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Shaken
not stirred
Just about now we were already starting to feel the burn, usually reserved for much later in the ride this was a bad sign. We stopped for tea at the local pub and then pushed on up the climb towards Scar House reservoir. This is the first of the really nasty climbs, a cocktail of ruts, rocks and soft ground that sap your strength and severely test your will to keep pedaling, some riders will hate it. My strangely selective memory had snipped this climb down to a quick spin but the reality was more of a slow stumble. Finally we reached the corner overlooking the reservoir and all that effort was repaid with a Winter bonus of golden sunshine and crystal clear visibility. The downhill from here to the dam is a compelling full suspension sales tool, my San Andreas made each high square boulder look like a low round hump.
Northern
Exposure...
Once at the bottom we crossed the dam, observing as we did heavily dressed, cold looking tourists. We were lightly clothed by comparison but super-heated by exertion and bathed in blinding sunshine it really felt like Summer. We stopped to take some pictures of the starkly beautiful northern end of the Scar House reservoir, then clicked lowest gear for a short section of cobbled road up to the bridleway. When we reached the top I was struck down with the worst case of cramp I've had in a long time. I sat down and stretched out my leg with my right thigh muscle intent on ripping itself apart. It was a couple of minutes before I could go on but miraculously the cramp didn't return in the ensuing battle to climb along the edge of the moor.
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Shot and blasted
This has to be
one of the toughest trails out there, riders who hated the slog from
Middlesmoor will be cursing on here, bring some Prozac in your first
aid kit. At long, long length we passed the shooting house at the top of the descent to Thrope Farm again, with even more concern for finishing before night fall. If trail conditions stayed the same on our remaining miles our collective geese would be cooked. But things started looking down almost immediately, which in this case was a good thing. We flew down one of those tough climbs of earlier on, then up a gentle broken road to one of the longest descents around. We covered more miles in twenty minutes than we had in the previous two hours.
Our super tough diversion had added three miles to the MBUK route but was unanimously deemed well worth the entry fee. Don't miss the Thrope Farm challenge next time you bounce and blast round
Nidderdale.
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