The original idea for the ride came from the current Mayor of the Borough. Prompted by his wife, fellow Borough Councillor and Mayoress, they decided that they would take their mayorality on a tour of the Borough, all of it. You might think that all they had to do was plot a route on the map, get on their bikes and go. If it had just been the two of them, then this would have been the case. Instead they decided to invite up to 40 other people to come along as well and this meant risk assessments, arranging overnight accommodation, recruiting suitably trained guides, organising publicity. In short, they needed a committee.
Now I've been gently campaigning on behalf of cycling for many years. As far as I'm concerned getting more people on bikes not only helps cut congestion and pollution but also improves public health and, in general, encourages us to be more civilised. To quote from H G Wells
Every time I see an adult on a bicycle I no longer despair for the future of the human race.
So, when I heard about the proposed event I made sure that I got myself invited along to the meetings and then, when it came to recruiting guides, I immediately offered to help, began to spend even more time cycling up hills, went on a training course with fellow guides and did reconnaissance runs on the trickiest parts of the proposed route. For a few weeks it wasn't quite the only thing I could think of but it was certainly always at the back of my mind.
It turned out that I needn't have worried about the weather - the prospect of 4 soggy days with driving rain stinging your cheeks was not a happy one - which turned out perfect and the team of people that I was given to lead turned out to be just about perfect too.
The rest of Team 3 on the old packhorse bridge in Glaisdale
Actually, and no disrespect at all to the Baker, Farmer, Plasterer, Farrier and Investment Manager that made up my team, I suspect that almost any combination from the 32 would have worked just as well. We had 6 different teams led by 6 very different characters and yet after an hour or so in the saddle they all became coherent, self supporting units. Some may have done the whooping and yelling "go girl go" sort of encouragement, as opposed to the gentle pat on the back "well done" style of my own, but whatever it took it worked.
Two or three times a day we stopped for tea, cakes and sandwiches at village halls and churches along the route The welcomes we received were as genuine and warm as the folk that gave them. It would be wrong to single out any place in particular, but I'll run the risk by saying that for me the highlight was the crab sandwiches in Staithes, where my greed no doubt deprived some others of the pleasure, sorry.
Of course, those of you who've read more than a few of my blog posts will know that I tend to find a political purpose in just about anything that I do. I this case I chose to ride my ordinary everyday bike, the one that I use to go to the shops or head off around town - instead of the fancy carbon fibre framed road bike that I inherited from my late friend John Wilson and that I can't think of as other than John's bike - not just because I'd be making a point about everyday cycling but also, to be honest, because it was the better bike for the job. It might be a bit heavy but it's easier to control while looking over your shoulder on a steep descent and keeping an eye on 5 other helmets and easier to wind up the steepest bits alongside whoever it was might have been needing encouragement or distraction.
On day 2 (out of 4) we were joined for the 30 mile run from Hackness to Goathland ( Heartbeat country for those with a taste for nostalgic TV programmes set in the 1960's) by the head of Welcome to Yorkshire, and the man responsible for bringing the Tour de France to the County, Gary Verity. He was duly lobbied over a sandwich about the Cinder Track and my day was complete, even though there were 20 miles, and the steep hill out of Egton Bridge, still to go..
Several times during the ride, when I could see all these people having such great fun, claiming the lanes as their own and building a visceral relationship with the landscape, I could feel a tear coming to my eye. Softies ride bikes too..
The bike that stayed at home
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