I feel better for that. 166km, 23.8kph avg, 70.8kph max, saddle time 6:59:09 - plus 20 mins at a cafe and 40 mins for lunch. Lovely and sunny the whole time I was cycling. Although the stats are not too relevant because;
Out over Westerdale to cross Blakey Ridge and down into Rosedale. Climbed the chimney quite easily and dropped further down towards Hutton-le-Hole, but turned left to Lastingham and Cropton. The brewery was open but it was only 10:20am so I carried on past the brilliantly named "Randy Mere" to Newton-on-Rawcliffe and got lost. Ended up in Pickering, I had a coffee and took the A169 toward Whitby. There is a great little shop off the main road at Lockton. Continued to climb up to Fylingdales and took the left to Goathland. A bit of up and down to get to Egton and stopped at the Horseshoe Inn for a Beef, Onion and Gravy baguette, and a couple of pints of Bee's Knees.
At the pub I chatted to a young couple from Redcar, it was raining while we ate and they asked if the rain was refreshing, because as a cyclist I must be superhum and and enjoy the rain... No, I said. The rain is simply wet and cold - just like it is for normal people. However I didn't get a chance to find out because it was sunny and warm again when I came outside.
The climb to Glaisdale was made harder with a full stomach, but once I found my legs again, Danby and Castleton came swiftly to meet me. From Castleton, with such lovely weather I decided to head for the seafront at Saltburn, which is a swiftly undulating descent. And then climb the hairpins back to the cliff top. Then the tailwind pushed me back through Guisborough to Great Ayton and home. wonderful. I couldn't have asked for a btetter way to recharge my batteries and I'm kinda looking forward to work tomorrow.
Some neat things I learned today...
When you're surrounded by buzzing flies on a long climb, and if time doesn't matter, do a u-turn, swoop down the hill 10 metres and turn again to come back up - shaking the blighters off and giving you a bit of a rest from them.
If that doesn't work, wait until you see someone getting out of a car to admire the view and cycle slowly past them, accelerating as you draw level - leaving the flies to annoy someone else. Ideally a well dressed woman getting out of a Range Rover.
There is no blind downhill hairpin that goes to a narrow bridge unsuitable for an overtaking manouver, especially if you've got a sporty small car - hang on, that's not right
