Pedalling - funny feeling, that...

After the Great Freeze - the Great Thaw.  Except in bits of rural Lancashire...

Met my older brother, Rick, in Clitheroe for a bike ride today.  Legs are in need of some low impact exercise instead of constand running, and the Beeb were promising a balmy 8º and sunny spells. In the event we got drizzle and a chilly wind, but it was certainly above freezing, which gave a bit more confidence whenever the road surface looked shiny.

We set off from Edisford Bridge where the Ribble Valley 10k starts and cut across to Waddington, then headed up the fell towards Newton.  I've only ridden this climb once before, on the Pendle Pedal last year when I'd done a lot of miles cycling, so wasn't sure what to expect.  In the end it was fine (after a little scare from my front mech refusing to go into the small ring), but the weather was decidedly "grey" when we got to the top.

This is Rick emerging from the gloom, who despite losing 12lbs of lard off him and 10lbs off his bike (by buying a new one...), was a bit slower on the lumpy bits, but clearly getting a lot quicker - we should be pretty much on a par come Mallorca in April.

After Waddington Fell we dropped into Newton, then Dunsop Bridge and turned south towards Chipping.  This road was a horror on the PP - because it follows a river valley you assume it'll be gentle and easy to ride - not a bit of it.  I'm not sure if it's the geography of the area or a sadistic mediaeval monk making the track that preceded this road, but either way it's got some vicious little climbs in it.  To make it worse, today there were several points where Lancs CC's "if it's not the A6, sod it" gritting policy had left large patches of frozen snow all the way across the road, which led to a couple of delicate walking sections.

After Chipping we climbed up Longridge Fell up Four Acre Lane, which was definitely easier than on the PP (having only ridden 25 miles instead of 75 probably helped...), then a few more scary bits on the drop down to Hurst Green saw us back on the main road and soon after the car.

31 miles in the end, a very slow average speed of about 12.5mph, but good fun in good company, and great to be back on the bike again!