16\04\16 - Heart of England 300km Audax

Had I, or most of the other entrants, known of the true horrors awaiting us up the road then we would not have started.  So the ride kicked off at 06:00 from Cirencester in a very light drizzle and headed north to Alcester.  About halfway there it began to snow lightly, and then with a vengeance as we got further into the Cotswolds. 
Soon there was a thick coating of snow everywhere and it got dangerous!  With no more major climbs, descending became a major issue for most.  It's difficult trying to walk a bike down a steep hill when you have little grip for your feet and hands too cold to work the brakes as the machine tries to roll away from you.  I decided to get to the next control (by hook or by crook) and then take a view.  I encountered many who did not share the same goals as me as they quit to find a train or an easier way back to the start. 
At the control cafe in Alcester I stood shaking until a member of staff got my gloves off me and onto a radiator, and also placed a revolving electric fire beside me.  Soon I was warm enough to restart and as we had come off the hills, the snow had cleared.  From there to Atherstone, over and above Mallory Park and down to Daventry, and thence to Tackley before the final 57kms to the Arrivee at Cirencester.  I got back at 23:00.  Of the many starters only twenty-one finished and we will forever have a common bond of smugness after the trials and tribulations we'd suffered together.  PW.