Sorry Smudge, please do not read this as a rant, rather an explanation to why and how. I didnt refer to how much nicer our weather was..only how hot it is.... The hotter it gets the harder it is to ride a bike...
I drink with a bloke who has ridden in the States (Nevada) in the summer and he said "you winter-riding types think you're hard, but when you're cold you can get warm. When you're too hot you're fucked".
GC