What a fabulous afternoon it turned out to be as I set off from home to begin this crazy pilgrimage thing. Beautiful sunshine which lasted all the way to York, and a benign wind. My parents and Kate were around to see me off, and Kate did the honours with the camera, though she mustn't be blamed for the unflattering appearance of my tummy. Hopefully the trip will help rectify that again.
Of course I forgot things - the heart monitor chest strap, and my water bottles for the bike to name the things I can think of, but we'll get that sorted. I certainly seemed to have enough stuff in the panniers, even though I pared it down pretty ruthlessly and took the lightest weight versions of things that I could find. However, it didn't prove too crippling (well, not till I got tired, anyway). I was gambolling up and down the hills in Yarm and averaged 14.6mph for the whole trip, fully loaded - exactly what I normally average with no extra load. How weird - but also reassuring.
My route (see below) took me out from Redmarshall through Yarm, then across country from Worsall to Northallerton and on to Thirsk. I had to stop for a Grand Central train at a crossing at Brompton - the first I've ever seen in the wild - and I didn't stop again till after crossing under the dual carriageway where the A19 becomes the A168 and I was at that point in well under two hours. Highly satisfactory. The run into York wasn't very comfortable - North Yorkshire's ideas of post-frost road maintenance are a little lacking, and the surface was grim for 10 miles. Nevertheless, there I was outside York Minster after 3.5 hours of riding, and a few minutes later I was with Sarah Cunnold.
When I arrived, the kettle was ready boiled, and I've hardly stopped drinking tea, chatting and laughing since. A lovely evening to begin the trip. Tomorrow, on the other hand, will be tough. There are some severe hills to tackle, and the weather forecast predicts light rain on and off throughout the day, wherever we go. Still, there will probably also be the discipline of regular breaks - more than I allowed myself today. Bedtime, and an early start!
Some serious kit you have there, vicar. Hope all goes well.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to reading about today's adventures David. It looks so cool and I haven't managed to pluck up the courage to cycle to work Eaglescliffe to Middlesbrough yet. You put me to shame.
ReplyDeleteI have been inspired to give this route a try and get the grand central back to Hartlepool.
ReplyDeleteNot sure I'm up to cycling over the pennines in a day though - gratz on the trip to Manchester safe and sound!