Back on the Bike!

Wednesday 15th Feb I travelled to Otley, it was a lovely day and I was trying out my new prescription cycling glasses.I took it fairly steady along the back roads through Weston and Asquith through to Ilkley, the weather was bright and as usual a headwind out! The Cavendish is still under major refurb but the lodge house is a little tea room for now, coffee and cake refuel and I set off back to Otley. My pace was a bit brisker, helped by tailwind. My glasses seemed to be OK and I wasn’t suffering any major problems with not being on the bike for 2 1/2 weeks.

I did 26 miles at rough average of 12.4 out and 14 back (cycle computer seems to take a while to warm up!)

Friday 17th Feb I set off from home, eventually.  It was tough up the hills- I had to walk some of them so obviously not back to full strength! The weather was drizzley and those fairly new islands in the road to Denholme are a bit of a hazard! The rain played havoc with the glasses – steaming up, tried to find a good way of clearing the inside, must gey that special stuff on them and see if that helps!I rode from home to Raggalds,  Bradshaw,  Ogden,  Denholme,  Flappits,  Cullingworth, GNRT, Harecroft,  Ten Yards Lane, Keelham, nearly to Mountain and back to Clayton.               17 miles, average 10.5mph.

Sunday 19th Feb. Back with the future Hammsters at Otley, weather fine and sunny (this is sounding more like a weather forecast – but it’s a major factor -to me anyway!) There were 8 of us till beyond Arthington where we split into 5 and 3 (due to ailments and bikes). I was feeling good to be out with some company and bike and myself going well. We were on the main road up Harewood bank and onto Wetherby for a quick loo stop (thank goodness). Onwards to Askham Richard, past the Battlefields of Long Marston (1644) to Tockwith where there isn’t a cafe but a Costcutter that sells hot drinks , sandwiches etc, so we stocked up and sat on a wall outside – ok when it’s a fine day but not for a rainy or very cold day! The glasses were fine thank goodness (no rain) and I was feeling fine, we weren’t going at super speed ‘cos Neil not too well but that suited me, 3 miles or so into our return journey, someone remembered that their rucksack had been left by the wall of our lunch stop! So the 2ps went back for it and we 3 carried on at a steady pace so they would catch us, which they did near Wetherby. (rucksack was still there to p relief!).  We returned to Otley via the main roads which were busy on this fine Sunday afternoon.                       It was a good ride of 61 miles, average 12.8mph and we were out 6 hours.

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