The White Rose Classic

The weather forecast for the day was for early rain clearing to become dry with increasing sunshine in the afternoon. I thought I'd be clever and take a late start so as to get more of the sun and less of the rain. That didn't really work out as planned because the rain (mostly drizzle) didn't start until after I left at nine, and the sun never fully appeared until just after I finished - which didn't actually matter in the end because it was warm enough to be able to ride in a short-sleeved shirt the whole way around. I never felt cold, even in the thick mist on top of Fleet Moss, but never felt too warm either. The drawback of starting so late only dawned upon me after leaving the first feed station at Grassington. After passing some hundred odd riders in the first two hours, I literally did not see another soul all the way to Hawes, everyone else turning off on the shorter routes. I'd normally see more cyclists when I am out riding that route on my own!

It turned out to be quite a lonely ride but that was fine. I relished the freedom of all that time with just the company of the bike and the road ahead, riding this narrow ribbon of tarmac all around the Dales for 115 miles. It's a hell of a long way but the time passed very quickly, helped by the fact that I eased back on the pace once I was on my own, riding well within myself, that competitive drive to pass any people sighted ahead having gone - because there weren't any. 

The legs tired towards the end, and I was certainly slow climbing Langbar, but I was never really stressed. There was a time when I might have been dissatisfied at finishing an event with energy to spare but not any more. I think I take more pride now in taking on these challenges and enjoying every minute of them, without suffering, finishing in good form. For the record, my time this year was 8.37.38, about half an hour slower than last year. With all the stress of recent weeks, and with only doing the one long ride in preparation in the last couple of months, that was fine.

I didn't have a huge appetite after the event because I ate so much good stuff at the feed stations. I woofed down these spinach pastry things which just dissolved in the mouth. I find I much prefer savoury to sweet and these were perfect. I lost count of how many I had! I doubt I was in calorie deficit after the event!

I only stopped once to take a photograph, at the top of the Coal Road before the steep descent into Dentdale. I thought this captured well the sense of the wild scenery today and the loneliness of this northern section of the ride. I could have stopped on the hills for better shots, but whether climbing or descending there is a certain rhythm which is very hard to break. I still have a mountain bike mentality on the road bike, which explains the flat bars. I'm much more at home going up or going down rather than being on the flat. I love sitting or pulling on my bar ends when I'm climbing, and I much prefer the braking position they offer when descending. It allows me more control and visibility when dropping down mountain roads at speed. It would be hard to change for a more conventional road bike now. It's become part of my cycling identity. Nobody would recognise me!