Crew: El Pres, Troll, Dunc, Mark, Butty, Dr S, Slim, Stunt
Party: Bern, Doog, Joe, Mawds, Steve Felbaum, Croxy, El Pud, 3 Sheds, TJ
Route: Berns, Zig Zags, Charity Lane, Narnia, Hardingland, Langley, choice of routes, Berns!
Conditions: Sub zero, dry, icy in places
Bern celebrates a Big Birthday with a TNR back to his, to give it it’s true title its BBBBBB
Big Berns Bikes and Beer Birthday Bash…but one can get carried away! 🙂
Good to see the lesser spotted Butterworth back as the nest building season is almost over.
(and a TJ just back from migration to warmer climes)
Mark wins the “most prepared” prize with pogies on the handlbars to keep hands toasty warm.
Bern serves prosecco of mulled wine to toast the start of the ride (but is not riding as the icy conditions = a 2 hour journey back from Huddersfield). It’s very tempting to stay…but troops are marshalled and we head off for a brisk up and down route.
Crisp and crunchy on the zig, and we take the turn into the Zag carefully in case of ice…but it’s pretty dry. Charity tarmac in good shape, as is the off road up and initially down, but then “ICE!!” and there is 100m of hugging one side or other whilst edging the sheet of slippy stuff.
Narnia running fast as the mud is frozen..
Elephants spotted on Hardingland…
well Dr S asked what the big grey things were! Maybe the one contact lens in, one out approach to mono vision has gone a bit far? ( or maybe it was the rectangular stones at the various “Steps”)
More delicate traversing past black ice on the lane past the farm .
Lower teggs back to mud, until the steps to the stream..the first two of which are fully iced over…luckily first rider is not going full gas and the peleton is steered around it.
At Langley a top gear challenge emerges..Coalpit lane, or Gunco lane and back up Blakelow?
It’s closer than you might think (lower Blakelow is seriously steep!) but the down and back up wins over the up and back down. Butty tries the Hollins and that’s a lot slower!
Bern wows us with garlic bread, irish stew and/or pumpkin and lentil with salad. Bolly best on tap and together with the non riders it’s a full house!
Much catching up and chat, all too soon we’ve drunk all the beer, eaten all the food – Nicola’s Parkin the stuff of legend!! and the journey home has to be faced up to.
The Tythy contingent head off together, stunt discovers that his “your big bright light is only as good as…” moment this week is a loose adjusting screw..easily sorted on Higher Fence av, Pete discovers clipping in too early at low speed can have consequences 🙂
Feeling very wintery in a good way…and clean bike bonus!