Christmas rides

[PH]

Hoping to get a few rides in over Christmas, first one today. set off with the intention of heading North, a little slippery in the shadows so before I'd got very far I changed the plan, the hills can wait for another day, I stayed off the remote lanes and kept to the B roads heading South.
Very enjoyable day despite the change of plan, 80 km on almost constant sunshine, stopped at the half way point for a slice of Christmas cake, pork pie and flask of coffee at a favourite bench.

[GaryRT]

What a cracking way to spend a bright and sunny Christmas Eve!

[geocycle]

Good way to start the holidays. Seasons Greetings to all.

[PhilWych]

Here's hoping for many more good days for a ride and a happier 2010.

[PH]

Here's hoping for many more good days for a ride and a happier 2010.

A happier 2010?  Do you have a time machine

[PH]

Christmas Day I was hoping to take the Merc up into the Peak District.  It's something I've done a few times on this day, using roads I wouldn't normally, A52, A515 and A6 back, with an early enough start I'm home by lunch time and hardly seen a car.  Alas, yesterdays beautifully clear dawn revealed icy conditions and I don't take those sorts of risks.  Later on, when I though the sun might have thawed it out a bit, I took the Surly out on some mucky trails, slow going and half the distance, but a lovely day to be out none the less

[PH]

Boxing Day and I'm back on the Thorn, todays forecast is for high winds from about 4pm, so I plan a simple Southern route with plenty of corners to cut if the weather turns.  A mix of tracks, lanes and B roads, all of which I'm familiar with, out following the River Trent and then the Soar and back onto the Trent in the opposite direction.  I've never seen so many walkers out, I know it's trad on Boxing Day, but some of the tracks were so busy I diverted to the roads.  Also diverted a couple of times by floods, no I didn't ride through it! 
As usual this time of year, I've entered the Rapha/Strava Festive 500, with the aim to ride 500 km between Christmas Eve and New Years Eve, just for fun.  Todays ride brings me up to 210 km, a bit behind where I'd hoped to be, but weather permitting it's still doable.