Today's Bike Ride

[PeteS]

Oh yes disc brakes stop you better but they look so... clunky.

I don't carry any of those shopping bags under my saddle or elsewhere either

It's a matter of sleekness and style...aesthetics.

And for me, ending up in a hedge trying to avoid a tractor on a steep, narrow, wet Welsh lane. That was the turning point.
To be fair, my fixie which is all about aesthetics has rim brakes but is staunchly used only for nice dry and, flatish, sunny commutes like today.

[mr brightside]

Of course Brett on his Cinelli F/W just uses brute strength on the pedals to stop on a sixpence -I've heard his front brake is just a dummy.

Damn good job he doesn't have to do kirkstall road, or try and avoid pissed up tramps on the urban cycleways around armley gyratory. They erect tents on the grass that borders the gyratory centre in summer, they just chill out watching the rat race go by getting blind pissed on turps. My foot got sucked into my mudguard by the front wheel last week as I tried to avoid another sprinkling of Beeston diamond dust near the evening post.

[Graham Breeze]

Damn good job he doesn't have to do kirkstall road, or try and avoid pissed up tramps on the urban cycleways around armley gyratory. They erect tents on the grass that borders the gyratory centre in summer, they just chill out watching the rat race go by getting blind pissed on turps. My foot got sucked into my mudguard by the front wheel last week as I tried to avoid another sprinkling of Beeston diamond dust near the evening post.

I don't think any gentleman would be found near Armley.

Good place to build a prison though.

[mr brightside]

The prison is actually quite a nice looking building, it's modelled on some sort of castle and has a medieval gated style entrance. I've only been there once, as a visitor I hasten to add.

[mr brightside]

62m was ridden in the heat today, a route Graham will be partly familiar with; Leeds-Otley-Ilkley-Bolton Abbey-Appletreewick-Burnsall-Linton-Cracoe-Embsay-Barden, then same route back to Leeds. I arrived at the craven arms dripping with perspiration and in dire need of refreshment, which came by way of 2 chilled pints of sir william craven lager, a cask ale wouldn't have been cold enough. I decided not to stop at the fountaine inn and instead pushed on in the soaring temperatures to the boozer in embsay, where i had a pint of knowle spring, as there was no lager not brewed by that awful outfit Marston Coors. They had some pseudo spanish brew called madri, but i know it's just coors by some other name. With the tailwind, i was cruising at the high 20s on the way towards linton.

As i settled into the climb up the fell out of embsay i marvelled at how fast ice cubes were melting in my water, and at how much water i was consuming. Before long i arrived at st peter's church hall in addingham for tea and cake, there was no seating so i sat in the entrance hall. On the way back into ilkley a pair of corsa twats gave me a long blast on the horn and gobbed off out of the passenger windows of their cars. They turned off up grove rd. to skip the lights, so i gunned it through the town centre hoping to see them again at the other side for a chat; they must have been ilkley residents as i never saw them again. It's frustrating how you always bump into people you don't want to see, but when there is someone you really want to find they are nowhere to be found.

Probably about 3000' of climb today.

[molehill]

Got out mid morning before the heat became very heated, a hilly route round local lanes and planned a hill I have only visited once before. First hour was good but began to flag after that.
Said hill near did for me, ride was all single country lanes with high banks and no escape from the sun, electronic gadget on the bike said the steep bits (it averaged 9%) were 17% and 31c, which explains why I only just made it without a dismount near the end. But Moley prevailed to the top 💪.

Slowly home for just over 25 miles and 2500ft. Phew, cycling in a moleskin coat is not for the weak.

[molehill]

Gritfest camped on the show field this evening, for the weekend. Looking good but I fear a lot of riders ( all camping) may be wishing they had considered the basics of outdoor activities.
Midge cream 😱, worst year here in ages.
Met a few riders in the pub this evening, some have come a long way, from Derbyshire? Couldn’t understand a word he was saying but seemed like a sound bloke.
Will have a pootle about on the bike tomorrow and encourage/abuse them.

https://gritfest.co.uk/

[Llani Boy]

£120 plus extras. More money than sense Moley. I hope they get eaten alive!

[molehill]

Did think of giving it a go once, but didn’t see the point in paying to ride round the tracks I go on any time I like.

[molehill]

Gritfest has been a great success and they have headed out on day 2 on another sunny, warm day.
Yesterday I took the road bike out and saw some of them go through at the top end of the course - gave me a 34 mile 4500ft ride (slowly as I was hung over).
At the finish a big bunch of riders hadn't turned up so they couldn't download the results, about 50 of them were found in the local pub a mile up the road and dragged back!! Very good riders in the race including someone who has done the TdF 6 times, lying 3rd.

Evening the organiser Matt Page had invited locals to come on site, beer tent, food and live band, so a few of us went down, lovely evening and the beer was too good . Band was great so we upped and danced 😱, then at the end they awarded a prize to the best dancer - didn't see that coming......I won. Prize is a new out WTB titanium gravel bike saddle that retails at £125. Excuse to buy a new bike to put it on!!!
Dad dancing at 70 years old, and winning, hope for us all yet.