28th December and slush

Yup slush. Slush is what we have left of the snow that has coated our roads and ruined our rides over the last couple of weeks but slush is a HUGE improvement and it's too tempting to pass up the opportunity of an actual real bike ride.

So setting off from home the roads were wet but very ridable until I turned off onto the cycle path that takes me through to the country lanes I love riding - it's either this cycle lane or Beechwood avenue which is a bit hilly to be riding within the first 3 minutes of the ride. So the cycle lane it is and for the first few hundred yards its mostly ok just a few pockets of slush dabbed here and there but all too quickly the pockets of slush became sheets of the stuff so off the bike and walk...

Back on the main (ish) roads now and the slush mostly inhabits the gutters so I up the pace but still wary of ice I don't up it too much. Onto the country lanes now as I pass Sutton Fields golf course and my confidence is growing as the slush stays put in the gutters and the odd ridge of the stuff mostly on the centre line but then I'm around Preston-on-the-hill and this is what greets me as I head out towards Stretton.

There's plenty of the black stuff showing through and just as long I rode in the wheel tracks I was OK and managed to up my pace slightly. At the end of this road is the road that leads to Stretton and this road was clear and here and only here I was able to ride at a more normal pace but getting to this point took me nearly an hour whereas normally it's 30 minutes.

Time is getting on a bit now and seeing as I intended to stay out for just 2 hours and nearly 1 hour is nearly over I decide to do an about turn and more or less do a reverse trip. Arriving home I'm warm but damp in places and I'm glad I managed to get out even though it's still hairy in places on the side roads, the turbo is ok when you have to use it but not a real substitute for the real thing, my fitness has suffered only slightly and my heart rate was higher in a lot more places than it normally is because of being off the road during these last couple of weeks but give me a few 'normal' road rides and all will be OK.

Give it another couple of days for all this slush to melt away and then normal service will be resumed, I'm really looking forward to it.

My Stats:
2hrs 1min, 26 miles, Av speed 13 mph, Av/Max HR 142/165 (191 Act Max), 1136 ft climbing.

Garmin Stats

Heart rate zones:
Z1: 41 min, Z2: 43 min, Z3: 23 min, Z4: 13 min, Z5: 0 min.