Weekend Ride Reports – 3rd & 4th January 2015
Saturday 3rd January 2015.
The first ride of the new year. Never an easy prospect if the weeks preceding have involved a whole heap of festive excess.
Many will have attempted, and some even completed the Festive 500. Chapeau to you. Many didn’t. And three quarters of the riders in attendance on Saturday had been residents of Couchlandria for the entirety of the Christmas break.
The heart will often sink when you are woken by rain clattering on the flat roof and rattling the panes in your conservatory. This was the scene that greeted us on Saturday morning. With our preparation consisting mostly of turkey and chocolate consumption, getting out of the door was one of the bigger challenges!
We assembled at Velo! for our caffeine fix and waited with bated breath to see if the masses would brave the weather. Alas not. Four hardy souls set about a relatively quick ride by usual ColVelo standards (60km) safe in the knowledge that in a few hours we’d be back in the comfort of the Cafe having set the marker for 2015. The first kilometres logged and our goals for the year discussed.
It was grim, wet and windy. The chill bit hard in places as the temperature fluctuated more than expected. The sun made a fleeting appearance as we rattled round the route just south of Colchester on the lanes towards Maldon. The rain sustained and we were soaked to the core as we arrived back at Velo. Smiles all around though. A common theme on our weekend rides, and if you haven’t made it out to join us yet. Get it on your “to do” list for 2015.
We’ll be updating you with some more of our planned events very soon. Lots and lots of excellent riding to be had with ColVelo in 2015….
Sunday 4th January 2015
Having been bitten by the icy roads late in 2014, we here at ColVelo are cautious when it comes to riding out with the certainty of an icy encounter and black ice to surprise us on every corner. A risk of injury and significant potential to dent your bank balance as your steed and its components get overly friendly with the tarmac!
The decision to cancel our rides is made harder by our desire to be out there logging the miles while enjoying the countryside from the comfort of the saddle. But following Saturdays deluge, the mercury dropped hard that evening and in to Sunday morning. I inspected the roads in my area at 0600 and it was sheet ice and black ice everywhere. Ride cancelled. A few folks ventured out, as did other clubs. Reports were of rider strewn across tarmac in all corners of the region?! Fortunately without injury. A wise decision to cancel we feel. It was indeed a day for the dreaded Turbo trainer.
More rides this coming weekend. 75km on Saturday and a 164km adventure on Sunday. We hope you can join us.
Rob.H & Will.M – The ColVelo Collective.