
Rombalds Stride
We were a cheerful group of Black and Whites as we strolled to the start from the school, The talk was about the weather being un-Rombalds-like; benign and cool.
Our Irish contingent, Colin and Brian, were full of colour; their jackets illuminous and bright, Our intrepid photographer was less visible, only just spotted at the start – almost out of sight.
Quick! We were off, down to hill towards Esholt weaving our way through the woods, I came a cropper on the slippery slopes, hitting the deck in my first dalliance with mud.
I certainly wasn’t the only black and white on the day who fell, Matt Podd and Jim Yates both having their war stories to tell.
The moors, Baildon and Ilkley came and went with toil but no drama, Our passage towards Weecher couldn’t have been calmer.
The climb out of White Wells softened me up – it’s a steep little ramp, Then the uneven ground through Rocky Valley delivered its usual bout of cramp.
I found some semblance of rhythm to get from Burley through Menston, Hopeful that the cramp was subsiding and that my race wasn’t done.
The big climb up West Chevin is a cruel sting in the tail, Even with the aid of a big stick, the slopes made me quail.
At last, the climb ended and over the summit I strode, Now all that remained was the descent down the road.
I arrived in the school hall to the happy sound of fell tales of lows and highs, Blue bags over shoes and gravy on pies.
The highest of all for OAC were Chris and Laura, With a win on debut and four-in-a-row; both have created quite an aura.
In his age category, Matt Podd had a very impressive win, But there were queries about how 45-year-old Ross maintains such youthful skin.
All in all, a fantastic and fun morning out, Type two fun though, for the avoidance of doubt.
Stephen Boddy