With the weather warming up and the rides increasing in length 2017 is now off to a flying start. After doing a number of multi day coast to coast trips in the past the Knights are endeavouring to complete the feet in a day this year, and are keen to get some decent miles in the legs to prepare us for the effort.
An earlier than normal meet of 9am at Humber Bridge car park saw 13 Knights turning out on what looked to be a glorious day for a jaunt to Market Rasen, for this month’s away day. Whilst some of the riders waited for others to turn up (with all of their equipment…) some light refreshments were to be had from the convenient breakfast van open for business when we got there. Although we had to share the meeting place with Cottingham Road Club the roll out wasn’t too chaotic and before we knew it we were out on the road in the sunshine. Some of the knights had chosen to ride to the bridge from Beverley so had already clocked up a few miles and were suitably warmed up.
The Lincolnshire Wolds had so much to offer alongside clear blue sky and baking sun as we rolled up and down the countryside there couldn’t have been a better way to spend a Sunday morning. But the smooth rolling roads were short lived as the route we were following suddenly ran out of road? Despite reassurance before the ride the route had gone ‘off road’ Barnetby Wold to be exact. Using some of the best Cyclo-cross skills I’ve ever seen we somehow, miraculously managed to all ride through without any puncture or incident – although everyone’s bike was now filthy, thanks Neil!
Next followed a gravel road for around 4 miles which was almost as delightful as the cyclo-cross we had just endured however apart from one dismount (I raise my hand in shame) we all managed to get across with no punctures – lucky. As we pushed on we saw a lone cyclist pass us a few times, we never managed to catch his name however he recommended a cafe for us to stop at in Market Rasen called Jossels (pictured). What a recommendation! It’s not often a small cafe gets the order absolutely spot on when an influx of hungry cyclists walk in on a Sunday morning but Chapeau to the staff, top grub and top service!
After we were all suitably refuelled it was time to hit the road again, a more direct route back saw us stick to roads and despite one incident with a male in a white Lexus who was incredibly keen to give us a wave, we all headed back towards the bridge enjoying the sun and the hills! Some of the knights who had ridden from Beverley were steadily approaching 100 miles so it was a group consensus to keep going until this was reached (some before others) I ended up going around the block twice and down to the end of the street just to tip it over 100 miles however for most of us it was the first 100 miler of the year which was a fantastic achievement and bodes well for those of us doing the Prudential Ride London.
All in all another fantastic well organised away day for the Beverley Knights and as summer approaches we look forward to many more miles with smiles!
The 17th April marked the first away day for the Beverley Knights Cycling Club. The chosen destination was Spurn Point with a wonderfully flat 82 mile loop. The weather gods gave us their blessing and although it was chilly the sun was shining with hardly a cloud in site!
As is customary with Sunday Club Rides we met at 9am (slightly earlier than normal time 9.30am) at the market cross in Beverley Town Centre. A group of 10 rolled into town centre ready for a day of riding. Usual club rules applied ‘twenties (mph) plenty’ and off we went.’Hang on! Wheres Mike?’ A quick detour to pick up a sleepy Mike from his house who thought the usual time of 9.30am applied (we’ve all been there).
Heading out the back towards the village of Tickton it felt great to be back on the away days after a long cold winter, you could almost get a sniff of summer coming! Despite the use of GPS the good trusty map was called in to action somewhere just outside of Sproatley. Thanks to James & Neil for planning the route, the effort that goes in to planning the rides is often underestimated so thanks to all involved week in week out. A quick check from navigator Neil and we were back rolling along in the sun .
As we rolled in to Spurn a welcome site of the Crown & Anchor pub awaited us. When we pulled in to the car park – disaster! A closed sign on the door. We faced the option of waiting half an hour or finding a cafe, luckily the Spurn Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Cafe came to the rescue with the recognisable face of my old school teacher running the Cafe (many hours spent in detention so kept my head down and got my coffee order in). Some top grub, good coffee and highly recommended.
For the CX riders amongst us an attempt was made to ride to the end of Spurn Point itself however the water and sand was not a combination to be messed with so that attempt unfortunately was unsuccessful. Another group photo and we were on our way.
The way pack was tough in places and at times pacey (apologies on behalf of myself and Stephen O) with a severe head wind and some busy main roads to navigate we managed to regroup nearer to Leven and roll back to Tickton. All in all a fantastic ride out and look forward to many more this year.
Some photos of the day are attached. Look closely at the water behind in a couple of the pictures and see if you can spot a spooky cloaked lady…..
On the 21st December 2015 the annual AGM meeting was held at the Royal Oak pub in Beverley. There were many topics discussed with some questions raised of which to focus on for this year.
