You can have too many layers of clothing on even when it's bitterly cold

It was the coldest day so far this month and I  thought it would be wise to layer up the clothing to keep warm.....big mistake! I've discovered too much is nearly as bad as too little especially if you're out with a couple of quick riders. I've never been as glad to get into the final stretch home with a tailwind as I was on Saturday, it's not a mistake I'm going to make again in a hurry!

Barrie casts an unsympathetic eye on me as I struggle to keep up with him and Clive as we made our way up to the Howe!

Earlier in the week, Dougie and I were greeted by Christmas fairy lights up at the Howe, seemed a bit early for them!

Out today down a track I've not been on for a while and discovered a monster tree that had been blown down in one of the recent storms, I'd like to have witnessed this big boy come crashing down.

Just over 100 miles to go to reach my years target of 4500 off road miles for the year so unless there's the mother of all snow storms lasting all of December it looks like I'm going to make it!! 

Out with the roadies, and now Clive's getting back on his bike!

Out on Friday at Glentress with Dougie and some of his road biking club, hells teeth some of their descending might be a bit iffy but they more than make up for it with their climbing!

A stop for a breather before the last steep climb up to the mast.

Roger managed a bit further this week in his return to fitness endeavours, after this gate it's the point of no return with a lot more climbing to be done to complete the circuit!

Saturday with Barrie and a view from the top of Black Hill on a cold but dry and clear November morning 

Barrie's been desperate for me to photograph him doing this jump for weeks which he's convinced gets higher every time we pass it!

Out with Clive this morning, Sunday, the first time in about 6 weeks at least he's done any mountain biking and he announced he's 2 stone heavier than he was at this time last year. There was no way the thin ice this morning was going to carry his weight!

Not a pretty sight! It's not hard to see where all the extra weight is!!

A week of fairly good biking weather but next weeks forecast looks as if it's all downhill again ( the weather that is, not the biking!)

Rogers' new bike and the greasy sleeper climb challenge

Roger had a fairly substantial win on the National Lottery and like any self respecting husband spent as quickly as he could on a new shiny carbon bike before his wife could get her hands on it, trouble now is he needs to get his fitness back to justify the bike he now owns!

Out with Dougie mid-week and ended up with him attempting the climb up the railway sleeper steps which are quite greasy at this time of year. Dougie managed on the 2nd attempt and after this was put on facebook it was of course ridiculed by our so called friends! The camera does make it look easier than it actually is so the challenge was made, can anyone do it first try!

This was Barries' effort on Saturday and even though he made it, he did need three attempts!

Earlier on in the day on Saturday the weather was perfect for a Pentland Hill ride, cold but dry with only a light wind.

It was my birthday yesterday and Madeleine my next door neighbour and equally obsessive biker and Pentalnd Hill enthusiast gave me a hand painted card of what we like to call the "best view in the Pentlands", it even has me on my bike.......brilliant!!!

Getting close to the years target mileage, (weather permitting)

The start of the week and last weeks gales meant there was the occasional obstruction

Nearly an over the bars incident with this cheeky little dog that thought it would be fun to run across the track in front of me 

took a photograph of this tiny lizard , put it on Facebook and said we'd encountered a crocodile in the Pentland Hills and actually had people believing it!!

A fine piece of graffiti under the bridge of Braveheart celebrating with a bottle of Scotlands favourite yobs drink, highly inspiring (if you're not Scottish)

A birthday present from Barrie which needed a home made extension to keep my rear end pristine clean!

Nearly there after a bit of hike a bike up from the Howe so we could enjoy the steep descent back down the other side to Silverburn 

Time for a biscuit after the sun appeared

Got stopped in Auchendinny by an old friend we hadn't seen for a few years, Bob was out trying to get back to full fitness after a bad bike crash.

There's not going to be as high a mileage as last year but that was never going to happen this year, however I'm well on my way to achieving my target of 4500 miles as long as that little dog doesn't run in front of me again!