By day five of our trip to Yorkshire we were spent. We'd ridden over 300k with 4,500m of climbing in 4 days; way more than we ever thought we'd manage. I was contemplating the ride down to the nearest point on the Tour route for Stage 2 - somewhere just South of Skipton - but just couldn't push myself out the door at 8 am. George and I both agreed that we would limit our Tour experience to the great day we'd had on Stage 1, and catch the action on a big screen, or at the pub.
We ended up doing a short loop up to an old quarry where we got off our bikes and walked, for what felt like the first time in months. It was a nice change of pace, and a worthwhile reccy for a future rock climbing trip we may or may not do.
![]()
After a couple of hours scrambling around some industrial archaeology, we headed to a pub just in time to grab a pint and catch the last 15k of the stage.
Monday was day six, and the final day of the trip. We packed early and debated the pros and cons of trying to get back to Leeds to catch our train, either by local train service or by riding. We hedged our bets; the train from Settle was already jammed with bicycles, but we could ride the 25k to Skipton and try to catch one of the more frequent trains from there, or failing that we could ride the full 70k or so to leeds. We had all day.
The ride as far as Skipton was not without it's challenges: a 27% uphill gradient and an unpredictable, cyclocross-style canal towpath section were the only ways to avoid certain death on one of the most dangerous A roads in the country. We were filthy and totally beat as we pulled into Skipton train station, but the gods of public transport smiled on us and we managed to squeeze on a train with just seconds to spare.
Monday was day six, and the final day of the trip. We packed early and debated the pros and cons of trying to get back to Leeds to catch our train, either by local train service or by riding. We hedged our bets; the train from Settle was already jammed with bicycles, but we could ride the 25k to Skipton and try to catch one of the more frequent trains from there, or failing that we could ride the full 70k or so to leeds. We had all day.
The ride as far as Skipton was not without it's challenges: a 27% uphill gradient and an unpredictable, cyclocross-style canal towpath section were the only ways to avoid certain death on one of the most dangerous A roads in the country. We were filthy and totally beat as we pulled into Skipton train station, but the gods of public transport smiled on us and we managed to squeeze on a train with just seconds to spare.
Pulling into Leeds we had a couple of hours to kill. We changed out of our grubby ride kit and into civilian clothes, and George navigated us to a breathtakingly stocked bar where we toasted the holiday in style.
This trip has been a learning curve. I've learned a little bit more about how to handle my bike, handle myself, handle tough rides, and how to ride with others. I've also become more fond of my 1982 Raleigh Rapide which asked for only as much as a spot of oil on the rear mech all week. Finally I'd like to extend my gratitude to Sally, G's mum for putting us up and putting up with us. What a star. And love to G for making this all happen, and for being the best ride buddy.
(Check out Part 1 & Part 2 of the trip write-up too!)
This trip has been a learning curve. I've learned a little bit more about how to handle my bike, handle myself, handle tough rides, and how to ride with others. I've also become more fond of my 1982 Raleigh Rapide which asked for only as much as a spot of oil on the rear mech all week. Finally I'd like to extend my gratitude to Sally, G's mum for putting us up and putting up with us. What a star. And love to G for making this all happen, and for being the best ride buddy.
(Check out Part 1 & Part 2 of the trip write-up too!)
No comments:
Post a Comment