Sled MeerKats

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In the absence of head meerkat Raymond, Pugwash “stuck his head above ground” and proposed a ride to Sledmere. I wouldn’t call the response overwhelming, in fact you could almost imagine the tumbleweed drifting in the ether. Eventually two brave “meerkats” popped up and decided to join in the “foray” prompting others one by one to come along.

The day began with continuing overcast skies with light breezes making it a pleasant autumn/winter day. Seven “meerkats” gathered in the relative safety of the bus shelter at Etton before setting off in “search of food”. The first obstacle to overcome was the climb up to South Dalton followed by a meander up to Bracken top.

Once the “clan” regrouped they got the “all clear” to set off on the next leg to Kirkburn. It proved to be quite a rough section of ground with many defects on the surface coupled with dried mud from recent farm activity covering the route making it a somewhat bumpy run. On reaching the main road the “clan” were then faced by traversing a much more dangerous habitat. After waiting patiently for an opportunity to dodge the “predators” the clan scurried as quickly as they could to the next point of refuge at the junction to Garton-on-the-Wolds. The road to Garton was gently undulating after which the “clan” then headed for the long drag up Garton Hill to the “Great Meerkat in the Sky” (aka Sir Tatton Sykes monument).

After paying “homage” to the “Great Meerkat”, ‘SteveG’ turned back home while the rest of the “clan” set off to raid the food larder at Sledmere House. Colin left the “clan” as the rest went sneaking in the back door and made themselves comfortable while consuming whatever delights they’d managed to forage. Russell came up trumps with a dish consisting of FOUR poached eggs! “Well they were small” he declared with a grin that would have been a good impression of the ‘Cheshire Cat’ as he polished off his plate in no time at all.

Suitably refreshed the “clan” left to return home. Turning onto the road to Wetwang, you could almost hear the whoops of delight as the Meerkats “sled”ged down the steep ‘piste’ only to be followed immediately by groans and grinding of gears as they headed up the other side. “Well that got the heart rate going again” someone said as we regrouped at the top. Following some more gentle climbing, we were then faced with the delight of the long descent down Life Hill to Wetwang. From there we headed gently upwards to Huggate and returned to Etton via Middleton-on-the-Wolds and Holme-on-the-Wolds

All in all it was a very pleasant ride, slightly longer than usual for the time of year but none the less enjoyable. Until next time…..

A Day at the Velodrome

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This Tuesday saw a number of Knights taking advantage of the opportunity to experience riding in a velodrome. For some it was their first experience, while others had been at least once before. We may not have performed like the professionals but with us all in club kit we certainly looked professional.

The day was brilliantly organised by Michael. Departing from Beverley on the 0905 train via Hull changing at Sheffield then on to Manchester Piccadilly. Once there, we headed for the tram service to take us the Velopark. So far, everything had gone to plan. After checking in at reception, we were issued our helmets and shoes and pointed in the direction of the changing rooms. I’m sure some of us took a moment to consider that we were now walking in the footsteps of some of the greatest in the sport of track cycling past and present.

Sizing up for the bikes was a bit heath Robinson. “I’ve been doing this twenty five plus years” we were assured by Mr “No-Measurements-Required” as each of us were given the “eye-over” and handed a bike of appropriate size. After wheeling the bikes into the “D”, it was time the final “guesstimate” for the saddle height followed by a safety briefing regarding behaviour on the track. Finally it was time to head out to the “concrete” and mount up. The first “task” was to “push off” from the railing one at a time to complete a couple of laps on the “blue” and practice slowing down and stopping which was a bit novel since the fixed gear bikes don’t have brakes. Once we were all comfortable on the bike, we proceeded onto the real track for a short warm up.

As our confidence grew, so did the speed and the further up the track we could ride. Eventually we all pulled in for the next briefing. When we returned to our bikes it was a job to remember where we’d left them as each bike looked exactly the same except for Neil’s which had small blue sticker on it.

The final part of the session consisted of an individual time trial. This consisted of one lap of the track as fast as possible from a virtual standstill. On this occasion the ‘gold’ went to Dan with Michael taking ‘silver’ and Neil the ‘bronze’.

All too soon, our session came to an end and thoughts turned to food and drink. Italian cuisine was the food of choice and we all felt we’d have more options by taking the tram and heading back to Piccadilly. After a short walk, we stumbled upon a pizza place called Rudy’s. It turned out to be a great choice with an empty table for eight ready to be filled by eight thirsty and hungry cyclists. The drinks flowed (including a round “on the house”) with the conversation becoming more and more animated. By the time we’d reached the end of the meal we’d had a thoroughly good time however it was time to head back to catch the train home.

Negotiating our way through the station at such a busy time proved to like crawling through a nest of ants with people heading seemingly at random in every direction trying to reach their own destination. In the end we made our train by the skin of our teeth only to find that the ants had now turned into sardines and were packed in tightly with standing room only until stopping at Stockport. Arriving at Sheffield we found our connecting train had been delayed causing further delays on the way home all of which took some of the gloss off what had otherwise been an excellent day out.

