# Well I'm an idiot... >.<



## Lavender Rose (18 Dec 2017)

Well...I stupidly decided to go out on my bike this morning - I took the Diverge, not the Allez, thinking as its heavier it would be better on the potential icy roads, however, the slick tyres just did not want to know.

I only got a mile down the road when I lost the front end and landed heavily on my right knee and right elbow. I then dusted myself off, thinking it was just a black ice patch - but no....another 500 yards down the road it threw me off again.

I decided to pack it in and call my dad to come get me and the bike. I felt like such an idiot, it wasn't the bike - just my stupid lack of judgment


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## Hugh Manatee (18 Dec 2017)

Bad luck! Hope the damage to you isn't too bad. It is warmer here today although the odd patch of cold stuff is still to be found.


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## Lavender Rose (18 Dec 2017)

Yeah I headed out around 8:30 and I live in the sticks, and all the roads seemed to be in the shade - heat wise was not too bad, but we have very frosty nights! I thought Kent was suppose to be warmest! haha


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## FishFright (18 Dec 2017)

I'm guessing pretty much all of us have done similar.

Black ice is no respecter of mass, or anything else for that matter.


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## Lavender Rose (18 Dec 2017)

I am just going to focus on my running in the gym and only go out on the bike mid afternoon when it should all be thawed out! Lesson learnt.....


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## davidphilips (18 Dec 2017)

Charlotte Alice Button said:


> I am just going to focus on my running in the gym and only go out on the bike mid afternoon when it should all be thawed out! Lesson learnt.....



If you do go out this afternoon just keep well out from the edge of the road as thats the most likely place for ice to stay, Dont want to hear about things happening in threes, good luck.


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## Globalti (18 Dec 2017)

Don't worry, you had more conviction than 99.99% of the population and you learned a valuable lesson.

My cycling buddy and I went out on Friday morning and he came a cropper on water ice despite our experience. We turned round and headed to a cafe for a hot drink. 

Taking a few days off cycling will do you good. You'll feel stronger when you return to the road.


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## MontyVeda (18 Dec 2017)

Charlotte Alice Button said:


> I am just going to focus on my running in the gym and only go out on the bike mid afternoon when it should all be thawed out! Lesson learnt.....


This time of year, when the sun is low and the days are short, there'll be patches that just won't thaw for days.
Winter doesn't stop me cycling but it's purely utility cycling... long pleasure rides will begin again in spring.


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## Bonus (18 Dec 2017)

Aaah miss the days when I could "call my dad" .


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## hoopdriver (18 Dec 2017)

Glad you weren't injured. My shoulder is still not right after the tendons got messed up from my last 'off' on black ice nearly five years ago. I used to love riding on frosty mornings but now I go to the gym for a hard hour on the cross-trainer...

Spring's coming...


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## Thorn Sherpa (18 Dec 2017)

Glad your not seriously hurt, I think most people will have had an off thinking that the ice had cleared I know I have! Like others are saying shaded areas are the worst.


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## Lavender Rose (18 Dec 2017)

Yeah I mean, few hours later and my wrist and right elbow are pretty tender, I am suppose to be playing badminton tonight after work!


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## raleighnut (18 Dec 2017)

Charlotte Alice Button said:


> Yeah I mean, few hours later and my wrist and right elbow are pretty tender, I am suppose to be playing badminton tonight after work!


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## Lavender Rose (18 Dec 2017)

raleighnut said:


>


Thanks muchly @raleighnut


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## Banjo (18 Dec 2017)

Glad you weren't too badly hurt.Theres another potential danger mid afternoon on days like this. Low sun,if you are struggling to see into the sun get off the road if you can. car drivers with dirty windscreens wont see you and lots are too stupid to slow down.


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## Thorn Sherpa (18 Dec 2017)

I'd give the badminton a miss and rest up, like you say rack up some miles in the gym while the roads are iced up not worth another fall


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## Lavender Rose (18 Dec 2017)

Yeah cycling in the gym is so boring - so I will definitely get running more.

I am so sad because I really wanted to get my miles in before duathlon season in May, but I will have time come February, should be a little milder then!


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## dave r (18 Dec 2017)

Charlotte Alice Button said:


> Yeah I mean, few hours later and my wrist and right elbow are pretty tender, I am suppose to be playing badminton tonight after work!



 . I was out this morning, the roads by me weren't bad and fog was the main problem, though the roads round Shenton were bad, but I got home without any tarmac kissing episodes.


