Wanted to do about 40 after work ideally, to take a decent-sized bite out of the remaining distance to my target of 6214 miles. Cold out there, but dry.
Having been quite pleased with the insulating effect afforded by my hiking trousers when I tried them as cycling overtrousers last week, I bought some nylon overtrousers from Amazon and I trialled them today. I bought them in size L because I have a 34″ inside leg. But they proved far too cumbersome while riding, so I was back at the garage to take them off within a mile.
After that I headed up through Coleorton and Belton with no particular plan except to roam Parts North for a bit, then Parts South, then home. I turned left at Long Whatton to skirt the southern end of East Midlands Airport then headed back homeward. Amazingly – on a route I’ve done dozens of times in a car as well as a bike – I took the wrong turn at the roundabout at the top of Top Brand. I only realised what I’d done 5 minutes later, so I kept on to Belton. I’d pretty much decided to settle for 25 miles or so by this time. Too cold. My fingers and toes were suffering a bit.
So I came back home through Thringstone and Coalville. Ended up with 26.37 miles, a half-decent start to the December campaign.
Had a beautiful view of a huge full moon, low above the horizon directly in front of me going north-east toward Belton.
I listened to 5 Live for coverage of the vote over the COVID restrictions at Westminster, but they’d decided to make race politics the theme of their show again, with boatloads of one-sided opinion from ethnic minority guests about supposed institutional racism in the Police Force. As a white person with no sense of shame or guilt about my skin colour I guess I’ll have to accept that the Black Broadcasting Corporation just isn’t aimed at me.
Anyway. That’s 5912 miles done this year, and I’m within a couple of rides of 6,000 miles. 302 to do, which doesn’t seem like a big ask for the rest of December.