Red sky in the morning...

A lull in the bad weather meant that we could get out on the bikes. Saturday was terrible and had to be aborted, but Sunday was wonderful with an amazing red sky as Phil and I crossed the churchyard in Sanderstead and headed towards Warlingham Green for an 8am meeting with Andy.

Sanderstead Churchyard, Sunday 5th January 2014, around 8am.

The journey was punctuated by potential puncture problems for Phil who was convinced his rear tyre was deflating. We stopped on a couple of occasions to check it out, but in the end, pumping it up by the pond at the top of Slines Oak Road seemed to do the trick.

As we pressed on along the 269 towards the Tatsfield Bus Stop – our chosen destination – the sky turned into what my father used to call a 'mackerel sky' for all the obvious reasons (it looked like the grey, scaly body of a fish – perhaps a mackerel).

Temperature wise it was fine, albeit a little chilly, but not unbearably so. Phil led the way and it wasn't long before we found ourselves free-wheeling towards the bus stop and the promise of some Christmas cake supplied by Phil, which was very tasty, based on a recipe by Phil's grandmother.

Phil, Matt and Andy at the Tatsfield Bus Stop, Sunday 5th January 2014

We haven't seen Phil since early November, but he's back and plans to keep up the riding.

After tea and three slabs of cake (one slab each – and note the word 'slab' as opposed to 'slice') we packed up and headed home the way we came (along the 269). Andy, as usual, branched off halfway along and Phil and I continued towards Warlingham, through the Green, down through Hamsey and into Sanderstead High Street before crossing the churchyard and free-wheeling down Church Way towards home.

Now, as I write this at 0717hrs on Monday morning, the weather is, once again, appalling. The rain has been hammering down on the conservatory roof and the wind has been blowing strong all through the night. So much for my plan to ride out to the Green this morning for a quick eight-miler!

Andy's not riding next Saturday or Sunday, so it'll be down to Phil and I, but we'll all be back on the bikes the following week, weather permitting.

The rain and the wind continue to batter the UK...and there's no riding today

There are severe weather warnings as the rain and wind continue to batter the UK and, as I sit here now, it carries on; the rain hitting the roof and the wind blowing everywhere. A ride is completely out of the question so this morning I sent an 'abort' text to Andy and he sent one back saying 'let's see what it's like tomorrow'.

Jon in drier times at Hunger's End, Merstham.

I'd like to think we'll get out tomorrow, but the weather forecasters think differently. The UK, they say, is in for some severe winds and rains. Already, as this blog has reported, there has been extensive flooding and power cuts, people have been washed out to sea, the trains have experienced severe delays due to things like fallen trees, and there are, as I've said, problems with travel everywhere.

In fact, I can't think of anything more unpleasant than jumping on the bike and going for a ride. Having said that, my brother Jon enters the NoVisibleLycra "Respect is Due" hall of fame. He went out for a ride on New Year's Day, over to mum's, and took a major soaking in the process. He called me from mum's where I'm guessing he was standing in his underpants, his clothes drying on various radiators.

The story goes that once his clothes were dry he put them on and rode off home, taking another soaking. Still, it gets a 'well done' from the NoVisibleLycra "Respect is Due" committee.

New Year's Eve...more rain and blustery weather

More rain and blustery winds mean no riding today either. So much for my plan to ride out to Warlingham Green all week! Well, who knows, if I'm up to it I'll ride out on New Year's Day 2014, like I did earlier this year (to Botley Hill alone and straight back).

Not much else to report. It's dark outside, there's a load of rubbish on television tonight and, well, that's about the size of it.

This is the last post of 2013 and it's been a good year of riding. We didn't make the Black Horse Ride in the summer, but here's hoping there will be one next year as we're all raring to go. We also didn't get round to riding to the pub, which was a shame, but again, let's try and rectify that next year.

I'm not going to make any new year resolutions, but if I was going to, it would be to keep the bike in a good state of repair, rather than ride (as I tend to all the time) with a dodgy this or a dodgy that – at the moment it's a dodgy front brake and a bottom  bracket in need of fixing). I might even give the old Kona a clean, unlike Andy's Blast, which is always caked in mud.