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## Johnno260 (18 Dec 2017)

I'm the same I live in Sussex but in the sticks, even early afternoon the shaded roads can still be icy.

My morning rides have gone out the window last few weeks, if there is a hint of ice I don't bother, the past few weeks I have seen so many accidents and too many people not driving to suit the conditions it's just not worth the risk.

It's a frustrating time of year for sure, just be sensible.


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## helston90 (18 Dec 2017)

Been there, done that, I still reckon during the summer when it's 25 degrees that there 'may still be ice, better slow up' on the corner that took me out. 
Sounds like you made the right choice calling it a day, glad you weren't badly hurt!


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## Lavender Rose (18 Dec 2017)

Yeah I just keep thinking if I couldn't have got out of the road and a car was around the corner - gives me the shivers!


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## MichaelW2 (18 Dec 2017)

A useful n+1 bike is a good enough mtb, hardtail or non suspension, that you can equip for snow and ice. I have studded tyres but the effort in changing tyres based on the weather is too much for just one day. Better to have a bike setup that you can just grab. Studded tyres are pretty easy to make yourself from cheap mtb tyres with big knobbles. If your other bikes are sporty road machines, you can set this one up as a shopping/ touring/ utility bike or offroader for summer use.


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## MiK1138 (18 Dec 2017)

Charlotte Alice Button said:


> Well...I stupidly decided to go out on my bike this morning - I took the Diverge, not the Allez, thinking as its heavier it would be better on the potential icy roads, however, the slick tyres just did not want to know.
> 
> I only got a mile down the road when I lost the front end and landed heavily on my right knee and right elbow. I then dusted myself off, thinking it was just a black ice patch - but no....another 500 yards down the road it threw me off again.
> 
> I decided to pack it in and call my dad to come get me and the bike. I felt like such an idiot, it wasn't the bike - just my stupid lack of judgment


Yeah it doesn't take much to hae you off in those conditions, all i done the other day was shift my weight on the saddle and the back wheel washed out. OUCH. hope you and bike are all good


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## 12boy (18 Dec 2017)

Schwalbe 700 c studded tires work well for smooth ice although they are at least 32mm. They don`t help much in snow over a few inches or bumpy frozen messes on the side of the road. If pumped up they aren't too bad on dry and the replaceable carbide studs last a long time. However, when you stop and put your foot down, unless you have some kind of snow cleats you can slip on the ice and fall down anyway. A plus to studded tires and the slip on snow cleats is it is a lot more work so you will get a good workout with a shorter ride. Some like to set up a single speed steel beater bike with a low gear inch, say 63 gear inches, and pull that out for that sort of riding. That way, the salt and crap on the road will not trash your expensive bike.


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## derrick (18 Dec 2017)

Glad your ok, We tend to stay of all side roads this time of year, we are lucky we have some nice main roads around here that are not to busy. Looking forward to the weekend as it's supposed to warm up a bit, I know it's hard indoor training, but sometimes you have to do it.


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## raleighnut (18 Dec 2017)

12boy said:


> Schwalbe 700 c studded tires work well for smooth ice although they are at least 32mm. They don`t help much in snow over a few inches or bumpy frozen messes on the side of the road. If pumped up they aren't too bad on dry and the replaceable carbide studs last a long time. However, when you stop and put your foot down, unless you have some kind of snow cleats you can slip on the ice and fall down anyway. A plus to studded tires and the slip on snow cleats is it is a lot more work so you will get a good workout with a shorter ride. Some like to set up a single speed steel beater bike with a low gear inch, say 63 gear inches, and pull that out for that sort of riding. That way, the salt and crap on the road will not trash your expensive bike.


The 'single speed steel beater' bike is often peoples 'pride and joy' this side of the pond.


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## Lavender Rose (18 Dec 2017)

Yeah I think I might just leave it until a nice mild day and no ice...Thanks for all the supportive comments - I don't feel so much of a loser now!


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## jefmcg (18 Dec 2017)

raleighnut said:


> The 'single speed steel beater' bike is often peoples 'pride and joy' this side of the pond.


You don't have to travel that far, I'm sure in New York too.

I'm guessing there aren't many hipsters in rural Wyoming.

Edit: apologies - I see that Casper is not "rural" but the second biggest city in Wyoming. I bet it does have hipsters


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## Sixmile (18 Dec 2017)

MichaelW2 said:


> A useful n+1 bike is a good enough mtb, hardtail or non suspension, that you can equip for snow and ice. I have studded tyres but the effort in changing tyres based on the weather is too much for just one day. Better to have a bike setup that you can just grab.


