{"id":8811,"date":"2025-11-11T12:00:52","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T11:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/?p=8811"},"modified":"2025-11-17T12:06:06","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T11:06:06","slug":"slippery-truths-of-riding-through-autumn-foliage-and-pretending-its-not-terrifying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/2025\/11\/11\/slippery-truths-of-riding-through-autumn-foliage-and-pretending-its-not-terrifying\/","title":{"rendered":"Slippery Truths of Riding Through Autumn Foliage and Pretending It\u2019s Not Terrifying"},"content":{"rendered":"

Autumn: the most aesthetic of seasons. Crisp air. Golden trees. That satisfying crunch of tyres over leaves\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u2026Until the crunch becomes a slide, the golden trees become a blur, and you find yourself asking,
\n\u201cWas that a leaf or a portal to the underworld?\u201d<\/p>\n

Welcome to autumn cycling,<\/a> where every ride is a postcard until it isn\u2019t, and your rear tyre is one wet maple leaf away from becoming a horizontal decorative item.<\/p>\n

This is the story of seasonal beauty, collective denial, and the bills that come when nature decides you need humbling.<\/p>\n

The lie begins on Instagram<\/strong><\/h2>\n

You post it.
\nThat photo. The one where you\u2019re framed by trees like you\u2019re starring in a gravel calendar.
\nYour bike leans artfully against a fence. Your socks are matching. The filter is warm sunset glow<\/em>.<\/p>\n

What no one sees is:<\/p>\n

\u2013 The 12 minutes it took to wedge your bike into that bush
\n\u2013 The way your rear wheel fishtailed as you tried to look casual
\n\u2013 The fact that your gloves are wet, your nose is dripping, and you\u2019ve already whispered \u201coh no\u201d six times on wet corners<\/p>\n

You are living a lie. But so is everyone else.<\/p>\n

Enemy is everywhere<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Autumn leaves are stunning.
\nUntil you ride on them.<\/p>\n

Dry, they crunch.
\nWet, they scheme<\/em>.<\/p>\n

They hide potholes. They disguise metal covers. They gang up in corners. They are Mother Nature\u2019s banana peel collection.<\/p>\n

You approach a downhill turn covered in foliage and suddenly your entire life flashes before your eyes, mostly because your front wheel just said absolutely not today, sir<\/em>.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t brake.
\nYou hover over your levers like you\u2019re defusing a bomb made of tree guts.<\/p>\n

Group ride bravado<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Someone will say it:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just a bit slippy, ride light.\u201d<\/p>\n

Light?
\nYou are 74 kilograms of tension and regret on a 7 kg bike.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t ride light. You ride like someone trying to pass a surprise maths test while standing on marbles.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the group\u2019s resident fearless rider goes full send into every leaf-covered turn like they\u2019ve made peace with whatever comes next.<\/p>\n

They say things like:
\n\u2013 \u201cTrust the tyres.\u201d
\n\u2013 \u201cIt\u2019s all about feel.\u201d
\n\u2013 \u201cI love autumn rides!\u201d<\/p>\n

You say nothing. Because you\u2019re too busy clenching with your whole body.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Inevitable fall<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s never dramatic.
\nYou don\u2019t crash so much as\u2026 give up traction slowly while whispering \u201coh no oh no oh no.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

You go down with elegance and shame.
\nYou are cushioned slightly by damp leaves.
\nBut mostly by your sense of dignity leaving your body.<\/p>\n

You sit there, checking for damage.
\nTo your bike.
\nTo your elbow.
\nTo your reputation.<\/p>\n

Someone helps you up.
\nSomeone else says, \u201cThat looked soft.\u201d
\nYou smile. You nod. You are silently scheduling a physio appointment in your head.<\/p>\n

Recovery, and the denial reset<\/strong><\/h2>\n

You patch yourself up. You hose down your derailleur. You swear to be more careful next time.<\/p>\n

Then you see it: A new patch of golden leaves. A bit of sun through the trees. A turn that looks<\/em> just fine.<\/p>\n

You line up your phone. You angle your bike. You post it with the caption:<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf42 golden hour \ud83c\udf42<\/p>\n

You are the problem.
\nAnd you\u2019ll do it again next week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Autumn: the most aesthetic of seasons. Crisp air. Golden trees. That satisfying crunch of tyres over leaves\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":211,"featured_media":8822,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"global-categories":[],"class_list":["post-8811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-the-latest"],"yoast_head":"\nSlippery Truths of Riding Through Autumn Foliage and Pretending It\u2019s Not Terrifying - \u0160koda We Love Cycling - United Kingdom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/uk\/2025\/11\/11\/slippery-truths-of-riding-through-autumn-foliage-and-pretending-its-not-terrifying\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Slippery Truths of Riding Through Autumn Foliage and Pretending It\u2019s Not Terrifying\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Autumn: the most aesthetic of seasons. 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