Okay, well I promise I'll never make glib comments about the weather
ever again...
...it was sunny but barely above freezing as a pretty large group gathered in the square - some newcomers, some triathletes, some regulars. We duly set off out of town with a sort of collective shrug of
"it'll be fine when we get moving!" And indeed it was, but two punctures before we'd got to Howden didn't help with the warming-up. Thankfully as we turned back into the northerly wind (i) everyone's tyres held up okay and (ii) the temperature crept up towards the dizzy heights of six or seven. Showing my well-loved tact I'd chosen the route which went past the site of Toby's last big prang, but to balance that we got to ride on the newly-surfaced stretch between Wheldrake and Escrick -
thank you, Geoff Rhodes!
While in thanking mood, a mention for
Mister Ian Kent; After sorting out his own puncture, he helped fix the morning's second, and then did the full "I'm going outside and I may be some time" thing when his chain snapped about fifteen minutes later. And he still caught us on the way into York!
Good riding from all concerned. The group broke up a bit on the last half hour, and apologies especially to the lad who dropped off sometime after Skipwith. A brisk ride given the conditions - 57 miles in 3hrs 11min and around 18½mph for the out-of-town bit. 187W Normalised, for the nerds out there.
We'll go one step round the clock face for next week and do the westerly route. Appropriate clothing, "the full Musgrave", and plenty of spare tubes please. For any of you who were suffering towards the end, keep coming out on 'em - plenty of people will tell you that sticking in there until the end can take a few goes, but once you manage it, you're set up for a lifetime's thrills...