Anyone would think it was difficult to go for a bike ride, looking at my meagre attempts this year. Went out and wimped out on Tuesday, just too cold and becoming colder. Today was better though. Promises of temperatures in double figures, and likely dry as well, persuaded me to take Bob Jackson out of the shed and ride south.
No matter which direction I intend to ride, passing the terracotta library is one way to avoid having to cross four lanes of traffic to make a right turn. And it is good to see it anyway. All the way through Hunslet this morning, then the climb to John o’ Gaunts. Down the hill to Oulton roundabout and carry on through Methley to Castleford. It is a bit wide open spaces along that way and the breeze was not kind.
A couple of left turns to the bridge. There is a weir a bit upstream, left, of the bridge, today decorated with what looked like the rusted hull of a working boat. Oooops. The road starts to rise soon after crossing the Aire, I reached Allerton Bywater and turned right. Avoiding the long climb to the A63 in favour of a short sharp rise through Fairburn, which I reached after riding through Newton and incidentally passing most of Fairburn Ings along the way.
This is an anticlockwise ride, so turn left to climb a bit more hill and onto the A1246 which reaches the A63. Stay on that a short while and at the first possible opportunity turn off for Micklefield. The road is much less busy, and Micklefield is easy on the eyes too. Aiming for Aberford from here and I found more rising road, but gradual and therefore bearable. This was the A1 in the far off days of my youth, and Aberford was one of the many villages this road passed through. Sort of hard to believe now.
Barwick in Elmet next, along an up and down road that was quite tiring this morning. A bit more up to Scholes then turn left onto Leeds Road. Only as far as Seacroft then down South Parkway to the edge of Wyke Beck.Which takes me close enough to the Oakwood Clock to find my way home with ease, just what I needed after thirty six miles and a thousand feet of rising roads. And a grin, the longest ride so far this year.
Around the compass points, and a bit of rising road