Again with the weather being kind this week the Hartlepool CC members were out in force.
Richie”Gripper”Grant make another trip over to the lakes to compete in the:
Beacon Wheelers (Charity Event)
Phil”The Power” Wright and Gary”Flying Machine”Hunt were both down to ride the O10/5 near Sheffield but on safety grounds decided against it. It has a very hairy downhill start and then hurtles you through a village with a 4 way junction. So to make up they both had a dummy run on HCC’s new T107, no official times but Gary did it in a longish 23 and Phil done it in a longish 29, both without any aero gains. Road surface is a bit grim in places so don’t have too much pressure in your tyres or you will need frequent visits to the dentists.
Sunday Club Ride
Sundays club ride was around 40 miles with the Aviator cafe as a destination to aim for as a coffee stop. Five of us met at the Golden Lion. Steve, Jason and Peter and two new lads Nigel and Jim. The dry sunny morning had certainly brought the crowds out. We headed out through Deaf Hill and luckily for him Steve slowed down a bit to have a look behind him before he went down Signing Bank. The other three of us were stood at Coxhoe turning wondering where he was off too. Jim had given up by then but fair play you have to try these things to see if its for you. Anyway we arrived at the cafe road junction at the same time as a large group of cyclists from Stockton. The road up to the cafe is a steep ramp and it became a bit of a race to get to the cafe first. Jason had seen the Stockton group and sprinted up the hill but a couple of the Stockton group were hot on his heels. By the time I got there, there was a large group congregated outside the cafe, but fortunately Jason was at the front of it. Now the question is, how many cyclists can you fit in a cafe? Well not many it turns out, even when you have to sit outside. However thanks to Jasons efforts, while the 20 or so Stockton group had to sit on the grass with takeaways, us four were invited to a seat at a bench with full waitress service. A little win! Coffee and sausage sandwiches all round then and we sat and watched a small plane take off into the blue. The way back was via Sedgefield and mainly into the wind along the 689. Steve and Peter turned along the Dalton back road while Jason and Nigel continued back into town. I think everyone enjoyed it, so there’s only one thing to do, try again next week.
Zwift
Steve Scanlon has just completed all 5 stages of the Tour Of Watopia on Zwift on Mon 26th April. This is the only image Steve has is showing all stages completed in his Zwift companion app.
