Mice Starry Log 110. 72 miles. York to Hull at Midnight.
It is quite tricky to explain the magic of night time riding with friends. It's
not just the route which has been hand picked for its reduced traffic, or its
sweeping shape or its stillness. It's not just the midway stop where cafe
owners have stayed awake until 4am to serve sandwiches and smiles as we bundle
into their space. It's not just the ever changing sky that displays its
magnificent light - the moon, the stars and the waking of the sun interspersed
with total darkness. Or the fog, the cold and the rain that pushes us to our
limits - so we can berate or celebrate our wardrobe choices. And
it's not just the tremendous achievement of reaching the destination through
pedalling all night, cycling distances never thought possible.
It's the camaraderie generated by being amongst a truly great bunch of people.
People who don't judge you by your bike but who spur you on when you are
flagging. People who care about how your bike is doing and who will do all they
can to fix a mechanical problem you may find in the middle of nowhere in the
middle of the night. People who make you laugh out loud so loudly you nearly
wake up the cattle in the nearby field. People who can keep you company,
chatting and cycling so that you forget you are a bit tired or a bit hungry and
before you know it you are grinning from ear to ear as you realise how much fun
it is to be on a bike.
When I started cycling I never imagined I'd be able to do this kind of
ride. I'd have balked at cycling faster than 15 miles an hour even down a
hill. But thanks to friends and weekends we'd go out for rides and before
I knew where I was I was cycling 30 miles around London on a Sunday! 30
miles?!! And that was laughing all the way without noticing anything other than
how much fun I was having. 30 miles became 50 miles with some hills
thrown in, each time increasing in gradient. And my top speed down a hill
increased to 30mph!! Wow!
Building up my fitness and endurance increased my
speed over long distances which on a group ride means the overall speed is
manageable without being exhausting and more importantly without holding up the
others. This cycling introduction was accompanied by carrying out basic
bike maintenance - lights, tyres, chain - whilst keeping luggage to a
minimum. This last item has been a real struggle! but it's a whole lot
less than it used to be...!! And I no longer keep luggage on me - it's a
small or medium (depending on the weather forecast) Carradice saddle bag.
The
excitement as we meet up at midnight, the anticipation of the next eight
hours ahead, the weather - are we wearing enough layers, do we need
waterproofs, where is The Claud, should we have brought spare socks, why isn't
The Claud here and Adrian and GregCollins and George and Sahar, is it really
Midnight, have I met you before kind of thing. The one question I never
ask myself is What am I doing here? Because the answer to that is always
"about to start the most fun time I'll ever have on a bicycle". And
tonight was no exception.
As our
numbers increased under the shadow of York Minster, we were chatting and
generally catching up with each other. I didn't count how many of us we
were but I think about 50. The cold air had made most of us put on
practically all our reserve clothing - I found myself asking someone I have
never met before "do you think I am wearing enough clothes?" which of
course is a ridiculous question. In true night ride spirit the reply was
helpful and kind "it is probably colder than you think it is" at
which point I threw on my over trousers which as it turned out was the best
thing I could have done to keep me warm.
The trick of what to wear on a ride is a combination
of a bit of luck, temperature (ie weather forecasts), your own body thermostat
and what kind of ride it is. If it is flat there is not much opportunity
to build up body heat- which is a whole different ball game when cycling up and
down very big hills as you overheat climbing summit after summit. The element
of luck is nearly entirely down to the accuracy of the weather forecasts.
Some of the locals didn't really understand what was happening although based
on their alcohol content I'm not sure that they would have understood the
concept of walking in a straight line never mind cycling in one! The shrieks
and laughter from the local night life as they spilled out of nightclubs doing
double takes in disbelief never ceases to make me laugh!
On the stroke
of Midnight, we headed into the night, down through narrow streets, out towards
the city boundary. As we weaved our way out of the city, the street lighting
reduced and we were in the countryside with the traffic diminishing to
practically nothing. The sky was crystal clear and the moon shone down on all
of us.
