Oh Lordy. Looking out of the window, you could be forgiven for thinking winter is here. It’s grey. It’s dark. And by the looks of things, it’s cold and windy.
Taking that into consideration, out I went – for the first time – in my thermal bib tights, long sleeve base layer, jersey, and even with my jacket stashed neatly (OK, not that neatly) in my back pocket.
What a mistake.
It was 18c. And I was absolutely roasting.
So, positives: looks like the thermal bib tights are going to do a better job than my old / existing pair, when it actually does get cold. They did a great job of keeping the wind off me, and it was fairly windy. The chamois isn’t as good as my other Mavic bib shorts though, and as far as I was aware, this was essentially that pair with longer legs? Maybe a bit of ‘bedding in’ is required.
Also on the positive side, whilst I was absolutely baking, I did manage to put in a decent, albeit short performance today. A decent calorie burn in a short time frame, and several PR’s along the way.
The downsides today were that the ride was too short. This was all due to feeling like I was overheating. I’ve not sweated that much outdoors in ages. It was like an indoor session.
Also, as seems to be increasingly the case, I had a car pull out on me as I was tanking along. Sucks.
I’ve had a bunch of new cycling gear arrive and have some more still to come. Unfortunately the new shoes I’ve ordered were not to my taste, so they have to go back. Once I’ve got all my new kit together I will be sure to get some photos and upload them. Stay tuned. How exciting. 🙄
I had some cyclists pull out from a junction whilst I was careering down a hill at top speed recently. I thought it was a tad impolite as they had clearly seen me and thought,”Oh, it’s just a bike.”
I’ve only seen bike on bike happen once, and the whole thing was ridiculous. It was two lads on mountain bikes who were meandering along, and then a roadie coming the other way. There was a turn to our right, which the mountain bikers just cut right across this poor guy – he tried to go around them but then they steered even more into his path. They ended up having a real argument, but I continued on my way as it happened behind me. I just heard them F-ing and Jeffing.
Some people can’t seem to judge how fast cyclists can go. What I’ve started doing more and more, especially on country lanes, is to sit in the middle of the lane. I’ll dictate when a car can pass me by pulling in and giving them space, rather than me hogging the curb and being at their mercy. Doesn’t seem to work well though 🙁
Ha! I was a bit angry but just shook my head. Disappointing though as if cyclist have the same attitude as drivers what hope do we have. That said, it’s a rare event, and dare I say it, most drivers are quite respectful. Situational awareness is key though, I’m constantly checking my six.