No Ride Report – Foiled by the First Day of Winter!

No ride report as such this weekend as Saturdays intended route was cut short due to some very icy roads. Three riders found out the hard way coming off the bike on a stretch of road between Tolleshunt Major and Heybridge.

 The speed and force with which we hit the deck was sobering. No time to think or react, just contact with the tarmac. Damage to bodies was superficial. One rear mech re-homed it’s self nicely in a rear wheel and one rider saw his helmet take a good enough blow to crack it. With one rider requiring a pick-up, and the remainder of the collective understandably hesitant to push on given the conditions, the decision was taken to head back to Velo.

 Saturday was the first true day of winter with temperatures barely getting above freezing. While the rubber side was down it was a beautiful day to be riding. Bright, clear, cold to the bone but a bracing experience.

While the intentions of the collective are always good, and the enthusiasm and passion to ride in all conditions is inexhaustible, some days it’s best to err on the side of caution. The route laid out made for a good ride, but some of the roads were probably too shaded to ride in the temperatures encountered. In future, if we ride out in the freezing weather, we will be sticking to well used roads that get any sun that is around.

 One last comment to make, and consider this ColVelos stance on the helmet debate. Should you, shouldn’t you? We are able to put Saturday down to experience and learn from it. Had one of our riders not been wearing his lid, I’m not sure we’d be quite as lucky. While it remains a personal choice. Please think about it.

 With the mercury rising this week, it is the intention to get back on the horse and ride the route that was abandoned on Saturday. Hopefully you can join us.