A message from our Club Chairman Neil Gregory:
Friday the 11th December 2015 saw the annual Christmas Party at the Cafe Velo. This was a chance to reflect on the year passed and some of the memorable moments on the rides of which there were many. Many enjoyed a nice meal courtesy of Cafe Velo and Hull Pie which some of us chose to enjoy with multiple pints of the fantastic selection of Belgian beers. Many thanks to Gary and his staff for having us at the venue and catering for a hungry and thirsty group of cyclists.
The awards were presented for the 3 coveted prizes on offer. The KOM was won by Gareth Jackson up Trundlegate in a hard fought battle with gravity. The sprint challenge was won by Stephen Oliver showing incredible strength to put in a good time past the Ionians rugby club stretch and the overall general classification for attitude, attendance and overall great riding throughout the year was won by Heather Gregory.
Congratulations to all.
A special mention to Jim Saunders who won Mr Grumpy this was well deserved, well done.
The 19th July was the annual trip to the Derbyshire hills and the Knights were in the capable hands of Pat who had planned the route which most of us knew was not going to be easy – an accurate prediction this quickly proved to be.
Within the first ten miles we were already at the foot of the Mam Tor hill climb. This beast of a climb was certainly a warm up for the day ahead. For those who relish the climbs this was familiar territory however the rest of us mere mortals were left to puff and pant our way up the best way we could. Chapeau to everyone though as all the Knights made it up with (relative) ease.
After the hard work of the climb a well earned bite to eat was in order, a wonderful little cafe was hastily willing to accommodate however the anxious look on the staff faces as 15 Lycra clad sweaty cyclists piled into their little shop was rather amusing, nevertheless the cakes, sandwiches and coffee were fantastic.
Time to clip back in and burn off the carbs consumed. This was quickly achieved with the climb up the Windgather hill. I forget the proper name of this monstrosity of a drag so I’ve opted for it’s ‘Strava’ name, the name is irrelevant, it still hurt. Reaching the summit of this hill was a relief made all the more better by the absolutely breath taking views – full 360 degree panoramic of the beautiful countryside as far as the eye can see, even as far as northern Wales as we regrouped here and took in the views I think we can all look back and agree the torture to the legs was worth it.
Then the descent down in to the Goyt made it even more spectacular with some nervous moments on the way down at 48mph a closed road awaited us and the comfort of knowing there would be no traffic for at least the next five miles, this combined with the tranquillity of the Errwood Resovoir with the sun shining was a cause for smiles all around.
Up the cat and fiddle to the next cafe stop, again more great food some interesting cutlery and breathtaking views yet again. The next hour saw Neil desperately try to offload his cucumber to someone but was unsuccessful in his plight. Maybe next time Neil….
Again what goes up must come down and a phenomenal descent down Grin Low road topping speeds of 50mph with some fantastic corners thrown in for good measure on the way down, the speed continued with only a few shorter climbs thrown in before the end it was easy riding from this point on…. or maybe we could smell the pub??
A special thanks to Pat for taking us out and showing us the delights of Derbyshire, until next time!
A gallery from the day can be seen below:
Sunday the 12th July saw the Beverley Cycling club the Knights meet for the usual club ride at 9.30am. The weather report looked great and a few riders turned up at the band stand in anticipation of the day ahead in the saddle. The ride planned was to Howden on a flat route round to a golf club for a lunch stop and a flat second half back home. The day started slightly cloudy and cooler than anticipated and the element of rain seemed imminent. However no sooner had we set off the clouds parted and the sun beamed down in all its glory.
As we set off and grouped in to a bunch everyone began to find their rhythm, before long we were enjoying the flat flood plains around the River Humber cruising along nicely. Plenty of friendly chat exchanged between the riders as we rode through the countryside taking in some of the beautiful scenery East Yorkshire has to offer. Before we knew it we were in Howden and the smell of bacon sandwiches definitely picked the pace of the bunch up a little.
Upon arrival at the golf course we were met with some strange looks as you can imagine however the staff and regular golfers were friendly and welcoming. Some light refreshment and a bit of food (half a cow burger for Andy & Neil) and we were back in the saddle. With more flat countryside the chat began to diminish and the cadence grew quicker stretching the bunch out a little. But as on any club ride, nobody gets left behind so we were all grouped together ready for the run in to Beverley.
Some of the Knights decided one pint wasn’t enough and headed to The Barrel in Walkington to continue the ‘light’ refreshments. A kind soul even let Stephen rev his Audi R8, and that’s not a euphemism…..
We genuinely couldn’t have asked for better conditions; still wind, bright sunshine and a flat route – Average Speed 18mph, Total Elevation 1,028ft, Distance 68.7 miles.
The cycling tan lines were strong after this one!
