Fat Lad Races The Sunset
Mild, mostly dry trails.
Distance: 11.68 Miles
Total Distance: 70.59 Miles
Riders: Women want to be with him, Men want to be him. The one, the only: Fat Lad
Food scoffed: Nowt, like a daft get I didn’t stop long enough for sweeties 🙁
Quote of the Ride: “…this is the real world, I’m not a little girl, I know exactly who I am” – Fat Lad singing very badly in a thick Leeds accent to one of his guilty pleasure tracks.
Current Mood: Freewheeling the descents
Out on my own, the rest of the club earning a crust, I stick the Ipod on shuffle, and go for it.
1 QOTSA – Go With The Flow: Pottering round the house getting ready.
2 The Rolling Stones – Ruby Tuesday: I’m on the tarmac heading past Pete’s (stuck at work) house.
3 The View – Same Jeans: The Final bit of road before it’s time for the dirt.
4 Maroon Five – This Love: Hurtling down the field and something doesn’t feel quite right with the forks.
5 White Stripes – Blue Orchid: Storming up the steep bit into the copse and my legs are screaming at me.
6 Snow Patrol – Spitting games: Through the copse and down the next field
7 Portishead – Roads: Beth Ortons haunting vocals ease me through a dense sea of leaves down tight twisty singletrack.
8 The Fray – How To Save A Life: Head down pedalling the fire road through Birkby Brow wood.
9 For The Girl – The Fratellis: Crossing the main artery into Batley under railway bridge, it’s a superb bouncy track and I can’t help but sing badly and loudly along.
10 Teenage Kicks – The Undertones: Splash through the stream and conquer the other side.
11 God Put A Smile Upon Your Face – Mark Ronson: I start the climb to the ruins
12 You and Me – The Delays: Still climbing granny ring on this climb for first time in a long time.
13 Brianstorm – Artic Monkeys: The near vomit inducing climb out of the way I’m romping across the field rythm of the cranks matching the tempo of the song.
14 Life on Mars – David Bowie: Squeezing down the track only rideable a 1/3 of the year I ignore the adjacent quarry and it’s “Blasting 10-4” sign.
15 Real Girl – Mutya Buena: Through the church yard and up the long grass climb
16 Our Velocity – Maximo Park: Passing the school run at Westerton I’m disappointed the track doesn’t follow on to “books and boxes” the next track on a phenomenal album.
17 Cannonball – Damien Rice: I skip the swoopy bit of Haigh wood, it turns out to be a good choice as family walks their dog below. I exit out on the grass climb.
18 Mr Brightside – The Killers: Briefly on the tarmac and on for a lap of the reservoir.
19 I Write Sins Not Tragedies – Panic! At The Disco: I stop briefly to chat to some old fellas at the side of the water. I’m glad really, it’s a fucking awful song and I’ve no idea why I put it on my player. 
20 Babylon – David Gray: I lift the bike over the stile and fly in and out of the bombhole.
21 Learn to Fly – Foo Fighters: Heading out to the tarmac a big grin is plastered across my face, it’s an awesome track and so damn appropriate for this week.
22 Somebody Told Me – The Killers: Heading down Thorpe Lane and it’s 7 degrees according to learner’s car internal display who’s bumper I’m shadowing.
23 Hoppipolla – Sigur Ross: A beautiful piece of music for not a particularly scenic part of the ride. I head of the waste ground and cross the very busy road.
24 Breakfast In America – Supertramp: I fall over riding up a flight of very shallow steps.
25 Muse – Knights of Cydonia: I get home, stash the bike in the Bat Cave and sit down to let the post ride endorphins die down.
Through the slats of the blind in our living room I can just see the sun disappearing over the horizon.
I’ve beaten the dark.
Day Four Route
Fat Lad
3 Comments