The thing with falling off my bike...is that it doesn't hurt until the following day. At the time, it's all giggles outside and wounded pride inside. Even after a hot bath and a good stretch, eventually the pain starts coming into focus. I say pain, really just an ache and stiffness...and the memory of an embarrassing episode and Mikes commentary of "err Rich, how did you end up over there?" he asks with a deadpan face while simultaneously reaching for his camera! The thing is, it was bloody icy...and new level of slippy, Mike concurred.
We certainly had a good ride. No great distance. In fact at home it was grey and thick with fog, but once we climbed up into the hills, it was like being in a plane...one minute cloud, the next blue skies and freezing sunshine. It's a while since it's snowed, but this was now ice, and crunched and pinked under your tyres as they followed gravity, and not necessarily any steering input from you. There were many stops, occasionally to let more air out the tyres in the search for a more conforming contact patch with the ground. Grip!
But mostly it was to admire the views and enjoy the morning. We were one of the first to arrive but later there were quite a few out on the trails. As with the running the other day, chat was all about the weather and 'conditions under tyre'. I've never heard this expression before, so wasn't really sure how to respond. In much the same way when normal people find themselves at the trade counter of a hardware store, they start talking in 'builder', dropping their h's and generally talking bollocks...I elected to simply answer with 'hmmm', smile and ride on.
The finale to this spectacular morning was to engage in the 'Full Welsh' breakfast. I'll be honest, I'm not sure I earned it in terms of effort expended. I viewed it more as an investment rather than a repayment. Mikes argument was that he'd now only need a light lunch...we discussed and justified over another coffee and a small cake. I did run yesterday...a modest trip to the Mill and back, possibly just enough to justify my morning coffee. A weekend of some activity, but nothing I can rate as testing...except the breakfast.
