We have a winner for the Vulpine autumn clothing bundle worth over £500

My favourite thing about Autumn cycling is the blaze of different hues.
The pinch of cold on your cheeks as you realise that this, this way of travelling is true freedom.

Frosty winter mornings are awesome for a ride to work, leaving in the dark and having the sun come up as you arrive at work 20 miles later

This time of year is a great excuse to buy more cycling clothes for autumn.

The sense of possibility that comes with the fall, perhaps from my school days. The feeling that this new year may be entirely different in ways I can't imagine.

Crisp air burning the lungs on empty roads!!

Getting the best of the remaining sun, with quiet roads as all the fairer-weather riders give it up for the year.

The quietness of the crisp, early morning dawn rides where the mist has enveloped the valleys & hills and the particles of your breath hang in the air.
As dawn turns to day and the sun is slowly rising - with the vision by torch light giving way to the day light, the mist subsides and the beauty of the leaves by now either golden or many other hues of the spectrum suddenly encompasses the view all around. Fellow riders that pass give a knowing nod or wave, a reaffirming sign that shows we are all part of a larger community - cycling and beyond.
Moving forwards into the autumnal day, the squirrels and other animals emerge from their dens and scurry by the roadside (making sure that all the last of their preparation is done for the long hibernation ahead) and I always start to contemplate the seasons ahead.

Can you tell autumn is one of my favourite seasons?

Mist, fog, rain, wind, mudguards, mates, cake, and tea!

Getting out on still sunny and warm days now the tourists have left the roads

A colourful canalside commute on a cool morning with the casual walkers still at home.

Stunning Autumn scenery. And the risk from slippy leaves keeps me on the edge of my seat.

Leaving the house early, having the morning mist burning off as you ride, and finishing in the bright autumn sun...unless of course it starts to rain...

Not overstated but very swish design.
Cheers.
Ben

The changeable weather

The squealing of tires on leaves...
hold on, that should read squirming...

Must be the crisp bright mornings then

Air clean and cool,
Up at dawn to ride through pools of mist, lit by sunlight,
Tights and beanie in my backpack
Unneeded as my warmth grows.
Mists clear in golden sun on golden woods,
Nights crisp and clear, stars guide my wheels.

Rough winds driving cold rain,
Icy fingers and frozen toes,
Dank fogs and dark days,
Ever pedalling into growing gloom.
Summer seems so long ago.

(Acrostic (c) by A Rowland 2014)

MUD!!!!!!!

The feel of the fresh crisp air on my face.

Having bare but warm legs in cold weather.

The colours on the trees.

Successfully dodging the conkers on the road outside my house.

The cool weather

Fewer fair weather commuters on the way to work..

The crisp sunny mornings before everyone else is up and knowing you've scored another ride before winter sets in.

Around this time each year, the same painter returns to change the colours of the trees. Gripping the guiding handbars along this route that I know so well, Breathe! breathe in the last rays of the sun before it slips quietly away to its long absence.The clothes I have chosen with much care protects me from the encroaching cold. And this, is THE pleasure as my legs pedal faster and faster. Autumn is the spring of winter the painter Toulouse-Lautrec once said...

Rain, merino wool, darker nights, breaking out the strong lights. Thicker socks, lower sun, night rides, quieter roads for the ride home. Recovery guinness.

I love the fact that there tends to be fewer people on the road and that odd beautiful sunny, fresh morning that makes you want to leap out of bed and get on your bike.

Being blown back across the hilltops, after toiling up the valley on the tarmac..

Cycling is a thing of beauty what ever the season, there is no such thing a bad cycling weather just the wrong clothes

How long is this comp running???

Cyclocross season. Commuting in layers. Long sleeves. Mastering the crosswinds. Riding through piles of leaves.

According to Road.cc rules, Schwag-grab winners are supposed to be chosen randomly:

"The date and (sometimes approximate) time of the draw will be posted on the story. We will draw the names at random and post the winners on the site." (http://road.cc/schwag-grab-rules)

Are you now suggesting we actually need to worry about the quality of our comments? That is disturbing.

Brilliant contest! Great judging and fun entries!