Later this morning I'll be mailing round the rangers finding out what storm damage has done to the trails this weekend, and when I go riding I'll be reaching for the waterproof trousers again. Yup, winter is definitely here but actually it's not so bad.
For a start there the calendar based excuses to dress up like ghosts for a bit of urban assault action on Halloween, or ride into the middle of nowhere and launch missiles out of a Cube test bike just to get a super corny headline. You now have a legitimate excuse to spend hours virtual shopping so Santa can be dropped the appropriate hints in time.
Dark damp nights mean a short ride feels like an epic and therefore qualifies for mid ride whisky stops and another pint round a roaring fire while the locals wonder what the storm just blew in. Being wet, cold and uncomfortable in winter is perfectly acceptable too. In contrast feeling that way in August is an absolute bloody outrage, however likely it is these days. When the trail freezes the effect is immediate and imaculate too, with instant speed and rattling mile multiplication as long as the cold snap lasts. A big difference to the "if it stays sunny all week that trail might finally dry out" mess of this summer.
Besides winter never seems to last that long before the trees start sucking the water out of the ground and the nights are getting shorter again. Don't even wait around for that to happen though, stick a rocket up your arse and get out and ride whenever you get the chance. We'll see you out there!
G