Mice Log What am I doing getting up when it's -1 Outside

Sunday London Ride Date 90. 33.20 miles in 3hr 29 mins, ave speed 9.5 mph max speed 20.7mph on the Marin

-1 is cold.  I kept hoping the temperature would at least climb up to 0 degrees by the time I got out of bed but it didn't.  I reached for the most technical items in my cycling wardrobe - Merino baselayers, Assos jersey and Gore jacket, with jeans and Gore over trousers.  Not forgetting two pairs of socks, two pairs of gloves and two buffs.

Result! This worked all day - providing I wasnt immobile in the shade.

Off to Hyde Park Corner to meet five other cyclists - marvellous and kind people two of whom had travelled from Luton.  We headed eastwards with Greenwich as our destination.

Down to Parliament Square and over Westminster Bridge to cycle along NCN4 (National Cycling Network 4) which travels along the Thames.  The signage is a bit rubbish from time to time, often includes flights of stairs and indeed raised pavements.

We passed a lock that has floating house boats for birds!

 And a pub where Sir Paul McCartney had visited

There is something about cycling in London. The architecture, the people just going about their business, how you see things from a completely different angle, so uniquely - a cyclists view. And in great company.

We reached the Maritime Museum Brewery for lunch.  It really does brew its own beer (if you are into beer).  It was a real amble about, followed by great banter and catching up with fab peeps. 

Mice Log Snowstorms and Snowdrops in Sunshine 89

Mice Log Snowstorms and Snowdrops in Sunshine 89. 13 miles in 1hr 8 mins, ave speed 12 mph max speed 19mph on the Marin.

Hyde Park is closed to traffic - Huzzah!  Perhaps not - pedestrians are all over the shop, the barrage of Boris Bikes are now three abreast and absolutely nobody is looking behind them!  This doesn't bode well for summer (whatever summer is!)

I did think the Serpentine and the Skyline looked particularly pretty and the air wasnt nearly as cold as I thought it was going to be.

It was also the day for chores so perfect for trying out my new Lidl shopping basket.  10/10.  Loved it. 

From the photo it does look as though it is bigger than the bike! It isnt. And it's not nearly as large as the bag a friend of mine has  on her bike in The Hague.

There was no problem with the steering.  The bag pops on and off without any problems and is neat and tidy to use as a bag. It can carry quite a lot of items, has an expandable top and a pocket at the front.  It seems to be well made and the fabric is strong.  £9.99 very well spent.  Thank you Lidl!

Half a Ride is Better than None!

Friday  Mice Log Early Start Date 88.  26.03 miles in 2hr 43. Ave 9.5 max speed 20.2 on the Marin  

A group of friends were cycling 70 miles or so to Felpham in Sussex from London but I knew I wasn't up to that in terms of fitness on top of which it was going to be -2 degrees in the small hours! Even with the right gear that is too cold for me so a friend and I decided to join them  - not for the ride but for breakfast! 

 To do this we took a bit of a short cut. A very shortcut as it happens! We let the train take the strain all the way to Ford which is eight miles away from Felpham! This did mean a bit of an early start.  4am alarm.  I managed to meet be on the right train at the right time and was startled to see how many other people were up so early on Good Friday!

We cycled at least two miles to a rendezvous and waited. And waited. Whoops a miscommunication meant the  group had already reached Felpham so we shot off to do the remaining six miles to join them at The Lobster Pot. 

 It had been a cold night indeed. Water bottles had frozen. Everyone had felt the icy air and had at some point been colder than they had liked but they had all worn enough clothes to compensate although  they were holding their teas and coffees with both hands! 

Breakfast and banter continued through the morning, our numbers decreased and we moved on to a pub in Bognor.  

I took a train to Worthing to meet up with a couple of friends where we revisited Coast Cafe which serves fantastically fresh and delicious food.  It was hard to leave!  Somehow eventually after home made carrot cake we managed to cycle along the sea front to Brighton despite the wind and the cold air.

To warm up we headed in land and cycled around a few streets on top of hills.  It is a hilly place. My legs didn't know what to do!  My planning went out of the window and I did a ridiculous gear change which made my chain come off.  I was about to be shown a really good trick by a friend to put it back on really quickly but was so distracted by my failure and the traffic that I did it the old fashioned way, walked back down the hill and started again in the correct gear.  Success! I made it to the top. Just! Note to self - must find some hills near home to practice on.  Unfortunately I was so distracted I forgot to ask what the tip was to put the chain back on.  Note to self 2 -  find out how to do that!

We headed down into Brighton centre for more food!  This included pudding which was a bit big and very delicious.  Back to the station and soon I was on my way home.

Moving around the country combining trains and bicycles is a really great way to discover places you wouldnt normally see.  It allows a balance of how much cycling you actually want to do rather than being daunted by numbers of miles.

 For me it was another great day with friends - and my bicycle.