Crew: El Pres, PTD, Butty, Troll, Dunc, Slim, Stunt
Pub: 3 Sheds, TJ
Route:
BL, New Road, Tea Rooms, Cat, Tea Rooms, Stanley Arms, Standing Stone, Nessit, Ressies, St Dunstans.
Conditions: Clear, cold, dry, some snow higher up.
Notes:
The wet n windy weather finally gives some snow, but only higher up, so it’s the only way to go!
Pete sorts meal logistics for the Dunny at BL, then it’s straight up the road under starry skies, with a nice crescent moon and venus. Planes move lazily across the darkness, traffic is light, and almost non existent past the rat run turn.
Roadworks by the tea rooms, to repair some walling.
We regroup, don extra layers and enjoy the snow animal (dog?) at the start of the path.
There is only about an inch or so lying, with some deeper patches, but it proves surprisingly hard work to climb on it!
At the Cat, we rapidly discover that going will be very slow over Danebower, and that we will not make the pre arranged time at the Dunny…
Sadly we turn round, and do the offroad back to the tea rooms descent, which although short was great fun!
A head numbing rapid drop down the road to the Stanley, and a welcome little climb to warm the legs up to standing stone.
Stunt provides some hot chocolate to boost the circulation.
Time is a ticking, pace must be kept up, peleton stretches out…not all riders do the full Nessit…but we meet the SLA of 8:45 to keep the very welcoming Dunny staff onside.
Krypton factor fun stacking the bikes on wall hooks in and around the bins in the passageway..but they all fitted!
Lancaster bomber dissapointing, the 61 deep Pale ale better 🙂
In the posh bit tonight (mainly to ensure we didn’t block the view of the United game on the tellybox), and posh service too…Gravy, Gravy, Enough to sink the Navy! amongst table beer service and free table water!
Much bants, putting pandemics to rights, updates to dodgy twitter accounts, and the welcome company of 3 Sheds. TJ turned up on cue to get the beers in (twice!), and an AoE settles in with Japanese Whisky and DoE attitudes 😉
The witching hour beckons for the inevitably cold ride home, Butty discovers a flat front tyre (and blames a dry tubeless tyre), legs are stiff from more than just the cold (we’re not used to the cat climb these days!)
..although others would claim lunchtime running, and big wednesday rides as better reasons!
Got home to discover that the cherry tree had decided to blossom..early spring is weird!