Winter has truly arrive this week here in Scotland, with temperatures plummeting well into the negative region.
The Met Office have warned that anyone travelling in icy conditions should take a shovel, blankets/sleeping bag, extra clothing (including scarf, hat & gloves), 24-hour supply of food and drink, de-icer, rock salt, torch, spare battery, petrol can, first aid kit and jump leads.
Now I can get most of that in my bag, but I’m struggling to find a good aero position for my shovel, any ideas?
It’s an old one and it’s good to joke about it, but the cold weather does bring about challenges. Not least of which is remaining upright on the bike. This morning our street was like an ice rink so I had to walk the bike out of the estate to the main roads which had been nicely salted. Vigilance is still required to look out for hazards and any slippy corners. It only takes one lapse to end up in a sore sorry heap.
Preparation is also needed to make sure enough clothing is worn. My cold weather winter gear came out today, which consists of 2 base layers under a winter jacket, balaclava, winter bibs, winter boots and nice thick gloves. I’ve still to come across a really good pair of gloves though as when it gets properly cold my fingers still nip and feel numb. Cold, wet and windy is the worst though! Thankfully today was only cold.
Today (Tue) was the coldest day of the week so far with -3.5C measured in the morning and -4C in the evening. I was actually starting to feel the cold as I approached home but took my mind off it by thinking of what would be waiting for me at dinner time. It did not disappoint as when I got in, there was a nice warm pineapple upside down cake waiting for me. Of all the benefits of cycle commuting, and we know there are many, I think eating (almost) as much cake as you want has to be one of the biggest!
In other annoying news, I’ve had 4 commutes this week so far and each one of them has included at least one driver getting so irate at seeing me that they lay into the horn. It’s just as well I’m so chilled out (not just by the weather) that it doesn’t bother me too much. Some idiots do take it to extremes though, as evidenced by a friend who was driven at while waiting in a queue for a roundabout. The driver came from the bus lane on the left, shouted at him through the window, bumped into his bike and drove off. It’s still extremely rare for anything that bad to happen though, so don’t let idiots like that put you off getting on the bike.
In other good news, my new brake cable has held up to the freezing temperatures so far. Tomorrow looks like it will be the biggest test as it’s forecast to be even colder. I’m optimistic that it will be fine though. I think I might even go for 3 layers under my jacket as well 🙂
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