Stuff wot we learnt today!
Well I kind of left it until now to write about yesterday’s ride because I was knackered. Proper knackered. Proper leg aching, how steep are my stairs kind of knackered. Do I really have to walk that dog kind of knackered. Am I painting a picture?
Danny’s Garmin seemed to be scripting it on the hoof or he’d downloaded a knitting pattern by mistake 🙂
It was a glorious day, my first 100 mile ride ( Strava you bitch, 99.98?? Wahoo says 100, I’m having that ) since the D2D 2016, and my first 100 miler in god knows when in it’s own right. 6,500 feet of climbing too. As routes go, it was a cracker. Well, if there WAS a route, Danny’s Garmin seemed to be scripting it on the hoof, or he’d downloaded a knitting pattern by mistake. Either way it all unravelled by the time we hit Chester.
I’ve been on enough of my own rides to know ( and as my kids will attest, it ain’t a day out without a U-turn ) that it ain’t easy sat navving sometimes. The early miles flew by in glorious sun shine, Neil helped get us back on track by Broughton, Dianne stopped off at Maccies for a quarter pounder, and we headed upwards, safe in the knowledge that there was only really one hill to worry about and that was on the way back, when we’d have a tailwind.
if Eddy Merckx knew a bike with his name on had a 34 sprocket…
David Arundale was sitting smug and pretty astride his new bike but if Eddy Merckx knew a bike with his name on had a 34 sprocket, I’m not sure what he’d say….! Good job Dave bought the sprocket before the tariff on metal imports went on I’d say.
The Hill with No Name – 33% up!
after lunch, Danny got a bus to the top of The Hill … so he could photograph our misery
After lunch, Danny got a bus to the top of The Hill ( no-one saw him ride up it did they eh, think about it??! ) so he could photograph our misery. For the record, I fell off ( yup, lying on my arse on a grass verge in front of traffic ) half way up and had to endure the walk of shame.
At the summit, Photo opportunity, and no small measure of pride in everyone’s achievement in getting to the top — and if you’ve never been, I’ve ridden some hills, this one deserves the hype. If you go, take AT LEAST a 30 sprocket, or you’ll be shoving.
a stop off to look at some giraffes … a good old fashioned bonk stop in a corner shop
After that it got hard n hilly for, I dunno, 5, 10, 15, how MANY miles Danny? The next 20 miles took 2 hours. More deviations, a stop off to look at some giraffes atop a big hill, wrist jangling descending, climbs where there ought not to be climbs, a good old fashioned bonk stop in a corner shop, and some camaraderie in shepherding the tired.
At Capenhurst, we split into two groups as it was getting late. And then the fun started. How many Wheelers have got tubeless tyres? Anyone got the foggiest how they work? Especially when flat? The tyre wouldn’t come off, the tube wouldn’t come out, then the tyre wouldn’t go back on. Have you evert tried to get 4 blokes around a wheel and ALL tried to lever the bleedin thing back on?
After a lot of heaving and grunting, Neil was left to the call of shame and the rest of us high tailed for Frodsham via the scenic Stanlow Road. Left home at 08:25 — back home 17:25. 100 miles in.
What a day, what a day — Forza Frodsham!!
What a great route. How does the 33% section to the killer mile of Mow Cop?
Congrats all -100 mile , some going.