Spring into the Dales

[ColinJ]

Ho ho - I just walked into town to buy some food and who did I bump into, but Noodley! He'd just got back from his ride of the Season of Mists route with MSeries off yacf. I recognised MSeries and went over to say hello and realised that the other rider was Noodley.

I was going to say 'small world' but Noodley is down here to do these local rides so I suppose it isn't that odd that I happened to be walking past the car park as the bikes were being packed away.



The forecast is still looking good for tomorrow. I'm just programming my GPS since I don't know part of this year's route (I could do the old route from memory).

See you in the morning folks!

 

[Dayvo]

Noodley is down here to do these local rides

How did he sneak in?

Aren't the soldiers patrolling the border passes anymore?

Hope you enjoyed yourself down there, Noodley; and all you others, too!

 

[ColinJ]

The forecast was right... It's still early, but the sky is clear and it looks like being a really nice day.

Let's see if - just for a change - I can get round without cracking on the last climb!








(So, will ColinJ now crack two climbs from the finish! )

 

[trio25]

I'm getting a lift to the start now as I'm tired The weather looks great - I'm trying to work out what to wear now not used to weather like this!

See you all soon.

 

[Noodley]

Hope you enjoyed yourself down there, Noodley

Sorry chaps, I was a DNS after yesterday's efforts.

My legs were fine this morning but my bits 'down there' suffered yet again (as did arms and back with the steep climbs) and I decided it would not be fun struggling round and having a 6 hour drive home afterwards. I am just about sick of my saddle sore problems TBH and think it's time to take up TT or something else that does not involve hour after hour in the saddle.

Anyway, hope everyone had fun and sorry again for not making more of an effort.

...and good to meet ColinJ for the brief period I could speak.

 

[bonj2]

Sorry chaps, I was a DNS after yesterday's efforts.

My legs were fine this morning but my bits 'down there' suffered yet again (as did arms and back with the steep climbs) and I decided it would not be fun struggling round and having a 6 hour drive home afterwards. I am just about sick of my saddle sore problems TBH and think it's time to take up TT or something else that does not involve hour after hour in the saddle.

Anyway, hope everyone had fun and sorry again for not making more of an effort.

...and good to meet ColinJ for the brief period I could speak.

oh noodley! never mind mate.
take up downhill mtbing, you don't be spending much time in the saddle there

 

[PaulB]

What a cracking day and superb ride that was!

A cold, cold start up a big, big hill but once over the beast, the weather and the riding improved immesurably. This route certainly exploits some of the best of the Dales countryside and apart from a nasty and busy section through Keighley, it was all good stuff. Very good in fact.

I rode virtually all the route with Longers, Goodspeed and Trio and found them to be very good company indeed. It was especially nice to have them as back up during the pathetic abuse we got at the start of the last (heartbreaking) climb out of Oxenhope from a moron in a car that almost certainly cost considerably less than any of the bikes we were riding. The guy expressed his fervent wish that we should all pay road tax!!! But we won't let trolls get us down on what was a thoroughly spectacular day. I don't want to ruin anything Longers might want to write later (he's cycling home to Oldham probably as we speak!) but he said during one particularly memorable section towards Appletreewick, "I'm not going to ride again for the rest of the year. Anything else would be an anti-climax after this." And it would take something special to beat this spectacular, sunny, bright day in the Yorkshire Dales. All in all, a HUGE thumbs up!

We did the 111 K and 2265 metres (according to my Garmin anyway) in 4 hours and 48 minutes of actual cyling time which equates to an average speed of 21.9 kph or 2.44 per kilometre. Which was nice!

 

[Landslide]

Blooming marvellous! I lost touch with the Paul, Longers et al after a p*nct*re, but still managed to speed round at a (surprising to me) similar average. I reckon I must be solar powered! Good to meet you (those that I met) and sorry not to have caught you (those that I didn't)!

 

[asterix]

Very pleased to have finished done this ride for which the weather was really perfect. Only met 1 CC member, Mark, who politely reduced his astonishing speed to chat for a while. Generally met some very pleasant and friendly riders, mostly quicker than me.

