Summer Solstice Bike Ride

A long tradition with the Early bird group I ride is to mark the Solstices, both Winter and Summer with a long ride. The movement through the seasons of sunrise is significant to us as we are normally riding to greet it each day.

A fantastic morning of weather - but I will copy Ged's report of the ride (from : http://forums.cyclingweekly.co.uk/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/65132/an/0/page/0/gonew/1#UNREAD ) as it catches the mood and spirit of the EB's perfectly!:

"Summer Solstice Celebration
24/06/2009 15:50
Time: 4.30am , Today
Location: Wharfedale
Event: Summer Solstice Celebration

Our annual Summer Solstice ride, a 45 mile circuit in beautiful Wharfedale, aiming to end up in Ilkley Costa Coffee at 7.15am

The Riders:-

El Cid, Earthdreamer, Dyna, Gizzajob, Mel - For descriptions of these riders , see previous Flanders report.
Today, Gizzajob aptly sporting his Kazakhstan Railway shorts, and Mel resplendant on his immaculate Colnago.

Mark - Slender Mark has been increasing his fitness with speedy commuting miles and evening TTs

Rollin Home - Talented runner, came into cycling following a nasty ankle accident. Carefull and cautious descender, mitigates this by his ability to climb just as fast as he descends. Naturally phenominal engine - lungs,heart,legs. Most druid-like out of all of us with his beard and flowing locks.

Radge - Wins the award for the Most Improved rider of the year so far. His efforts are directed at the Etape Du Tour, where he will be camping with his family. Which will he find most gruelling - Mnt Ventoux or camping with his family?

Stefan - Ogre on a bike. Fell running, mountain biking, road riding, he's not stylish but he can devastatingly turn his hand to any discipline

Graham Peace - Surprise and welcome appearence from Fell Running megastar (and a very good cyclist).

Finally, an even bigger surprise, after years of searching, we finally got our first ever sacrificial virgin, courtesy of Mark, the smiley, beautiful and virginal, Catherine

Catherine - Astride a gleaming new Giant, the virginal Catherine wore lycra and a retro Campagnolo jersey with the zip pulled down in a sexy and suggestive manner. She was not aiming to complete the ride, but was just there for early virgin sacrifice duties before returning home to the kids whom she had left asleep in bed.
Now I know what you are thinking about the logistical difficulties suffered by virgins with children, but I believe its been done before. And anyway, at 4.30 in the morning I'm willing to take a nice virgin laid before me at face value.

Departing the meeting place at about 4.35am, Rollin Home and I took the first turn on the front, in order to set a nice pace and to stop some of the other loons setting off like crazy.

The air was mild and fresh, the sun begining to magically light up the Dale. The first of hundreds of suicide rabbits zig zagged in and out of the peloton, thankfully without accident. A pair of hares majestically bounded alongside, one in the field and one on the road. Near Beamsley a deer was ambling up the road, but on hearing us approach it quickly bounded over the fence and into the woods.

Just before the strid we swung off to let some fresh legs through, as I reached the back of the bunch I realised that the virgin had been sacrificed and was nowhere to be seen.

On the foothills of Burnsall Fell the cry went up "Puncture". It was fell running ace Graham with a back wheel puncture. You could tell that he is a runner, because he had to borrow a tube, a lever and a pump. But moreover he committed the faux pas of putting his bicycle upside down on the saddle and handle bars to take the back wheel out. Mel was aghast and looked horrified, but the died in the wool cyclists were much too polite to comment (yet)

As we stood being eaten by midges, the view was superb. We were bathed in a strong early morning sun, but down below us the valley was covered in a heavy mist which was just begining to dissipate. Finally a "runners" repair was effected, but as we restarted Graham and Stefan made a severe breach of etiquette, as they announced they would now turn short at Burnsall. After we had waited while they fixed the puncture! They were heartlily chastised by the whole peloton.

Now behind schedule, Radge and Gizzajob were stung into action. They went to the front and set a blistering pace up Burnsall Fell. At the crest the peloton was fragmenting, with riders sprinting over the top, grasping for the shelter of the wheel in front.

This continued up the sharp pull after Burnsall, after which Mel and I decided to get to the front and impose a steadier tempo for a few miles. After 4 miles dictating the pace in a niggly headwind, we swung off to allow fresh horses to the fore. Again Radge slung himself into the breach to begin what turned out to be a gargantuan tap at the front, first partnered by Earthdreamer, and later by Gizzajob. It only came to an end when Gizzajob wilted slightly near the top of the climb after Walt Disney Bridge.

As a calming influence, I took a place at the front, quickly joined by Dyna. As we swung a left on the hill above Barden, we were swooped by a big owl, reminding us that although we had been riding for over 2 hours, it was still early in the morning.
Then, just before the tricky descent into the Valley of Desolation , another deer bound gracefully accross our path. A couple of seconds later and it would have been over Dyna's and my top tubes!

As we swished through the Cavendish, there was MarkII (used to be Mark 7 but he's changed his name) , in his Belgian Champs jersey, waiting for us by the fountain. Always keen, he slotted in next to me on the front, mashing his big ring round. He explained he was tired after the weekend's Mountain Mayhem 24hr MTB race, so he did nt feel up to the full Solstice Celebration, but did nt want to miss out on the crack.

Picking up the pace slightly for the last 6 or 7 miles, Costa Coffee was calling us. But little did we know that Gizzajob and other Mark were hatching a plan behind. Down the last descent and onto Golf Club Straight, Mark attacked hard down the right of the peloton, glancing accross with a sly smile.
Ever alert, Mel and Earthdreamer jumped for his wheel , leaving the rest of us scrambling, lining out looking for shelter. 500m to go to the Ilkley sign and Mark just slightly started to slow at the front. MarkII used this as a signal to jump hard, down the right hand gutter, quickly moving clear of the bunch. Some fat old bloke whacked it in his 12 sprocket and lurched after him, quickly gaining a lead on the remnants of the bunch. As he came up to MarkII's back wheel he used the slipstream to gain the tiniest of breathers before jumping by into the final chicane and sprinting up the ramp up to the sign.

We staggered into Costa Coffee at 7.14am, bathed in sweat, endorphines raging. Seated with our coffees, we were happy to see a tramp-like figure with his arm in a sling shuffle through the door. It was ride absentee, the recently injured Old Warhorse, Cacophony, coming to join his chums.

Cacophony was informed that Roentgen, who performed his brain scan at the hospital, was only able to find an image of Homer Simpson in there.

A quick coffee, much loud talk and a bit of laughter and it was time to go our separate ways, back to normal life.

The solstice is over - the nights are drawing in now. "