A couple of years ago, a rugby injury, hubbie George’s battered body just couldn’t get passed, sent him back to his first love – Cycling. Since then he has made a new circle of friends in his cycling buddies who spend most Saturday mornings traversing the beautiful countryside of South Yorkshire and the Peak District on two wheels!
Every ride involves, of course, a café stop for tea and cake and sometimes breakfast too! Each week he comes home with stories of the ride and the café … and the cake!
One of the group’s favourites is The No Car Café, half way up a pretty steep hill at Rushup in the Dark Peak, and I’d said on several occasions that George would have to take me there. His response was always that I would have to ride there, and then finally he threw down a café challenge – if I rode there and back to Sheffield on my hybrid bike he would buy me a new one!
So, I accepted the challenge and on one of the very few pleasant Saturdays in January this year, we set off – me and my support team – John, George, and Phil . It’s a 50 mile round trip and the longest ride I have attempted (last year’s Tour de Yorkshire Sportive) was 50 km!
Fuelled with porridge and food stops for Total Fruit Cake on the way, with masses of encouragement from my cycling buddies I made it!
So here is my café challenge prize – a new bike from the brilliant team at Giant Sheffield; Zoe, Andy, Tony, James and Jake!
I think I deserve it!
I’ve been getting used to my new bike over the last few weeks, going out with the Breeze Network South Yorkshire ladies and nipping out for a quick loop around Low Bradfield and back and I’m looking forward to exploring more of the beautiful countryside around Sheffield on two wheels!