Richard and Michelle organised the January ride for the Taunton Group starting from Wiveliscombe. Organising a winter ride can have its challenges - namely weather conditions and lack of open cafes. Two days before the ride our concerns were the very wet and muddy lanes, however, on the day it was the cold and ice. Five tandems plus two solos set off towards Bampton on a road that was supposed to have been gritted. One icy patch resulted in a few walking but everyone stayed upright. The Toucan Café, in Bampton, kindly opened early for a coffee stop. Bikes were safely stored and we thawed out before continuing. Although a few were up for following the planned route along the lanes the general view was to stick to the bigger roads so we looped round to The Black Cat and Exeter Inn before heading back to Wiveliscombe where we jumped in the cars and drove to The Globe in Appley for lunch. Nick and Rachel joined us in Bampton for the short loop and then drove on to lunch on the original route and confirmed that we had made the correct decision! Driving on from the pub was also not very pleasant.