I've been busy this weekend - went out to route check the 100-miler, but since it took me an hour or so longer to get to the Lion, what with dragging the bike through snowdrifts and wotnot, and daylight still being at a premium, I thought I'd just check the DKttR route.
The tracks all seemed fine, or at least no worse than last year, so it'll remain broadly unchanged*.
And today it was back up the Incline with my mate Mark, who'll be stamping cards at the Lion, to introduce him to the place and show him where the outside tap is (out of the pub and round to the left, just past the Lion statue, FYI). And, more importantly, so he can show a suitable amount of sympathy to any riders who found that bit tough**. And I had a suitable victim for the photos - the snow had
mostly gone.
On Friday I rode it on my SS Surly with 3" tyres - just to see what it was like. I still think this is massive overkill, as it was all fine up to the Lion on my Pompino today (apart from all the walking up the Incline, but that's down to gearing and not tyres), but you're still free to bring along your MTBs or whatever you want, short of your TT bikes or full-on skinny-tyred road bikes. Even on your Pinarello, you'll still be welcome, but this is not recommended, and I'll probably point and laugh.
*The Spar in Hutton Rudby is at a new location - I'll have to re-route to get that in, which may or may not involve additional offroad fun. A parmo night at Hutton Rudby beckons!
** The correct amount is some, in my opinion - the next bit is harder. But you'll all have John and Jill in their campervan meeting you down Bransdale with tea and cake.
