This weekend has been absolutely stunning – for the first time in a while we have had two days of sunshine – it was hot! Well warm enough to leave the house not looking like the Michelin man!
Having been at ShAFF Friday night listening to Steve McClure, I was all ready to get out and climb (more about my time at ShAFF here). We headed to Froggart, as I have not been there for a while and it is meant to get the sun through to the afternoon. It was perfect conditions and not too busy. After a few routes to warm up, I was keen to have a go leading as it has been a while, so after a quick recap from Tom, I was off. I enjoyed it, and despite a few moments of bad Elvis leg, I think it went quite well! My main sticking point is when I have to move above or beyond a point from which I place my gear – I feel confident to this point, but then it vanishes. I guess this just needs more time and practice out leading and spotting the best gear placements quicker, something I am totally happy to work on!
We ended the day with a fantastic route – Three Pebble Slab. I have not attempted this before, it was so much fun, and a real test of how much you trust your feet. I found it a bit of a challenge on the nerves but was pleased to compete it.
As the good weather continued on Sunday, I thought it was about time for attempt two at clip-in pedals! A bold move considering the last ride had ended in a trip to A&E. Our route started in Sheffield headed out via Froggart to Curber and on to Bakewell before looping via Hathersage back to Sheffield (55km total).
As anyone who cycles around this area will know that means a fairly substantial hill to start! However I have to say I was pleasantly surprised, the mountain biking must be doing something for my fitness as I made it to the top in one piece not completely out of breath. It has taken me some time to learn to ignore my competitive side when training and just to go at my own pace enjoying the process of getting fitter, as oppose to hitting it as hard as I can and then burning out, but I am getting there.
Once in Bakewell, the plan was to find a nice place for a coffee in the sun, however as it was very busy and we had no locks for the bikes we thought it best to continue to Hathersage and get snacks there. This turned out to be a fantastic idea as we found a great little cafe, Coleman’s Deli, with a very appealing range of cakes. I went for mocha cake – very tasty!
All in all fantastic weekend – could this spell the start of spring? Let’s hope so!
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