Park Rash

Last week, having missed out on the Three Counties and not ridden with the Earlybirds for a while, I suggested to El Cid a route for today, one of my very favourite longer rides, but one that I'd not done all year: going up Park Rash from Kettlewell and then a circuit around to Pateley Bridge. With El Cid having been hauled away to attend a wedding this weekend, I wasn't sure if there would be any takers, so it was good to arrive a few minutes after 7am to see both Stefano and MS at the meeting point, for I knew then that I'd have a good ride! A group of five headed up the valley on a lovely morning (again the Weather Gods are shining on me). We lost one at Barden and another at Kettlewell, before the three of us climbed Park Rash, which many consider to be the hardest climb in the Dales. It was impossible to dispute that today, for I had to dig deep to stay in touch with the other two. It's unrelenting for a long while. I suspect I found it difficult because I think I push myself a lot harder on these training rides than I do in the longer events (where I'm more concerned with conserving energy), and also because I'm riding with other, stronger people and I'm wanting to keep the pace up. But it might also have been because I was a little out of sorts with myself. I actually had very little energy riding out to Burnsall and if I'd been on my own I think I would likely have turned back there.

Somehow the climb of Park Rash woke me up a bit, and I really enjoyed the exhilarating descent down Coverdale. I love this part of the route. Virtually traffic-free lanes and a real sense of remoteness. We crossed to the other side of the valley at West Scrafton, through Coverham to East Witton and then started climbing again, up the hill to Ellingstring and over to Leighton Reservoir and then up again and over into Nidderdale at Lofthouse. The pace had been good and my legs were starting to get quite weary. From Lofthouse Stefano picked up the tempo along the valley to Pateley from where we took the vicious climb up to the top of Heyshaw Moor, with the sun now out. It was actually beginning to feel quite warm. From there I was on auto-pilot, just hanging on really. We got back to Ilkley in exactly 5 hours for the 74 very hilly miles. It was gratifying to realise at the end that the other two were fairly stuffed as well. It had been hard. After feeling rather lethargic this last week I really felt like I needed this ride today.

In the afternoon I cycled over to Burley to watch No.1 son play in a 3rd XI cup game, one that had been postponed from a wash-out while he was in Peru. Apart from the fact that the weather was truly beautiful (finally another little teasing taste of summer), I wish it hadn't been rearranged. My lad was run out from a direct hit without facing a ball, and in a rather dire low-scoring game, he didn't get a chance to bowl either. In a team which is there - or so I thought - to foster the development of the younger cricketers, it made absolutely no sense to me that he didn't get a few overs to try to make something happen in the game. He was really fed up at the end. And I was fed up for him. I love cricket with a passion, but it can be awful when things are not going your way. If nothing else, it is at least offering him some valuable lessons in life!