Tell us about your weekend ride

Nicely done, once again.

I know what you mean about unfinished business, getting around in under seven hours would feel pretty rewarding.

I think that the final summit might be a key feature in many a memory. I was totally rogered after the last two climbs in quick succession, whereas a chap that I'd been cycling with until that point caught his breath and returned to speed. I also remember riding to Ambleside after the finish, back along the final stretches of route, and seeing lots of racy folk beginning to filter through the early starters. Quite amazing, so they were.

Might we have hit Wrynose Pass from the easy side? The decent felt pretty intimidating, compared with the ascent (not that it felt anything but difficult).

Another memory has just surfaced, of a chap with whom I spent much of the journey. We had a natter at the start and it turned out that he was more at home going downhill on a mountain bike. Watching him descend made me clench almost as hard was when descending, such skill! He can only have had tremendously large testicles, of which I'm slightly envious.

On the whole I've been left rather gobsmacked by the Lakes. The route was absolutely first class, and I'm now extremely keen to return. Good thing, really. I'm meant to be accompanying my partner there this weekend (she's running), and I've just clocked the Jubilee weekend's extra holiday time. God save the queen.

Best o' luck in the Dales. More top territory!

Thanks - looking forward to getting up there this weekend as it's almost home territory for me. Got round that in 7hr4 last year riding solo, but I'm hoping to break 7hrs this year.

Have you seen the photos from Hardknott yet? Photog called Steve Flemming was up there (and apparantly round the course too) but he takes a cracking stylised shot. This is me:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sfleming/7211637768/in/set-72157629752661778

You're probably in there too although it takes a bit of patience to flick through - can't search by entry number unfortunately