Sunday, 19 September 2010

The weekend's work is done - Sean McKibben, Skipton

Joined the Aire Valley Racing Team for their regular Saturday burn-up yesterday.  20+ riders out, of mixed ages and sizes.  Started out nice and civilized until we passed Skipton and hit the first hills, when the screw started to tighten, and I was screwed.  It is easy to kid oneself about one's level of fitness until one joins a proper road ride with hills, at which point one's self-delusion is exposed.  Anyway, out the back I went, so joined up with a posse of other fatties and oldsters.  The route we took was unbelievably hilly and twisty and I was thinking, this must be a helluva chaingang - there'll be two riders left at the end!  Then another rider told me only the tailenders took this route - the chaingang takes flatter roads.  Thank cripes for that, maybe I can hang in there one day.  Had an interesting moment descending a steep lane.  Around the corner at the bottom appeared a big fat Mercedes.  The rider in front squeezed through but the Merc kept going and the gap kept closing between the Merc and a drystone wall.  Then both my wheels locked up on a patch of mud and I started going sideways.  I unclipped a foot instinctively and this is where the absolute belief that I wasn't going to crash kept me upright - suddenly my tyres gripped and I sneaked through the gap.  The old boy behind me said 'You did well', which was nice.  If you're going to have a talent on the bike, not crashing is quite a good one I suppose.


Today I went out in the pishing Vancouver-style rain on my cross bike.  I'd worked out a pretty amazing route on the map taking in bridleways across the moors that finished up on the hill at the top of my road, maybe 20 miles total.  It was fabulous, bouncing over ancient trails, back down through Bolton Abbey, the seat of the Duke of Devonshire (vive la revolution!).  I've painstakingly recreated the route on Map My Ride.  A piddling 500m of climbing, but most of it offroad.


http://www.mapmyride.com/route/gb/skipton/176128494070269376 


It would have been more fun on a hardtail mountainbike; it's a bit too bouncy on a cross bike and you can never really relax.  You don't have low enough gears either.  But it brought back memories of the crazy rides me and Martin did on the North Shore of Vancouver.  Good prep for next week (did I mention I'm doing the 3 Peaks?).


And what have you been up to?

2 comments:

  1. Good luck next week Sean. Remember, rubber side down at all times. You mad ba****d.

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  2. Good luck with the 3 peaks Sean!! The rest of us have been hibernating in doors, it got cold and wet here :)

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