December Round Up and Video.
Don’t do words? Video here.
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| The Pensioner 1948 - 2016 |
That was December over with and 2016 drew to a close, for me 146 rides and just over 3,000 miles pedalled. I daresay some people got more in and some people definitely made less of an effort. Although “getting back into it in 2017” seems to be a popular theme at the moment, amongst the assorted slackers and ne'er do wells who grace our rides. As always, the Xmas dinner ride was the most popular ride of the year, a few rides saw numbers almost similar, other rides were duos or trios but it didn’t matter, a few miles in the outdoors, whether wet or sunny, dry or muddy, windy or calm, hot or cold, a cafe to finish the ride off will always be better than trailing round shopping malls, DIY or daytime TV. Or being at work, that inconvenient imperative which keeps us in bikes but paradoxically prevents us riding them. Then again, there’s always one consoling thought during the long shifts, when the weather outside the window is perfect - we could work days and only have saturdays and sundays to go riding. Heaven forbid. Apparently there are people who pedal indoors on a turbo-trainer gizmo and believe they have had a ride; we had best leave them to their delusion.
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| January |
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| February |
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| March |
No long distance, multi-day endeavours happened in 2016, (apart from me and The Breadlad staying in a cosy vintage caravan for a couple of nights), despite some vague ideas simmering on the back burner - must try harder to get something off the ground in 2017. A return to the seven stanes, a trip to Wales, a few days in sunnier climes, Spain maybe, more Lake District stuff and lots more Yorkshire Dales riding.
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| April |
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| May |
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| June |
The Grim Reaper’s scythe was keenly felt by many celebrities in 2016 but none hurt us as much as the loss of our own celebrity - The Pensioner, doubtless still arguing at The Pearly Gates, refusing to enter unless there is a pot of water with the tea. For me his legacy is The Gunnerside ride, a near perfect Dales route (except for one steep push), which combines (mainly) amenable climbs with awesome and varied downhills. The hours he spent perusing maps and Youtube videos paid off this time. It will remain a classic until the earth’s tectonic plates rearrange themselves or Donald Trump finds the big red button.
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| July |
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| August |
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| September |
December itself has confounded the dire predictions of the more alarmist press, who’s headlines were frightening pensioners as far back as the summer. Lurid descriptions of long, dark months of snow and ice, society gradually ceasing to function as we resort to eating our own limbs because a few centimetres of snow make reaching Tesco an impossible mission, for Elf And Safety reason best undertaken by fully trained Arctic explorers. Instead it’s proved quite decent, occasionally wet and windy but not enough to keep anyone in the right frame of mind off the moors. Rides on mild winter days like these are always embarked upon with The Pensioner’s gloomy cynicism ringing in our ears, “We won’t get away with this you know. Wait till February, we’ll pay then. A winter can’t be as warm as this without consequences.”
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| October |
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| November |
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| December |
If you have an idea for a ride, trip away, bit of exploring whatever, say it out loud - it might happen then.
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