Thanks to yet another inaccurate weather forecast, there was no ride yesterday as with a monsoon predicted from 6am through to 6pm I committed to do other stuff. You can imagine my joy when the rain stopped at about 10.30am and it stayed mainly dry for the rest of the day...
Anyway, on a happier note I was up early this morning and after minimal faffing out of the door by half seven. With the triathlon in town, I was going to have to go north or east to start with so the Pro Carbon found itself on a familiar furrow up Coal Road, Red Hall Lane and the A58 for a quick sprint to Whin Moor Lane and the scenic route into Shadwell. Nearing the village the lane narrows and I could hear something with a rorty exhaust approaching rapidly, so you can imagine my surprise when the driver of the Golf R not only hung well back, but then gave me loads of room and a cheery wave once it was safe to get past.
Left in Shadwell and up to Slaid Hill lights, where it was right onto Wike Ridge Lane, intending to head to Wike and loop back round on Coal Road - except the road was closed (and is for 3 weeks, apparently) and all traffic is diverted right onto Tarn Lane. Something worth noting if you're heading out that way
@Old jon or
@colly (or anyone else).
So, along the ridge on Tarn Lane, all the way to the Coal Road junction (diverted traffic is directed left towards Wike here, past the golf course) but I turned right, cresting the hill and then down past the stables and briefly into the very bottom end of Shadwell, turning left for the sharp climb up to the A58 and across onto Carr Lane.
It's familiar riding along there into Thorner, where it was left on Main Street and left again onto Milner Lane for the sharp ascent onto the ridge and a wind assisted push along to Holme Farm Lane and round into East Rigton, then Rigton Green and the near solitude of Bramham Lane, passing just a single jogger on the full length of it today, befoe the climb up across Jewitt Lane and onto Thorner Lane.
Now, a mention for the wind today - it was one of those special winds that seems to be in your face most of the time regardless which direction you're heading in, made worse by being very blustery.
I almost decided to turn for home here, but had a word with myself and pushed on towards Bramham, past Bramham Park where it's the final day of the Horse Trials (no idea what they're accused of...), turning just before the A1(M) bridge onto West Woods Road for the smooth tarmac ups and downs all the way to Wattle Syke roundabout and the plunge down the hill beyond into Wetherby, with all the motorists behaving themselves today.
A quick loop around Wetherby town centre and then down into the Wilderness car park for a stretch and some photos, attracting the attention of the local wildlife:
Anyway, refreshed and keen to escape the marauding mallard, it was back on the bike for the climb out of the car park and out onto the Walton Road, over the A1(M) and back out into the countryside past the racecourse, taking the right towards Thorp Arch and looping around the village before crossing the bridge and climbing up into Boston Spa.
A quick wiggle down Main Street and right again towards Clifford, before plunging down the hill into Bramham and then climbing out the other side and back over the A1(M) and the steady climb to Wothersome, where I descended into the dip very quickly before climbing up the other side much more slowly. Traffic was starting to build for the horsey stuff now but they were all behaving so no problems.
It's steadily uphill here, all the way to Thorner, but at least the tall hedgerows were sheltering me from the worst of the wind and almost before I knew I was flying down Church Hill into the village proper.
Right again onto Carr Lane to retrace my earlier route and as it climbs out of the village I was getting rather warm, so stopped at the top to remove my arm warmers and take a final couple of pics:
Setting off again another rider passed heading the opposite way and commented "Bit breezy, innit?", which just about summed it up nicely especially as about 100m further on I got caught in a gust through a gate and inadvertently ended up on the other side of the road!
Anyway, the ups and downs of Carr Lane were soon despatched and it was onto the A58 for a quick sprint down to Coal Road and the climb back up to the Skeltons Lane / Red Hall Lane junction where it was straight on and then onto local roads down to home, which although straight into the wind were at least gently downhill.
32.84 miles (52.85km) in
2h 24m at an average of
13.6mph with
1,811ft climbed. All in a good, enjoyable ride, even with that wind, and another entry in the half century challenge. Lots of cyclists out and about too, even with all the other distractions about locally today.
And to finish, a map that shows where I've been:
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