Originally uploaded by Dawnriser
Two one-in-four climbs followed by a one-in-five. If you have to start
somewhere it may as well be here flanking Great Whernside (behind the
sign) I’m 504 metres ASL at the moment and it starting to rain again.
Originally uploaded by Dawnriser
First stop, a bus shelter in Kettlewell. Beautiful as ever but still
raining. The first stiff climb is out of here and over the Coverdale.
The smell of the dales is fantastic. The flowers, rain, grass and
farmyards all combine to tease my nose. Real fresh air. A quick drink
now and back into the rain. God is good.
Originally uploaded by Dawnriser
A quick prayer and on this wet morning my adventure across the
Yorkshire Dales is about to begin. It’s rainy but looking bright.
I’m a little late because I had to make a detour into Harrogate to buy
a helmet. A lapse of memory left mine in York. So time to hit the
road on stage one out of Grassington. More later
Bags packed and energy boost
Originally uploaded by Dawnriser
The forecast for Monday and Tuesday isn’t good. It’s very likely to
rain. When I bought these panniers last week they seemed to be
perfectly adequate. Now that I’ve packed them with wet cycling in mind
they are full. Although skin is waterproof I need to avoid getting
chilled if it’s also windy.
I picked an energy supplement from Rev David Casswell last night. It’s
called Carbo Charge and he bought a huge tub of it for his coast to
coast ride with his daughter on a tandem. I’ll be adding it to my
water supply along the way to charge my muscles for the hills.
The online total is nearly £1200. Thanks again.
www.help.co.uk/ridingbike
Originally uploaded by Dawnriser
This morning I’ve taken the bike apart, cleaned and oiled it in
preparation for the Yorkshire Dales next week.
It’s a dirty job of course, but the layer of old grease, oil and
general muck that had built up this summer has gone and bits that were
“gungy” are clean.
The bike is a Scott Roadster S1 frame and forks with S3 bits – due to
a partial upgrade when the frame started to corrode in the guarantee
period. It’s an alloy bike so pretty rigid. That’s what I like about
it. I can feel the road and every ounce of effort reaches the wheels.
No suspension or flexing frame to absorb the power in between.
The sponsorship total online is now £1116 and I received an email this
morning telling me about another £100 that had come to the Riding
Lights Office. Thanks for your support.
Packing next.