I was due a 2 hour session today but couldn’t face the thought of it in the garage on the turbo so decided to give the Linlithgow loop a go.

Got a couple of layers on and felt fine so headed out.  First problem was the snow had filled my cleats so they wouldn’t clip in.  A handy stick was found, clear them out and try again.

It was great to get some fresh air and felt good to be outside.  The roads seemed clear so all was good.  After a bout 30 mins I arrived at an A road we usually take as part of the route.  It had a covering of snow with no tarmac visible but was compacted from car tyres so i thought I would give it a try. 

The try lasted about 20 metres before I realised it was a raelly stupid idea and I should turn around.  This wasn’t very easy either.  The rear of the bike was alraedy slipping in the snow and I couldn’t push too hard to get my cleat out for fear of falling over.

Once acomplished I got back on the main road and decided to stay there.  It would be direct to Linlithgow then back.

Once I turned around I found out one of the reasons my ride had been so enjoyable so far.  The wind was now straight into my face and blowing fairly hard.  At times I was being blown across the road.

This didn’t last long though as I punctured after about 10 mins on the way home and realised I’d left my pump at home.  It was time for an Emergency call to the wife for a pick up.

After 20mins sitting in a bus shelter and beginning to get fairly cold it was good to get into the heat of the car.

Overall though an enjoyable ride and I’ll be back out next week….just with a pump.