Didn’t entirely feel like cycling today but since conditions were decent-ish, I though I’d get the cycling year off the ground with a Twycross. Since my strategy for this year is partly to try and stay ahead of my year-younger self, I wanted to do at least 25 to build up a bit of a lead (this time last year, I’d done 22 miles on my first ride of 2019).
I left work at about 3:30pm and set off not long after. Only half an hour before sunset and it was already getting dim as I withdrew the Boardman from the garage, but I had excellent lights with me. I wore a decently powerful head torch, but had a handlebar-mounted torch as well. Both work quite well but the head torch is excellent for checking a GPS watch.
Definitely cold and very blowy on the early part of the ride, facing into the wind coming from the south. Nice to have a bit of a tailwind on the way back.
Really dark out there in the country after sunset. Pitch black. Very atmospheric.
Did a typical Twycross route of moderate distance; 30.16 miles. A decent start to the cycling year, and to the January campaign.
https://www.strava.com/activities/2976564387
Hoping I can do a Fondo on Saturday – according to the forecast the wind will be blowing from the west, so I’ll think about a route over in that direction.
I juggled about with the monthly weightings on my spreadsheet based on likely weather and holiday commitments, and it’s given me a target for this month of 303 miles.