Cycling home... by night!

Yes that's right. At this time of year my cycle ride home is in the dark.

This wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the fact that country bridleways have no streetlights. In order to see where I'm going I use a powerful LED front light; one that works very well if it has charged batteries in it, as I found out last night. Today's ride home, with new batteries, was slightly less suicidal. Granted there was still the unexpected sensation of cycling sideways over mud, but at least I could see the track ahead in clear detail.

Temperatures have been down near the freezing point for the last couple of days, but that's not been a problem thanks to the decent set of cycling kit I've invested in over the last few years, complete with gloves.

The best thing about the route I now cycle to work is that the last couple of miles are on roads, which is not only faster and with fewer pedestrians and dogs to dodge, but it also does a nice job of removing the mud from my tyres by the time I'm home so I can tuck Gertie away for the night in a corner of my flat without making a mess.

Now to go and change out of these ridiculous cycling clothes. You can't see them so you'll have to use your imagination.