Went to college last night on me bike..... During the day it had snowed / rained / snowed / thawed /
rained / snowed / froze.... My wife thought I was mental and she was soon to be a widow. Set out at
1745 and could feel the road freezing even more (if that was possible) as I rode. The windchill was
evil. Got to college about 10 mins later than normal. Most worrying things were 1. observing
imbeciles trying to control a ton + of metal and 4 big rubbery things with no grip trying to
progress in an orderly fashion, without showing any extra consideration for my presence (i.e. 6"
away)...and 2. thinking about just how much worse it was going to be when I came out at 2100hrs.
Arrived in one piece, much to my amazement and that of my classmates. Needed to spend a few minutes
regaining feeling in my thumbs & fingers, despite winter gloves (the pain, the pain)... Left at
2100, expecting to find my tyres frozen...frozen tyres on a frozen road - I was sure to be dead (or
at the very best, severly injured) before the night was out....My mother (70) broke her wrist first
thing slipping on ice outside her back door, my ex-wife was in hospital having potentially fatal
brain surgery. Was I tempting fate too much to be number 3??. Anyway, tyres were strangely damp
rather than frozen. Guess I must've picked up enough salt on 'em on the way in to prevent 'em
freezing. I tested the tyres whilst pushing the bike across the frozen car park. On the very
slightest hint of slipping. Rode home. A *LOT* less traffic and none of them trying to prove just
how fast they are in potentially fatal conditions. The gritters had been out so the majority of the
journey was reasonably safe, just 3 or 4 roads with sheet ice. Couldn't believe that I'd made it
with (touch wood) no incidents at all....fell into the arms of my loving and much relieved (I hope
;-) wife, proclaiming "[censored] me!! I'm alive!!" Most fascinating things I saw were pavement cyclist
having real problems (no lights, no reflective clothing., no chance - frozen pavements) and, a
couple of hundred yards from home, I passed a guy going in the opposite direction who was obviously
real hardcore - on the road, going at a fair old rate of knots, no lights, no reflective gear, no
PPE (gloves, helmet/hat), overcoat on but open, billowing in the breeze. We exchanged the cheery
wave and hello of a couple of kindred spirits but I bet he thought w*nk*, what with me taking it
easy, lit up like a xmas tree, in fluoro/reflective gear, helmet and gloves ;-) All this on a 25 yr
old racer with little skinny no grip (to speak of) tyres - Conti tourers if anyone's interested -
Excellent!!.. Cheers y'all, take care and remember, it's an ice rink out there
Dave. -Still alive- Done some stoopid things in my time