According to the people on the telly, it was the coldest night of the winter so far last night. I didn’t check, but I think it was supposed to be about -8 or -9 around here. I was going out for a ride though, eeeeh…I’m like a coiled spring at the moment I tell thee. Good job I’ve got loads of “proper” winter clothes these days. Gore fleece – ace. Gaerne Eskimo boots – ace. Goretex thermal gloves – ace. Thermal tights – pervy (and ace). Helly base layer – stinky.

It definately felt very cold, I had to drink from my hydration pack more often than I would normally do as it would become blocked with ice after 20 minutes or so. I rode up to Birtle on the singlespeed, down to Nangreaves then back over towards Bury and home (just before midnight) via the Sustrans trail. There was a lot of snow around and thankfully not too much ice, apart from the deep, frozen puddles that were hiding under a layer of snow. Those gave me one or two scares.

My lights packed in before I got back, despite me having 2 battery packs with me – evidently the burn time is drastically reduced when it gets cold. I’ll have to take all 3 packs in future.