Many thanks to all who rode with Luke and myself today 8 of us all up
Taras, Gareth(flatbar-ex), Adrian (zip) jones, Dragosh( I think I’ve spelt that right), Andy robinson, Mark(I like this country but it’s too BL—DY cold), Strongman luke and kna__kred old me.
5 of us met at Bolton junction and rode up to meet Luke, Zip and new boy Dragosh at Guiseley station, where unbeknown to us Herbie and the Leisure team were milling around getting ready to ride to Knaresborough as well, as we were supposed riding at our steady pace we decided to get off before them to save us any embarrassment. The pace quickly settled to steady + as we headed towards Wetherby, Zip on his virgin road bike(it’s done 1000miles on the turbo and 100 miles on the track but none on the before today) and first time on the road since his accident(he’s back boys) settled in to a steady rhythm up hill and down dale and left me wondering if I should put some hours in on a turbo. Wetherby was the first split which left Gareth, Dragosh and myself off the back into the wind with a bit of organisation we managed to up our pace and catch up, just after the round a bout and reunited we cycled into Knaresborough together. Café stop Luke’s turn to pay excellent.
All tea’d up and fed we were on our way back. All together to Follifoot, then we split again with Gareth, Dragosh and myself off the back again, we battled on expecting the vanguard to be waiting round the corner but NO!!! abandoned by my own flesh and blood, left to perish in the wastelands of Weeton ect.(under interrogation he swears “on my life” it was the others who abandoned us and he was just riding with them)
So on we went through to Otley where Gareth demanded a 5 minute recovery stop(also under interrogation it was revealed that said vanguard waited in Otley for the laggards, in a café supping tea and eating sausage sarnies, never thought to ring his old dad to buy him another cuppa ect. `I knew I should have paid in Knaresborough`) so unaware we were missing a café stop we sailed on up the hill to Guiseley where Gareth I could do with 5mins blasted up the hill leaving Dragosh and myself plodding away then doing a “vanguard” he continued on down towards Shipley, enough is enough I said to Dragosh let’s chase him down, so heads down bums up we caught him just before we split and Dragosh headed home, leaving Gareth and myself to do the easy climb up to Thackley corner.Gareths sprint up to Guiseley must have been telling because he asked for a stop just before Thackley corner, suitable rested off we went up to Five lane ends round a bout , where, half way up Gareth spotted 4 mountain bikers struggling up, like a red rag to a bull off he went, with me hanging on to his tail as best I could, he left them for dead and nearly killed me in the process(so if he says he needs a rest that’s bo—acks),we `regrouped` at Bolton junction and went our separate ways home. Hope everybody else got home ok and in spite of the split it was still a good ride I hope you all enjoyed it. I clocked 67 miles for the day so everybody must have done 55 plus.
All the best
Geoff.e
Ps. A special mention to zip. You’re definitely back fella
