Snow is about to fall, or so say the weather people on the radio and Andy prempted the whole thing by texting me yesterday, or it might have been Friday, to kind of abort the ride. Initially I said let's wait and see what happens, but it was cold out there yesterday and the thought of leaving the house at 0800hrs wearing the balaclava and heading for Tatsfield Village suddenly no longer appealed. We both agreed to do our local rides, which is what I've been doing all week, short bursts of around five or six miles and it soon adds up. I was doing variations of the Norfolk Nobbler this week, starting with a ride of just over five miles, then another of just under six miles and on it went. I missed one day (I think it was Wednesday) but then I rode for just over 10 miles on Friday evening (resorting to using my lights as it got dark approaching 1700hrs). And then yesterday I went for it and rode what I called The Super Nobbler, a ride of over 13 miles.
You might think these local rides are a bit of cop-out, a bit 'namby', but they're not. The Norfolk Nobbler has many hilly sections that get the heart racing and the worst of the lot, believe it or not, is coming up West Hill from the north, as opposed to the steeper but shorter 'south face'. In fact, the hills are pretty bad in places, not mind numbingly so, like Titsey or White Lane, but they keep me on my toes, so to speak. Norfolk Avenue is a case in point.
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| Ready for a 13-miler Nobbler... |
On yesterday's 13-miler I rode three laps, but encroached upon Sanderstead Hill and on the third lap I rode down the Upper Selsdon Road and then turned left on to Arundel Avenue, finding myself back in what I like to call 'the world', meaning the secret world of winding suburban streets, hidden from view, that duck and dive on the Nobbler rides.
The great news is that my mileage is creeping up again. Last week was absolutely piss poor, but this week I managed to creep over the 50-mile marker with something like 64 miles, probably a bit more, but I don't think I reached 65. It all goes to prove that if you chip away at the miles doing little rides day-by-day, the distances soon add up and then, if you throw in a bigger ride at the weekend, before your week is out, you can really get things moving. It's going to be a bit of a challenge this coming week, which starts today (Sunday) but only if I don't go out today) and, as I write this at 1022hrs I've looked out of the window to see snow falling steadily. If this continues and it starts to lay, well, it might bugger up the whole week, but let's see. Andy was certainly right about not going out today, he must have a sixth sense. Had we done so we'd be out there now, our faces aching with the cold and who knows, a puncture would have made it a whole lot worse. So, it's fingers crossed this week and let's hope the snow is 'just visiting' and not hanging around for the week. That said, I have a theory about snow at this time of year: basically, you might think you're getting a light dusting and that's all, but you can guarantee it'll back; so if, say, like now, it snows today, on Sunday, and it lays, but in the morning is largely gone, well, don't think you've got away with it. You can virtually guarantee that a heavier snowfall is on the way.
Lastly, and talking about cycling clothing, not that we were talking about cycling clothing, on yesterday's 13-miler I decided to wear my Parka on the ride. It's not a real Parka, but a green hooded affair that is really my day-to-day coat in the colder weather. I put it on for the ride along with the green balaclava and an orange beanie hat and you know what? It didn't hinder movement, it kept me warm and you can bet I'll be wearing it again as the cold weather continues.
I'm more than happy with my 64 miles this week.
