First let me congratulate Andy Marshall who followed up his 3rd place in last weeks Featherstone Hilly with his first (I think) open time trial win yesterday in the Yorkshire Road Club hilly 10 which was run on a circuit from Addingham.
Brian was also in the thick of the action with 17th place overall and 3rd on age standard from 78 finishers in the North Mids 18k time trial in Nottinghamshire on Saturday, an event won by current British Best Allrounder Kevin Dawson.
I hope the mountain bikers had a good day on Sunday, the weather being better than forecast. I managed to break my Racelight frame on the Gargrave run on Saturday so had ride my cross bike on Sunday. I've shod it with 35mm Schwalbe touring tyres which make a comfortable but heavy ride. I was only going out for the morning to do a circuit round Skipton, Embsey, Bolton Abbey, Ilkley, Otley & home for lunch. I did get involved in some bib & bit with a couple of whippersnappers on the back road from Beamsley to Otley. We were joined briefly by Grimpey who'd been going the other way. He showed us how hills should be climbed but after taking the Askwith prime turned round again and went on his way alone, serching the lanes for a club to go out training with.
I then came across Neil, the two Paul's and JK coming out of the cafe in Otley. Neil was asking what has happened to the famed Condor Sunday training runs, in fact I'd seen Damien in Gargrave Cafe on Saturday and he was asking the same. All I can say is that at the begining of Feb I did suggest having some brisk Sunday group runs, unfortunatly the group element seems ending too soon in the day, I know the runs have always wound up and split up towards the end but it seems that we're not getting much further than Keighley these days before the hammer goes down. I've been thinking that for a while but presuming its probably just me thats getting old and knackered so I've just chosen to go on a brisk solo ride. Seeing Ian's blog last week makes me think perhaps it is'nt just me, in fact it reminded me of a paragraph from one of Matt Seatons excellent columns in the Guardian a few weeks ago in which he wrote -
'Cycling, done rightly, is a collaborative, social exercise: when you're in a group, you take your "pull" on the front and feel the wind on your face, while the rest sit in your slipstream, recover and chat. Then you peel off, and the next rolls through. In this participatory democracy, everyone gets to be a leader, everyone a follower. Riding on the front is a burden you take up willingly, a chance to show your mettle, but in a controlled, disciplined way. You just want to set a nice tempo: it's not about showing off, but about style and form and an instinctive awareness of what's right for the group.'
Ahhh! those halcion days.
That reminds me, the reason I logged on was to remind people of some forthcoming events to put into the diary.
Sunday 20th April 'Spring into the Dales' 8am from Hebden Bridge, good weather guaranteed entries to Chris Crossland, details on Audax UK website.
Sunday 27th April Kirklees Sportive An interesting 80 mile route starting and finishing from the YMCA at Salendine Nook starts by going over Buckstones, then back over the Floating Light to Marsden, right to Meltham, up to Wessenden Head, down to Holmfirth, over Holme Moss, Dunford Bridge, Jackson Bridge, Denby Dale & Colne Bridge. £15 entry on-line includes 2 feed stations. I understand that 120 have already entered including many of our local riders. I think its a local ride that will be worth supporting.
In search of some new lanes I've also entered a 200k Audax on April 6th, the Ironbridge 200, HQ at Holmes Chapel in Cheshire. If anyone fancies joining me let me know and we'll share transport.
