While the weather and the short evenings have been keeping us indoors, I’ve been planning a new 10 mile loop in an attempt to stop me heading for Hollingworth Lake on autopilot every time I get my bike out.<\/p>\n
Playing with Map My Ride<\/a>, I worked out a new loop via Milnrow using mainly traffic-free trails, with the intention of trying it out alone to see if I can take the family on some or all of it once the warmer weekends begin.<\/p>\n It was cold on Saturday, but it was dry so nothing<\/strong> was going to stop me going out.\u00a0 My first little job was to attach my shiny new Phone Mount to the handlebars, but there was a problem…<\/p>\n … the handlebars on my new Fat Boy are, erm, Fat. So the phone mount wouldn’t slip onto them.\u00a0 As a result I had to put it onto the bar ends.\u00a0 Now, this doesn’t look very cool and it probably isn’t very safe.\u00a0 All it’ll take is one clout into a fencepost and my new phone will go for a Burton’s.\u00a0 So, following Jon’s <\/a>advice, I’m going to invest in a Topeak T Bar to mount some of my cockpit instrumentation.\u00a0 I’ll let you know how that goes when I get it.<\/p>\n But, back to the ride.\u00a0 After botching the phone onto the bar ends, I set off on the short road to Milnrow carrying 3 layers of tops, my trusty Ron Hills under MTB shorts, a Buff around my ears and my Sealskinz waterproof gloves.\u00a0 With the wind shut out, I was smiling from ear to ear as I joined the traffic-free tracks across Kingsway Business Park.\u00a0 Back on the roads, the climb up Broad Lane wasn’t fun and I have to admit to a 5-minute rest at the bridge over the motorway.\u00a0 A quick burst from Crompton to Oldham Road was the last bit of road riding before heading up Thornham Old Road, a muddy, snowy, puddly bit of trail that was brilliant fun on the cold day.\u00a0 My nostrils were well and truly cleared by the time I reached the\u00a0top of that hill, and I was glad I wasn’t in refined company as I left a trail of snot in my wake \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n Next was a blast down towards Castleton through icy puddles, mud and the walking slalom gates of Saturday strollers.\u00a0 A brief rest at Slattocks Lock on the Rochdale Canal for a drink was well needed, before the final 3 mile towpath (mudbath) ride home.<\/p>\n\n\t\t