"Hawkshead Brewery Tour" an 80ish mile meander along the quiet lanes of N Lancs/S Cumbria 28 April

[potsy]

I wonder why they are getting a dry ride

. dr pink racing tomorrow and it is going to be ..............wet. Have a good one because Sunday is not a day to be riding.

Mmm, funny that, don't fret, the rain will be back for the 6th
Tell dr_pink to bring extra gloves and a brolly

 

[ColinJ]

I stayed up to watch my recording of today's stage of the Tour of Turkey so now I get about 3 hours sleep! I think that I have all my excuses lined up now ...

 

[ColinJ]

About to set off - just trying to eat some porridge first but I am not hungry!

 

[oldfatfool]

Just got home,cheers Ajay that was a cracking ride, a bit windy but after the last few days can't complain really. Good cafe stop choices as well, reasonably priced and good quality

Good to meet old and new faces, good job you did a runner for the train Col, Ajays' puncture might have had you stood on the platform for a couple of hours.

 

[Spinney]

Yes - thanks for organising. Even though I didn't manage part of it, it dug me out of my lethargy for a good ride on a nice day! And nice to be able to match a few real faces to names/avatars on here.

 

[Ajay]

I'm feeling rather pleased with myself that we did the ride yesterday and not today! (we've Colin's train timetable to thank for that)
Thanks to you all for coming along, I know some of you travelled a long way to be there, I hope you agree that it was worth the effort

 

[SlowerThanASluggishSloth]

What a fantastic ride! Until yesterday I'd have said that Spring into the Dales was my favourite ride but not anymore. Seaside, riverside, ancient forests, bluebells, wild garlic, lapwings and curlews, very little traffic and superlative views. Good pit-stops, good company and good weather (although that wind was both strong and cold). Thanks to you all for waiting at the top of Col de Cawthorpe (Colin, you made a wise decision - have a good time in Harlech) and special thanks to Ajay for putting it all together: a memorable day!

 

[ColinJ]

Yes STASS - the route did indeed have a bit of everything. I put on some pretty good rides, but I think that one 'raised the bar'! Only last year's Dales ride from Settle really came close to it.

Run it again next year Ajay and I'll be back, hopefully fit enough to really get stuck in and not hold you back quite so much. Thanks for waiting for me everyone!

Nice to meet Spinney and (STASS's friend) Nick, and to ride with the rest of you again.

The looser shorts definitely helped my leg so I am now convinced that reduced circulation is a big part of the problem. I had a few twinges yesterday, but nothing like the pain I had on the previous two rides.

Yes - missing out the lumpy end section was the right thing for me to do. I think my leg might have given up on that climb and you'd have had to nurse me back. I would have missed my train and had a long wait at Preston. Instead I did a wind-assisted TT back to Preston on the A6, doing 20-25 mph without too much effort and I got back with 30 minutes to spare! I was thinking how pleased I was to be getting back at a reasonable time and suddenly my train came to a halt outside Accrington! The train in front had a door fault and couldn't leave the station. It was 40 minutes before we got going again.

Sunshine all day yesterday, and the monsoon from hell today when I am indoors recovering!

PS My total for the day came in at 135 km (84 miles) - I'm happy with that!

 

[Spinney]

For more Lancaster-based rides, the Trough of Bowland route is stunning as well on a sunny day, or Ingleton, Dentdale, Sedburgh and back.

But I'd need an electric bike to keep up with you lot!

 

[ColinJ]

A blast from the past...

I was just trying to remind myself what our route was for this great ride because I will be heading up there soon for a few days of walking and cycling. Unfortunately, BikeRouteToaster is no more so the link in the first post is no use!

While browsing through the posts I spotted this:

The looser shorts definitely helped my leg so I am now convinced that reduced circulation is a big part of the problem. I had a few twinges yesterday, but nothing like the pain I had on the previous two rides.

I had forgotten about that... It was a few months before I developed serious clots in my left leg, which almost killed me. It looks like I'd had a near miss earlier with my right leg!