Q4 cycling

Overall mild, but wet in November, and cold in mid-December, so a steady background of utility rides, kept the numbers up.

Tree down

Despite the previous month's rain, such had been the drought that October remained off-road season, with firm going on bridleways. With mild weather and light in the afternoons, plenty of business rides, and a few longer ones to do things like checking the progress of the cycle-path signed to Longstanton, or the newly placed archaeological signs along the A1307.

End of the line at Northstowe

Totals at the end of the month 1862.2 on the old bike (+321.2), 2133 on the new (+87.3), for a total of 408.2 miles for the month, 4185 YTD.

Second load

November's weather was less clement, but, with old customs resuming, I did get the chance to use the trailer I'd bought for my birthday, to transport bits of old fencing that had been languishing for more than a year to the village bonfire for disposal. And while there were a few dodgy spots, off-road remained feasible until almost the very end of the month, provided a decent interval was left after each fall of rain.

Mostly dry, still

Totals at the end of the month 2048.9 on the old bike (+186.7), for a total of 186.7 miles for the month, 4372 YTD.

It was like that when I found it

Apart from a long ride to visit friends between Christmas and the New Year (partly into the teeth of a small gale on the way back), December's rides were at most into town. The main highlights were infrastructure related, like the unofficial opening of a stretch of the segregated route into town that had been fenced off for nearly a month; and, of course, an anniversary visit to the Abbey bridge to see that the desire line was not being thwarted by red tape - just that, as last year, the going was a bit soft just at the moment.

Desire line one year on

Totals at the end of the month 2279 on the old bike (+230.1), 175.96 on the folder (+16.2) for a total of 246.3 miles for the month, 4618 for the year; almost 10% more than my previous best of 4215 miles in 2014 when cycle commuting 19 miles was a regular thing. To think that I worried about retirement taking that base-load away, and leaving me lacking exercise!