Needing to get some miles in before the Tan Hill ride I decided to ride to and from my mum's in Leeds this weekend. About 65 to 70 miles each way.
When setting off on a long ride it's always tempting to totally panic just after setting off and think I'm not up to it. This time I got overtaken after a mile by a fat bloke on an Aldi Special with pointless middle suspension and his cheery demeanour and speed relative to me left me convinced I would never make it to Leeds, but after several hours pedalling I did.
After spending a lot of this year avoiding A roads, this time I decided to go straight down the A167 and A168 between Northallerton and Wetherby and they were both absolutely fine, except I kept getting overtaken by time trialling trikes on the 168. Some very grimly determined blokes there were, mostly too focused to say hello.
As well as A roads, I often avoid cycle paths but was pleasantly surprised by how good the ones were for a few miles north and south of Wetherby. At one point I was riding between the A1 and another busy road and had a lovely tarmacked cycle path all to myself. It felt safer than driving, although it does take 5 times as long.
I got a bit lost round Clifford and Bramham and could find no signs whatsoever to Aberford but eventually I found my way to Kippax where my mum lives, although the last few miles were the worst of the day. When I arrived I had a headache and it was still with me the next morning and I thought about getting the train home, but I'm really glad I didn't. My mum filled me up with cooked breakfast on Sunday morning and off I went. On her advice, I tilted the handlebars up a bit so I wouldn't strain my neck too much looking ahead whilst leaning forward and I filled my bottles with anti-dehydration powder (just add water) and off I went.
The weather was hot and sunny, I picked a lovely route home and if there was any wind at all it must have been behind me all the way. The way I went was Kippax, Garforth (past my old junior school, past the newsagents where I used to do my paper round, past where the video library used to be in the 80s, past the Middle Chippy where we got Fish and Chips from including on the day my brother was born, you get the idea), Barwick in Elmet, Potterton, a mile or so of bumpy track, Thorner, nearly Boston Spa, Wetherby, Whixley, Great Ouseburn, Aldwark Bridge, Helperby, a lovely lunch stop with my friend TheChief's in laws at Leckby (between Cundall and Asenby) where I was made to eat sausages, burgers and pudding and then a fastish ride home (well for me anyway) up the 167 to Northallerton and then home from there.
I got in at 7 pm and I had a sit in the garden with a cold drink and some sunburn and then as if by magic another friend Trainer1 arrived with a cake from Mrs Trainer1. Talk about good timing! So I got food at the beginning, middle and end of the ride without having to even go near a shop (well, that's sort of a lie cos I bought a Mars bar from a garage in Northallerton but that was a just in case sort of food stop, I didn't really need it).
And the best thing was: I actually enjoyed the cycling, particularly on the Sunday. It's been such a crummy year's cycling for me so far. My leg muscles seem to have been on a sabbatical all year, even a slight incline and I come to a standstill. Added to that LG has been out of the loop after her accident and I just haven't derived much pleasure from cycling at all. But I started to feel good again on a bike this weekend. In fact, I think it started last weekend coming down from Tan Hill, going downhill for miles and it not raining, and riding along for a while behind the joyful little pedalling of Junior Crinkly. I've been in quite a bad mood since April thinking this year has been a bit of a write off, but then I realised it's only June and it's not even halfway through the year, there's lots of time left. Also this week LG has been rising phoenix-like from the ashes of her own cycling apocalypse and all seems to be becoming well again.
Let's hope it's just the beginning of better days ahead..
