Summer Arrow

[aidan.f]

LWaB, John Lilley and myself have just had a lot of fun riding a summer arrow on our tricycles. We  started from the Rally and the organisers were very supportive issuing  special passes  to pitch up early on Friday for a 14:30 start. Back on Saturday for a nap followed by joining in the rally fun. I know that summer arrows don't have the ACP Easter prestige, but  it's rather a shame there was no competition..see you in 2020? Darts are also available.

[markcjagar]

I did a Dart this year. Left Sheffield on at around 9am on Saturday. Controlled at Newton on Trent (nr Lincoln), Beverley and Howden. A great day for it with the temperature around 15-20^oC throughout the day.

Heading first towards Rotherham and towards the lanes heading SE towards Retford avoiding all the bigger roads. Crossed the Trent on the A57 at the toll bridge. The first control was a post office where I purchased water, fig rolls and Mini Cheddars. The latter were consumed whilst sat on a wall outside.

Heading north passing through Kirton in Lindsey & Brigg towards the Humber Bridge. I love crossing the Humber, the view's spectacular. I finished by fig rolls whilst dodging pedestrians and sunshine pootlers on the shared use path. I reached the McDonalds on the outskirts of Beverley for the second control.

The climb from Beverley was bigger than I expected but the descent towards Howden was fun. Grabbed a couple of chocolate bars and some more water in Howden for my penultimate control and headed for York, where I arrived at about 8.30pm.

[Delph Cyclist]

I too did a Summer Dart.  After riding every year from 2012 until 2018, I missed last year, but I made my come-back - and my first 200km in 14 months - with my ride on Saturday.  Looks like I'm over a rather painful bout of sciatica that kept me off the bike for all of last summer and through the spring.

I wondered how I would decide that I was ready to return to riding 200s, so when I understood my Saddleworth Clarion club mates were planning a Summer Dart as a team ride, I was inspired to ride to York as a solo ride - not knowing my fitness levels I didn't want to encumber any team mates with someone who might not be up to the mark.  So my ride went from Delph to Epworth, over the Humber Bridge, Holme on Spalding Moor and finished at a very busy Postern Gate in York for a celebration pint.  I never did run into my Saddleworth Clarion clubmates so I must find out how they went on.

I realised on the ride that my previous 200 in April 2018 had controlled at Holme on Spalding Moor.  That was quite by chance but returning there rounds things off vey neatly.  Having stalled at 840 AUK points for 14 months, I'm now on 842 points (or will be when the ride is validated).  The come-back is very definitely on!

The Humber Bridge was interesting.  The west side was shut for maintenance (which I only discovered after cycling up the slope to the cycle path) so had to use the east side.  Unfortunately, I discovered that there was a soapbox race going on at the east side of the Hessle exit from the bridge, which rather got in my way.  It was for charity so I supposed that's OK then, I thought, as I had to walk through the crowds.  And it was an interesting spectacle I suppose.

I new bit of road for me was Horkstow Bridge, which someone mentioned, I think perhaps on here, as an interesting approach to Barton on Humber.  And indeed it proved very useful so thanks to whoever might have mentioned it.