A shortened ride to Craiglockhart

For today's ride, we had a beautiful sunny morning with clear blue skies, but conditions under-wheel were treacherous. The temperature had earlier fallen below zero, and there was still black ice on many of the paths and pavements. Three members of our group had falls on the way to the meeting point - one of them suffered bruises and cuts to her face.

In spite of the bad conditions, 35 cyclists turned up. We split into two groups, and set out very cautiously towards Currie, Riccarton and The Gyle. But progress was slow. We were forced to dismount for several particularly slippery stretches, and a couple more riders had falls.

By 11.30, we had only got as far as Craiglockhart. So our leader, Alan Orr, wisely decided to call it a day. Several people had already peeled off at this point. The remainder of us cycled slowly back to town along the canal towpath. At Fountainbridge, we invaded Loudens café, where we warmed ourselves on hot drinks and snacks.

It was a pity to have to abandon what promised to be a very nice ride, but it was right to put safety first. We did at least manage to cycle 6½ miles, albeit at an average speed of less than 5 mph.


View Shortened ride to Craiglockhart in a larger map

Leader: Alan Orr, assisted by Alan Stalker
Report and map: Mike

January ride this coming Saturday

We've got our first ride of 2014 coming up on Saturday (11th). I know it's a bit chilly at the moment, but an invigorating bike ride is an excellent way of getting warmed up, so do try and join us if you can.

For this month's outing, Alan Orr will be taking us on a tour of bike routes in the Currie, Hermiston and Riccarton area. It's not a particularly hilly route, although there might be a couple of short climbs. There will, however, be several sections on rough tracks, and these might be muddy in places. The total distance will be about 19 miles.

As always, please regard the above details as provisional. Depending on the weather and the conditions on the day, we might opt for a slightly shorter and drier route. We'll see nearer the time.

We'll meet at our habitual starting point at the top of Middle Meadow Walk, in time for a 10.30 departure. It's not possible to say for sure what time the ride will end, but, all being well, we should be back in the city centre by about 3 pm. Although it won't be dark until after 4 pm, it would be sensible to bring lights just in case we get delayed.

That's all for now. Despite the winter weather, we've had some excellent rides these last few months, and this month's run should be no exception.