Tandem Charity Ride Success

Thursday 2 September 2010 Filed in: General

We had done nearly 100miles once before on a tandem, but the lure of a large cold beer in the back garden meant that we had never quite topped the magic figure. So when Ruth and John of JD Cycles asked if we would like to join in with their charity ride to support Marie Curie Cancer Care we thought this has to be the opportunity to crack the magic figure.

So it was an 8.00am start from JD’s shop in Ilkley on Sunday 21 August, accompanied by many others as you can see. As it turned out there were 3 tandems doing the 100miles with everyone else tackling the 50 mile route.

John and Ruth sacrificed their ride for the day and provided excellent support along the route.

The empty main road from Ilkley to Otley and on to Pool was a fast run and with a following tail wind, a fast pace was set. We were joined by a young man called Louis who stuck to our back wheel brilliantly – no mean achievement for a youngster on a solo bike.

Kirby Overblow, Wetherby (where we said goodbye to Louis), and on to York were achieved at an average of nearly 18 miles per hour! At York John joined us on his novel recumbent and led us down the cycleway to Selby.

A recumbent chased by three fast tandems my have been more of an event for Selby than the nearby Elvington Air Show.

At Selby we hit 50 miles and took this photo in the car park.

It was then a return along the same route, albeit a bit slower with a headwind and a diversion at Pool Bridge, taking us through Askwith to avoid the busy main road. We completed by 5pm at an average riding speed of 15.7 mph.

All three 100 mile tandems finished, including a couple who had never been on a tandem previously. A great late summer day, with sunshine, clear views and good company. The ride was especially enjoyable as this was our first chance for a long fast ride on our new Santana, and it lived up to every expectation.

As you can see we were still smiling at the end.

Martin Weeks

from: 24/04/2004

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