Me vs Mother Nature (From Bournemouth Echo)

Me vs Mother Nature

1:05pm Monday 1st February 2010 in

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I'M PLAYING a game with Mother Nature at the moment, I don't think she's out to get me, in fact we get on pretty well; we are basically trying to outwit each other.

She has tried to freeze me off the bike, but I have nice warm winter kit; then she's tried to soak me off the bike, but I have wet weather gear; she has almost managed to blow me off the bike a couple of times, but I manage to find more sheltered routes.

Now we have changed tactics slightly. We had a couple of warmer days to lull me into a false sense of security, so I tossed the full leggings to one side and started looking forward to spring and summer riding in the warm sunshine, then BAM! Subzero temperatures again!

Last night I was getting my bike and kit ready for the ride in today and I noticed that the thermometer in my workshop (ok it's just a posh shed!) was reading 2 degrees and that on Saturday night it had fallen to minus 8! Also, when I moved my car to put the bins out, the windscreen was already iced up and this was before 7pm!

There was me thinking that spring was on the way, all I had to do was look at the calendar and realised that January has only just finished and February has barely started, it's still winter! That sneaky Mother Nature, she very nearly fooled me!

No problem, I thought, full winter kit it is then; so did my opponent try and outwit me? Yes she did, I woke up this morning and it was cold and icy as expected, but did it snow last night? I'm not sure, it looked like a light dusting in places. It was certainly icier than I was expecting, especially as I have reverted back to skinny slick tyres after the last few weeks of commuting by mountain bike.

Great care was taken on the ride in, think Bambi's first steps of the first episode of dancing on ice for the level of care I took in places.

Despite our little competition, Mother Nature and I do get on well; this morning she was kind enough to treat me to a fabulous sunrise over the Needles and a beautiful view of the Purbecks.

On a lightly different note, but still on a happy one - can you tell it's sunny! - I would like to say thank you to all of the courteous drivers this morning, especially the bus driver on Sandbanks Road who hung back and let me pass the other parked bus.