 
I had almost pulled the trigger on a Fat Bike for this very reason. CRC had one down to £450 a few weeks back. Although I could've done with it last week, I just couldn't justify the cost but I'm not so sure I could resist such temptation again!


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## overmind (18 Dec 2017)

When I was a student I remember paying about £100 for a 10 speed Peugeot racer (1985) - that was a great bike. I rode it to the shops on a icy day and fell over 3 times in the ice (lost the front wheel in all cases). I gave up after that and walked home. I wonder what would happen if one was using clip-less pedals and that happened ? That could be nasty.


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## Racing roadkill (18 Dec 2017)

If you must ride a bicycle in these conditions, stick to roads you know have been treated, and make sure you have decent lights. Stay off the paths, slow down on roundabouts and corners.


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## Sixmile (18 Dec 2017)

overmind said:


> I wonder what would happen if one was using clip-less pedals and that happened ? That could be nasty.


 
Whilst I have SPD pedals on my main commuter, they are one sided. In any case, if I think that I'm approaching a particularly slippy patch or coming to a bend in the wet, I'll unclip one foot to anticipate any slide. In one high speed instance, I managed to skate upright with my right down on the road and the bike travelling sideways! I'll never know how I managed to keep upright on that occasion.


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## Lavender Rose (18 Dec 2017)

Yeah I don't have cleats or clip-ins. I refuse to wear them in case of eventualities like this


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## cyberknight (18 Dec 2017)

I use a basic turbo trainer with youtube videos of workouts , not as good as zwift etc but better than falling on ice and keeps the legs turning.

GWS !


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## Lonestar (18 Dec 2017)

cyberknight said:


> I use a basic turbo trainer with youtube videos of workouts , not as good as zwift etc but better than falling on ice and keeps the legs turning.
> 
> GWS !




View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSFYRiqodvU&t=16s


Same here.


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## Aravis (18 Dec 2017)

I'm an idiot too. I went out today, having chosen to believe the forecast (because it said what I wanted it to say) but it was far colder. I had a plan, and foolishly/obstinately stuck to it. I was frequently terrified, but somehow managed to stay upright.

I did have a mishap though. My bike fell over spectacularly after I'd set it up for a photo opportunity, causing some cosmetic damage to my Garmin and Brooks. On balance, I'll settle for that. Then, about an hour after returning home, the rear tyre burst spontaneously in my hallway. At first I thought it might be the boiler, and the mere loss of a partly used tyre doesn't seem so bad!


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## cyberknight (18 Dec 2017)

Lonestar said:


> View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSFYRiqodvU&t=16s
> 
> 
> Same here.



Highway to hell!


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## mjr (18 Dec 2017)

12boy said:


> Schwalbe 700 c studded tires work well for smooth ice although they are at least 32mm.


Now also available in 30mm.

Spare wheels may be an alternative to a whole spare bike.

Don't just trust the ice will be gone mid-afternoon. It doesn't always. Get a thermometer and maybe try to spot what places near your house the ice stays longest.


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## Lonestar (18 Dec 2017)

cyberknight said:


> Highway to hell!



The highway to me losing two stone.


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## Lavender Rose (18 Dec 2017)

Lonestar said:


> The highway to me losing two stone.


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## MikeG (18 Dec 2017)

A few people sneered when I said a few days ago that ice and bikes don't mix. I hope those same people are as sympathetic as I am, Alice. It's horrible coming off once. Twice in a ride........that's a nightmare. Hope you feel OK soon enough.


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## Lonestar (18 Dec 2017)

MikeG said:


> A few people sneered when I said a few days ago that ice and bikes don't mix. I hope those same people are as sympathetic as I am, Alice. It's horrible coming off once. Twice in a ride........that's a nightmare. Hope you feel OK soon enough.



I agree I don't like ice and don't trust it.

GWS Alice.


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## Dave 123 (18 Dec 2017)

@Charlotte Alice Button arnica tablets are your friend.


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## Lavender Rose (18 Dec 2017)

MikeG said:


> A few people sneered when I said a few days ago that ice and bikes don't mix. I hope those same people are as sympathetic as I am, Alice. It's horrible coming off once. Twice in a ride........that's a nightmare. Hope you feel OK soon enough.



Oh you are all so adorable! Thank you so much, yes it has definitely knocked my confidence a little. I cannot wait to get home and unwind with some yoga and strong incense!


