Strava Cycle Ride 28th April 2016
I am going to have to start planning better when I go out for a ride! I feel I’m getting ‘Big D disease’!
Each time I go out on a ride I am looking to do at least 15miles, preferably more. So I was so disappointed when CJ and I got back last Thursday and realised we had only done 8 miles.
I thought it might be a nice change to ride along the canal towards Mirfield, a section I hadn’t ridden before. I was going for speed rather than longevity but did think we would be doing about 18 miles.
Starting from CJ’s we dropped down towards the canal and because I forgot which road to take we ended up cutting the corner and a few miles off the start (mistake number 1). We met a couple of gentlemen out for a stroll and we asked the way to Dewsbury (mistake number 2, should have asked way to Mirfield).
We got down onto the canal path which was ok but not one of the best sections of canal to ride. The chaps we’d spoken to pointed us in the direction of Dewsbury …… ‘just keep straight on and you’ll get there’ where their words as they bid us a good ride.
Back on Track
We kept going straight on until we came to a dead end where to get to Dewsbury you need to go on the road. I remembered looking at the map and there was no need to go on the road to …MIRFIELD …. Which was where we were supposed to be going .. what a berk!!
We were lucky in that there was a chap loading his car who again pointed us in the right direction. A little banter passed between us … I said ‘I must have been busy chatting and missed the signs’ a great retort from chap ….’NO, really!, a women talking and not watching where she was going! I don’t believe it!’
That’s one of the great things I love about cycling, I say hello to everyone I pass, have a little banter, chat to see where people are off to, where they’ve been, it’s lovely, relaxing and always very interesting.
…So off we go again to find Mirfield … and would you believe it … who should we bump into (not literally) but the two gentlemen we had originally asked for directions. By the way they were walking so you can tell how fast we were riding (or weren’t as is the case)!
I said ‘we missed the turning to Mirfield’ ….. Chap ‘well you didn’t ask us for directions to Mirfield you ask for directions to Dewsbury’ ….. Me, ‘I know, I know, I is a bit thick’ … chaps, ‘well if you’d have asked way to Mirfield we would have told you, go left at the fork!’
It was lovely jolly banter with one of the chaps ready to climb on for a ‘backy’. I told him he might never see home again if he got on the back of my bike as I was rubbish with directions.
It just makes a ride when you can have a giggle not just with your fellow riders but with others around. Everyone enjoying the outdoors.
You do meet some right grumps too. It’s not all sweetness and light out there. I say hello to everyone I meet but some people do give you a strange look or just simply ignore you.
It really does tick a cycling friend of mine off when people can’t be bothered with even a nod of the head in acknowledgement. I won’t tell you want their follow up words are after saying hello twice and getting no response but they are straight to the point.
Still on Track?
I really don’t know how we managed it but AGAIN we found ourselves not quite where we should be. We obviously missed another path as the next thing we knew we were cyclo crossing a steep bank with the river just feet away from us!! Due to all the rain we have been having to make matters worse the pot holes were full of muddy water which made riding very slippery. I don’t scare much on a bike but blinking heck that was far too close to the edge for anyone’s comfort!!
There was a pathway and steps heading up the banking away from the river. I ran (yes ran) up the banking to find a really nice track to ride on (probably the one we should have been on to start with).
We set off again in the right direction and stopped at what we thought must be Mirfield, a Lidal or was it Aldi at the side of the canal. Had a banana and a chat and made our way back.
Obviously with me in front we weren’t going to miss the turning off the canal and back onto the road were we???! Ooh yes we were!!! I put my head down, all right so I just tipped it forward a bit and set off to try and get a bit of speed on and FLEW, like a bird on the wing (let me dream will you!)
With my head now up I realised that I have arrived at Horbury Bridge, oops, I was only a mile or so past where I should have turned off. We could have ridden up ‘Storrs Hill’ from Horbury Junction to Ossett but neither of us wanted to push for 2 miles so we turned round AGAIN!!!
We were out for about 1hr 30mins, NO we didn’t get to Mirfield and we only managed to cover 8 miles. I think even this fatty could have run that faster!!!
Well as we keep saying a ride is a ride and it’s further than we would have got sitting on the sofa.
I wish I had known about LitterGram App at the time (I do now after Instagram have been crying about it) as in parts along the canal side it is strewn with litter. It’s such a shame and such a mess, I would have LitterGram ‘ed it straight away.
Thank you for reading
Cycle Safe
Jo x
BUTworthIT 