It is officially spring, in fact you might even argue, the onset of summer (although anyone out on the bike at 8.30 in the morning would beg to differ), and whilst winter gear has not yet been completely abandoned, fewer layers are being worn, some have abandoned full finger gloves for fingerless and bare legs are appearing after some months wrapped in Lycra tights and winter gear. And with most of the daffodils and those purple flowers you get in woods, now pretty much dead (is it me or is the daffodil season getting shorter), I think we can say that spring is on the wane. And here at Yorkshire’s Finest we have now firmly reestablished our Wednesday and Saturday rides, albeit with small numbers. And what a joy it is to be out on the bike, with the sun shining, the winds beginning to drop, dry roads, trees blossoming and fellow cyclists offering cheery greeting replacing the grim nods of the winter. But it is a time to be equipped for changes in the weather. Rain showers are always lurking, it is still a few degrees colder on the high-wold, and can be bloody cold on a long descent, (especially after a sweaty assent) and the all important cafes have still not established their summer opening hours. So it it with bulging back pockets that we set off each Wednesday and Saturday, with chat about which weather app is the most accurate (is it just me or is the BBC app crap), and what the percentage chance of rain is as the day develops. In fact on the subject of “percentage rain”, I’m still lost as to what it really means, with much debate about the meaning of the % rain prediction; is it the chance of it raining generally or the chance of rain in a particular geographical area, or something much more scientific and impossible for us to understand. And don’t let’s get started on what a constitutes “light” winds and the direction they are blowing. The general consensus and probably the most sensible response to weather apps is look out the window, pack your rainproof jacket and man up (are you still allowed to say “man up” or should it be “person up!!”). So with summer either just around the corner or spring coming to an end, we can look forward to some more settled spells, for those that own a good bike and a better one, get the summer bike out and begin the long road back to summer cycling fitness, in preparation for our annual trip to Spain.