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## Alan O (18 Dec 2017)

I'm always impressed by you folk who go out voluntarily to ride your bikes on these cold mornings.

I just don't have the toughness I had when I was young, and these days I struggle even to get out of bed to go to work - and I work at home! In fact, sometimes it's so bad I do my first hour or so's work on my laptop while still in bed.

It's definitely fair-weather cycling for me these days - I've had my fill of cold winter spills and icy soakings, and I don't want any more of them.


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## Stephen Piper (18 Dec 2017)

I'm riding to Woodchurch tomorrow, thanks for the heads up re the possibility of ice around the Ashford area. Ice is a relatively uncommon hazard along the coast.


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## Lavender Rose (18 Dec 2017)

Alan O said:


> I'm always impressed by you folk who go out voluntarily to ride your bikes on these cold mornings.
> 
> I just don't have the toughness I had when I was young, and these days I struggle even to get out of bed to go to work - and I work at home! In fact, sometimes it's so bad I do my first hour or so's work on my laptop while still in bed.
> 
> It's definitely fair-weather cycling for me these days - I've had my fill of cold winter spills and icy soakings, and I don't want any more of them.



It's definitely been a wake up call today. I have been lucky to never have to commute on my bikes - it's always been for leisure/competition. @Stephen Piper - yes please be careful, as someone else pointed out is that if the temperature doesn't go much above freezing and its continuing to shower every so often, then the ice builds up and is unable to melt unless we have a heatwave one day.

I have even changed my exercise plan to incorporate more running and spin classes (as I don't pay for them )


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## Lonestar (18 Dec 2017)

Well I commute by bike and it's not a problem generally...Although today is the aniversary of my spill down Stratford High Street.The left hand pedal broke off from the crank.Since then I've done 181 cycle commutes.

That spill was as bad as I had ever encounrtered although ice spills can be a bit uncontrollerble.


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## johnnyb47 (18 Dec 2017)

The main and most important thing is your ok ,and not to badly hurt. Cycling has been off the menu for a good week for me with this bad weather of late. I did manage a ride on Sunday when the weather was a little warmer but even then, I felt the bike losing grip in some parts of the lanes. 
Glad your ok Charlotte..


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## Lonestar (18 Dec 2017)

johnnyb47 said:


> The main and most important thing is your ok ,and not to badly hurt. Cycling has been off the menu for a good week for me with this bad weather of late. I did manage a ride on Sunday when the weather was a little warmer but even then, I felt the bike losing grip in some parts of the lanes.
> Glad your ok Charlotte..



Yeah we've got it easy in London compared to you guys and gals.


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## 12boy (18 Dec 2017)

jefmcg said:


> You don't have to travel that far, I'm sure in New York too.
> 
> I'm guessing there aren't many hipsters in rural Wyoming.
> 
> Edit: apologies - I see that Casper is not "rural" but the second biggest city in Wyoming. I bet it does have hipsters


We had a couple hipsters once but they were shot and eaten. (Joshing) Actually do have some, but quite a few nonhipsters like singles and fixies. We have excellent single track 30 minutes away on the mountain immediately behind Casper and there are some folks who enjoy riding fixed on those trails, too.


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## Tim Hall (18 Dec 2017)

Charlotte Alice Button said:


> Oh you are all so adorable! Thank you so much, yes it has definitely knocked my confidence a little. I cannot wait to get home and unwind with some yoga and *strong incense*!


You seem to have misspelt "strong drink". HTH. GWS.


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## pjd57 (18 Dec 2017)

Came off on a ice a few weeks back. Only about 15 yards from my front door. Sore , but nothing broken ,I think.
My wrist is still sore at times.

Had a week in the sun last week and hopefully will be out tomorrow for a few miles, even if I have to walk out to the bus routes before getting on my bike.


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## Ming the Merciless (18 Dec 2017)

Even if the temperature looks okay you can get localised cold spots in hollows and particular spots. If you can waiting a little later in the day till the sun has hit the lanes helps a lot. Beware of bridges (air underneath makes it colder than other bits of road). Pay attention to where a road takes drainage. If on a frosty country lane then riding the central gravel makes for a stretch can get you past it. Avoid riding on the edge of a road. Black ice can be seen if you have low mounted lights. If the road goes quiet underneath your wheels do not steer, do not brake and do not make any sudden manoeuvres. Never be afraid to either get off and walk for a bit or turn round. Off road can be a good alternative this time of year.

Heal well.


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## mjr (18 Dec 2017)

Alan O said:


> I'm always impressed by you folk who go out voluntarily to ride your bikes on these cold mornings.