Had a word with Phil today via texting and I think he'll be back on the bike soon...and he has a load of Christmas cake he might bring along too, so, the sooner the better on that score. Andy's partial to a bit of Christmas cake and so am I, so bring it on.

The other bit of good news in the pipeline is that Simon Cotter from down under might well be in the UK in April. If he does come over, we're planning to meet up and who knows, have a ride, although a beer will suffice. Here's hoping he comes over.

It would be great if Greg Bowles from Iowa made the trip too one of these days, although I'll be in the USA a fair bit, no doubt, so if I can get to Boone, Iowa, I'll drop by and wish him well.

Newsflash!

Just heard on the television news that the UK is 'bracing itself' for more storms and heavy weather, so I'll leave fixing my fence until it's over and done with, although it's the early part of the year that is normally characterised by bad weather conditions. We should be due a consignment of snow soon, any time between now and the end of March, although, as readers of this blog are only too aware, we've had snow in April before – back in 2008, pre-blog days. There are photos on this blog of Andy and I out in the snow in 2008.

A geeky point...

Yes, it's very geeky, but just to let you all know that the busiest year so far for this blog was 2012 with 157 posts. 2013 put in just 118!

A cringeingly poor joke...

Wife to husband: "When I married you, you said you had an ocean-going yacht."
Husband to wife: "Shut up and row."

Next ride...

Saturday 4th January 2014. Be there or be square!

Happy New Year to all those who read and contribute to this blog, especially Andy, Phil, Simon, Greg and my brother Jon (who we ought to see more often).

More heavy winds and rain...

The plan was to ride out today, alone, possibly just to the green and back, but the weather had other plans. As I write this it's raining and the wind is blowing hard outside. I can hear the rain on the conservatory roof above me – definitely not cycling weather.

It's the day before New Year's Eve and I'm in that timeless zone between Christmas and the New Year when nothing much happens and it's hard to tell whether it's the weekend or not. Well, it's not the weekend, it's Monday morning and I know that Andy's off to work today, but only for two days and then it's New Year's Day, arguably the most boring day of the year. In many ways it's like Christmas Day but without the turkey dinner and false bonhomie. There's nothing to do, most people are tired after being fooled into thinking the day before that it was all going to happen as they counted down to midnight only to discover that, on the strike of twelve, everything was exactly the same and nothing at all had changed. New Year's Day is the biggest anti-climax in the world. It's when we all sit around thinking about work, which is normally the following day.

And don't you just hate it when you get into work and find yourself wishing everybody you meet a happy new year. I often find myself wondering when, in the month of January, it's safe not to wish people a happy new year. Probably some time after the middle of the month, around the 15th perhaps. Either way it's horrible.

I've given up making new year resolutions too. Why bother? I never keep to them.

So the wind howls and whistles and the rain patters outside. The bike is in the garage and won't be seeing the road today.

Late start means a short ride to Botley Hill...

For some reason, broken sleep is characterising my life at the moment. I seem to wake up around 2am and then drift off again until around 5am, but then I'm awake and, invariably, I remain that way until it's time to get up.

This morning was slightly different. I was awake around 4am, possibly a bit later, but somehow I managed to nod off and when I woke up it was too late to meet Andy at 8am on Warlingham Green. So I texted him. How about meeting at 8.30am? Fine, so I had time to make tea and sort things out before heading off.

At Botley Hill, Sunday 29 December 2013

Weather-wise it looked cold outside. There was a frost on the road and everywhere so I armed myself with my trusty balaclava, but decided against wearing it until I'd sussed out just how cold it might be out there. In all honesty, it wasn't cold at all so I stuffed the balaclava in my pocket and headed for the green.

The weather was fantastic. A crisp, clear day with a mixture of blue skies underneath wispy cloud. When I reached the green there was no sign of Andy, but then I remembered him saying that if he wasn't there, he'd be at the pond at the top of Slines Oak Road. Sure enough I had a text saying just that, so I saddled up and headed off to meet him.

Our bikes at Botley Hill. Pic by Andy Smith.

It was getting late so we decided to head for Botley Hill rather than ride further to, say, the Tatsfield Bus Stop, the village or the churchyard.

