Not so namby-pamby after all

I've come to the conclusion that my reluctance to ride in possibly icy conditions is not down to me becoming a "namby-pamby soft southerner" after all, but more like the voice of sanity.
I can't afford more time off the training this winter. Firstly, I'm finding it harder and harder to fit reasonable training in round my escalating work commitments, and secondly, I suffered from a fairly lengthy cold in December that seriously dented my winter programme.
Yesterday I set off for work in what seemed to be cool but not freezing conditions second thing in the morning (first thing had been the usual 6am turbo session). This route takes me down hill from my village and through some lanes where as is typical, yesterday morning it was several degrees colder - and it was frosty, and with a few ice patches. Anyway, exercising due caution, I got to work without mishap. A colleague, who is an experienced recreational mountain biker and cycle commuter slipped on ice at low speed, fell and has a hairline crack just below his left elbow.
So he has to keep this fracture immobile for a few weeks - no cycling (or driving for that matter). At least he doesn't need a cast of any kind.
That made my 6am turbo sessions in a cold garage seems somewhat more acceptable...