After yesterdays maelstrom, the weather seemed a bit more benign this morning, so out again on the Giant which found it's own way to Coal Road.
Target number one for today was 25.22 miles, which would bring me to my target for the year of 2,500 miles. but if you've ever ventured on to the Half Century challenge thread, you'll know what a dim view
@13 rider takes of getting that close to a metric half and not completing it, so that was the secondary target.
To be honest, the headwind up Coal Road had me wondering if this was a sensible idea and despite changes of direction onto Red Hall Lane, the A58 and then Whin Moor Lane, the wind seemed to be staying against me.
Anyway, I ground my way into Shadwell and for the first part of Main Street I had a bit of shelter due to the lie of the land and it was only the flattish run to Slaid Hill lights where the wind reappeared. Right at the lights and through the dip on Wike Ridge Lane, before the right onto Tarn Lane, where now I had the wind behind me and was fair bowling along, at least by my standards. I almost caught a pair of riders at the Coal Road crossroads, but they were across and straight on, while I took the right fork just through the junction to head down Ling Lane and back onto the A58.
It's downhill nearly all the way to Collingham from here, but despite me doing the 30 mph limit, I got a close pass from a clown in a Corsa who I then re-passed about half a mile further on as he parked up at the bottom of Hetchell Woods. He simply had to get in front though.
Anyhow, up the rise to the traffic lights, which were on green for the first time in an age, and more gentle descending to Collingham.
A few turns and I was onto the road over the river and into Linton, up the sharp little rise and then the usual Linton lumpiness and out onto the road into Wetherby, around the top edge of the town and down into the Wilderness for a Snickers and a photo:
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Up the steep ramp back into town and then out on the Walton Road over the A1(M) and past the racecourse into the countryside, once again wind assisted for most of it.
Right for the turning to Thorp Arch, with the usual loop along Dowkell Lane and Long Causeway to add a bit more mileage on, before plunging down and over the river on the single track bridge, where once again an oncoming car driver decided that me already being established on the bridge they'd just drive on anyway
- I moved onto the hatched section, but one of these days I'm just going to stop in the middle of the lane and see what happens.
Anyway, up the slope into Boston Spa and while queing to get out onto Main Street another rider came alongside and we had a brief chat. he turned right, I turned left and then looped around into Clifford, climbing through the village and the long descent into Bramham, slowed a bit by that pesky headwind again.
Up Main Street which is still in an appalling state after being "resurfaced" at the end of the summer and round onto the bridge over the A1(M) and the start of the long drag up past Bramham Park.
I was sheltered from the worst of the wind to start with, but things opened up quite a bit as I turned onto Thorner Lane and once through the lesser Wothersome dip it was just a grind straight into the wind on a steadily rising road. So I was happy to turn onto Jewitt Lane and change direction, but then once it started climbing I was surprised to find I was still riding into a headwind, which continued when I turned left onto Compton Lane. Who says Mother Nature doesn't have a sense of humour?
Unsurprisingly this lane is still filthy with mud dragged out of the fields and insufficient traffic to clear it, not helped that the farmer has also been hacking the hedges as well. At the almost U-turn onto Bramham Lane I almost had an off on the mud despite taking it steady, so it's getting reported again.
Once clear of the morass, Bramham Lane was lovely and deserted and finally wind assisted too, so I was soon climbing up onto Holme Farm Lane for another section into the wind, which is where I hit the required 25.22 miles meaning I'd reached my mileage target
before turning left onto Milner Lane to run into Thorner. I had a cross wind on here, which was interesting until I reached the protection of the more substantial hedges beyond Hetchell Woods.
The always fun drop down off the ridge into Thorner followed, but on the run into the village I could really hear the wind roaring through the trees on the banking above the lane - it was like a freight train was going past.
A quick wiggle along Main Street and out onto Carr Lane as I was fairly sure that the direct route home wouldn't give me quite enough miles for a metric half.
This meant that I was cycling into the wind and climbing again, but the only way out of Thorner is up, so it was just a case of getting on with it.
Just beyond the village there are signs stating Carr Lane is "closed for works 02/01/19 - 04/01/19", which
@Old jon and
@colly might want to note?
More hedge hacking has been taking place on the section of Carr Lane between the S-bend and the A58 but I got through without incident, and then it's a quick(ish) sprint along there and the climb up onto Coal Road, across the mini-roundabout and past the 'Your Speed Is..." sign
before local roads to home, with a now obligatory loop around the block to ensure the mileage.
31.60 miles (50.85 km) in
2h 37m at an average of
12.1 mph with
1,729ft climbed and an almost tropical average temperature of
9.0°C
Hard work at times, especially into that wind, but really pleased to hit my target and grab a another point in the Half Century Challenge as well. In fact, if it wasn't for that wind it would have been near perfect cycling weather for the time of year as the sun was out quite a bit.
There were also lots of other cyclists out and only a handful of motorised morons.
If I get out tomorrow it's only likely to be for an hour or so, meaning that looks set to be my final point in the Half Century Challenge for 2018 - then it all starts again for 2019!
To end, the map:
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were probably just jealous of your lovely bike 
a washing machine dumped at the exit!
