W Yorks Get Together

[colly]

Just cobbled together those two photos from my phone:

 

[ColinJ]

Just cobbled together those two photos from my phone:

Hey, that's pretty neat considering it started off as two photographs and both were taken by people in the composite picture.

I'm still feeling embarrassed about trying to take a picture looking into the camera lens and wondering why I couldn't see anything !

 

[colly]

Hey, that's pretty neat considering it started off as two photographs and both were taken by people in the composite picture.

I'm still feeling embarrassed about trying to take a picture looking into the camera lens and wondering why I couldn't see anything !

My first attempt at mixing two photos. Not bad considering.

And I wouldn't be too worried about getting the phone the wrong way round. I've lost count of the number of pics I have looking up my nose.

 

[Bokonon]

Good job, especially as my bike moved at the join!

 

[Calum]

That's pretty handy Colly!

I really do need a haircut though...

 

[ColinJ]

Here's a photo of Blakedean taken from the steep downhill by the scout hostel, where we were overtaken by an impatient motorist.

[Just wanted to test attaching an image - I've never done it this way before]

 

[JamesM]

Glad you had a good ride out. I've been lurking and was thinking of joining you. I was in two minds until I got this sickness and diarrhea thing that's been going round which made up my mind!

Hopefully I'll get out with you on another ride some time soon? (Note, not if you're in serious training for the West Yorks Cycle Route! )

 

[ColinJ]

Glad you had a good ride out. I've been lurking and was thinking of joining you. I was in two minds until I got this sickness and diarrhea thing that's been going round which made up my mind!

Hopefully I'll get out with you on another ride some time soon? (Note, not if you're in serious training for the West Yorks Cycle Route! )

Pity you couldn't make it James, but there will always be another one! I hope you get over that bug soon, it sounds nasty .

I won't be organising anything again now until the NY when hopefully the weather will have improved!

I'm not going to think seriously about the WYCR unless I can get the 3 stone I've put on back off again. It would be too much for me in my current condition, but I've done the equivalent of it before when fit so I know I can do it again if I sort myself out.

If the WYCR is a bit much for you, you could always have a go at the Spring Into The Dales audax event in April which uses some of the same roads. It's a bit under half the length of the WYCR and a bit over half the climbing. Highly recommended.

 

[marinyork]

I might pop along to one of these rides. I have to 60+ rides this month though which is why I didn't come along. As for 157 miles I've no idea if I could do that.

 

[Bokonon]

Anyone want to suggest time/place/date for the next CC West Yorks Chapter ride?

I intend to do the 100km/month next year, so will be doing at least 1 ride a month from Leeds - other people are welcome to join in. I'll start with nice and easy flat routes until the weather improves, and get longer and harder in the summer.

 

[marinyork]

Sounds good Bokonen. I was thinking of 100km per month or doing some audaxes. That's about my distance at the moment. After the two big rides this month I'll have much more of an idea how realistic that is. Are you North or South Leeds as that makes a slight difference?

 

[ColinJ]

As for 157 miles I've no idea if I could do that.

At one time, I would have doubted my ability to do it too, but I worked my way up to that kind of level. (I've lost 50% of my fitness since then though... )

I gradually increased my mileage until I was okay on hilly (imperial) century rides. After that I decided to have a go at a 200 km ride. The first one wasn't an audax, it was a local 100 mile sportive (The Pendle Pedal) but I rode 20 km to the start and back again afterwards so that was a total of 200 km. It didn't kill me so I kept on doing '200s' and got to know audax riders who were doing even longer rides - 300 km, 400 km, and 600 km! Some even do monster rides such as Paris-Brest-Paris (1200 km) and London-Edinburgh-London (1400 km) !

I'm not interested in doing those kind of distances. Perhaps as a succession of shorter daily rides yes, but I'd get saddle-sore trying to do them in 'one bite'. I'm not into sleep-deprivation or riding in the dark, however a ride of about 150 miles could be done fairly comfortably in about half a day and in daylight in mid-summer.

I come from Coventry but have lived in Yorkshire for over 20 years. It dawned on me a few years back that Hebden Bridge to Coventry in a day would easily be 'doable' for a fit cyclist - it just took me a few years to get round to it, in June 2007. With a couple of diversions, I ended up doing about 141 miles including some tough climbs in West Yorkshire and the entire length of the Peak District. I felt pretty good when I got to my destination, so much so that my family thought I'd brought my bike down on the train !

I'd say that anybody in good health who is a regular cyclist should be able to build up to doing something like the WYCR if they work hard over a 6 month period and it's going to be at least 6 months before we'd be doing the ride. There's plenty of time to get ready for it, it's more a question of having the desire to do it. I know some very fit people who just aren't interested in stretching themselves. They just stay at the same level year after year, enjoying themselves and keeping healthy. They are not into cycling for the challenge, they just like keeping fit and being out in the countryside.

If you fancy having a go at the WYCR with us next June, draw up a plan of how to get from where you are now to where you'll need to be then.

 

[Bokonon]

Sounds good Bokonen... Are you North or South Leeds as that makes a slight difference?

I'm west Leeds and it makes a huge difference . I tend to head north on most rides as it is easy to get to and is where all the good stuff is, so I would have suggested rendevous points in that direction, but I am open from starting elsewhere if that makes it more convenient for anyone wanting to join in.

I would agree with what ColinJ says about building up to the WYCR. If you can ride 100k now without difficulty then, with training, you'll make it round 157 hilly miles in 6 months time.

 

[colly]

Colin, I think thats a good idea: setting down a plan of what you need to do and how fit you need to be before undertaking a challenge like that.
6 months is plenty of time to build up to that kind of endurance but we all know that time flits past so fast that before you know it that 6 months will be down to 3 and then the old doubt sets in.
The most I have ever done in one bite is a little over 100 miles. On more than one occasion. The times I did it I didn't pay much attention to diet and being 'prepared' before hand. I was regularly doing 40 to 60 miles on Sundays and so I reckoned 100 should be manageable.
Well it was but the extra 40 seemed an awful long way.

157miles over a hilly route would be a big step up for me but it's one of those things that if you say. ........'well that would be good to do' ......and then you never even try it is such a shame.

So I for one will be setting this a target for the summer and with what Colin said earlier I will set myself, and try to stick to, some realistic goals along the way.

Then come the day I will have a good chance of succeeding. If I go belly up it won't be for the lack of trying.

 

[colly]

Anyone want to suggest time/place/date for the next CC West Yorks Chapter ride?

I intend to do the 100km/month next year, so will be doing at least 1 ride a month from Leeds - other people are welcome to join in. I'll start with nice and easy flat routes until the weather improves, and get longer and harder in the summer.

I'll be up for that for sure. Are you in Leeds between Xmas and the new year? If so what about a ride or two?