What an amazing and unexpectedly glorious day. Its nearly the middle of November and it was dry, sunny and the temperatures were in low double figures. I had a meeting up in Wiltshire scheduled for mid afternoon and after a long week, I was able to start my day a fraction later than usual. I'd checked the weather and being a week since I last rode (the fateful FireBlade chain escape of 2017) I was happy that there was no road salt down fired up the Ducati for what is most likely one of its last few rides of the year.
Hitting the roads at 09:30 meant there was very little traffic and for the most part, any residual moisture on the road had evaporated. There were still some damp sections, mainly in the middle of corners and under the trees, but knowing this dictated my style of riding and the lines I was taking. To say I had a blast was an understatement. Having been stuck in cars all week, this was like being unchained. Little did I know, it was going to get better too.
Just before lunchtime I got notification that the scheduled meeting needed to cancelled, which then freed me up for the afternoon. I was a little concerned I'd be riding in the dark on the way home, but with a free afternoon and plenty of hours in the bag, I left the office at 14:30 and headed back out into beautiful sunshine, cool air and clear roads.
An impending career change is likely to result in a very different commute and days like today need to be grabbed with both hands. With the the temperatures dropping, being able to shamelessly enjoy riding my favourite bike, on my favourite road was an amazing feeling. The FireBlade will get used throughout winter (once she's fixed of course) and once the councils spread their road salt in earnest across the highways and byways, the Ducati will be tucked up nice and warm over winter.
What a great end to the working week and if the weather stays like this a little while longer, roll on Monday morning.
Hitting the roads at 09:30 meant there was very little traffic and for the most part, any residual moisture on the road had evaporated. There were still some damp sections, mainly in the middle of corners and under the trees, but knowing this dictated my style of riding and the lines I was taking. To say I had a blast was an understatement. Having been stuck in cars all week, this was like being unchained. Little did I know, it was going to get better too.
Just before lunchtime I got notification that the scheduled meeting needed to cancelled, which then freed me up for the afternoon. I was a little concerned I'd be riding in the dark on the way home, but with a free afternoon and plenty of hours in the bag, I left the office at 14:30 and headed back out into beautiful sunshine, cool air and clear roads.
An impending career change is likely to result in a very different commute and days like today need to be grabbed with both hands. With the the temperatures dropping, being able to shamelessly enjoy riding my favourite bike, on my favourite road was an amazing feeling. The FireBlade will get used throughout winter (once she's fixed of course) and once the councils spread their road salt in earnest across the highways and byways, the Ducati will be tucked up nice and warm over winter.
What a great end to the working week and if the weather stays like this a little while longer, roll on Monday morning.
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