Places to go, things to do. The sunny sunrises are worth it.


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## grellboy (18 Dec 2017)

Evening. I live in Norfolk now but always considered Kent my home having grown up there. Last Autumn/winter my mum was in hospital down there and I used to drive down to see her but would always chuck my bike in the back, as visiting hours were not til two o clock and I used to get a few hours in before each visit on the relatively steep hills near Sevenoaks. Anyway one frosty morning I arrived down there and got on my bike. I hadn't gone two miles before an oncoming car caused me to swerve onto a patch of frost. Went down hard on my head immediately. I hardly ever wear a helmet but that day I did and am still grateful to this day that I did, coz without it I would undoubtedly have ended up in the same hospital as my mum! On reflection, I realised that the frost had made riding conditions completely impossible for anything resembling a safe ride that day but because I had already made my mind up that I was riding then that was that! I was gonna chance it regardless of the conditions. Initially i blamed my poor choice that day on the lack of hills in Norfolk: if we had more hills round here like those steep ones in Kent then I wouldn't have felt obliged to ride on such an unsuitable day. Having driven 150 miles, felt the need to make the most of it. On reflection now though, maybe i was just an obsessed moron!


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## Crankarm (18 Dec 2017)

FishFright said:


> *I'm guessing pretty much all of us have done similar.*
> 
> Black ice is no respecter of mass, or anything else for that matter.



I haven't, yet.


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## raleighnut (19 Dec 2017)

Tim Hall said:


> You seem to have misspelt "strong drink". HTH. GWS.


It was the 'incense' bit I was wondering about, I might have come across some strong 'incense' in my time.



Spoiler



Nepalese Temple Balls


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## Southside Mike (19 Dec 2017)

I use the car window test - if there's ice on the cars , I don't ride in to work. If it warms up and I'm stuck in the car on the way home watching other people cycling I do regret it a bit, but I'm not prepared to take the risk.


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## Rooster1 (19 Dec 2017)

This should make you feel a bit better (from a year or so ago)
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/i-came-off.209489/


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## cyberknight (19 Dec 2017)

Lonestar said:


> The highway to me losing two stone.


Uhm i was quoting one of the songs from that particular video.


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## Stephen Piper (19 Dec 2017)

Well I manged to pick my way through several miles of patchy black ice to meet my club mates at the cafe rendezvous (Rare Breeds, Woodchurch), only to find out that one of our number had not been so lucky. Still, he was able to carry on and proudly showed us some nasty road rash and a bloody knee, which he dismissed as 'nothing'. Not bad for a 73 year old.


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## mjr (20 Dec 2017)

Stephen Piper said:


> Well I manged to pick my way through several miles of patchy black ice to meet my club mates at the cafe rendezvous (Rare Breeds, Woodchurch), only to find out that one of our number had not been so lucky. Still, he was able to carry on and proudly showed us some nasty road rash and a bloody knee, which he dismissed as 'nothing'. Not bad for a 73 year old.


Is he related to Bernard "it was just a little hole in my head" Hinault?


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## Stephen Piper (20 Dec 2017)

Not to my knowledge, but there is some irony in that he worked as a health and safety inspector.


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## Racing roadkill (21 Dec 2017)

I do the #5 #9 test. If there’s ice all over the car windows, I get one of the Hybrids out, wear all the thermal kit, and ride on the roads that have obviously been treated, it might involve a slightly longer or more convoluted route, and *shock horror* I might actually ride on a road with more traffic on it, than an iced up back road, but traffic beats ice, in a game of ‘cycling rock scissors paper’. I’ve been out in -6 ( at its worst so far this year) and I’m not dead.


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## mjr (28 Dec 2017)

Racing roadkill said:


> I’ve been out in -6 ( at its worst so far this year) and I’m not dead.


We only have your word for that!


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## david k (28 Dec 2017)

Alan O said:


> I'm always impressed by you folk who go out voluntarily to ride your bikes on these cold mornings.
> 
> I just don't have the toughness I had when I was young, and these days I struggle even to get out of bed to go to work - and I work at home! In fact, sometimes it's so bad I do my first hour or so's work on my laptop while still in bed.
> 
> It's definitely fair-weather cycling for me these days - I've had my fill of cold winter spills and icy soakings, and I don't want any more of them.


Funnily enough last two years I've rarely been out in winter when I did lots the years before

I'm doing less cycling due to various reasons although I'm not sure I'll ever do so much winter cycling again


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