Back from the Wilderness

This blog has been disabled for the last few days - it seems Blogger.com's anti-spam filters had been triggered and it had been disabled.

After requesting a restore they have decided I am allowed to carry on. Just as well as I have no back-up.

So over the weekend I rested both days. I managed to pull my lower back muscles on Saturday so have been struggling a little since.

Yesterday (Monday) I did a gentle EB ride to Cavendish and back.

Today I did a EB ride including a climb up to Addingham Moorside, and then I rode into Leeds via Otley and Bramhope. I rode home as well. ABout 55 miles.

Hopefully I'm going to carry on with EB ride and then Leeds commute both ways for the rest of the week, and we then have a 85 mile ride for Saturday.

So a big week ahead.

Another big day

Another good day today - a more leisurely EB ride followed by a ride into work and then a ride home later with a couple of big climbs (cookridge, bramhope, otley, burley, C&C).

So over the last 7 days I've totalled (approx):
- Saturday 25 miles
- Sunday 65 miles
- monday rest
- Tuesday 20 miles
- Wednesday 15 miles
- Thursday 55 miles
- Friday 55 miles

Total: 235

I want to try and keep my weekly mileage above 200 and approaching 300 for the next few weeks!

Langbar Photos (and route)

Another fantastic day of weather today. Did the early bird ride with Mark and Harry (who was carrying on to Arncliffe). We turned and did Langbar, and I took some photos (whilst cycling) to try and capture the ride.












Afterwards I carried on into work (another 18 miles) and came back this evening too. So about 55 miles and 3 hours of cycling today.

By the way, here is the Langbar route (without the trip to Leeds) mapped at MapMyRun.com (a very useful online tool):

Sunshine at last

After what it seems like 12 months of bad weather, we have at long last had a good stretch - sunshine and blue skies.

I've been out with the early birds for the last two. Today, just an easy recovery ride, but yesterday was a hrad effort with El Cid involving Langbar and Wheatley Lane.

I feel tired tonight but am going to push on with rides tomorrow and Friday.

Carnival

Rest day today - bank holiday and our local carnival.

A wet and wild Sunday

Nine riders out on the early bird ride this morning. Out to Settle via Airton and then back on the back-roads round Gargrave. (65 miles, about 4 hours)

A little light rain on the way back but nothing too bad. There was a warm south-easterly wind.

We took it fairly easy on the way out but from Burnsall on the way back the pace was pushed and we ended up racing at breakneck speeds along past Cavendish. I put in a few big attacks which I thought I'd timed to perfection but got reeled in by El Cid and Cacophony. But we interestingly left some of the other (good) riders behing so my training must be paying off. It was also fantastic fun and I feel like I am beginning to handle my new bike a little better.

We left Richard a little earlier and found out later he had crashed on the way back on a corner I know at least two other people have come off on (OA and MS). Hope it hasn't dented his enthusiasm.

Early Bird Saturday

Burnsall this morning - followed by the Langbar climb for those I could persuade to do it.

Harry was out on his down-tubed gear-changing Claud Butler due to problems with his other bike (circa 1985), and El Cid out on his brand new superlight top-of-the range Scott!

It was a beautifully balmy afternoon - I spent most of it out on the moor with my eldest and one of her friends.

Rain forecast for tonight - but we have a hard, tough ride planned tomorrow.