Woooooohoooooooo!
November's 50K in the bag and recorded and no hedges required
. I held off until today as it was due to be more sunny than yesterday which I hoped would melt any frost from overnight. Heading out I was a bit tentative going down hills and with a very low sun in my eyes it was hard sometimes to judge what was a wet road, what was frosty and whether there was any ice around. Still I was determined to get this one done having ducked out at 40k last week due to the cold, so I just slowed down a bit. And then I turned into the wind. So I slowed down a lot more! At one point I was cycling along a road with a steady incline that I typically cover at a steady 10-12 mph, but today I was struggling to maintain 5mph! That really drains the tank and adds another mental challenge to the ride.
I had planned a cake stop at about 16 miles and persuaded my husband to drive to meet me there so had to keep slogging on to get to the cafe for the right time. Luckily I had given myself a good buffer of time and made it just as he drove into the car park :-)
After a cup of tea and a scone which helped to raise my spirits, supply some much needed energy and topped up the internal heat banks, I decided that rather than continuing on my planned route home, I would simply turn around and head back the way I had come. What a brilliant decision! What had been a slow uphill slog into the wind struggling with visibility into the sun, turned into a lovely downhill jaunt with the wind at my back and fantastic visibility on lovely quiet roads. Felt like I was home again in half the time, coffee in hand and my 50k banked for this month.
Layers and winter clothes were the order of the day. I had toe covers, winter socks, heat pads and shoe covers, winter tights, merino base layer, cycle top, winter jacket, neck buff, winter gloves and a merino head cover under my helmet.
Good luck to everyone still to get a November ride in. Hope the weather holds off for you.
.Gutted for you always next year
thats what matters
Oooooooops 
