Finally, after all the support she’s given so far, the Sexy Stoker has made
an appearance on one of the hills. Two days away on a romantic retreat and
Elaine thinks “nice hotel, candlelit dinners” whereas I thought “Tandem, and
the hills of Yorkshire” A compromise was struck, and we headed off to
Harrogate. The hills for today were supposed to be 53 and 52, but circumstance intervened.
After a slow and noisy start, accompanied by much complaining from the
back as we headed uphill and lots of whimpering as we touched 35 mph on the
downhill, we found ourselves on the reservoir viaduct at the foot of Norwood
Edge.
Half an hour later, and we had made it to the top and had some cracking
views north towards Pateley Bridge. Our next objective was the golfballs at
Menwith Hill,
and then into Pateley Bridge for a much needed cup of tea and
lunch.
Whether it was the extra weight from lunch, or too much power from the
back, disaster struck as we attempted Greenhow Hill. A loud crack, and the rear
axle snapped in two, and in the process it broke the frame.
Abandoning the Stoker and the bike, I set off on foot for the car. A
short bus ride, a quick hitch and a fast ride with a builder to the start and
we had soon reunited bike, car and riders.
So, a disappointing finish to what was a great ride. Sadly, the Tandem
had to go to JD Tandems at Gargreave for some TLC, but this might turn out to
have a silver lining as the Stoker was seriously seduced by the awesome tandems
on sale. We may return!
As for the rest of the trip – well, the romantic hotel and candlelit dinner
won!
22 miles 764 m of ascent
No comments:
Post a Comment