Wintry Weather in the Windy Wolds

The only person to turn up today for one our club’s three planned rides (apart from me) was a chap who had driven to the start in case anyone else fetched up for his ride. He explained that everyone had been informed by telephone that the ride was cancelled. (I didn’t expect that any of our ‘brisk’ group would be out, so I thought I’d join another one). In the end I had to agree that it was an effective method because we didn’t see any more cyclists while we chatted for a while.

Not really the weather for alfresco dining

All was not lost because I had a back up plan to tag along with another group of cyclists on a ride starting an hour later, and have a coffee at their meeting place while I waited. And waited, and waited…

Checking the weather this morning

The forecast earlier in the week was not good. It got better, but there would still be a strong easterly wind. A familiar face turned up in his civvies. It was Charlie, who had driven to the start in case anyone else did. He explained that everyone had been informed by Facebook that the ride was cancelled.

After a natter we left and I thought about giving up and going home. But then I changed my mind. I would put a little loop in. So I set off towards Newbald thinking that I would drop down on the ‘B’ road and come back up via Trundlegate. That was still my intention when I picked myself off the roadside after going down in slow motion on an icy patch. A car overtook me and further up the road turned round and came back the same way. And then I saw why:

No way through. There is a road under there somewhere

Oh, well. I had given it a go. I returned downhill to Walkington and battled in to a headwind. Earlier in the day I had topped 27mph on the flat travelling westward to the start. My moving average for today’s little ride was below 14mph after spenging most of the time chatting or drinking coffee. My shortest ride in ages, but I’m glad I made it out.