We headed south east towards Goole. Over a Pegasus Bridge type constructions
running over the Trent and we cycled along side the river. This is just a
magical ride for me. To be lower than sea level, cycling alongside an
embankment looking up at the red and green marker buoys of the channel above is
just breathtaking.
As we stopped at Goole, there was an option to split
into two groups - team fast and team not so fast. "Oh what the
heck?" I thought to myself - "go give yourself a bit of a
push." Despite the warning from The Man in Charge "it will be
speedy" I was game. I did manage to ask what sort of speed it would
be - 18mph and of course I then forgot to ask two crucial questions. "Is that
the rolling average"? and "how many miles till the break". Too
late - we were off.
Good Grief! They shot off like rockets and I
pushed pushed pushed up my pace. On we went, faster and faster.
They made it look so effortless! The marker buoys in the channel merged
into a blur and after about 10 minutes I was seeing stars but ones in my head
not the ones in the sky. I just kept pushing - my heart rate blasting through
my body.
On we went. I have no idea how but I managed to hang on in
there. Just. Thank goodness for a T-junction! They had to slow down! And
then off. Every village sign I saw was never the one I wanted it to be! I
didnt have a clue where I was but I knew that if I was left behind I would be
stranded - which would be a big problem - on the basis that I didn't actually
know which county I was in!
In the blur
of it all, I did think it was a beautiful piece of road, curving round almost
in figures of eight, little red lights from the riders at the front practically
doubling back towards me. Eventually we regrouped again and I had the
opportunity to ask how much further it was. Three kilometres was my
absolute limit - I wasnt sure I could do another five. Huzzahh it was
about 3.5! Made it! What a work out.
Into a
fabulously feast-full Village Hall where marvellous peeps were greeting us with
tea and home made sandwiches and cakes. I sat down and stuffed my
face! 15 minutes later I was beginning to feel human again! Note to
self - must go faster on my daily pootles! Within no time at all everyone
was in the hall, laughter flying across as chatting levels rose and rose.
As is our way we ate the place out of house and home and headed out into the
night. With big thanks to those lovely peeps for making it such a great
stop. And I hope we have encouraged a cycle trip around Holland...!
Although
this ride is flat there are three hills. The first one is a bit of a long
drag up, so I changed into my lowest gears and just spun my way to the top. Job
Done. This worked for all three of them and before I new where I was the
magnificent Humber Bridge was in sight. Spectacular. The sunrise
was absolutely breathtaking. The mist over the Humber river, the huge
orange ball of a sun and the clear sky had to be seen to be believed.
Just before
the bridge, the Brompton TEC Team asked me to take their photograph. This
is I did. Then they rode past me! I was horrified!! As they
went round a corner a bit further on I did see one of them (fabulously called
Charlie) turn his head to check I was still in the vicinity!
Cycling
over The Humber Bridge is one of my cycling worlds special moments. What a
thing to do. We rode into Hull city centre, past the KC Stadium. I did a bit of
waymarking and soon Stuaff and I were rolling our way into Cafe Pizaaz.
Delicious breakfast followed by a ride on ..... Whoop Whoop - The
Woodrup!! Thank you Vernon. What a treat!! CharlieB had a go and we
both agreed it is a mighty fine set of wheels! Into Weatherspoons for
beersies and banter.
The train journey home was an unexpected treat. The railway took us back along
the very route we had cycled at sunrise. The Humber was blue and beckoning, the
bridge was majestic. We could see the hills we had climbed - somehow looking
even steeper than from the saddle.
We dropped through the Counties, rolling hills with farmyards and grazing
animals. Church spires surrounded by hamlets and full of lovely lanes that
would be perfect for cycling along. Next time perhaps.
Thank you
DZ and Agent Hilda. You have created night rides that put a grin on my
face just thinking about them.
