Today's Bike Ride

[Graham Breeze]

49 hilly miles today on my second group outing since restrictions eased slightly. 5500 ft of climbing from Gisburn to Clapham over Cross of Greet. Return via Lawkland and Wham on very quiet but poor roads in places. Great day out although a bit chilly first thing. Will be glad when cafes can operate normally. My raynauds needs a warm cafe stop to keep under control. ❄️❄️

Ha! My son took our bikes, so we could together do Cross of Greet and Bowland Knotts, on his car roof but we arrived late, the weather was grim, he announced he had to get back quickly to pick up his son from school, he had told me the wrong bike to bring and he rode virtually the entire ride 300 yards in front of me.

For nine months afterwards I refused to ride with him although the following week I went back on my own and enjoyed the ride by not having to wonder if he had completely disappeared back to his car and left me behind!

[anthonykay]

Excellent. My respect for you has grown even more in the knowledge that you actually own a Hetchins.

Your disrespect for me would probably start growing if you saw the present condition of the bike. I actually had it renovated (by Mercian Cycles) in 2004, when it was 19 years old. Another 17 years on, it looks in need of the same treatment again.

[Also Ran]

Ha! My son took our bikes, so we could together do Cross of Greet and Bowland Knotts, on his car roof but we arrived late, the weather was grim, he announced he had to get back quickly to pick up his son from school, he had told me the wrong bike to bring and he rode virtually the entire ride 300 yards in front of me.

For nine months afterwards I refused to ride with him although the following week I went back on my own and enjoyed the ride by not having to wonder if he had completely disappeared back to his car and left me behind!

I was trying to work out why you were riding on the car roof!�� It’s certainly a tough circuit, but on a day like today very enjoyable.

[Fellbeast]

A fantastic, and really quite a toughy, 21 mile 2,700 feet, bike ride for us yesterday starting from Ribblehead. Our route taking in Ribblehead -> Dentdale -> Deepdale -> Kingsdale -> Twistleton -> Chapel le Dale -> Ribblehead

The first third of the route was following the ‘Dales Highway’ which, apart from one beautifully grassy stretch, is a bouldery track where in some places extra boulders have been added to compensate for the bits where there aren’t so many boulders . To be fair apart from a couple of places where we had to just carry the bikes or push them, it was all fairly doable but for sure the last mile descending down into Dentdale was a gnarly, high concentration, high grip, bone shaker. (Fellsmanners among you will recognise this track as in reverse it’s the climb out of Dentdale until that route hacks off towards Blea Moor at the dilapidated shooting hut)

Once down into Dentdale, which I always think of as a beautiful and quiet shangri la corner of the Dales, we then almost immediately swerved left into Deepdale heading for Kingsdale... and a humdinger of a climb out of Deepdale that really blew all our fuses. I forgot to wear my heart rate monitor which is a shame but Hester remembered hers and registered a damn fine 176 bpm on the climb. Which was then followed by a fast but beautiful cruise down through Kingsdale to get our breath back. Kingsdale another beautiful and rarely visited part of the Dales

We then briefly went off road again over the track under Twistleton and bought a must needed coke and packet of Pom bears from the little back of the car shop set up by Cave Rescue (just before the ice cream van which itself was just before a little coffee take out hut), all there to catch passing trade of Ingleton Waterfall Trail walkers, of which there seemed to be many

Then, now on our final stretch, it was Oddies Lane, underneath Twistleton Scars to Chapel le Dale and then the main road, our only bit of main roading, for the final couple of miles back to the van parked up at Ribblehead

[Llani Boy]

Yesterday whilst walking up the road, under the trees, from Hassop towards Rowland I was passed by a couple of cyclists. A man on a MTB and a woman on an E-bike. The gradient is about 10% and as they got about 50 yds away the male was out of his saddle and the woman leisurely pedalling beside him.

She then veered across the road and stopped at the verge whilst the man disappeared over the brow ahead. I saw her messing about in one of her panniers and as I just about reached her she pushed the bike back across the road to the correct side and continued to push it up the hill. I said " I bet that's hard work to push, have you broken it" to which she replied "it is, but I had to stop to pick some Wild Garlic"!

She continued " The bike is new and I can't get started going up hill so I have to push it" to which I replied " why don't you go downhill first and turn around when you get going". She went on " I don't think I'll be able to turn around". It was tortious watching her pushing it so I said "hop on and I'll give you a push to get you going" which I did, remembering to use my good arm only!

She went off like a rocket, pulling a little wheelie and giving out a loud squeal before quickly disappearing over the brow of the hill.

Get those hill starts practiced Trav's. You don't want people laughing at you half way up Kirkstone!

[Graham Breeze]

I watched the Tour of Flanders today - as one should - a brilliant race. And then to illustrate my woke credentials I watched the women's race. It really can be such rubbish.

[Fellbeast]

And then to illustrate my woke credentials I watched the women's race. It really can be such rubbish.

To criticise women’s sport is to a) ignore the relativeness of it b) to ignore the past opportunities given to it and c) to ignore the money and funding behind it

[anthonykay]

Reading your post again I noted you'd had it renovated at Mercian Cycles. In the past their stove enamelling, (which you might not have had),was considered to be about the best paint job you could get and should last decades. I was therefore a little bit surprised to hear it was in a poor condition, unless you've given it a particularly hard 17 years?

The bike doesn't have an easy life; it's used for quite a lot of my utility riding, gets parked outside in any weather (e.g. at fell race venues, as well as in town), etc.

[Graham Breeze]

Just a shopping trip today of 28 miles (1600 feet) to Keighley - naturally I took two bike locks. Dull,dull,... although on my return a shining black Lamborghini Aventador (and I think the SVJ) spluttered past me through the traffic lights in Guiseley. Its 6.5 litre V12 may be capable of 350kph but it doesn't cope too well at Breeze's Bianchi Bike Speed. Perhaps the owner recognised me because it turned at the Burley roundabout and came back towards Guiseley but with all the smoked glass I didn't recognise the driver as a Premiership star - perhaps it was just my dealer still doing well.

[Travs]

I bought a heavy-duty lock today.

64 quid on Halfords website.... So went down there and it was 89 quid on their shelves.

So went out into the car park and ordered it online... But then couldn't collect it until 2pm so had to go back home and then make a 2nd journey.

Ridiculous set of affairs.

Good lock though, by the look and feel of things.