Chicken Run

So, this morning, SWMBO says to me, "I'm going out for most of the day, why don't you go for a ride?"

Never one to argue (at least not with her), looking out of the window at bright sunshine, I thought about it for all of half a second. "Yes!".

I'd already planned a route to take me up into parts of the Peak District I don't often get to. A loop that is a little over 100 miles, it should take about three and a half hours. So, loaded the route into Tomtom and kitted up. By this time the sun had disappeared behind some murky clouds. The bike showed the temperature as 4C (39F). Ok, I've ridden in colder than that, no problem.

Set off, the start of the route following roads I know well. Traffic was light, I was beginning to enjoy things. A bit of light rain started, I put the screen up a bit to keep the wet off my visor. Then Tomtom told me to turn off onto a road I'd not gone on before, even though it was only a few miles from home. It had a sign saying "Unsuitable for HGVs". I was glad of that because the road was only wide enough for one car, hedges tight on either side, and grass growing along the centre. The road twisted and turned, vision restricted to the next corner which was never more than a few yards, so I was going quite slowly, concentrating on the muddy surface and the blind corners.

Eventually the road climbed a bit higher, and I could see the landscape over the hedges. "Really nice views, beautiful wintry scene with all that snow on the fields" thought I. "SNOW? oh, sh*t". That light rain had turned into snow, it had been settling on the fields for a while, but not yet on the road. Errm, yes it was, slushy at the edges, but spreading. The temperature had fallen to 2C, certainly cold enough for snow to settle on the road, warm enough to guarantee it would be very slippery. I don't "do" snow.

Stopped for a quick piccy ...
Click on image for larger view


... then headed for home [being very grateful for Touring Mode, traction control, and how well the YCC-S controlled clutch engagement moving from rest and changing gear on some slippery stuff].

Just as well, a little while after I rode into the garage, this is what happened:



No way could I have got up my road or driveway with surface snow.

I would have posted this in the "Aborted Ride Reports" topic, but I couldn't find it.

Anyway, there it is, a 100 mile loop reduced to 26. Ok, so I'm chicken.

Nice change from the California ride reports...a real man goes riding in the rain and snow.

Good move on aborting.

Wow, I though we were going to see



Country scenes from Chicken Run



S-no-w fun to ride on snow, glad you made it back to the barn safely!

I thought this was going to be a ride to eat report about Chicken. I was not disappointed however. Thanks for the report.

I have to agree with TominCA about the "real man" qualifications -- and let's not confuse good judgment with being "chicken". Some of us (especially meaning me) don't have the appropriate experience to ride a motorbike on snow and ice, and shouldn't attempt it.

Nice photos, especially the flurry from the open garage door! Glad it ended well.

You are not a chicken,but very lucky! because you came back to your home before the snow close the road.

Otherwise your bike could stay in the side of the road!Happened to me to leave my bike half a mile from my home in the side of the road for many days until to open the road from the snow!