Well I did make an attempt, some might say brave others may say stupid, I should have believed the forecasts and stayed in bed. I had spent Friday night fettling the last few things turning the bike around in the garage so I could just ride it straight out, putting a few more stickers on the panniers, basically just making sure I could just get going without messing about. I got up just after 7.00am and looked out of the window, still dark and murky, with the sunrise not due until 7.45am I was planning to get going just before 8.00am. I got myself sorted, even had time to make myself a flask of tea to take with me, which I promptly broke as I banged the base to hard as I put it down on the floor as I got the bike out of the garage, the garage floor now has a big tea stain to got along with all the oil and other muck.
Anyway I got going just after 8.00am so many layers of clothing on, I felt like the Michelin Man, the heated grips at full power and I didn’t feel too bad. I should have realised that this little trip was not going to work out well when I broke the flask. And the next problem was not far behind. I had to stop for fuel in Tadley, about 5-6 miles from where I live, unzipping the tankbag off the base to get at the fuel filler cap, I found that when it had been in for service they had not put the base plate back on properly and I had to fiddle around and adjust it into the right place to get cap off, in doing so I didn’t take the tank bag fully off the plate, being lazy well the strain was too much and I broke the zip which meant more messing about after I had filled up.
Finally I got going through Aldermaston Village on to the A4 and then onto to Junct 12 of the M4 at Theale the weather was miserable, still not fully light and that drifting Fog that makes driving a nightmare, you start to build up some speed and then you round a corner or come down a hill and you then hit a thick bank of fog that slows you right down. In these conditions it heightens all your riding senses. With the dampness on the road surface, diesel spills stand out like a big Bear Trap just waiting to catch you out if you let your concentration drop for just one second and boy it seems every roundabout I came upon had this thick line of Diesel right through what would have been the optimum riding line. I wish drivers particularly commercial drivers took a bit more care and didn’t overfill their fuel tanks.
I was now later than originally planned but thought I could make up the time and still get to Brindley Place before the first group of running were sent off at 10.30am. I left the M4 at Junct 13 Chievely and joined the A34 for the run north to the M40. It was here I started to encounter my next problem, this time with my new helmet, particularly the visor which was misting up really badly despite being fitted with a Pinlock anti-mist insert. Earlier in the week I had taken a great deal of care fitting it exactly as per instructions. It left me with what could be best described as Tunnel Vision which required a couple of unplanned stops to clear the heavy build up. This was compounded by rolling banks of fog, which was causing the traffic to slow quite badly at times.
I soldiered on and despite the knowledge that I was now going to be late and would miss the first run, there were 3 starts planned for the morning and I would get there whilst things were still going on. I found the faster I went the visor would not mist up as much, so when I got onto the M40 I thought I could maintain a constant speed, just above the legal limit (honest) and that would hopefully make up some time. However by now I had been riding for nearly an hour in temperatures just above freezing and with the wind chill factor of riding at speeds in excess of 50mph, it was starting to take it’s toll and I was very tempted to stop at the Cherwell Services for a good warm up, I thought no I will press on, I’ll be okay. (Idiot! Pride over brains).
Just after the turn off for the services I started to notice how the temperature was dropping, at least my core temperature was and my fingers were getting colder despite the heated grips being on full power. As I approached Banbury I was starting to feel as if I wasn’t going to make it, as the forecast heavy fog for the Midlands was first encountered, okay it wasn’t that heavy but I started to see the build up of moisture on the screen of the bike and drops of water falling away from the mirrors and brush guards. It was now 9.45am and despite the fact that the traffic flow was not slowing, I just felt I was getting later and later, and colder and colder. As I approached the Gaydon turn off the fog was really starting to build up but what was more worrying was what had been moisture dripping off it started to stick to the bike and build up a bit like a wet slush. It was at this point that I deemed that enough was enough. I was starting to get really cold, I couldn’t feel my feet anymore and my finger tips were starting to be painful. So with a sense of failure I turned round set off back home.
I was still cold but I wanted to get home and into a hot shower to warm up so I pushed on past the Cherwell Services and back down the A34 but as I went past the first Oxford turn off I thought I had to get something warm into me and remembered a good biker haunt on the A415 near Dorchester (Oxfordshire) Fox’s Diner. Even hardy bikers get into there even when the weather is as bad as this.
The above picture was taken on nice warm day obviously. Along with a nice Bacon Bap and a large mug of tea inside me I felt a lot better and I started to thaw out. The nice people running the place allowed me to put up a poster advertising the Charity Run and I even bumped into people I knew. The picture below show some of the new mods and stickers and was taken on the Diner forecourt.
When I finally got home, I turned the heating up as much as I could and stood in a hot shower for about 20 mins before I felt I had thawed out. I will make another attempt in a couple of weeks time when the Santa Run is due to take place in Pittville Park in Cheltenham. I then spent the afternoon fixing the zip on my Tank Bag and writing some more ‘begging letters’.
The one positive out of the day was ‘My Baby’ ran faultlessly all day and the trip of close to 200 miles did take the odometer to past 40,000 miles.
Take care and as Mick says ‘You don’t stop riding when you get old, you stop when you get frozen solid’
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