The Rapha Festive 500

It's often hilarious - people walking towards me stop dead, step aside and give me the whole path. I'm not even on a Chucklemobile.

Road is fine, least in South west London.

They're definitely not fine in the rest of the country.

I'm not even doing the Festive 500 but the ice is annoying me. Managed a little ride on Christmas Day morning, seeing family on Boxing Day, local club cancelled their ride yesterday after the ride leader fell off on black ice on the way to the start.

Today was seeing more family. I was grumpy because the weather looked beautiful and I wanted to be out on my bike, but then did see quite a bit of ice.

Tonight looks worse. All the roads round here are small lanes (prone to ice) or shit main roads and my elbow is still recovering from breaking it over the summer so I really can't afford to fall off and break anything else.

Meh.

I had a five mile stretch all on black ice today and it was pretty grim.

I've decided that thick merino socks, toe covers and over socks are fine for riding in. I get cold feet but not painful and they do thaw out reasonably quickly. Once the sun started to go down I wouldn't have liked to be out much longer though.

I am at 55% and realistically unlikely to finish given family responsibilities. Most of me is fine but given that all my miles are before 11am I am suffering with frozen hands and feet. Will stick at it, but with limited expectations. I am 113km away from 10000 for the year so will make that my goal I think.

Don't forget to say hello if you see a chap in a red orange rapha hardshell on a lynskey

On a shared path between Radstock and Frome a couple of days ago I found if you whistled the good folks of Somerset rounded up their dogs / kids etc and stood to one side and cheerfully waved me past. Good shared path users. Happy times.

Merino socks + Belgian booties + neoprene overshoes kept me toasty today.

Normal Socks. Normal Road shoes. Neoprene overshoes for today. Feet weren't sweating for the first time in ages.
I was going to attempt this this year, but exams so trainer (and now) Trainerroad has been winning.
There were more than a few riders I saw out today in bib shorts...

I might try toe covers, Belgian booties, and neoprene overshoes.

If I could just crack the foot issue then I'd only have the agonising back pain to resolve.

Foot problem as well here, best suggestion I've heard is a proper winter boots, which is moot as they don't make them in Mega.

I had proper winter boots last year, didn't really make any difference.

I have been intending to get a pair of boots, Northwave Celsius or similar for about the last three winters and failing to do so. I am currently wearing a pair of Shimano MTB shoes from a couple of years ago, that overshoes simply don't fit over.

I really want to try winter boot and overshoes.

me too, possibly with some sort of furnace arrangement attached.

I find dropping down a gear and spinning a higher rpm for a min warms my feet up.

Too much mashing can make them ache, then go numb.

#protip

They're definitely not fine in the rest of the country.

^ this.

Although you could probably kid yourself by sticking to the gritted A, B or urban roads.

They're definitely not fine in the rest of the country.

You know how it is in the city, if it's fine in London, then it must be fine everywhere else.

Weird mentality.

My gf's dad has some battery powered heated insoles, I'll ask him for deets.

Maplin >>>

Shimano. 47M in sidi -> 48 Shimano with room for thick socks. #winning

That's why I got proper boots. Running midfoot means overshoes don't fit and I got tired of showering for an age just to thaw my feet.

Woe of a time triallist.

Hmm, you might be onto something, I have excessively wide feet.

People leave London???

hippy is always right

There is a bit of green outside that people find pleasing.

Like, Windsor, I think.