Tour of Yorkshire 2022. Day 5 Pateley Bridge to York

                                                              Day 5  Pateley Bridge to York

Friday was the final stage of the Tour of Yorkshire as we returned to York. It was a straight forward stage with just one tricky climb out of Pateley Bridge but after that it was virtually downhill all the way. It felt like more of a procession before a mass sprint finish after 8 laps of the premier inn car park.

So what could possibly go wrong? Well as we climbed out of Pateley Bridge my chain came off as my pedals just started to spin freely. However on further inspection I found that the chain was still on. The only other thing that could cause this is a failed freehub. If you know about bikes you'll no what I mean. If you don't then its very bad and normal fatal on a ride. After a bit of fing and jeffing I decided there was just one possible fix and I gave the freehub a solid kick. To my relief the free hub reengaged and I was still at the top of the hill first.

A re-enactment of the bike fixing kick

From here it was a very easy ride to our cafe stop Chez Nous at Borough bridge. It had a nice court yard setting and good, if not large, range of cakes.

At Chez Nous in their outdoor seating courtyard area

The cakes were excellent but it was Cadburys hot chocolate again and apparently the coffee was only fine. However it was the second cafe this week that bettered its Norfolk rivals by just 0.02.

The final push was panake flat and apart from the excitement of a wooden road bridge it was smooth sailing.

Big George crossing the wooden bridge

Then before we knew it we were back where we started.

Back at the start and incredibly in one piece

I just needed to hand over all the data I had gathered from the last two years to the boffins to crunch the numbers and let me know if Norfolk or Yorkshire cafes are best. I can then put in my entry form for the Nobel prize.

But what have we learned.

1. The boffins tell me that the average cafe in the Yorkshire moors and dales is 7.02

2. Fascinatedly an average Yorkshire cafe is 0.12 better than an average Norfolk one, and I have science to prove it.

3. If you see a sign telling cyclists to follow a division then follow it rather than going to check out the reason why first as this takes a lot longer.

4. It can be chilly at the top of hills so bring warm clothing if you always get there first.

5. Youth Hostel Bunk beds are 6 foot long regardless of the length of their guests.

6. If you are planning to do an iconic climb on your ride it is best to do it nearer the beginning than right at the end of the ride if your want to avoid a frosty supper.

7. When your bike breaks make sure you know where you need to kick it to fix

8. A route must never go on the same bit of road twice. Ever.

9. Unless you like cycling on tricky offroad sections then check your computer generated routes more carefully.

10. Some people seem to enjoy the views on climbs more than me as they like to get off their bikes so they can spend more time on them.

Todays route

Trip Stats

Route	Miles	Average Mph	Time on Bike	Metres climbed
York to Helmsley	38.4	13.4	2:51:50	484
Helmsley to Great Broughton	58.22	10.6	5:28:29	1991
Great Broughton to Hawes	79.49	11.7	6:49:19	1580
Hawes to Pateley Bridge	67.45	11.4	5:55:06	2082
Pateley Bridge to York	41.5	12.8	3:15:08	523
Totals	285.06	11.71	24:19:52	6,660

Cafe ratings

Cafe	Hot Chocolate Quality	Guest Hot Drink Quality	Cake Selection	Cake Taste Quality	Atmosphere and Ambiance	Total
Curious Coffee Company, Haxby	7.6	5.5	7.1	7.4	7.0	6.92
Hutton le Hoe	6.9	7.65	7.9	7.6	8.1	7.63
Danby Bakery		7	8.1	7.4	7.2	7.43
The Mustard Tree Café, Hurworth	5	7	6	7	7	6.40
No.15 Coffee House, Barnard Castle	5	7	6	7	7	7.06
&Then Tasting Deli, Kettlewell	8.7	9	6.3	7.45	8.6	8.01
Tea on the green, Bolton Abbey		7	8	7.6	8	7.65
Café Chez Nous	5	7	6.8	8	7.8	6.92