HCC Sunday Social Cafe Ride
Easter weekend had brought with it some fine weather and an extended ride was in order to make the most of it. Usually the Sunday rides have been around 40- 45 miles but this week the cafe destination was Eppleby in leafy North Yorkshire. Another difference this week was that when we set off we were still heading for the original destination. Often things can change at the last minute. But this week Steve S, Matt, Sean and Peter met at 8:30 at the Golden Lion and set off out along Catcote Road, enjoying the earlier start and lack of traffic on the Easter Sunday. We met Steve B at Hartburn shops in Stockton and then took the scenic roads to Croft and beyond.
The rise in the road from Hurworth to Croft came as a reminder that we were still in Durham (the hilliest county in England) but once we had crossed the bridge we hit the really cycle friendly lanes of North Yorks rural idyll. It is a good job that Steve B had turned out as he knows these lanes as well as the veins on the back of his hands. Getting us all safely to the Eppleby tea rooms. A Mecca for cyclists with a queue of mamils and mamilesses half way down the road. Bloody cyclist!
Coffee and cake and microwaved sausage sandwiches were consumed on a bench on the village green. The main debate being whether brown or white bread makes the best sausage sarnie. (Really there is no debate as everyone knows it’s white.)
On the way back we caught up with a bloke on an e bike who managed to stay with us all the way through Darlington and beyond. In fact he left us when Matt had to stop for a fiddle in the hedge, at least I think that’s what he said. Peter and Sean kept going however as the rest could soon catch them up. But they didn’t as the breakaway two were now out of site. Apparently breaking rule no 1 of the group ride. Which starts with a NEVER. I can’t remember the rest.
Anyhow the breakaway was soon caught and dropped again with the group coming back together at the Wynyard Golden Gates. From there it was an easy roll back to town with a stop at the Welly in Wolviston just so we could go over the rules again.
The ride was 65/70 miles depending where you started from but this wasn’t enough for Steve B who must have got lost on his way home as he ended up doing 100 miles. For those that are interested in statistics, the average speed was social and there was as much climbing as there was descending.