Having started the day at 3 a.m. (airport taxi duties) much of the ride is a bit blurred but notably not the meeting with a tractor climbing a steep narrow lane when I was going down. Fortunately my new bike has handlebars 2cm narrower than was suggested so there was enough room.

I don't think I was last but there were a heck of lot of bikes finished already at 16:55.

Thanks to Longers for suggesting it.

 

[goodspeed]

Yeah, fantastic day! my first audax and certainly not my last. Weather and company superb. Thanks to Longers, PaulB, and Trio25(bonkers!) for a great ride. Sory we did'nt meet up with Colinj, Svendo etc on route, hope you all had a good day; by the way colin that was me honking the horn on my way home not some cyclist hater like we encountered earlier.

 

[PaulB]

by the way colin that was me honking the horn on my way home not some cyclist hater like we encountered earlier.

What an absolute shaaar! As the subject of your avatar might have memorably said!

 

[colly]

After riding to the start and managing the first long climb ok I lost a bit of distance on the decent ('cos I am a wuss when it comes to decending) I never quite managed to get back in touch with Trio/Goodspeed/PaulB et al. Not for the want of trying mind you. I could see them and at times got to within 50 yds or so but that was as good as it got.
I went off course following someone who looked like they knew where they were going (always a mistake) so after that I knew I wouldn't see them again. I had an idea I might catch up at Gargrave in the tea rooms there but saw no one I knew and after polishing off my beans on toast I wondered if ColinJ might turn up but no luck. Maybe he was up in front of me, I really don't know.

I have to say I found today very hard. Every climb seemed to go on forever. Especially the one after crossing the Keighley Road at Laneshawbridge. I very nearly went right on up instead of turning for Earby. I am SO glad some kind bod called to me. The rest of the climb looked murderous.

Anyway at Gargrave I decided to turn off and make for home and after using the Skipton bypass had a good run through the back lanes into Ilkley and Otley.
By the time I got back to Leeds I had done just short of the magic 100 so I did a couple of small loops to take me over. My God those little 2 miles loops seemed to go on forever

Nice to meet some of you from here even if it was briefly at the start.

I am aching all over now

 

[longers]

Oh, what a bugger Noodley I did nearly ask Mseries if he'd broken you on Saturday but was too shy to go and speak to him

I haven't got much to add to the good things others have said, it was a chuffing marvellous day out

Profuse apologies to Landslide as I didn't know he'd had a puncture and was expecting him to appear any minute after picking up his bottle. We then managed to ride straight past him as we left the cafe in Keighley and he was arriving!

Nice to meet you Asterix, I recognised his bike! Bit of a long day for you that was.

Sorry we didn't see more of the other forummers but hope you all had fun.

 

[longers]

<snip> . . and Trio25(bonkers!) <snip>

Nail. Head. Hit.

 

[ColinJ]

Hi Guys!

You did the right thing going off and doing the ride at your own pace because Alun and I were going slowly and it would have been a shame for you to have spent (literally) hours waiting for us. Svendo kindly rode with us round to Keighley and then shot off, which was fair enough.

A nippy start, but I was ready for that. I've been too cold on SITD in the past, and I've also been stuck in conditions like today's wearing a long-sleeved jersey and baked. Layered clothing which I could don and remove as desired kept me comfortable.

Yes - once the sun came out, it was an absolutely stunning day and location to be cycling. The Dales looked beautiful, lots of spring lambs - perfect!

We encountered a cyclist walking his bike along a lane and stopped to see if he needed help and saw something really shocking - see this thread!

I managed to get round comfortably for once simply by not riding faster than I'm fit enough to sustain. It was a lovely day, there was nothing I'd rather be doing, and I wasn't in a hurry. A superb day out.

PS

I wondered which tw*t was honking their horn at us goodspeed, and then I saw you in the car with a big grin on your face!

PPS

Er, I don't mean that I thought you were a tw*t! When I saw it was you, I realised that you were being friendly!