Despite a hard overnight frost the roads were dry and I was out the door just after 930am as planned. Important today as Boxing Day is still very much part of Xmas here and another important family day. I really needed to be home by lunch.

Today’s route was a repeat of the start and finish of Wednesday’s just without the 40km bit in and out of Derry. A short link section from St. Johnston to Raphoe was the new section and one I haven’t ridden for ages.

It was good to ride this road again today but it was the quietest and therefore sketchiest of the day. I kept my eyes open and only one section had me concerned. A hill near the beginning is very sheltered and has a lot of tree cover which left the road very damp and prone to black ice. The descent was particularly concerning but taking care saw me down without a tumble.

Back at the main road and into Raphoe I was finally able to get up a bit of speed and cruised into Raphoe mostly at around 30km/h.

A quick stop for my traditional tea and kitkat allowed me to defrost my toes and then it was the drag up The Broadpath, just like yesterday, into Stranorlar and home via the main road.

The main roads were a lot more enjoyable today with the reduced traffic 👌

Tomorrow will be a lot more laid back as we have our Club Twixmas Spin. Back to Raphoe again but a social spin with refreshments in Raphoe. I’ll cycle up and down to get somewhere close to 60km again. I’ll be leaving the house shortly before 9am so hopefully the roads are as good tomorrow morning 🤞

• Rides Completed: 2
• Total Distance: 171km
• Distance Remaining: 329km