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So glorious looking day, good forecast, dry roads. Decide to take my 20 miles old, super bling new summer* road bike out for a good blast.
Get 3 miles from home, up towards Ringinglow and it starts snowing.
By the time I'm up to Stanage it's virtually a blizzard - coming in horizontally at me, and by the time I've dropped down to Hathersage, I'm soaked, frozen, can't feel my hands and have a good build up of slush on all leading edges of both me & the bike.
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So with words along the lines of * this *, I (along with, it seems, half the worlds roadies) hightail it for home. Snow all the way up past Fox Houses and over past Blacka.
Except as soon as I'm back in town, it's a beautiful day again. Roads are dry, no water on the car. After a hot shower, I've just checked the weather again - no chance of snow, 6-8C. Even the Outside weathercam in Hathersage makes it look not too bad.
Other than those pics above, the pile of sopping kit, and the filthy bike, I'm having a proper "did that really happen...?" moment. Proper doing my head in. Anybody else get caught in it??
*ie no guards, no lights
Same thing happened to me in Marple. I got the best roadie out this morning and it started raining. Went back in to get the winter bike and it started snowing. Decided against the cross bike cos I don't much like the gearing for road rides. The mountain bike needs a new rear wheel and it's sloppy as hell round here and the mud guarded up commuter needs a seatpost so I binned it and sat on the sofa eating dairy milk.
This side of the the Peak hills look very white from here.
JonEdwards = Ofla - ( I claim my five pounds)
What/who is Ofla?
Your wall needs some attention.
thats the power of the Peak! never underestimate it. I have before to my peril 😀
imagine if you'd been in summer kit on the MTB a few miles up on even higher ground.
Its weird how one can be apparently close to civilisation but also close to panicking about potentially dangerous exposure!
Nope, it definitely happened - I had a fair few similarly soaked folks in this morning!
Same happened to me riding up Saddleworth road - we were riding into a headwind and it just hit us. Not for as long as you had it but oh my word I've never been so cold on my face. We ducked down towards Barkisland to roll downhill a little but I had to go about 5mph and almost face backwards it was so cold. We had a sort of icy hail blizzard.
Snowing in the NWAlps atm, I was out changing a tyre in shirt sleeves in sunshine 10 minutes ago
Same happened to me in the Clwyds this morning my thigh muscles just wouldn't keep warm for any length of time despite the usual Clwyds climbing.
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Sorry JE - you need a 7 year old daughter for that ref...
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* checks calendar *
Yep, still winter 😆
Sadly it can happen anywhere and anytime in this country.
We got caught out summer 2013. 5 of us Left Keswick with blue sky and 23c, pedalled over to Buttermere to meet +1, (plan was Red Pike). Round the back of the lake some cloud, and a very slight drizzle upto Scarth Gap. Jackets on then!!!! (always carry it) and we carried on into what became one of the worst "blowing a hoolie" I`ve ever encountered. The wind being too strong to ride across the tops and was lifting the bike up off the ground, and v poor visibility.
We ended up bailing into the big bowl off High Stile (where there is no path), towards Bleaberry Tarn, and down to Buttremere, + the ride back home......
Top 3 of my "worst ever" rides....
The weather here can change very quickly indeed..... 😥
Yep same here. Heading up to eastmoor out of holymoorside and encountered horizontal snow. Headed over to Owler Bar and it was glorious sunshine. This was about 8am this morning. Very odd.
Not odd at all.
The drizzle turned sleety round Derby about 11 this morning. I was in a bus shelter putting on a waterproof when some bloke on his mobile said "it's trying to snow" and it was - briefly
@Russell, where abouts is that in the Clwyds? Looks like Nercwys Forest? Or near Moel Famau?
I'm fairly sure nearly the exact same thing will have happened to my wife who has taken her 25 mile new bling road bike out from SW Sheffield at about the same time!
I'm out with the kids currently but looking forwards to hearing the tales if woe when we get back in an hour or so...
Rule number nine Jon! You just ticked it.
I caught a few heavy snow showers overnight and this morning whilst bivvy ing on rushup edge. Spent a fairly
Fitful night and then turned for home this
Morning just as a big shower broke out. Worst hot aches I've had for a while as I defrosted in the woodbine following a trip down the broken road. Nobody at home in sheffield believed me
When I got
Home and said it had been snowing!
At this time of year I don't cycle out into the Peak without waterproof trousers and jacket in my pack, and thick gloves on. I love how the weather can change though. 🙂
My best 'Peak weather' moment was having to pedal downhill down the hill towards Burbage Bridge because the wind became so strong, so I turned around at the bottom and enjoyed the novelty of being blown back up again.
It was an awesome day, I had hail and wind and snow and sunshine and bright blue skies, and everything in between, and cycled home through hail snaking across the road.
I reckon it stays changeable until the end of Spring. So glad I grew up near Lodge Moor. If you go prepared there's no such thing as bad weather, just different 'moods' to a ride. 🙂
Fortunately I was traveling in the opposite direction to you, saw it coming, turned around sharpish and just about stayed ahead of it! It looked proper moody!
Don't even think about the summer bike until the clocks change! Even then think long and hard before taking the chance.
Sadly it can happen anywhere and anytime in this country
Yep - got caught in heavy sleety snow this morning in Kent. Not a pleasant ride.
If I hadn't been so idle today I would have been caught in it too. for once I'm glad I was lazy.
Got caught out in at least 3 big snow blizzards on a mtb ride in the peaks today, big ladybower loop.
By the end of the ride I was frozen, still great fun although the non waterproof shorts mean I still cant feel my arse.
Mark, saw two people with bivvy gear just before the turn to potato alley?
Set out to do last weekends ride in reverse. There was already a bit of snow on the hill. The ride would have included a bit of a hike onto the hill. On my way the sky darkened so I stopped off at the bike shop/cafe for a bit of a blether etc. full of caffeine and now short on time I decided to take the long way home. Stopped to have a look at where I had planned to go and couldn't see it, covered in a big grey cloud!! Then it started to flake with snow so set off downhill at a furious pace and home 😆
seriously, why you you bivvy on Rushup/Potato Alley, in February, almost suicidal surely
'Suicidal?'
You work for the BBC, don't you....
what cable outers are you using?
no,
they look like i-links
Happened in Newcastle too. Big hailstorm later afternoon. I was back by then from a pleasantly warm ride.
Don't even think about the summer bike until the clocks change! Even then think long and hard before taking the chance.
I was on my CX bike but the first road race is 8th March. NEed to get some time on my race bike before it so I'll be out next week regardless.
Not suicidal bivvying in the winter if you take adequate warm kit. Treated to a fantastic view in the morning and isolated trails-don't get that often in the Peak! Each to their own, but that makes it worth doing for me. Scandal, 2 with bivvy kit may have been Dave and his mate who I met up with on Rushup. Was one on an orange El mariachi?
We were on Blacca Moor when we saw it blowing in towards us. We were in it till we got to Houndskirk when the sun started to shine
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The temperature dropped very fast. Saw a lot of people out, biking and walking, who were cold and wet.