Medium Plus Brisk
Despite the glorious sunshine, only seven riders in total turned up for this morning’s rides. Tim and Tim (aka The Chuckle Brothers) opted for the calendar ride of Route 292 and set off up the rather quiet Greenway and then warmed up nicely climbing out of Ripley up to the Drovers. Clouds arrived as we approached Ripon but you could see they were passing along and by the time we chuckled our way through Sharow the sky was piercing blue and the sun’s rays were dancing off the puddles. There followed a couple of stops to admire the winter crops & the A1, take some photos & eat the odd banana or two before heading due South towards Boroughbridge. But the weather can be capricious – dark clouds over the town & the odd drop meant the riders decided not to push their luck; the planned café stop was shelved & the shorter route home via Staveley was taken. Not to worry – whilst there was water coming from the sky it couldn’t be called proper rain – and we chortled up Knaresborough Hill perfectly dry & warm. 36 miles.
Medium Steady
There were few takers for a ride today but Tim, Colin, Roger and I came suitable attired for wind and rain and by the time we set off on the Medium Steady route the sun was shining! As usual the wind was against us to Little Almscliffe, but it was still sunny, although as we progressed along Jack Hill Lane and the gated road the rain started and we opted to bypass Otley and cut through Leathley to the Farm Shop for coffee and to dry out. There we met with Jill, Caroline, Sue D, Jen, Jean and others having sensibly driven to have a get together for coffee. The timing proved to be good as it poured down for a considerable time whilst we had a variety drinks and food so by the time we left it was relatively dry. However it still looked threatening and so the route back was the quickest via North Rigton and Burn Bridge, although we didn’t quite make it home before getting wet again. However an enjoyable ride out in good company and plenty of fresh air! 30 plus miles depending on where you started and a good work out for the wet weather gear. James G
