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Married to Night Train
- Location
- Salford, UK
Well, I've been a bit remiss on the blog front recently, just keep forgetting to update. So, what have I been up to?
Went up to Wooler, Northumberland a few weeks back, for an annual weekend gathering at the Hostel there. Did a couple of 40 mile day rides on the FCR - it's a bit hilly up there, to say the least, and I missed the trike for descending. But taking it wasn't really feasible. Someone commented that I looked a bit stretched out on the bike, and I realised on Sunday that the saddle seems to have worked its way back a bit. I need a new one anyway, since the padding is starting to break off.
Then the next week, my boss cashed in the 'flight in a glider' voucher we gave him for his birthday, so I triked out to Pocklington to watch. Apart from a brief rainy spell, and the inevitable headwind on the way back, it was a nice ride, another 40 miles.
And last weekend, was the YACF night ride to Whitby. I loved the first one I did, to Scarborough, and hoped this would live up to it - and it did! We had a cracking tailwind all the way there, with the skies clearing to give us a view of the stars. We took on, and beat, the North Yorkshire Moors, although the view at the 'viewpoint' at the Hole of Horcum was less than usually spectacular, due to it being pitch dark at 5 in the morning. That didn't stop us brewing up tea anyway, before hurrying on to warm back up. The descent of Blue Bank was, in places, like that first point on a roller coaster where you look ahead and the road's dropped out of the bottom of the world, but it was fun! As was the final descent into Whitby, where the loss of altitude rapidly negated the first hints of dawn seen at the top of the hill at 7am.
We found a welcoming cafe, which had real fishermen in it, and also a pair of Goths, it being Goth weekend in Whitby. After a leisurely ingestion of a large quantity of fried pork products, and a great big mug of tea, we took ourselves off to the station, where some elected to ride home, some got on a normal train and the remaining 7 of us, including two trikes and a 'bent bike, booked ourselves onto the 11am steam service to Pickering.
We had time for more tea, and a stroll along the prom-prom-prom admiring the Goths, tiddly-om-pom-pom, before it was time to pack ourselves onto the train (complete with proper guard's van), and enjoy the views we missed on the way up. At Pickering we alighted, and rode the 30 miles back to York, making it about 80 for the day. Once again, a great ride in good company. That'll probably be it for night rides until the spring, and I'm looking forward to more!
The commuting miles are tailing off a bit - well, it's getting to be dark when I finish, and we're having more early starts too, neither of which encourage extra miles. I think the 50 miles a week target will have to be relaxed a bit for the winter months. Also, I'm on the winter hack now, which is heavier, and with the bottle dynamo engaged, quite draggy. I hoping it counts as extra training!
Talking of which, I probably ought to be thinking targets for next year ...
Went up to Wooler, Northumberland a few weeks back, for an annual weekend gathering at the Hostel there. Did a couple of 40 mile day rides on the FCR - it's a bit hilly up there, to say the least, and I missed the trike for descending. But taking it wasn't really feasible. Someone commented that I looked a bit stretched out on the bike, and I realised on Sunday that the saddle seems to have worked its way back a bit. I need a new one anyway, since the padding is starting to break off.
Then the next week, my boss cashed in the 'flight in a glider' voucher we gave him for his birthday, so I triked out to Pocklington to watch. Apart from a brief rainy spell, and the inevitable headwind on the way back, it was a nice ride, another 40 miles.
And last weekend, was the YACF night ride to Whitby. I loved the first one I did, to Scarborough, and hoped this would live up to it - and it did! We had a cracking tailwind all the way there, with the skies clearing to give us a view of the stars. We took on, and beat, the North Yorkshire Moors, although the view at the 'viewpoint' at the Hole of Horcum was less than usually spectacular, due to it being pitch dark at 5 in the morning. That didn't stop us brewing up tea anyway, before hurrying on to warm back up. The descent of Blue Bank was, in places, like that first point on a roller coaster where you look ahead and the road's dropped out of the bottom of the world, but it was fun! As was the final descent into Whitby, where the loss of altitude rapidly negated the first hints of dawn seen at the top of the hill at 7am.
We found a welcoming cafe, which had real fishermen in it, and also a pair of Goths, it being Goth weekend in Whitby. After a leisurely ingestion of a large quantity of fried pork products, and a great big mug of tea, we took ourselves off to the station, where some elected to ride home, some got on a normal train and the remaining 7 of us, including two trikes and a 'bent bike, booked ourselves onto the 11am steam service to Pickering.
We had time for more tea, and a stroll along the prom-prom-prom admiring the Goths, tiddly-om-pom-pom, before it was time to pack ourselves onto the train (complete with proper guard's van), and enjoy the views we missed on the way up. At Pickering we alighted, and rode the 30 miles back to York, making it about 80 for the day. Once again, a great ride in good company. That'll probably be it for night rides until the spring, and I'm looking forward to more!
The commuting miles are tailing off a bit - well, it's getting to be dark when I finish, and we're having more early starts too, neither of which encourage extra miles. I think the 50 miles a week target will have to be relaxed a bit for the winter months. Also, I'm on the winter hack now, which is heavier, and with the bottle dynamo engaged, quite draggy. I hoping it counts as extra training!
Talking of which, I probably ought to be thinking targets for next year ...