OH TO BE RANDONNEUR ROUND THE YEAR PART THREE
In the second instalment (Arrivée 135 Winter 2017), Bob Donaldson had entered his second Audax season, and battled through some ferocious winter winds and floods in an effort to become a RRtY. Pushing the pressure a little bit higher by nudging past a 300 and, for the first time, succeeded (with the help of four team-mates and a generous tailwind) to achieve a 400 Easter Arrow. We catch up with him as spring gives way to the heat of summer and find out whether he achieved Randonneur Around the Year
WORDS AND PICTURES BY BOB DONALDSON
Are we RRtY yet…? It opened up to become a hot day in the merry month of May when Steve (Stephen Rogers) and I drove up to Shenstone for Roy Bishop’s Castleton Classic ride across the Derbyshire Peak District. 2.5 AAA points were on offer and we quickly understood why as we clambered up and down the dales and wound our way past sheep stupefied with the heat. At Ipstones, after a stiff climb preceded by a fine piece of traffic avoidance, the village hall was serving sumptuous sandwiches, proper slabs of handmade cake and good strong northern tea. Just fine for washing the grit from the back of our parched throats. The roads were fine, rolling, technical and grippy, and by the time we had reached the control at the tiny hamlet of Wyaston we were fit to drop. Once again an army of kitchenhardened volunteers had produced an eye-watering display of refreshments that would have lifted the mettle of the Light Brigade at Balaclava had they had but such scones, such cakes and proper beefed-up beverages. And so into the valley of Dove we wended our way back into the 46
ArrivéeWinter/Spring2018
Midlands and the Arrivée. I was too shaken by the heat to eat anything at the end, which was a pity, because another fine spread was on offer. Two weeks later and I was in the proper north and set off once again from Kirtley Cycles for that fine Aidan Hedley ride, the Mosstrooper. It was significantly cooler than the previous year’s edition and significantly windier – particularly on the long climb up to Hartside Pass where I posed for a brief photo before getting as quickly down to Penrith as I could (once a flock of sheep had been led up the main road and a cool downpour had nicely chilled to the marrow on the brisk descent). I upset the delicate balance and tasteful décor of a fine twee café as I slumped dripping into a welcome seat next to two highly animated old ladies who cast disapproving looks as I demolished a bowl of soup and various other dishes before my waterproof had had a chance to fully drip-dry. Revitalised, I literally shot off in a northerly direction blown along by a generous and drying tail wind and was
Bob in front of the Ribblehead Viaduct during the Dales Grimpeur
soon privileged to be in the company of a throng of VC-167s – those hardened road warriors of the northern lands are renowned for being as hard as nails and it was a very pleasant hour I spent in their company before getting a puncture after crossing the A69 – my spirits seemed to deflate too. The next stretch, to Newcastleton, is a long remote stretch of rambling moorland and wide northern skies. Ahead of me I briefly caught sight of Rob Hinds from Blaydon but couldn’t quite catch him before he joined forces with two others by the remote church and information control. The café at Newcastleton was as fine as I remembered it from the previous year. There were still plenty of riders around and I soon got chatting to a few guys over the afternoon stop before setting out into the moor-scape again. I chatted briefly to Judith Swallow, also of VC-167 (I was in hallowed company), admiring her specially made Moulton (which is of interest to me because I possess a 1964 MK I which I bought as a restoration project several years ago and
