Freezing cold local road ride on the Cannondale Synapse Neo

Another day and another ride on another bike. I have ridden three different bikes on three consecutive days and if all the snow that is forecasted over the next 48 hours I may take the Beargrease out next! Today was a short local road loop from my doorstep. It was freezing cold and there was plenty of ice. I tried to stick to main cycleways / gritted back roads where possible. By the time I reached Chester Le Street the Garmin was reading minus -2 degrees but climbing up towards Stanley it was getting warmer. The Garmin was now reading minus -.05 degrees but it soon dropped again as I descended back down to Waldridge Fell. The roads were mainly quiet and only seen a few others out walking / cycling. Below are a few snaps from the back to overcast & cloudy ride. Most were taken on the move as it was that cold. Hopefully more soon, depending upon weather conditions! 

Update - 14th Jan, looks like i wont need the Beargrease but my canoe instead! 

North Hylton - Sunderland - Whitburn n back

 

After calling in past the parts department at Sytner Sunderland at dinnertime I parked up and dragged my Spec Creo SL E bike out for a spin along the C2C track to Sunderland, around the Marina, Roker, Seaburn then Whitburn. The tracks were still very icy in places after the overnight frost. Most the tracks were fine apart from the broken glass around the stadium area. The off road track running parallel with the cliff at Whitburn was ankle deep in mud / massive puddles so I turned and come back the coastal road to Roker then back onto the C2C. The coast was very busy, full of people including the beaches, paths, car parks, takeaways, you name it. It was like a bank holiday weekend! The sun was out and I had a tail wind down and a headwind back. Below are some sunny snaps for a change of the 15.5mile loop, 600ft of elevation.