Misty Morning Mountains

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🎶Misty mornin’, don’t see no sun, I know you’re out there somewhere having fun🎶 Yes it’s that season again of “mists and mellow fruitfulness”. Just as we thought we’d have a nice dry day, we awoke to drab grey skies, wet roads and a blanket of mist. Still, the Knights were undeterred with a “baker’s dozen” turning out at the starting point at Etton for what Raymond had described as one for the “mountain goats”.

The first “mountain” of the day came shortly after the start as we headed upwards through South Dalton to Holme-on-the-Wolds before wending our way to Middleton-on-the-Wolds to begin everyone’s favourite climb to Huggate.

On reaching North Dalton two of our number, DJ and Raymond, decided to return home and left the remainder to continue the original route.

Leaving Huggate behind we headed towards Warter. Part way along the road, a shout came from behind “Car Back!!!” Unfortunately that didn’t really describe what was approaching or stern. Turned out to be a huge 🚚 almost completely filling the width of the road and appeared to have little patience about getting past our group as it tried to squeeze by at the slightest opportunity despite the poor condition of the road surface and lack of space to pull in.

Following a breathtaking downhill into Warter we regrouped before heading for the next “mountain” along Bailey Lane. “This next hill is a bit steep isn’t it?” enquired Helen trepidatiously. “Noooooo not at all” we all assured her with tongues firmly in cheek. After gathering at the top having huffed and puffed our way, climbing sections varying in gradient from 6-12% there were some sighs of relief. “Well that wasn’t so bad was it?” commented someone. The climbing then continued, though on a gentler gradient, until reaching Nunburnholme top. There was then a brief respite as we headed downhill to Londesborough before tackling the final two climbs to the Fiddle Drill cafe at Goodmanham.

For the homeward journey we continued to climb from Goodmanham to the top of Kiplingcotes. At the top of the hill we noted a lot of cars parked up at the side of the road. Turned out to be a hunt meeting. As we zoomed downhill we could hear the sounds of the hunting horn blasting in the field nearby. It was soooo tempting to start shouting “tally ho” however the imminent approach of some pack hounds crossing the road focused our attention more appropriately. The final leg of our journey then took us home along the usual route through Etton and Cherry Burton.

Game of Thrones Autumn 2024

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The nights are fair drawin’ in and time will soon be running out for anyone wanting to get their hands on a trophy. In the battle of the “winged serpents” Sir Michael is still standing supreme at the top of the pile of “broken dreams” despite the best efforts of Sir Chad in 2nd place creeping ever closer with a time of 54s. Racing into 3rd place with a very creditable time of 57 secs is Sir Neil. Still flying the flag for AgeUK, Sir Jim is clinging on to 4th place by the skin of his teeth with 59s while our leading maiden the Lady Heather posted a superb time of 1:04

Meanwhile over on the Shark’s Tooth battle field it remains eerily quiet. Only Sir Sean has made a recent effort to improve his grip at the top with a really impressive average speed of 34.8km/hr.

It’s all change at the top in the “Hall of the Mountain King”. Having a tight grip on the “sprint” crown Sir Michael has now turned his sights on the “Mountain” crown posting an impressive time of 5:19 to wrest the “crown” from the disbelieving fingers of Sir Sean who now drops to 2nd place. Is there anyone who can “light the blue touch paper” and give challenge to the all conquering Sir Michael?

October Revolutions

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Well that’s October rolling in already bringing along with it some distinctly autumnal weather, which of course has curtailed a number of the recent club rides. However all is not gloom and doom with the sun putting in a welcome appearance for this Fridays ride to Allerthorpe.

Eleven Knights plus one guest rider gathered at Etton under brilliant blue skies with a few scudding “mares tail” clouds. The dress code for the day was more like morse code, a few longs and a few shorts with the temperature just in double digits. The group set off towards Kiplingcotes passing “Grannies Attic” on the approach to our first major climb of the day, Arras Hill. Not too steep but soon had us all spread out with just a steady incline around 2-3% then ramping up briefly to 5% before leveling off near the main road.

After regrouping at the top we set off once more towards Sancton. Unfortunately the road was strewn with shingle and mud from “tractoring” and unlucky for Chad as he picked up a puncture just before the final descent. At this point the “breakaway” were too far ahead to notice. The rest of us waited while Chad set about the repair. Just as we’d set off to continue, Colin, Graham and Chris appeared having just climbed back up the hill to see what had happened. 😁

Leaving Sancton we headed for North Cliffe then along Sand Lane to the Market Weighton road before turning off to Harswell. At this point Ed must have been feeling pangs of hunger as he shot off the front like a donkey chasing the elusive carrot. He was not alone though as Seadog chased him down clinging onto his tail. The final leg of the outward journey took us through Everingham and Bielby then over the Pocklington canal to Allerthorpe Lake park.

