Ride Report - 20 March 2022 - Woodlesford to Leeds

Even though none of our regulars were able to make this ride, and one rider having to drop out at short notice, we still ended up with three of us.

Niall immediately took to the big wheel, despite 26" being his largest experience previously, and despite Phil only having received his 36" the week before he was also on top form as we set off at a brisk pace towards Leeds.

Making such good progress, Robin (our ride leader) promptly forgot the first coffee stop of the day, and before we knew it we were in the centre, being diverted off Route 67 due to the installation of a new shared use bridge over the river (The David Oluwale which will be completed later in 2022). Luckily Leeds has no shortage of coffee establishments, and Out of the Woods at Granary Wharf were happy for us to rearrange their outdoor seating to get a spot in the sun.

Drinks, snacks, and discussion around handlebars all completed we decided it was still a bit early to find a central lunch spot, so joined the Leeds Liverpool canal for an extra few miles to Kirkstall.
There we encountered our first snag, as the intended pub were only taking food orders from those with bookings - and you had to have booked in advance! The next pub *just* managed to fit us in, but unfortunately their vegetarian and vegan options were a little lacking - packed lunches are probably a safer option in the future...

The ride back to Woodlesford was interspersed with the occasional stop to try and determine the source of a curious clicking noise coming from Phil's brand new unicycle (which turned out to be a creaky crank interface), and a few unplanned dismounts as the day was getting later and everyone was starting to run out of energy, but we returned triumphant and looking forward to more, despite some chafing and tired legs.