After yesterdays metric half, I was just out for a pootle to keep the legs turning today.
Felt a bit cool first thing, so I stuck with longs and layers but more on that later...
Coal Road again, then right onto Skeltons Lane and at the end left and down the hill into Thorner. The legs were feeling it a bit, but it's mostly flat or downhill to this point so no issues. The climb up Milner Lane onto the ridge got me working though...
Anyway, it flattens out eventually and I was soon whisking along between the hedges past Hetchell Woods and took the left fork on Holme Farm Lane through the woods and into Rigton Green.
Right again and up the single track lane, which is starting to get even narrower due to the sprouting vegetation and onto Bramham Lane for more splendid solitude through the countryside.
I met a couple of horses (and riders) just before the Jewitt Lane junction, then up the ramp and back onto Holme Farm Lane to complete the circuit. My old bones were feeling it now, so I retraced my outbound route into Thorner stopping for a couple of pics and spent a few minutes watching the Red Kites circling off in the distance.
The descent off the ridge was much quicker and in the village I was in two minds - should I take the grind up Carr Lane, or the sharp hill of Sandhills? A couple of cars faffing about in the junction made my mind up for me and I stayed on the Main Street and headed for Sandhills.
As always, hard work but never quite as bad as you think and the lesser inclines between the ramps give you chance to get a breath.
Onto Skeltons Lane to Coal Road, then local roads down to home.
13.75 miles (22.12 km) in
1h 9m at a steady average of
11.9 mph with
594 ft climbed and an average temperature of
14.3°C
Enjoyed that, despite the tired legs. After the chilly start, the sun came out a couple of miles in and I was a bit over dressed by the time I got home. If I'd been going much further I'd have had to take a layer (or two) off, so hopefully it's a sign that the warmer weather is finally here on a longer term basis.
Loads of cyclists out today, with several club runs and a lot of solo riders too, and hardly any homicidal motorists.
Just a final word on the subject of flying things - they've been increasing for the last few weeks, but there seems to have been an explosion of the pesky things this weekend. Greenfly especially seemed to be everywhere at points...
And to end, the map:
dragged karon along as she needs the miles in her legs lol..she enjoyed it ... well the ice cream at Archers and the cider at the navy club might have had a lot to do with it
