with a 25c on the back which proved very comfortable.

Also repped for 100k fixed, in that

Went rep crazy, it's what shared suffering does to you

Chapeau rep, if you were out today riding, totally grim..

Over boots and socks. Under overshoes an leg warmers and then cut out around the cleats.

Do a good few layers and all you'll get is a bit sweaty feet, but they'll be warm and dry.

I borrow my wife's tights

^sometimes even when I'm cycling in the cold.

I borrow my wife's tights

Same here but please stay on topic

I did the Evans Gatwick ride. Horrible. Got about half way round before my bike tried to commit suicide. Rear mech tangled up in spokes and in many bits, dropout bent. It's going to be expensive...
"I had to wait an aeon for assistance!"
Pictures to follow. Thanks to the bloke who saw me shivering by the side of the road and brought me a cuppa and a minty club.

My weekend rides included the following awesome winter moments:

Meeting up, and riding with, a stranger on the way out to Surrey and having an excellent conversation until he lost it on an icy corner and acquired an awesome, dripping in blood, soon to be permanent, facial scar. Me carrying on until waving a van past which hit ice and went into the hedge 100 meters up the road - at which point I turned round and headed back toward the muggy metropolis. Gingerly riding down Layham's slower than I've ever done before.

Catching my son's puke in a casserole dish after he trained too hard at the VCL youth turbo training session (that and he'd got my stomach bug).

Having a family hug on the Thames path in a desperate attempt to defrost during a misguided bike outing on Saturday morning, which ended with us rushing into the design museum to use their loos after the tummy bug re-asserted its grip on our lower intestines. (tried to take the bikes inside due to bike-lock-not-bringing-fail, met with security guard death stares)

Existential crisis while doing hill reps at 7.30 on Saturday evening in sub-zero temperatures, in the rain and getting a puncture. Who am I? Why am I here? But mostly, why the fuck aren't I at home drinking a gin and tonic?

All in all a peach of a weekend.

^^^all in all demonstrating that best feature of winter riders-
intestinal fortitude:-guts.
(apart from the bit in design museum, nevermind)

Catching my son's puke in a casserole dish after he trained too hard at the VCL youth turbo training session (that and he'd got my stomach bug)..

Competitive Dad is competitive! Hope Benj Jr heals up soon. Say hi from me.

last minute change of plans meant that i was free on saturday morning, so decided to head out and do the Hell of Ashdown which i've been meaning to do for a while.

it was a great route and i thoroughly enjoyed it. really glad i decided against fixed as i would have been seriously out of my depth on some of those hills!

anyway 80miles all in, 2500m climbing and felt fine afterwards. will look to do this every saturday early doors as my weekend training ride.

last minute change of plans meant that i was free on saturday morning, so decided to head out and do the Hell of Ashdown which i've been meaning to do for a while.

it was a great route and i thoroughly enjoyed it. really glad i decided against fixed as i would have been seriously out of my depth on some of those hills!

anyway 80miles all in, 2500m climbing and felt fine afterwards. will look to do this every saturday early doors as my weekend training ride.

That's my usual training route and it's lovely riding but, as you say, not one I would fancy doing fixed. The actual event is in a couple of weeks time too. Hope the ice stays away.

...until he lost it on an icy corner and acquired an awesome, dripping in blood, soon to be permanent, facial scar. Me carrying on until waving a van past which hit ice and went into the hedge 100 meters up the road - at which point I turned round and headed back toward the muggy metropolis...

You abandoned a guy bleeding from his face on the road, only to trick a driver into overtaking at a dangerous spot, and then abandoning them after a crash, too?

:o

You abandoned a guy bleeding from his face on the road, only to trick a driver into overtaking at a dangerous spot, and then abandoning them after a crash, too?

:o

That's only the tip of the iceberg, I also ran over an elderly gent while rlj-ing. I taunted a group of vulnerable single parents as I rode past them, I spat on a goat and insulted a traffic warden till she puked. All that adrenaline from riding makes me heartless and evil.

(for the record the van went into the hedge at less than walking pace, and then drove off. I had stopped on the side of the road to let him pass as I didn't fancy being overtaken given the road conditions. My injured cycling buddy was fine, and turned down my offer of riding home with him)

Wac! ;)

Minty Club? You never mentioned that! After all the tea and sympathy...

I went out yesterday. planned to do a quick twenty odd miles black park or Windsor and back. got lost ended up in Burnham beeches . Zip on my fleece broke. so did 30 odd miles in the cold with no zippable outer layer. couldnt feel my feet or hands . those 33 miles yesterday were harder than double that on milder day. roll on spring .

Man up! ;)

Bloody fair weather cyclists!

fleece?...

:O

;)

Man up! ;)

Bloody fair weather cyclists!

Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.

Fair-weather riding is a luxury reserved for Sunday afternoons and wide boulevards. Those who ride in foul weather – be it cold, wet, or inordinately hot – are members of a special club of riders who, on the morning of a big ride, pull back the curtain to check the weather and, upon seeing rain falling from the skies, allow a wry smile to spread across their face. This is a rider who loves the work.

fleece?...

:O

;)

fine, Soft shell gilet

i didnt want to sound like a ponce

soft shell gilet respect > fleece dealbreaker

fine, Soft shell gilet

Ponce...

Ponce...

; )