I must admit, I've got used to the warm weather, so I was surprised at the nip in the air this morning as I unlocked the gate.
Back in for the bike and I put some arm warmers on, but stuck with shorts and a short sleeved jersey and by 'eck did I feel it for the first 3 or 4 miles!
As it's August Bank Holiday weekend (and only 4 months to Christmas!
) that means its the Leeds Festival at Bramham Park so I headed that way to take advantage of the 'closed' roads around the venue. Coal Road and Skeltons Lane brought me to the top of the descent into Thorner, where I was waved through the barriers by the security guards. In addition to being a bit chilly it was a bit breezy too and it felt right in my face on the run down the hill, but I was in no rush and I'd warm up eventually...hopefully.
Through the village and right up Church Hill to climb back out, then the steadily dropping road towards Bramham Park, surprisingly busy for a road that was meant to be closed to everyone but local residents...
Past the park and just before the Wothersome Dip and large section of security fencing was on it's side (just saying, if you're out that way
).
Anyhow, after the descent comes the climb back out and a queue of standing traffic at the top as the security guards seemed to be making very heavy weather of letting cars through the barriers.
Straight on from there almost to Bramham, but left onto West Woods Road just before the A1(M) bridge and the ups and downs (mainly ups) to Wattle Syke roundabout where it was straight over and the long descent into Wetherby.
Where a couple of motorists tried to kill, or at least seriously maim me. First a driver in a Range Rover just pulled out from a side street right in front of me, then another driver in a Fiat reversed out of a one way street that I was about to turn into
Anyhow, disasters avoided it was through the town and north, taking the fork up the hill for Kirk Deighton and on to North Deighton and eventually the right onto Ox Close Lane to head towards Cowthorpe.
Over the bridges and through the countryside, eventually arriving in the village and straight through onto Tockwith Lane for more of the same.
At the crossroads I turned right, now heading south and with the day finally warming up a touch past the former airfield and on to Bickerton crossroads.
Straight(ish) on and between the fields to the Walton turning. Through the village and onto the cycle track that runs parallel to the main road, stopping for a couple of photos:
Back on the bike and along to the end of the cycleway, then out onto the road and straight across heading for Thorp Arch, where I added the loop along Dowkell Lane in, just because it was there.
Back into the village and down onto the bridge over the River Wharfe, where I stopped for a flapjack bar and some more pics:
Up the hill into Boston Spa, a wiggle on Main Street and a familiar wend into Clifford, down the hill into Bramham and up the Main Street and round to the A1(M) bridge and back past the fringes of Bramham Park.
Still chaos at the barriers at the top of Wothersome Dip (how hard is it to understand that the road is closed?), so I filtered down the outside and onto Thorner Lane, though the other (and lesser) of the Wothersome Dips and on to Milner Lane for the long way round to Thorner.
Just before the drop into the village there was another set of barriers staffed by the cheeriest security guard I've ever encountered who waved me straight through and wished me a nice ride.
Into Thorner and back out on Carr Lane, where at the top of the first climb the road was blocked by a couple of locals who'd stopped their cars for a chat
Anyhow, once they'd moved onwards towards the A58 and the last barriers of the day, this time staffed by the grumpiest security guard I've ever encountered.
A quick scoot along the A58, the climb up Coal Road and along past the 'Your speed is...' sign
and local roads down to home.
35.67 miles (57.4 km) in
2h 38m at an average of
13.5mph with
1,604ft climbed and an average temperature of just
14.0°C
I struggled to get going today and I really felt the cold, but it's another metric half and it certainly blew the cobwebs of the working week away.
Tomorrow is looking monsoon like, but Monday looks promising for a final ride to close out the month, so fingers crossed.
And to end, the map:
. Quick comfort break and just doing an extra half mile loop and pass @Lilliburlero and @Chris Doyle heading to the meeting point . Got to meeting point and @Supersuperleeds and @tallliman were there so having a quick chat were off . Up the Wreake valley to Saxilby hill in and out of Holywell ,Scalford ,Wycomb then Waltham on the wold down a dead end road to Bescadby were me and @tallliman and me went down a gravel track for a veloviewer square ( @Supersuperleeds had got it already and the others are not yet persuaded to play) @tallliman running 
me riding .Square grabbed and retrace are route to the A607 . We turned of for Eaton and I knew a quick descent was coming having climbed it recently 
. Heading homeward now . Hose ,Long Clawson ,Upper Broughton and in Wymeswold @Lilliburlero and @Chris Doyle turned for home up the A6006 .The 3 of us head to Loughborough via Hoton . At Cotes we split again as @tallliman turned for home . Heading to Barrow me and @Supersuperleeds caught 2 female rides just as I started to draft them one of them turned round and asked if I was drafting them . I replied yes 
. Once past the riders on to Barrow ,Quorn and Mountsorrel were we part company . Me needing 10 more mile for a ton so an extended route home via Swithland . Home with 101 miles in the bag ,Imperial tons for @Lilliburlero (100.5) and @Supersuperleeds (112) big 70 miler for @Chris Doyle and a metric ton for @tallliman who's been off the bike for a while so great effort 
. Great ride with great company really nice to be back together always enjoy our rides
. It was quite a shock.
I went down and fearing that i might've damaged my hip again or even worse broken it again I got back up apprehensively. I put my weight on my right leg and was very pleased to find i could weight bear and walk on it! It seems the calcium treatment i've had since my last breaks has strengthened my bones. I ended up with a cut knee,a grazed elbow and my right hip feels like it might bruise,but no break! 
Anyway,i got back on my bike after spending 15 minutes trying to get the chain back on and did another 4 laps to make it 41 laps which i was pleased with.
