RR what a difference some hills make

Yesterday I rode a 106km permanent back to back with Sunday's. What a
contrast! Although the distance was the same and the wind was just as windy
and energy sapping in places, the route from Wetherby to Pocklington and
back via York and Stamford Bridge was devoid of big lumpy bits and had
rolling scenery instead. I had to do a double take as entered Wetherby.
Parked in the police station car park was a Tardis or at least a replica - I
kid you not! The start of the ride was in heavy hail and as the forcast was
for light rain for the rest of the day I just got on with it. Wetherby to
York is unremarkable but the route is flanked by a series of WWII airfields,
most of them repurposed. York to Stamford Bridge and Stamford Bridge to
Pocklington were new stretches of road to me. Stamford bridge was busy and I
couldn't see what was attracting the crowds. The ride to Pocklington via
Fangfoss was a delight. The hedgerows offered some respite from the wind
and Pocklington was reached relatively quickly. The impact of bank holidays
on rural communities is very different to that on cities. Most of the shops
in Pocklington were shut which surprised me. Riding back to Stamford Bridge
had a magical moment when I had a wren fly alongside my handle bars for 20m
or so giving me a very close view of it. Although the ride back felt faster
and my speedometer indicated this was the case I was slower - my average
speed dropped a tad and I finished the ride with an hour and ten minutes to
spare. A quick fish butty at the Wetherby Whaler and the job was done. A
rest now beckons and then I'll have a stab at the Dales 145km Grimpeur at
Pately Bridge this weekend.

No badgers - they'd buggered off to sacrifice themselves on the
Teabag/Quickbrew 600