Ok, so it wasn’t quite the longest day of the year but that didn’t stop people from the Beverley Cycling club the knights turning out for the annual Summer Solstice ride. The weather had been on and off all day with it threatening to rain however when the clock got to 6.30pm and the Knights began to congregate at Market Square the sun came out and a beautiful British summer evening emerged.
Attendance was high with 22 riders turning up to join in on the leisurely jaunt to Hornsea sea front and back. A nice flat ride with a decent average speed (my Strava said 18.2mph) the conditions were perfect as we took in some of the gorgeous scenery this part of the country can offer. We really are lucky to live where we live and the abundance of country lanes in the area are just asking to be ridden by any keen cyclist.
Forty miles later and we were back at the pub met by partners and some funny looks from the locals (not you Mike) there was curry and chilli on offer and of course plenty of ale for everyone. But the star of the show had to be the complimentary cheese board at the end!
Many thanks to the staff at the Royal Oak not only for accommodating a load of sweaty cyclists in lycra but for the great food and full stomachs!
Now, I’m sure there is a cycling event starting next week?? Allez!
Waiting for bacon sarnies to arrive at Cranswick Garden Centre, discussions turned to what would be the invincible Beverley Knights’ next big challenge? The Fred Whitton Challenge in the Lake District was mooted and quickly dimissed. But what will it be? The answer was there on the wall of the cafe, right in front of our eyes…The mighty Way of The Roses’ cycle route from Morecambe to Bridlington. We all agreed, our next challenge was set:
Seventeen Knights, loaded bikes and bags full of resplendent shining lycra into the minibuses in Beverley and set off on the journey west. Did Mick, Polly and Kev, our fantastic drivers for the weekend, really know what they were letting themselves in for?. We left exactly on time, and this was an indication of things to come. Our first stop was the Armstrongs Fish and Chips in Prestwich, near Manchester about half way to Morecambe. This proved to be a wise move as they provided some of the best fish and chips tasted and huge portions for those much-needed carbs. It was a good job the order for the 15 lots of fish and chips (one with curry sauce) and the other portions of fish and peas (why no chips?) were telephoned through beforehand as the queue was out the door. We munched the fodder in the vans and set off back en route, feeling like happy bloaters. We finally arrived at our B&B in Morecambe by about 9pm. We offloaded our bags into the rooms and went in hunt of a beer. Beer was found underneath a hotel about half a mile up the road. I say underneath as the hotel wouldn’t let us in their bar. Instead, we were led to the cellar where a waiter with an eastern European accent suggested this bar had a good atmosphere. It turned out it was Karaoke night and the poor bar maid took about half an hour to serve the 20 or so pints of hand pumped beer. Thankfully the beer was better than the singing and after a few pints we headed off back to the B&B, wondering what lay ahead of us the next day. It turned out the answer was simple… hills!
We were all down for breakfast nice and early and tucked into our full English breakfast to help prepare us for the day. Ray and Matthew had other ideas and headed along the beach for a walk to take in the last of the sea breeze. We all unpacked our bikes, pumped up the tyres, and headed off down the coast only to discover there was a bike left there without a rider – it was Jim’s. Once he was rounded up, we headed off again to the start about 2 miles along the front. The weather was ideal, a bright sky, not too hot or cold and with a strong westerly wind. We stopped for the usual team photo and were off down the back streets of Morecambe, through a supermarket car park and onto a track towards Lancaster. At this point we encountered the only puncture of the weekend with Linda being the unfortunate recipient. It was soon repaired and we were back on the road.
After about 15 miles we were out in the countryside enjoying the tail wind and clocking up the miles. We learnt early on that the route was well marked out with clear signage. It was then that we started the relentless climbs and descents (these were the easy ones) that were all taken in good spirit. We stopped to meet the van for a snack in Clapham and Heather managed to meet and get a photo of Alan Bennett. Clapham is a bustling little town with a waterfall, as a few of us discovered when we set off in the wrong direction up a track that got worse and worse with bigger and bigger boulders, oh and a dark tunnel. After asking some fell runners the way they advised this was not the route for road bikes and we concluded it was the mountain bike route so headed back. By this time we were about 15 minutes behind the main group but the hills were rolling and still with a tail wind we plodded on to our first big climb just outside Settle which was relentless but do-able. We finally made it to our rendez-vous with the van again for dinner. Kev, the van driver for the day did us proud and put a spread on that was devoured in seconds, well done that man. From this point the group split up again and people were left to tackle the rest of the days’ climbs at their own pace, safe in the knowledge that the nights hotel was en-route. The route took in Fountains Abbey and some other amazing places.The views experienced today were memorable and more than made up for the tough hilly route.
