Went for a longish ride last night – the usual “ride to Ramsbottom, do a loop then ride back” routine. It was dead windy last night and whilst it gave me a helping hand on the way there, coming back was a pain in the arse.

We were blown off our bikes on more than a couple of occasions and I reckon there were 70mph gusts on the tops of the moors.

We went down the cheeky trails in the “two valleys”, except we only did one valley due to the slow progress.

I almost bonked! The first time in yonks, I must be getting a bit blasé about feeding and ensuring I’ve enough in the tank to complete the ride. Thank God for mince pies. Glad I took a geared bike.