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| Fired up and ready |
It's a cold Sunday morning in March and 4 men, still on a high from the recent Jodrell Bank Classic Sportive just two weeks earlier, are ready for the start of their next challenge; The Wiggle Cheshire Cat. This ride has a reputation for one particular hill the Mow cop Killer Mile that you hit very early on in the ride. Whether this is a blessing or not is still open to debate.
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| Cycling weekly picture of Mow Cop. |
One hour later and who would have thought that two of the team were thinking of selling their bikes, one was pushing the bike up the hill and the other was wondering what all of the fuss had been about. Well done to Matty for making to the top of the hill without stopping and earning his well deserved medal. This says a lot about the hill that you actually get a medal for making it to the top without putting your foot down but more than this you receive the admiration of all your fellow riders.
Once at the top you would expect the descent to be the fun part. Well, in truth, it is but it has it's dangers at this time of year with wet roads, mud and the twists and turns meant that early braking was the best way forward. Unfortunately, in Gary's case he slightly misjudged the amount of time it takes for Man, Muppet and bike to slow from 40 mph to the 10 mph needed to navigate the corner. Dusting himself off after missing the first corner, a quick status report showed a slightly twisted brake lever and a rip to the famous (and new may we add) MMVT malliot rose and so it was back on the road with a lesson learned.
The climbs dont end here though. In fact they carry on for the next 20 miles which, combined with the cold and the wind, took it's toll on many riders including myself. Suffering with cramp, in my mind, is nature's way of saying my legs are tired. Its a simple but effective rule. The second clue was when the horses I had just ridden past trotted past me once the road again went uphill. The riders, probably rightly, ignoring my request to be able to hold on to the tail and get a free ride to the top. Perhaps I should have specified the horse's tail?
Once the first 40 miles is done then the hardest part was over. However, I would like to point out that the person who shouted "it's all downhill from here!!" has a very different perception of "downhill" as we rounded a corner to face yet another climb. The rest of the ride went relatively smoothly but the cramp had taken its toll on me so I decided that the 75 miles was enough for the day and so back to Crewe it was.
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| Who are those mad people waving and clapping? |
It's always nice to see the finish line after 75 miles in the saddle but it is made better when friends have taken time out of their day to come and see you home. Thanks. It makes a difference.
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| Crossing the line |
It was then time for a cup of tea, the post ride analysis of what had happened on the ride. Lee passed comment that we had seen 4 seasons in one day. We had experienced rain, hail, wind and sun all within 7 hours. Matty then said to his Dad, "Dad, we'll do better next year". Lee's reply sadly did not pass the censorship test for this blog but can be summarised as "*@!"&* next year!".
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| Matty hiding after the "next year" moment |
From personal experience we all say that and carry on. So until the next ride.
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