The sun was bright and the skies blue when we dismounted and sipped our tea and then it was simply a  case of heading home again. Everything was so clear. As we rode back along the 269 we could see for miles: the City of London, Canary Wharf, the Shard to the North East and in the North West, and slightly closer, St Helier hospital in Carshalton and Quadrant House in Sutton.

Andy and I parted company half way along the 269 and we're game on to meet again next weekend. I'm off until the new year so I'm thinking of getting a ride in every day until January 2nd. But let's see how it goes – I might just have a lie-in!

Andy's Kona Blast, Slines Oak Pond. Pic by Andy Smith.

On Saturday, by the way, we rode to the Tatsfield Bus Stop the fast way. The roads were wet due the heavy rain the day before, but other than that it was a pretty uneventful ride. So uneventful I actually forgot to say anything about it!

Poor weather means no ride today...

Woodmansterne Green, Boxing Day 2013

The heavy winds and rain are back and have been battering the UK throughout the night and into the morning. Right now, it's the same, putting paid to any thoughts of another ride to Woodmansterne Green, where Andy and I celebrated yesterday morning with a piece of my mum's excellent Christmas cake.

It's odd looking out of the window. In the rear garden the trees and bushes sway, but out front things seem stiller until you look a little closer and realise that riding a bike in these conditions is not advisable.

On the way to Woodmansterne Green yesterday we saw plenty of evidence of the storms that initially battered the country on 23rd December – fallen trees lying across the road – and there's always the risk that one might fall onto cyclists.

My only regret is not biting the bullet and heading out on Christmas morning, a first for this blog, but as you can imagine, family commitments got in the way. Christmas Day and Boxing Day were both pleasant and ideal for riding, although it was cold yesterday riding downhill.

At this time of year I tend to lose track of time, but I know that tomorrow is a normal Saturday and that means a ride, albeit at 8am instead of 7.30am at Warlingham Green. The Tatsfield bus stop beckons if weather permits.

Christmas cake wrapped in foil, Boxing Day 2013. Pic by Andy Smith.

Boxing Day ride to Woodmansterne Green...

It had rained heavily during the night and the residue of wet roads and large puddles greeted us as we rode towards the meeting point at Foxley Lane, Andy coming from Caterham and yours truly from Sanderstead.

Accompanying the wet roads were the corpses of fallen trees, uprooted during the storms of 23 December. There was also a noticeable drop in temperature, not initially, but on our ride back through to Coulsdon from Woodmansterne – almost balaclava weather, I pointed out to Andy.

Being as it was Boxing Day we had some of my mum's excellent Christmas cake to eat instead of the usual cereal bars.

With Boxing Day being a kind of tradition for NoVisibleLycra, we had to take the official shot, which this year proved a problem as you'll see from the images below.

Take one: '...er, where's Matt?"

Take two: '...that's still not right, is it?

Take three: '...perfect (and I still look a little chubby).

Merry Christmas 2013 to all our readers!

Merry Christmas to everybody who has the time and the patience to read No Visible Lycra, a blog that charts our cycling through Surrey and Northern Kent.

Despite some rough weather on the 23rd December (see previous post) today the weather is fine. There's a little bit of scattered rain occasionally, but then it clears up and, as now, is bright sunshine and a mixture of blue skies and cloud. I think the weather will remain as it is now for tomorrow's traditional Boxing Day ride. Andy and I are meeting in Purley at 8am and heading for our usual festive destination of Woodmansterne Green, a place we've not been to for a long time (not even last Boxing Day).

My plan today is the same as every year – visiting two sets of parents, one today and then another on Boxing Day. The problem this year? No car. It looks as if we'll be getting cabs to Sutton on Boxing Day, but our Christmas Day venue is just a five-minute walk (if that!).

As I write this, I have potatoes roasting in the oven and I've already put in a bit of culinary consultancy work regarding the turkey and its various trimmings.

It would have been a very pleasant ride this morning, and a first for No Visible Lycra had it taken place, but there's always so much to do on Christmas morning so it was not to be. Here's hoping the weather's okay for tomorrow morning.

