One good thing about our decision to take the train yesterday that we didn’t mention at the time is that it left us both with reasonably fresh legs. A good thing, because we needed them today. Today featured what was the hardest climb of the tour so far, a ridiculous slope that gained 500 feet in 6/10 of a mile and topped out at 25%. Needless to say much of this distance got walked, slowly and with great difficulty. And by the time we got to this wall those fresh legs had already been softened up with shorter climbs that topped out at 12, 10, 11 and 15%; and one more climb of 13% was still waiting to torment us down the road.
So don’t be misled by today’s video, which makes it look like we were just breezing along the whole time. That footage all came from the other 12 miles.
So what else is there to say about the day? First, that the weather was the best we could have hoped for: dry, comfortably cool, and we even had a wind assist that made that 25% climb feel more like it was only 24. Second, that we arrived at our lodging for the next three nights, the Porters Coffee Shop and B&B, at around 1:30; a little too early to check in to our room, but just in time to enjoy their quiche of the day and home baked scones. And third, something Ken Graham would enjoy, we arrived on a special weekend - the Helmsley Steam Rally is on and several vintage steam powered vehicles are puffing away in the middle of the market square in the evening and drawing an appreciative crowd lined up in front of the pub chatting and sipping at pints.
And finally, there’s this fact that I’m a little sheepish about passing on: there are no significant bodies of water in the vicinity of Helmsley, something I didn’t notice until I finally stared at the map a few days ago. One of the reasons we came to Helmsley (although we probably would have in any case because it’s in the right spot for our itinerary) ties back to my youth, growing up near the UW campus in Seattle when crew was one of the prestige sports. The university for the last century has run one of the best rowing programs in the country, and in 1958 when I was in junior high they competed against the Russians at what’s probably the premier rowing event in the world, the Henley Rowing Regatta.
But that’s Henley-on-the-Thames, not Helmsley-in-North-Yorkshire. There’s nowhere within many miles of Helmsley where you’ll see crews of eight pulling the oars, something that I had in the back of my mind to watch for here. A very natural mistake.
A beautiful day for a ride, with several relaxing miles to start out with.
The point of this shot is to orient you. This is the top of a 17% climb, one of the warmups to the main event. You can see where this is going though by that bit of exposed road in the upper right.
Polly LowOof... (I always think there should be a word -- perhaps a german word -- for the sinking feeling that accompanies a sighting of the road ahead, snaking up towards the heavens. And then another word for the emotion one feels on those happy occasions when it turns out not to be the road you're taking.) Reply to this comment 1 month ago
So we’re on the big one now. It’s so hard to get a shot that shows how steep a road like this is when there’s nothing to give perspective. Its not apparent that it’s a steady 19% here, but at least you can see that it’s long.
And this one, just above and around the bend from the previous shot. You can maybe see that it’s steeper than what’s right at the bottom, so putting the two together you could imagine it’s about 25%, as it is.
A fallow deer! She was standing in the middle of the road when we first saw her. Rachael got her on video, but it was really too far away. I was surprised at how dark she was, almost black it looked like, but there’s a lot of color variation in this species.
It’s a full life here in Helmsley this weekend. You can take your pint inside to watch the soccer match, or out here to watch the steamers. No oarsmen though - that’s in Henley, not Helmsley.
Scott FenwickThe photos may not show it but starting at mile 8 looks brutal. 500 feet of climbing in .6 miles. That is about a 16% average grade! Pushing bikes uphill is never much fun. Switching to metric, so I can relate - that is a solid 1 KM! Reply to this comment 1 month ago
Scott AndersonTo Scott FenwickYou’re right, I should have described it in kilometers because it sounds more impressive. Reply to this comment 1 month ago
Today's ride: 17 miles (27 km) Total: 2,557 miles (4,115 km)
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Polly LowAnother thing Helmsley and Henley had in common up until the very the day of your arrival is that they'd both, almost without fail since the Great Reform Act, had a Tory MP. But can you guess, without looking it up, which one doesn't any more...? Reply to this comment 1 month ago
Scott AndersonTo Polly LowOK. I haven’t looked yet, but here’s my guess: Henley is still Tory. And thanks for the nudge to read up on the Great Reform Act which I don’t remember hearing of before. U.S. Americans are SO provincial! Reply to this comment 1 month ago
Polly LowAmazingly, it's Henley (Boris Johnson's former seat -- or one of them...) which has flipped. Strange days indeed! (You are currently cycling through one of the last remaining True Blue bits of the UK, in fact). In other electoral news, your Alarming Welsh Landlady will be upset (or perhaps: confirmed in her belief in Sinister Global Conspiracies) that neither the Tories nor Reform managed to win any seats at all in Wales.
I wouldn't like to be quizzed too hard on the arcana of US Constitutional History... Reply to this comment 1 month ago
Bob KoreisJFC, 500' in 0.6 miles is a brutal hike, let alone pushing a bicycle. And you with not so good knees.
Scott AndersonTo Bob KoreisHeaven help the foes of Washington! There’s a phrase I haven’t heard in a long, long time. Thanks for the reminder. Reply to this comment 1 month ago
