It's Windy in my Willows

Ok so I'm on another training run.  This time from York to Scarborough.  Thats about 45 miles and 1000ft of ascent depending on which map application you believe.

It was again another bright day with a forecast fresh Southerly / South Easterly wind.  The trouble is that cycling is never ridden in straight lines.  The route across the Yorkshire Wolds, whilst generally North Easterly, was more akin to a fly flitting around a living room light.  The wind, which also freshened as forecast, was occasionally head on with me pushing harder into the pedals and a couple of gears down.  I was slow.

The temperature was dropping too.  My mate the Sun tried to keep the chill off as long as possible but with silvery skies developing I kinda knew that the last 15 miles were going to be chilly.  The RAF tried to keep me distracted as they invisibly played war games somewhere high in the stratosphere.  However, my feet, tangentially at the bottom of it, continued to be chilled.  I also bravely wore shorts again today.  My willowy legs didn't feel the breeze so much but by 'eck, my feet were cold.

Anyway I soon broke the back of the Yorkshire Wolds arriving in Old Malton earlier than expected.  I had my second pit stop with another half litre of coffee and another honey and oat bar pushed down my throat.  You really can have too many oat bars in one day you know...

Effin car / truck / bus drivers and racing snakes (another one overtook me today), damn.  I'm covered with bright LED daylight running lights wearing a red jacket and white helmet.  Whilst many drivers are respectful and careful, there are still too many who just about leave skid marks down my right side.  Juggling pothole dodging (how crap are Yorkshire's mud encrusted roads?) in a headwind and picking at oat encrusted teeth whilst one eyed truckers on mobile phones whizz by is an ickle bit not nice.

I also became concerned about my bike during a rather short intense uphill section.  Its in the video.  It din't half groan at the back.  Well so would you with a 19.5 stone man stood in your pedals riding you up a hill.   The bike is now back at Cyclesense for a service and checkup.  It's a little biking shop in Tadcaster and the home of Koga Bikes in the North.

Anyway some 4 and a bit hours later I arrived in Scarborough.  Surprisingly I was not too bad.  I had a lower back tinge about half way but that was probably something resetting itself as I have not subsequently been flat on my back in agony (as normal).  I tipped 5 pints of liquid down my neck and I really did not need to have a pee all day.  Hmmm, dehydrated on a cold day.  Also, the ice blocks which once upon a time were my feet, took a good hour to thaw.  Over the last couple of weeks I've had everything weather wise 'cept for rain.  Thank God for reliable weather forecasts and the sensibility not to ride when wet.

Here's another test video using the Drift camera this time, which captured some of the above to remind you and me that LEJOG ain't just one big wet dream.  I must remember in future to delete old video files on the camera as I ran out of space just before the end so couldn't record the rather nice run down into Scarborough North Bay.  Shame...

Here's hoping for dryer, warmer and less windy days ahead.

Speak soon