Up and out for a less hilly ride than yesterday, but with a mind to get a metric half in.
Grey and overcast (again) but perhaps not as chilly as yesterday, but i still put a long sleeved top on over the short sleeved one.
Local roads to warm up, then Leeds Road up to Scholes, huffing and puffing up the hill like a broken down train. From there it's on to Barwick, then Aberford and up the hill to Lotherton Hall Gates. Right and onto the Sherburn road as far as the lane to Saxton, where I stopped for a photo by the bench.
On into Saxton, then out to Barkston Ash, still feeling it from yesterdays exertions, then a straight run to Church Fenton.
The "light breeze" was making itself felt - oh for a day without a blooming north-easterly blowing at you...
Over the bridge, narrowly avoiding a couple on MTB's who pulled out from the layby without looking, and through the village and the back lane alongside the airfield to Ryther.
At the junction in the village a fellow cyclist was wrestling with an OS map, but it turns out he was just waiting for his cycling buddy, so I turned left through Ozendyke and on to Ulleskelf. Garmin was having a funny one today as all this section was below sea-level apparently (it's done this before), as low as 90ft below sea level in places...
Over the bridge and then the run up Raw Lane where I seemed to still have the wind in my face, despite heading in the opposite direction to earlier.
Quite pleased to be maintaining over 16mph, when I was passed by a lad on a flatbar in work clothes and a coat. Bugger!
Anyway, onto the A162 for the descent into Stutton, then the sharp climb up to Garnet Lane, where I stopped on the bridge over the A64 for a flapjack and another photo:
Anyway, the sun was finally starting to shine through, so I took off the l/s top and pressed on to Toulston Lane and the road to Bramham.
Right at the top of the village and over The Windmill, where there seemed to be a fair few riders heading the other way on what it turns out was this:
https://www.riderhq.com/events/69215/heart-of-yorkshire-sportive - which is a bit of a shame as if I'd known about it I'd have almost certainly done that ride, and probably got a mate or two along as well. Ah well, maybe next time!
Onwards through Clifford and then down the hill to Bramham, and on towards Thorner via Milner Lane where (shock!) it was hot enough to take my arm warmers off.
And where I crossed back onto the sportive route, although heading in the opposite direction and with still a handful of riders coming through.
Into Thorner and I decided to tackle Van Zyl Hill rather than taking Carr Lane, although as I passed the ford I was nearly wiped out by a first class Muppet in a silver Focus who not only didn't give me enough room when overtaking me on the corner, then cut right in to stay inside the centre white line almost pushing me into the kerb
I swear I could have adjusted their door mirror for them it was that close.
Taking a positive from that, the surge of adrenaline that it gave me had me flying up the normally slow going hill in a near record time.
Right into Skeltons Lane down to Coal Road, then local roads to home.
35.25 miles (56.73 km) in
2h 36m at an average of
13.6mph, with
1,551ft climbed. A good ride especially once the sun came out, even if my legs were feeling it towards the end.
Hills Lane was a bloody bugger, my thighs were squeaking by the time we got to Airton and on fire by our arrival in Malham. I seriously thought about calling a cab back to Skipton and then getting the train back home. Malham to Gargrave (returning not via Hills Lane) went ok, coming back out of Skipton my thighs "freed" up,and by Silsden I was fine, just as my cousin started to suffer, I made the most of this by setting a punishing pace back to Shipley.
