A bonus mid week ride.
Much as I like riding the country lanes, it was far too near rush hour for that to be much fun by the time I was free to go out, so it was onto the hybrid for a mainly off road and much ridden circuit.
Local roads out to Cross Gates, then past the park and over the railway line and the climb up Austhorpe Lane, continuing up onto Barrowby Lane before picking up NCN R66. Through Thorpe Park (which always seems near deserted - does anyone actually work there?) and back onto the bridleway / R66 and the climb to the highest point of the ride at the bridge over the M1, where I stopped to admire the view and the massing clouds:
A quick drink and back in the saddle and over the bridge, with a cheery wave to the tin box drivers below and then the plunge into the woods and the fun descent into Garforth.
It's that time of the year again where the foliage grows like mad and much like the earlier section of bridleway into Thorp Park, the woods are getting a bit overgrown. So with sight lines blocked and a twisty turny route also used by a lot of walkers I took it steady, but still managed to have fun.
Out of the woods and back onto Barrowby Lane proper and motored on along the tarmac to Barwick Rd.
Quick turn under the railway bridge and again onto Nanny Goat Lane and the climb back up to the riding school. About a third of the way along the lane a small dog was wandering about with no-one about, so I slowed down to see what the score was. Cue lots of barking and tail wagging, before it ran off down the long drive of one of the houses - hopefully that's where it lived. Up past the riding school and onto the bridleway for the bumpy run down to the tunnel under the M1, through there and along between the hedges heading for the farm on Manston Lane.
The heat and humidity was getting really oppressive now and there were some big dark clouds about so I started to wonder if a soaking was in the offing and picked up the pace on the gravel section and as I got onto the tarmac section it was into the seemingly obligatory headwind on this part of the ride.
Past the pet hotel and the former tank factory, turning right up onto Pendas Fields and down to Barwick Road, followed by a loop around the Manstons to add some distance and then local roads up to home, with a final loop around the block to push me into double figures.
The rain never did arrive, which was even better.
10.2 miles (16.4km) in
49m 9s at an average of
12.5mph, with just
452ft climbed. Good to get out during the week as I've been struggling with midweek motivation lately and being out on the bike certainly helps clear my head.
Then when I got home I fitted the new bottle cage I got the other week to the hybrid so I can carry two bottles now. Funny how you can always put off such a simple job (two bolts!) for so long...
but that stopped my little toe hurting.
