Hi all! And thanks for a great day out. I'm sorry I was a bit slow - as Colin says, some of those hills were a shock, even compared to the bit of Northumberland I'm familiar with. I forgot of course, the group I ride with up there are pretty relaxed, and so I tend to keep to the front of the pack, not struggling to keep up. You guys (and girls!) are all a bit faster than me!
Also, I noticed I was the only person with a rack and rack pack. I'm a tourer at heart I think. A tourer of flat places....
An especially big thanks to the return peleton for getting, nay, forcing! me back Hebden Bridge in time for that train, and keeping me to a speed I'd never have maintained alone.
I got into York at 9, by 9.15 I was sitting in bed in front of the telly, with a huge bowl of cereal - all I could be bothered to 'cook'.
The amazing thing is that I didn't really hurt anywhere, and after a good's night sleep, am fine. Yes, it was damn hard in places, and I'm glad I sat out the extra loop, but maybe, just maybe, one day, I'll get better and faster!
The good thing is that having worked out various average speeds (total time, total riding time, total time if I hadn't had a two hour cafe stop but one hour...) I'm still above the minimum average speed required for the Leap into the Aire.
Oh god, I'm going back to those hills next week!