Day 1 Pictures
![IMG_0201[1]](https://beverleyknights.co.uk/gallery/day-1/IMG_02011.JPG "IMG_0201[1]")
The hotel was the Best Western at Boroughbridge and it was the ideal stop. The pool, Jacuzzi and sauna were amazing after the 8000 ft of climbing and 90 miles in the saddle. Our deal included dinner which was a dignified affair with good food and a more than adequate wine menu (sadly not included in the price). After dinner, we relaxed in the bar and relived the day’s events with a few Black Sheeps, safe in the knowledge that the next day was flat in comparison to today’s climbs.
Day 2 started with another hearty English breakfast and away we went again with a tail wind to drive us along and some ugly-looking clouds that meant no-one knew what to wear. The going was flat and we soon found ourselves in familiar territory around York and a coffee stop in the shadow of York Minster. The flat, familiar route soon rose as we headed out of Millington and up to Huggate. Again Kev did us proud with the lunch he provided and we ate up the dinner as quick as our miles. We were soon passing Hutton Cranswick which was the location where we first discussed the trip, only to head North towards Driffield and our final destination of Bridlington 170 miles later. The view of the sea as we rounded the corner was a wonderful site . Photos and champagne followed at the end point. The Beverley Knights’ awards ceremony followed: Sharrin was awarded the prize for happiest cyclist and Jim got the Mr Grumpy cup solely for the fact that he did the last 10 miles on his own. The polka dot climber’s trophy had to be postponed until the times for the climb out of Settle could be checked on Strava. James was the ultimate winner, of this coveted trophy.
All in all, the route is amazing, well signposted and tough. The trip couldn’t have gone better, this is partly down to the weather and the tail wind throughout, but mainly down to the team who organised the trip. Well done Neil! Huge, grateful thanks also go to those who supported us along the way – thanks to our minibus drivers Mick, Polly and Kev. We are particularly grateful to Kev for being our luncheon chef extraordinaire! One question remains, what is the next Knights’ challenge?
Day 2 Pictures
![IMG_0242[1]](https://beverleyknights.co.uk/gallery/way-of-the-roses-2015-day-2/IMG_02421.JPG "IMG_0242[1]")
![IMG_0245[1]](https://beverleyknights.co.uk/gallery/way-of-the-roses-2015-day-2/IMG_02451.JPG "IMG_0245[1]")
As most of us go back to the grind today, a chance to reflect on the weekend just gone – and what a weekend it was. For three days the eyes of the cycling world turned its attention to Yorkshire and some of us even had the chance to ride the majority of stage three crossing the line with a sprint finish (if anyone had the legs for it they are not human). Estimations state that between 1 – 1.5 million people lined the streets to show their support over the three days and below is a review of events using various media collected over the course of the Tour.
Stage 1
The first stage saw the riders start in Bridlington, as we travelled to the seaside town we were lucky enough to be caught in the NFTO team convoy, we took a few pictures of the vehicles and posted to twitter to let the team know we were with them which resulted in them giving us a cheeky retweet and a follow from Pro Rider James Lowsley! As the teams pulled up to the start area and the might of Team Sky made it’s presence known with it’s enormous team bus an agonising wait ensued for Sir Bradley to appear from his camper-van for Team Wiggins. An hour and a half later and the man himself appears, stopping to sign his autograph (maybe shouldn’t have asked him to sign a Team Sky race card) for me and I wished him good luck to which he replied ‘thank you’, I then jokingly told him to enjoy it to which he laughed. I tried not to act overwhelmed but giggling like a school child at my own joke probably gave my game away….
As the riders settled in for stage 1 the race was on to beat the peloton to Scarborough where a sprint finish was on the cards along Marine Drive. The atmosphere was incredible and thousands flocked to see the riders coming towards the finish line, luckily the sun had it’s hat on too!
Stage 2
The second day saw the riders come to Beverley! Many of the Knights chose to chase the Tour on a Saturday ride the crowds lined the streets of the town in particular North Bar Within & Without. As the peloton approached Beverley it was a breakaway of 8 riders that hit the town first, around four minutes later the peloton followed captured in fantastic slow motion on the video below. It was great to see the crowds coming out even if the weather wasn’t the best, a true testament to how far cycling has come and in particular what an impact Wiggo has had on the popularity of the sport.
An amazing slow-mo shot of the peloton passing through Beverley.
Stage 3
Stage 3 was all about the sportive for most of the Knights with some of us choosing to do the 142km route and others on the 109km route both proved incredibly challenging. The weather was trying it’s best to dampen peoples spirits however it was not to be with thousands of cyclists turning out to take part. The ride proved to be one of the most challenging rides to date with over 6,000ft of climbing and some ridiculous hill climbs that devastated the legs. The crowds had already began to gather for the pro race coming through and they were cheering encouragement to every single one of us. An absolutely fantastic route which I’m sure will be tackled again some day in better conditions, photos of the event can be found on www.sportcam.net
