Aperitif said:
Wow! Teeftastic snap!
Well, Mike, you pulled it off. A brilliant route, with a tremendous highlight. 53 riders made the trip, with not a single puncture between the lot of them - that translates in to about 3500 bicycle miles. Glorious roads, and wonderful scenery. And porticos.
Journeyed up with Titus and Adrian and met Matt outside the station - handy, because he knows his way round York and the Lendall Bridge was closed. We zipped and zapped our way around the centre of York, fetching up outside the Minster at about half past eleven, and watched small groups of bike lights arrive for the next ten minutes or so - a marvellous sight. And, after the usual pre-amble, away we went, across the now famous roadworks at Walmgate Bar, down a near-deserted Hull Road and then on to the wonderful B-road to Melbourne.
Thankyou, FD for scoping out the bridge and straightening the security guard. He scarcely looked away from his computer screen as we went by....
I think that the penny finally dropped at Melbourne - people relaxed and started to let the wind do the work. We got in to that quiet FNRttC mood, the one where the riders just drink in the surroundings. The Wayfinding thing worked a treat, with people simply taking their station at junctions - thankyou one and all.
Our little zigzag across the A614 brought us to the attention of the police, who stopped in the road, lights on, as did we, and asked if they were dreaming. We explained that we were from another planet far away, on a pilgrimage to Clee-Thorpes, and they let us go.
North Cave. Portico central. And Mike persuaded me that we could do the riverside path, and the Teefster's photograph tells you how right he was - and the timing was perfect.
Over to Lincolnshire, and through Barton, which has a lot going for it, and then in to the wonderful Lincolnshire countryside. I really don't think that a person rolling down those roads, with the wind behind them, and pleasant company all around, can want for anything. A banana, perhaps, and one was produced and consumed at Ulceby, and then on to the Grimsby/Cleethorpes metroplex, which, again, is quite easy on the eye in parts - the approach along the A46 taking us through some noble tree-planting and generous public spaces.
There was a minor panic at Cleethorpes when we discovered that 'gypsies' had stolen the railway from the chap in the ticket office who answered every question with 'well, this is the problem...', but, as you've seen, we all of us got to where we were going.
I rode down to Wragby and then turned west for Lincoln, killing a bit of time because I'd booked my train ticket for 13.30. It was well worth the effort - the Wolds are populated by pretty villages, very different from the equally East Riding villages we passed through the previous night - and the road rolls up and down sufficiently to make you work a bit. The A158 from Wragby to Lincoln is one to avoid, though...
Back home, and the love of my life is sleeping off the jetlag, so I'll not make the Sunday ride. See some of you next Friday night!