Clifton CC

Thanks for the birthday wishes on the other thread. Sean W was also 45 in the week, Nick Scull will be in Feb, Mussy and Mark Turrell in the spring. We're the golden generation (like Beckham, Scholes, Owen and Hesky - I'll let you decide which is which, but please don't be rude!)

Amazingly I wasn't alone in The Square on Sunday morning. Sean W and Mussy there also, then Steen rolled up with a look on his face that said "Oh no, you're here, that means I have to ride in this!" Cold, wet and windy sum up the morning. I replanned the route to head W, to maximise the chance of some drier weather. Planned to get to Ripley then reassess - swing for home if weather still rotten. In the event I never got that far. At Newton on Derwent my freewheel decided to violate the trade descriptions act and lock up. So I left the others to it and managed to limp home. Hope your ride went OK.

Still, after recovery drink (hot choc), jumped onto my other bike (the one that is supposed to have no freewheel) and set off out again. Weather brightened up and I got another 3 hours around the foothills of the Wolds. Strangely satisfied to have bagged over 100k on such a grotty day.

Aah my bithdays not til June so I'm still comfortably just over 40 for a while yet. Its the 6th if anyone was planning a whip round and its tattooed on my head if you dont believe me!
Well done Rob for getting home and back out again on a day like yesterday. There's not many would get their head round that!
As for the rest of us we plugged away into the headwind and by Marton on the A168 the rain had stopped so we decaped. Had it in mind to head up to Masham but suffered some sort of mental impairment and missed the turn for Copgrove and the next has a ford on it which I've never seen over the road in 25 years and was way too deep and fast flowing to attempt. So we pushed on for Scotton and were in Ripley cafe by 1100. Nice and warm in there and BLT's consumed we took the Pateley road out and then the right up Scarah bank. We were still in the wind so took the right up Watergate for fountains abbey. A tailwind down into Ripon, & then the back road to Skelton and Boroughbridge. I was having to think ahead a bit to work out what roads would be ok and so we took the Cundall road, Helperby, Easingwold & back down the B road from Sutton on Forest. A pretty tough ride in the conditions. Standing water everywhere and really deep in places but at least it kept the traffic down although there were still a few dickheads out who think its a laugh to drench cyclists and pedestrians. Thanks for the ride guys.

I'm 45 in May too - where did all that time go?