Wednesday 29th Feb 2012

Rode to work.

Rode home from work.

Sore neck, the off road bumps didn't help.

Rebuilt the boys Fat Karate Monkey with 9 gears.

10 miles in total.

238 total for Feb.

362 short of my target, oh well....

Tuesday 28th Feb

Didn't ride at all in the last week, I had a stff neck for most of last week, I did actually set of for a ride on Saturday but turned around immediatley, it was just too painful.

Bob's funeral today, I was dreading it, but it turned out to be fine, a very positive occasion all in all.


I have approx 30 hours left in which to ride 372 miles, I dont think I'm going to make it !

Back to the bike tomorrow.

228

21st Feb 2012

9 miles

228

19th Feb 2012

I lost my way somewhat

An old friend died, a friends brother died, these things bother me, probably more than they should.

Anyway, the result was that I didnt ride at all during the week, and I was rthinking about bailing on a weekend with two other old friends, soon got a grip of that though, another minor issue conspired but this was put to bed and off I went.

Great to catch up, we did manage a short ride of all of 6 miles, it didnt matter, it was fun, we had a laugh and we had a dog with us, a chocolate lab called Toby, it really is only a matter of time now before we get a dog.

Headed home early this morning, no traffic issues at all, and a cold sunny afternoon meant I couldn't resist, another 30 miles on the cross bike at a snails pace.

36 for the weekend.

219

12th Feb 2012

Representin the cake !

Could'nt face the mud today so the Croix de Fer was brought up from the cellar, flash and flare fitted and off I set into the greyness, actually a lot foggier than I was expecting, and colder as well, pretty soon my vision was deformed due to the moisture o my glasses, this did not bode well, a freshly dead badger at the side of the road seemed like some sort of omen, glad I had fitted the flash and flare, the room that cars were giving me was noticeable.




The roads were mostly just wet, occasional ice but nowt to worry on.



The biggets concern was that every farmer in Cheshire has decided to cut their hedges, bizzarely this time I got away with no punctures, however I decided not to risk this bridleway ;-)



The last dirt trail before home.

45 miles today, longest ride of the year so far.

3 Buzzards stoically sat in trees, 1 Heron gliding gracefully at shoulder height about 50 yards to my right, 1 dead badger, 1 dead squirrel.

183.

Feb 9th and 11th 2012

2 days to report on...

Thursday 9th Feb

3 miles in the peaks, on foot, took nearly 3 hours :-)



unfamilar muscles called into play trying to keep up with Jenn

one particular off piste contour movement showed me just how unfit I've become, digging into 10 inches of snow for 30 minutes does that !



she glowed, I sweated, the dog ran about 10 miles


it was ace, even missing the train wasn't too dissapointing due to the pub being open :-)

Friday was a day of rest, mostly down to my calves being made of tungsten steel i:e there was no movement !

3 miles in total

Saturday 11th Feb

Decided on the fat bike today but a delayed start due to finding yet another thorn in the front tyre meant I didnt get out till 1130.

A cold day meant starting on ice, chose the fat bike to see how it would cope, needn't have worried, it just calmly dealt with whatever was presnted to it, not quite as inspiring as the ice spikers but good enough, so I headed west hoping to get to the coast, once again foiled by the weather. Within 30 minutes of starting the ride the ice started to melt to leave the trails porridge like, that combined with the oppresive grey sky meant I turned back at Latchford Locks. By now the return journey was just a slog, hard work, and the knowledge that each pedal stroke is costing a penny in drive train components did nothing to lighten my mood. In fact just about the only good thing to say was that dads garden hose had unfroze which meant I was able to wash the bike down at the end of the ride. The Genesis that I last rode on Tuesday night in the same conditions had pretty much solidiefied with the grey sandy mud from the same trail, 30 mins of poking with a stiff brush, liberal amounts of 3 in 1 and the drive train on that is now at least moving :-(

On a positive note I did get some photo's of abandoned stuff :-)





And a cat on a post



Tomorrows ride will be on the road bike.

25 miles in total

138

Feb 7th 2012

Icy trails, all the way to work, not a care in the world though, Ice Spikers rule !




Fantastic early morning sunlight



Mist rising from the river



Clear cold skies



Virgin puddles

13 miles


Molten trails on the way home, bloody miserable

12 miles

25 for the day

110.

Feb 5th 2012

Didn't bother yesterday, my legs were heavy, and it snowed later on, only an inch or so, however within an hour it was sleeting and turning icy.



Got up today and looked out the window, icy ruts on the road, didnt look appealing at all, but I'd gone to the trouble of fitting the ice spiker tyres (that I bought last winter and didnt use) onto the Genesis Latitude, so ater a big mug of tea and eggs on toast I set off, very gingerly I must say.



The roads were unpredictable but I made it to the trail without incident, once on dirt and sheet ice the tyres hooked up really well, quite inspiring really, it was only ruts that were causing a loss of grip, but then the tyre hooked up and corrected itself.



Not many folk out today, normally awash with runners and dog walkers here.




Odd the things that you see as you ride along !

It was of course hard work, I'd thought about heading up beyond jodphurs today, into the foothills of the peaks but after taking just short of two hours to get the pyramid I changed plan and headed back (its normally an hour and a quarter) just as the temperature started to rise. Now I was riding in slush, just as hard, as the icy snow but even less predictable.



An amazing wildlife day today, 12 Gooseanders (including a pack of six), 1 Kingfisher hovering about 15 feet above the river, lots of grey wagtails, lots of long tailed tits, 3 Cormorants, obviously they were all hungry so less concerned with being under cover.



At the cut off point I chose the short cut home, loosing 2 miles but to be honest I was pretty shot, a ride that normally takes me two and a half hours had taken 4.

I could have done with a sit down here !



The tyres were a success, got home with no falls, and as a bonus, when on tarmac they sound like a bowl of rice crispies, snap crackle and pop :-)

25 miles today.

95

Feb 3rd 2012

Woke up late so straight to work via the river, 5 miles.

Poor little shrew, probably died of the cold, no signs of being attacked :-(

edit - its a vole according to my nature correspondant :-)

Very very cold



Dab chick and a hunting Merlin.

Too nice a day to miss so left early heading west, the farmers have been out cutting the hedges, needless to say the front of the fatty picked up a thorn so I headed home with a slow puncture, 8 miles.



Saw a flock of Thrushes.



Swapped bikes and headed out again down the river, Trek 69er, 14 miles, wonderful low sunlight, lots of pictures taken, had a nice chat with a chap out on a bike ride enjoying the sun.



Golden Eye and a pair of Gooseanders.

27 miles total.

70

Feb 2nd 2012

8 miles into work on the fatty, along the canal, up the river and across the moss.

1 Kingfisher, 1 Merlin, 2 Sparrowhawks and 1 Buzzard.

5 miles home, 1 Gooseander.



8 miles at Delamere with Tim, Nick, Ian and Rob.

bloody cold all day.

21 miles today

43

Feb 1st 2012

17 stone 8lbs - thats 9lbs dropped since early Jan.

Aimng for 600 miles in Feb, with less food and no alcohol.

Today, early start to work on the fat bike, along the canal, up the river and across the moss, 8 miles, 2 Sparrowhawks, 1 Merlin, 1 Buzzard, 1 Heron.

Tonight, across the moss, up the trans pennine, back to the moss, round the back, along the river to home, 14 miles, too dark to see any birds.

22 miles total today, legs heavy due to the draggy fat tyres, cold and icy, not much mud, more again tomorrow.

22