Why oh why did i choose the coldest, nastiest day since the last ice age for my first Saturday training ride of the year?

A bright and crisp (minus 3 to 4) morning met a good turnout for the training run this morning: Alan K, Kris, John C, Jules, Kev, Craig, Pete, Tim and me. In view of the impending snow we sensibly decided to just have a quick run to 2 Mills. John led us off at a pace i have sadly become unaccustomed to such that by the time we got to the other side of Weaverham my HR was 180 and my vision had been reduced to 2 small pricks of light down long tunnels. Thankfully things settled a little (or i got used to it) and we made our way through the forest. It was at this time that there was a very light sprinkling of rain and by the time we'd gone out of the forest it had started to freeze on the road. The lanes were crackling under our tyres as the surface was one continuous sheet of black ice, there were many near misses until unfortunately Craig came off, luckily we weren't going quickly so no real damage done. The lanes were virtually unrideable such that Craig came off another couple of times (Gatorskins apparently in case you are wondering). Somehow or other Alan, Jules and Tim got separated from the rest of us as we made our way back to the nearest main road. Our shivering group decided, just as the sleet started to fall and the weather was looking bleaker by the minute, that we would skip the cafe and head for home. This we did, taking in Frodsham on the way. To compound the joy of the day, strangely, although when standing still it was a windless day, as soon as we got going it seemed to be howling a gale. We rode home into a hale storm that felt like having a sandblaster aimed at your face. After we got to Hartford and dispersed i wiped the water from my sun(ha)glasses only to find that it had frozen into a solid sheet of ice. I returned home with a thick sheet of ice on my bike, 47 miles on the clock and frozen feet and fingers. The weirdest thing of all, and something probably only cyclists will understand, is that i had a great day and can't wait for the next time.
See you later!