Spring into the Dales - Sun 15th April

[YahudaMoon]

Got up late peoples

 

[ColinJ]

Wish I had checked the forums before I set off now , I spent all day looking for a statuesque 6' 5" cyclist in the company of a 6' 1" cyclist on a Basso It isn't blue by any chance ?.

It is, Paul, but as you will by now know - it only lasted me a few hundred yards and then I had to rush home for an emergency bike change! It's a fairly rare bike but there happens to be someone who lives just down the road in Todmorden who also has one in the same colour! If you spot someone in this area on a Blue Basso Viper and he looks fit - it's him!

I waited for the majority of riders to set off rather than get caught up in the melee on the climb out of Hebden and spent the majority of the ride on my own , you must have set off after me though as a cheery young man passed me after Gargrave with a witty quip about hills who I assume was Callum looking at potsy's photos ?

If you thought he might be 18 years old but he looked 15 - that was Calum. He's actually 22!

I also had to walk for part of the climb up to Draughton and also a short part of the climb heading to Silsden as my legs where shot by this point and even the slightest incline had me crawling at less than walking pace so I wan't looking forward to the climb out of Oxenhope , a coffee and some carrot cake at Rossi's gave me a bit of a lift and I crawled over the tops and landed back at the finish at 5:23 . I stayed for a coffee and a couple of sandwich's then set off for home and a final tally of 151km for the day and totally shattered . Paul

I did manage the second steep climb after Draughton but came in about an hour behind you. Well done!

 

[PMarkey]

It is, Paul, but as you will by now know - it only lasted me a few hundred yards and then I had to rush home for an emergency bike change! It's a fairly rare bike but there happens to be someone who lives just down the road in Todmorden who also has one in the same colour! If you spot someone in this area on a Blue Basso Viper and he looks fit - it's him!

Well if you didn't make it to the community centre on the Basso it may have been the Basso rider as there was a blue one parked outside at some point.

If you thought he might be 18 years old but he looked 15 - that was Calum. He's actually 22!

Definitely Calum then

I did manage the second steep climb after Draughton but came in about an hour behind you. Well done!

I would imagine that was more to do with me only stopping briefly for a quick snack bar and water at Earby and Gargrave and only coffee and cake in Keighley in all honesty

Paul

 

[ColinJ]

Well if you didn't make it to the community centre on the Basso it may have been the Basso rider as there was a blue one parked outside at some point.

Oh - hang on - I did call in there first to pick up my brevet card. I then nipped up the road to confirm that the chain was actually slipping, rather than the gears needing adjustment, and then I went back to change bikes!

So, do you feel up to the May 6th ride from Whalley then Paul? (Roughly 20% less climbing and 10% less distance than SITD.)

 

[PMarkey]

I'm hoping to Colin but I need to arrange things with my wife as she would be left holding the baby so to speak, we also have a sixteen year old with Autism who can be a bit of a hand full if he's feeling anxious so I will confirm or not nearer the time .

Paul

 

[ColinJ]

I'm hoping to Colin but I need to arrange things with my wife as she would be left holding the baby so to speak, we also have a sixteen year old with Autism who can be a bit of a hand full if he's feeling anxious so I will confirm or not nearer the time .

Paul

I can see that committing in advance could be difficult, Paul, but you can always just turn up at one of the rides unannounced. If you decide to do that though, you'd need to make sure you got to the start in good time since we wouldn't be expecting you.

 

[pizzicatooff]

Hi all,

I liked the photos, particularly those taken at the iconic Laund Oak, which is reputedly over 800 years old.

You may have seen our photographers Dave Dodwell and John Sutcliffe out and about on Sunday. Their pictures are now online in compressed form at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/1234560445

If any of you would like an uncompressed copy (about 3 megabytes) of any of these, please email me at chris.crossland@halifaxctc.org.uk

Cheers,

Chris