I only managed 4 rides, but 3 of them involved new cafes, so that was a bonus!
Christmas Eve
The weather may not have been against us today, but my fitness and post Christmas party lethargy certainly was! I rode like a slug. New year resolutions will be needed!
Stuart and I were joined by Deborah, who was very polite and did not call me a slug, although she had every right to! Although we had initially planned a 40 miler to Aston Clinton, the route was radically shortened, because given my pace we would not have made it back before Santa started his deliveries. After an aborted trip to Potten End (closed) we headed into Berkhamsted to see what we could find. Deborah, who must have eagle eyes for finding great cafes, spotted a fantastic new café. The House of High Tea. They were quite happy to receive slightly sweaty cyclists in their very lovely tearooms (although I'm not sure how they would feel about bedraggled mud spattered cyclists!). The cakes were lovely and the coffee was good, so all in all, not a bad result for a Christmas Eve ride.
First post Christmas ride
28th Dec was the first day we had free to ride, so we were heading out no matter what. The temperatures were below zero, so ice was a major risk. We decided that the safest option was to ride along the Alban way, a traffic free cycle path. As this was such a short ride, we did not need to find a coffee stop on route, but we decided instead to check out Gail's, a new cafe in St Albans, before starting our ride.
I had heard great things about their cinnamon rolls, and when I arrived I was devastated to discover that they had sold out. Luckily however, a new batch turned up fresh out of the oven, and still warm. It was a top notch cinnamon roll!
The post coffee ride however was not quite as lovely. Although, the frosty white countryside looked very beautiful, with temperatures of -3 it was actually quite a painful ride!
Exploring Essex
Next day and the glorious winter blue skies are back! Temperatures are up a little (just enough to reduce the risk of ice) and we decide to go exploring. Stuart had heard about a café in Essex called the Blue Egg café so we put the bikes on the car and head out that way. During the drive I suddenly realised that I had forgotten my very fancy reactor, vented cycling glasses. So we made a diversion into Bishops Stortford to find a suitable alternative. None of the shops had anything. Sunglasses aren't really in stock this time of year. However, Stuart had a sudden flash of inspiration went into Wickes and purchased a £2.49 pair of safety goggles. Sorted!
Once we had found somewhere suitable to leave the car, we were ready to explore. Stuart had plotted a route for our Garmins, but some of the roads he had picked were nothing more than rutted farm tracks. Fortunately the trusty OS map had been packed in the pannier and we were able to figure out alternatives. The lanes around Essex are gorgeous, very pretty and few cars, but some of them are so small they are indistinguishable from farm tracks. However, part of the fun of exploring is getting out of navigational difficulties!
The Blue Egg café met expectations! The cakes looked amazing, but after a hearty bowl of soup I couldn't manage one. Stuart had a large salad, and decided that he would selflessly check out the wares, and he was able to confirm that the cakes are indeed very good!
I realised as we were having lunch that my £2.49 safety goggles may look ridiculous, but had done the job, which left me wondering why do we pay so much for our bike stuff?!
Gratuitous café outing
Friday we didn't ride because of ice, Saturday we didn't ride because of fog, Sunday we didn't ride because of rain. The weather has not been good at all this Christmas. We did however, manage to sample cakes at another new eatery - The Pudding Stop. Here, we met up with some cycling buddies, Susan G, Tracey, Olivia, Sarah and Davina who were going equally stir crazy at not being able to get out! We can all confirm that the cakes were damn good.
First ride of 2017
Finally, on bank holiday Monday, there was one last chance for a ride before returning to work. The skies were blue and it looked gorgeous, but the temperatures hovered around freezing. We heard from one cycling buddy Susan V, that she had taken a tumble within minutes of setting out. During my pre ride recce I met a cyclist who had had to walk his bike a mile down a country lane as it was like sheet glass . The omens were not good for the ride. However, our friend Laura had driven her car to meet us and we all agreed to attempt a ride on main roads only.
Fortunately the main roads were absolutely fine, but very busy with traffic. Despite the traffic we made it to a garden centre for coffee and back all in one piece. A short ride, but great to have one last blast before returning to work!
Now that I sit writing my blog I am wondering what my resolutions for 2017 should be. I realise that perhaps there is a little too much focus on the cake, and winning an enormous hamper on New Year's Eve has not been helpful in this department!
But I also realise that my favourite kind of cycling is the exploratory kind, new routes, new cafes, getting lost a little, just cycling for fun. However, I have also very much enjoyed training for big challenges - the Ride to Conquer Cancer and the London Ride 100.
Somehow I need to find a balance between my favourite fun cycling, which doesn't necessarily get you very fit, and the challenging cycling which brings lots of healthy benefits.
I'm looking forward to finding out how to get this balance right in 2017!
