Quote Originally Posted by Graham Breeze View Post
As everyone will know on 1st August is the Tom Pidcock Gran Fondo (from Ilkley - natch) of up to 180km of the finest climbs in t' Yorkshire Dales (Halton Gill, Kidstones Pass, you know them) so today I initially thought I would revisit past joys - but with a forecast of rain I then pondered if I really wanted to be chugging up a stream of gravel in the middle of nowhere on a cold, wet, miserable Sunday in May.

So instead I pootled round the reservoirs of the Washburn Valley willing it to rain so I could feel justifed with my aforementioned decisiveness.

Naturally the sun then came out and the weather was fine for an hour or so but just before I became really grumpy it finally poured down, thus allowing me to feel exonerated and, of course, turn for home - after all riding in the rain isn't that much fun even when you have a smug feeling inside.

So 23 miles + 2000 feet and a warm self-satisfied feeling.
We were out on the bikes yesterday afternoon Graham and we didn't have any rain. 27 miles and 2,700 feet from Horton, looping out and back to Malham, with of course a mandatory cake and coffee stop at Townend Farm Shop in Airton. To be fair the clouds were really dark over Skipton way, viewed from Malham, and later in the day Settle kopped a deluge, with localised flooding and all sorts.

A couple of 'fine' (sic) climbs for us too - first off out of Stainforth up Goat Lane and then, straight after that, the Henside Road down and up!