Sorry for the delay but catching up again now .....
Since the last post we have found our stride.
Monday night sees a regular run of 10 to 15 miles as part of the GRFCCCC Tri-Athlon
Cycling, Swimming, Sauna-ing
Thanks to the Strava App we have "smashed" the port dash with Rusty sitting in 1st, Lance in 3rd and Bubbles 4th in the league tables. Crank made a brief appearance as QoM in the ladies table but got burst by a granny out delivering messages on a butchers bike.
Several weekend rides, including a 50+ mile effort from Kemnay to Banchory to Aboyne and back
Some big bloody hills that day and it was chucking it down too!
Just as well we stopped at the Falls of Fuech for a bacon roll and a dram - well it was world whisky day so it was compulsory. Bubbles had a juice - poor bairn
Last weekend was our longest cycle yet and saw a 63 mile run from Huntly Castle
Starting from the riverside car park at Huntly Castle, eventually!
Lance did some "work" as he was on call.
Spokes tried changing Cranks pedals for some much more dangerous ones but in the end Lance had to use the power of HGH to break out the old ones.
Off we set. Uphill.
After a wee tour of the wrong streets in Huntly we crossed the A96 and started to climb.
Up and up and up went the Tarmac in front. Round the corner it went up some more.
Cresting the hills it couldn't go any higher but round the corner, another bloomin hill!
Up and up and up we went. Yetis were passed and the air was getting thin when we breached the shire and entered Moray.
Wey hey, down hill!
Very down hill!
Very very down hill!
Fleein we wiz. The bikes broke into a speed wobble at about 145 mph and Spokes recovered a potentially deadly tank slapper as Lance slipped by shattering the silence with a sonic boom.
Oh shoot!
A series of 90 degree bends!
Highsiders and tankslappers ahoy!!
Safely down though.
The "big hill" was conquered!
Through to Dufftown and on to Keith.
Funnily enough all up hill and arrived in Keith at rush hour. 100 pipers in busses, motorcyclists in little leather caps and the worst display of parking ever!!!
Bacon rolls, teas and coffees at the Boogie Woogie tea room. The bairn had a juice!
On to Cullen, via the Keith train station and a rather dodgy neighbourhood where even the bins wore chains!
Eventually found the road to nowhere and kicked on, uphill, to Cullen. 10 miles out and second, or third, wind kicked in for all. 37 miles later and we still had 6 of the 10 miles to go!!!!
Another 43 miles and the sign said just another 4 to go. Some cheeky monkey kept moving Cullen!!!!
On the outskirts of Cullen, hang a left to Portsoy.
Smoked a proper cyclist who then kicked down a few gears and chased us down. Using the slight frame of Lance as a windbreak, he stuck to the back wheel and got dragged through.
(Good luck on the John o' Groats to Lands End fella - whoever you were)
Hunted down the ice cream shop in Portsoy where Spokes stood the 99s and the Bairn spent all his pocket money on juice and scratch cards!
Spokes and Crank read the "no ice cream" sign, ignored it and burst into the book shop.
"We'll well well Tubs. What have we here? You're not local and we'll have none of that ice cream in here"
Time to set off again but Bubbles needed to stop as he was really, really, really needin. A bursting fur a p@sh!
Finally back on the road, yet another uphill road, and the rain came on.
Spokes, Crank and Bubbles had mechanical problems. Must have done cause Lance was away!!
17 miles to Huntly
Longest 17 up feckin hill feckin miles of ma puff.
Just when it looked like the road might flatten a feckin mini Struie was hiding behind a bridge. Made Huntly, found the castle and thank the good lord - we had made it!!
63 painfull miles.
3/4 of a single day on Ride the North. What the heck have we volunteered to do????
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