Short Ride
As there was no prescribed route and no Ride Leader the general consensus seemed to be that it was about time I made myself useful. The ride route was left to me and so we headed for Wetherby via Burn Bridge and Kirkby Overblow. Six of us made a pleasant, and fortunately for me, easy going group who all knew group etiquette so we happily sailed along. As we passed Sicklinghall Cricket Club it was spotted by an eagle eyed rider that it was open for coffee and cake. This proved to be unexpectedly up-market and Sue was waxing lyrical about the nice loos! We can recommend it but beware is only open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. After that we headed to Wetherby where a few of us left to head for home, and the rest made for Harrogate via the cycle path to Spofforth, and a return to Harrogate. There were no mechanicals apart from me worrying that the battery was almost flat (should have remembered to charge it) but there was just enough juice to get up through the Showground. 22 miles on a sunny, chilly morning in good company. Martin W.
Medium Steady
A nice sharp sunny spring morning tempted six experienced Wheel Easy riders to join me today, namely, from left to right Colin B, Steve B, Peter J, Alison N, Monica W, Bridget M and me (behind the camera). Flushed with success after the Harrogate Triathlon, Monica and I were very glad just to have a nice sit down on our saddles and ride without the bother of a swim before or a run afterwards!
We made our way along the Greenway to Ripley then on through Birstwith, en route to Darley, where the hills started in ernest, up Sheepcote Lane where we met Paul Tindle coming in the opposite direction. He had been on an early morning sortie before “doing some decorating”. We continued up hill and down dale in the increasing warmth, pausing only to admire the fabulous views in crystal clear conditions. There were flowers everywhere, curlews in the sky and all the lambs are chubbying up nicely – so if you are partial to a lamb cutlet, they should be at their best about now. Never mind mint sauce, I like mine with a buttery onion sauce and they cook to perfection in an air fryer!
We stopped at the busy Fewston Farm Shop for a welcome early lunch. There was a large group of Seacroft Cyclists, already the other side of large breakfasts but we too were served quickly and efficiently. Next challenge was the pointless loop round Timble which we did “main road first” just to enjoy that magnificent ridge run back down to Timble and Fewston. Well worth the effort. No let up in the hills as we bowled along back via Norwood Lane, Beckwithshaw, Brackenthwaite Lane and back to Harrogate. For a relatively short ride (31.7 miles on my Wahoo) the Wheel Easy Elves back at HQ had certainly packed in a vast assortment of hills for us to enjoy! It is of course the scintillating good humoured company that makes every ride such a joy and thank you Colin for quietly and unobtrusively sweeping up at the back! I set off with six and returned with six – result. Helen T
Long Ride
The first long ride of the year saw bright, dry conditions after last week’s ‘rain off’. Five set off from the showground (Steves K and S, brothers Andy and Peter, and me. We picked up Martin at Pennypot and then Phil on Duck Street to reach a peak of seven. Peter peeled off to Hartlington, so we were six at Cobblestones in Grassington. Martin departed early to ‘take it gently’, but we never caught him up.
Onwards to Conistone (where Andy departed) and Kilnsey and then up to Arncliffe and back down the other side of Littondale, which was looking its finest in the spring sunshine. Phil headed for Hebden to return via Duck Street, and the remaining three went via Burnsall to our second stop at Tea on the Green at Bolton Abbey, and then back via Nesfield, Ilkley, Otley, Stainburn and North Rigton.
A grand day out of 78 miles and a fair bit of undulation. Next long ride: Hutton-le-Hole on 31 May. RL