Better go!

Heavy winds and rain batter the UK

In many ways, not having a car has been fortunate. While we had to board a train to reach pals in the New Forest over the weekend, it turned out to be far easier than driving both in terms of time and general ease. A journey of just over an hour and we were there, bar a short walk from the railway station.

The weather over the weekend was not good: rain and blustery winds, which intensified on the day we left into a full-blown storm. Throughout the south west there have been power cuts, heavy seas, cancelled flights, rocky seas and, of course, disgruntled travellers trying to get home for Christmas. Television news reports have been full of crowded airports, station concourses and the obligatory shots of storm-ravaged beaches, aircraft landing sideways and uprooted trees.

None of this bodes well for cycling, although, according to weather reports on the radio, Boxing Day is likely to be fairly good, so a ride might be possible. Cue traditional fruit cake and tea on Woodmansterne Green!

Outside now, the wind has dropped considerably. In fact, as I write this I can hear birds chirping and the trees are no longer waving about frantically in the garden and elsewhere. All is still. Earlier I discovered that two sections of our fence have blown down, which is made doubly irritating by the fact that one section had just been fixed after the last blast of wind.

Today it is Christmas Eve and ahead lies the celebrations of the festive season. Our tree has been up for the past week and we're preparing ourselves for the two crucial visits – to both mums. One lives nearby, the other six miles away – fine if we had a car, but two buses (or two trains) if we don't.

Looking forward to the Boxing Day ride to Woodmansterne Green. Here's hoping the weather holds.

Slow ride there and back...to the Tatsfield Bus Stop

I wish I'd gone out on Saturday to meet Jon at Woodmansterne Green, but car worries steered me away from what would have been a decent ride. The weather was perfect with clearish skies and not a sign of frost on the cars in other people's driveways. Still, you live and learn. I should have just got out there and rode off regardless... but I didn't.

Sunday wasn't as pleasant weatherwise. Throughout the night it had rained heavily and there were strong winds that I could hear as I lay in bed wondering whether an 'abort' text would be needed. Fortunately, it wasn't required as the weather had calmed considerably and while it was damp and grey, there was no rain.

I met Andy at Warlingham Green and we decided to head for the bus stop, the slow way. There was a heavy fog and this, in some way, lessened the ordeal of Beddlestead Lane, which Andy said I've been mentioning in a bad light in past posts. He's right, I have been, but only because it's a long, long road and a long, long upward climb that teeters on being unpleasant but somehow holds it together.

Both of us were amazed at how the road seemed to fly by and how we found ourselves at the end of it in what seemed like a few minutes. I put this down to the heavy fog. At the bus stop visibility was very poor. Cyclists and cars 'disappeared' as soon as they passed us and for this reason we decided it would be safer to go back the slow way too.

Andy's bike on Warlingham Green. Pic by Andy Smith

The ride back meant a climb up Hesiers Hill, a nasty, but short-lived hill, and then a ride around the quiet lanes to the east of the 269. We emerged at Warlingham Sainsbury's and turned right on to the Limpsfield Road, heading for the Green where we would bid each other farewell.

Our next ride together will be on Boxing Day. We're meeting at 8am on the Green and will be riding to Woodmansterne Green for our traditional tea and Christmas cake. I say 'traditional' but we haven't riden out on Boxing Day for a couple of years.

I've got a couple of days off this week and I might well take advantage of the fact and get out on the bike as I won't be riding this weekend, but let's see how things go.

Thick fog at the Tatsfield Bus Stop.

Both bikes are 'fine' although I was remarking to Andy as we rode up Beddlestead Lane that my bike was seemingly always in a state of disrepair: there was always something that needed doing. At the moment, for example, it's the bottom bracket and the front brakes. That old argument about buying a more basic bike with block brakes came up but, as Andy said, "You've got a better bike." Better, he meant, than a bog standard ride from Halford's. He's right.

Andy is considering a new stem for his Blast to raise up the bars and take the pressure off his back, which, he says, is a little strained by having to lean so far forward. He's currently awaiting the part and intends to fix it himself.

Phil has yet to rejoin us, but I'm sure he will one of these days.