Challenge Ride Reports 3rd July
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A collection of more photos can be found in the albums below.
40 Mile Challenge
60 Mile Challenge
“What an excellent Challenge Ride I enjoyed today! The routes were well sorted, the administration and start/finish well organised, and the refreshments were delicious. I have had a memorable day doing the 62 mile route and I would like to thank Mike Walsh and all his team for all their efforts. You did Wheel Easy proud!” Martin Weeks
“Great day. Everything just worked. Huge thanks to Mike Walsh and all the volunteers. I had the pleasure of James and Martin as my fellow team members. Thank you both for your company.” Colin B
When we heard that the club was going to organise a challenge ride with feed stations and sweeper/assistance cars and that one of the routes was 60 miles, we thought “Wheel Give it a Go!” For us this would be a real challenge as we normally ride with the medium group doing between 30 and 40 miles.
So glad we took part, it turned out to be a brilliant day, a great route, fantastic organisation and feed stations which far exceeded our expectations of coffee and chocolate biscuits. The selections of homemade cakes and a buffet lunch were amazing. We did it! Huge thanks to Mike Walsh and his team of volunteers for giving us the opportunity to do this. Chris and Chris (Wheel Give it a Go!). Chris Newport
100 Mile Challenge
“Five eager ‘cheetahs’ arrived for an early start- Janet, Michelle, Helen, Rachael and Julie. It was definitely cool on the Greenway but we were soon warm after climbing Scarah Bank. We made good progress and we were soon at Aldborough for coffee and cake. It was lovely to cycle a different route to Snape, the weather improved and the views were gorgeous, in particular a field of blue linseed. At Snape we were greeted with some lovely sandwiches, coffee, tea and fruit juice. We also acquired an honorary cheetah- Andrew. The loop through Spennithorne and back to Snape was ‘undulating’ but was perfectly acceptable. We did have a bit of rain and jackets were donned but not for long. Back at Snape we were treated to coffee, tea and cake – including the most delicious date slice I have ever tasted (ignore the calories) We made swift progress to Ripon and back to Harrogate where there was more food and a celebratory drink. It was a wonderful day of cycling, superbly organised and supported. I clocked 102.1 miles, 4,436 calories- the majority of which will have been offset by Fiona’s date slice.” Janet G
It’s amazing what a bit of meticulous planning and organisation can do to to create such a fabulous day out!
I love early mornings, so pedalling off at 07.15 a.m. on a cool English summer morning was just heaven for me. We made tremendous progress to Aldborough where we enjoyed the first, of many, delicious cakes and tea and coffee. On exiting Aldborough some of us saw a Barn Owl fly over which we took as a very good omen for the day.
The miles really did fly by with everyone in a very determined frame of mind, Arrivistes are, after all, unscrupulous, ruthless and determined. Snape Village Hall was truly an oasis and buzzing with groups of happy cyclists. It was not just any old oasis but an M&S oasis with rather delicious sandwiches and pork pies. Snape was also the start of the Pointless Loop and I came up with the genius idea of Sellotaping all our Garmins on to Mike W’s bike and sending him out North West whilst we rested on the village green. Our Ethics Adviser told us we couldn’t do that, citing some flimsy arguments around lying, cheating and reprehensible behaviour. Anyway, we didn’t have any Sellotape, so we dragged our bottoms off the bench, back into the saddle and set off. As it turned out, the Pointless Loop was the most exquisitely beautiful, challenging, joyous part of the route and should not be missed. Back at Snape, tea and cakes had appeared, including “That Date Slice”. Janet G is right, it is the finest date slice I have ever tasted – and I have consumed a fair over the years. Someone needs to track down the recipe and publish it on the website under the Vital Information section. Yvonne had two slices. Just saying.
The final section seemed like a stroll in the park, apart from all those mysterious hills post Knaresborough. Back at the Hockey Club there was a welcoming committee and Vince seemed touchingly delighted by everyone’s success! The bar was full of happy cyclists, laughter, more cake and a cool beer – my cup runneth over! Helen Tate
