October

With the small seasonal temperature variation, and generally damp, mild climate, the seasons here in Cornwall feel quite binary; it’s either summer, or it isn’t. With September often feeling like a continuation of summer, October always feels to me like a slightly awkward, deceptive month. October is emphatically not summer, so logic dictates that it must belong to the other season. Early October however often features sunny skies, and some warm sunshine interspersed with the rain, lulling one into a sense of being OK about the winter ahead. While out riding the trails are muddy, but not too muddy, rain is frequent but not too persistent, and the winds are often fresh, but not always. “This is alright, I can cope with a few months of this” says the mind. October is however merely a month of transition; by the end of the month the rain feels persistent, the trails have turned to slop, the sun disappears for days at a time behind a damp, grey veil, and the wind charts change from summer’s cool tones of blue and green, to the oranges and reds of winter. It is certainly an interesting month, and the key to the winter is to embrace the mud, the wind, and the rain. Even more so this year I think.

I have occasionally pondered whether Surfer’s Ear might also be a risk for the winter cyclist…

Winter weather brings a host of excuses not to go riding, and it’s for that reason I’ve been pretty much on my own for the last few weeks. My social skills and attention span with respect to pretty much everything are noticeably corroded. It’s not a situation that is likely to improve this winter, so for me my bike continues to be key, as does a willingness to embrace the mud, the wet, and the gale force winds. It is also good time of year for grabbing a few snaps while out riding, so while this is a post about essentially nothing, it gives me something to do that doesn’t require any kind of mental focus….