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The sun was shining on Saturday morning as 15 women rocked up at Spring Gardens Farm Shop in Washington for the Reilly Wild Women: an intro to bike packing weekend. It soon became apparent that while we were wild women we were less keen to be wild women carrying kit and the van was soon bursting with bags, tents, pillows and the like. |
Day 1
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The fast group (aka The Keenie Beanies) were first to arrive at Littleton Farm Campsite in Upwaltham. A beautiful location, run by a really friendly and relaxed farmer with excellent facilities.
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Some of the group paired it right back, sleeping in a body bag, oops I mean a bivvy bag while others opted for casual glamping. We all ended the night sat around the campfire.
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Day 2
Up early for a wonderful breakfast thanks to Cadence Cafe on site.
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Distance 19.4 mi with 1,750 ft uphill and 1,975 ft downhill.
The Keenie Beanies set off at a fast pace and even with coffee stops came in first. The less fast (aka The Back of The Bus) encountered a few mechanicals so ended up riding the final 6 miles on the road to ensure they got to Spring Gardens in time for lunch while The Mountain Bikers stuck to the off road and powered in shortly after.
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What a wonderful way to finish such an epic weekend with a mouthwatering spread by Spring Gardens Cafe in Washington.
Big thanks go to Reilly Ambassador Elaine Burroughs for creating the routes and keeping everyone on track throughout the weekend.
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This adventure was a chance to try off-road cycling. Although all participants were cyclists a few hadn't ridden gravel bikes before so tried out the Reilly demo bikes.
Cath on Gradient in XS
Lisa and Clare on Gradient T47 Clare's with the classified powershift
Zoe and Sue-Ann on Spectre with Panaracer Gravelking SK tyres in 38 mm
When asked about the bike, Cath summed it up “Haven’t you seen me? I’ve been smiling all day. I love it”. In fact, she and Lisa loved the demo bikes so much that they bought them at the end of the trip!
To have a go on a Reilly bike call the sales team on 01273 694143 or Send an Email