Out into the grey on the Giant this morning.
As others have commented it was a bit chilly, even with 4 layers on the top half, winter gloves, thermal bib tights, two pairs of socks and shoe covers.
Coal Road, then Skeltons Lane then Sandhills down into Thorner, with the long descent not helping warm me up at all.
A bit of heat was generated on the climb up onto Milner Lane and my grumbling legs eventually got me to Rigton Green, then up Bramham Lane and over Jewitt Lane onto Thorner Road for the run to Bramham, enlivened by the smaller Wothersome Dip.
Most of the run to Bramham is gently downwards, so once in the village I decided to climb Town Hill to get the blood pumping. It did.
Out on Toulston Lane and eventually into North Yorkshire and on to Garnett Lane, over the A659 and then the A64, before dropping down into Stutton.
Time for a bit of climbing and the hill up the A162 certainly fits the bill.
I was really feeling the cold now, so rather than taking the left towards Ulleskelf (a mile of mostly gently down), I carried on into Towton.
Through the village and right onto the B1217 and eventually past the battlefield monument on a gently undulating road, before peeling off left and dropping into Saxton, where I stopped for a couple of pics:
Briefly back on the bike and out of the village to Linda's Bench where I stopped for sustenance and another pic:
From there it's on to the drop down onto Copley Lane, which takes you to Lotherton Gates and then with one eye on the mileage, the long way round to Aberford.
The familiar groove of cattle Lane followed, before the climb into and through Barwick and on towards Scholes.
Needing miles, I carried on through the village (having forgotten just how much of Main Street is steadily upwards in the direction).
A brief pause at the A64 and then a huge and unexpected gap in traffic so I was off spinting for the 100 yards or so to the turning onto Thorner Lane.
it was only when I got out of the saddle to give it some that I discovered my shoe hadn't actually clipped in as I'd set off...oops!
No harm done and back off the race track.
Along Skeltons Lane and back onto Coal Road, then local roads down towards home with a final loop around the block to push me over the line.
31.35 miles (50.45km) in
2h 35m at an average of just
12.1 mph with
1,604 ft climbed and an average temperature of just
1.8°C
Enjoyed that, although I really felt the cold today - Garmin shows that for a lot of the ride the temperature was 0°C and it really felt like it. Not sure what more I can do to wrap up, so I guess I'll just have to look forward to spring.
Dry throughout, and thankfully no ice but some of the roads are absolutely filthy so the bike needed a good wash when I got in.
Quite a few cyclists out there today and it's another point for the Half Century challenge too.
And to end, the map:
