Sunday 2nd September 2007 and I wasn't prepared for the scene that awaited me as I collected the group to start this easy local leisure ride.

Yep, thousands of riders! Well, Gollums are prone to exaggeration, there were two, and Golly made three. We waited about five minutes after the 10.00 am scheduled start time before riding off fairly slowly, just in case, back along to Holystone. Actually, there was so much going on this weekend that I didn't expect too many bodies.

From there we got off-road and made our way south through Hadrian Park down the side of the A19 to Silverlink. We managed to stay away from the tarry stuff until we made the Tyne Tunnel Trading Estate and then on to the Pedestrian Tunnel. On the foreign side of the Tyne we followed the river along the Keelman's Way to the Millennium Bridge. We arrived just in time, with the Quayside loudspeakers announcing loudly that the bridge was about to be lifted and for the public to evacuate it. Our signal to start crossing back over to Engerland. Perfect timing.

Dodgy Stuff!

  Down on the farm -

!

Back up north, Paul was distracted not by the bridge itself, but by a mean, black Aston Martin DB9 parked just behind the quayside. After a minute or two there, we moved along towards Walker where Paul entertained another bunch of envious bikers by pogo-ing his Specialised M4 along the waterfront. We turned away from the river where it is joined by the Ouse Burn and followed it's course back east into Heaton and then Jesmond Vale. We stopped here on a grassy area next to the Ouse and had a 20 minute lunch break. It was here during the idle chit-chat that Paul and Kay discovered they knew each other from their places of work! Tiny World, init?

Proceeding east, once under Armstrong Bridge we gained a bit of height on the paths and rode carefully through the Dene trying to avoid strolling, aurally challenged pedestrians. About half way through the heavens opened as if a switch had been thrown. We stopped under a couple of stout trees where the rain couldn't penetrate until it stopped, but it didn't stop, so we donned our waterproofs. About ten minutes later the rain stopped and it got very warm - typical!

 

Popping out of the Dene on Freeman Road, we followed the A189 through to Gosforth Park, staying on the old road past the Garden Centre then across towards Killingworth. Rather than staying on tarmac we diverted up into Burradon to join National Cycle Route 10, then left that on the bridleway across to Backworth. That's where Kay left the other two for home, and she would have ended up with about 31, maybe 32 miles on the clock. Paul and Terry took advantage of the field between here and Holystone to dispose of their last traces of energy on the down slope, and Paul left Gollum at his cave to go and meet his lift at The Wheatsheaf Hotel.

A fairly quiet ride with only us three participants, but a good leg stretcher all the same.

26 miles, 2 hrs 52 mins rolling time, Max 28.6 mph, average 9 mph.

Keep watching and if you fancy a ride out with us, drop us a line here: bailout@midaircrisis.org.uk