For the return journey we retraced our steps back over the canal but then turned towards Hayton. After crossing the busy main road we headed to Burnby followed by the steady ascent to Londesborough before plunging down then up the other side of Intake Hill.

After a final regrouping we continued towards Market Weighton picking up the Spring Road to Kiplingcotes and back to Etton and home to end another enjoyable day in the saddle.

Friday The 13th

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There was no sign of paraskevidekatriaphobia (fear of Friday 13th) this morning as 11 Knights turned up at Market Cross for a 50 mile ride with a cafe stop at Hutton Cranswick Farm Shop.

In fact there was more superstition surrounding Michael’s proclamation that he was riding his new bike which our recently departed friend Iain assured him had never suffered a puncture. Given Michael’s recent history in that department it was brave of him to “tempt fate”. Cue multiple mock expressions of disbelief along with promises to carry extra spare inner tubes.

No sooner had the ride set off when we ground to a halt at the railway crossing where we had a “double whammy” of trains passing before continuing our way towards Weel bridge and onwards to Tickton. Picking up the cycle path to Whitecross roundabout the ride meandered through Leven and Brandesburton before reaching the Bewholme road. Turning off on to the road to Dunnington we headed to Skipsea Brough. Along the way though, we got into a “dog fight” when a little “ankle biter” Jack Russel appeared on the road and made aggressive moves towards Pug. Fortunately his bark was worse than his bite and no harm was done (touch wood).

As we regrouped at Skipsea Brough someone suggested that the Wansford bridge was so closed but with a bit of luck (fingers crossed) we may find a way across. Up to that point we had enjoyed the light airs on our backs and the sun in our faces however once we started to head towards Beeford, the “light air” felt more like a breeze. After Beeford, the ride turned towards Foston-on-the-Wolds and on to Wansford where we found the bridge was definitely still closed. “Oh balderdash” cried our route master (or words to that effect). “Sorry men, we’ll have to head up to Driffield and back to Skerne”.

Splitting into two chain gangs we set off on our extended journey. Entering Driffield we were once again held up by a passing train. As we waited at the back of the queue, Dave 💧 🏠 shot off to the front. “He’s gone to ‘conduct’ the train out of the way” suggested one wag. The final leg of the outward journey took us through Skerne to Hutton Cranswick. Eight Knights stopped at the Farm Shop cafe while the other three continued home.

The homeward journey saw us taking our usual route over Bracken to South Dalton (except for Colin who headed to North Dalton) and Etton and Cherry Burton to complete another very enjoyable ride in great company.

Here Comes The Sun

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… and what better place to go than the seaside. As the eighteen Knights gathered at Market Cross Raymond must have thought “Is it my birthday or are you all just pleased to see me back?”

Splitting into smaller groups, we set off through town to the Weel Bridge with Colin leading the “breakaway” group. At Tickton Grange we regrouped after trying to cross the busy road. “PEEEEEP!!!” Oops who was that we wondered incurring the wrath of an impatient driver. “He was going too fast” explained Neil sheepishly as he joined those already waiting. Once we were all safely across there seemed a reluctance to set off again as everyone was enjoying the blazing 🌞 and general chit chat. Eventually Chris took up the lead in the “breakaway” group until taking up “lollipop duties” at the junction to High Farm. Karl then took up pace setting at the front until the next regroup approaching Leven.

After a short breather Pugwash took off as front runner. Honest I was only trying to get ahead to take some “action shots”. Turns out there was a drama unfolding behind as DJ came off the worse following an “argument” with the pavement kerb. Luckily the only damage was to his pride as he was able to continue the ride.

After passing through Brandesburton we headed for the quieter road via Nunkeeling and Dunnington to Skipsea Brough where we paused once more to regroup.

Turning south we carried on to Bewholme along quiet single track country roads, enjoying the light breeze on our back and the sun in our face, eventually leading us past the Honeysuckle Farm and into Hornsea. Our cafe of choice for today was the Floral Hall where they coped well with the sudden arrival of horde of hungry cyclists.

Having devoured our refreshments, thoughts turned to the route home. “Which way are we going Ray?” we asked our route master. “We have two choices today” he declared. “First option is go to Mappleton and turn right towards Great Hatfield. Second is for anyone wanting a slightly longer route to carry on to Cowden and Withernwick. I’m turning off at Mappleton!” When it came to “decision time” it looked like everyone was going to follow suit but at the last minute four Knights opted for the longer route and better road surface offered by going via Cowden.

By this time the wind had changed direction, blowing lightly from the east helping us along the way. While the main “peloton” passed through Great and Little Hatfield to Long Riston, the breakaway group arrived at the same point via Withernwick and Rise. The final leg home took both groups through Arnold to Beningholme before reaching the Meaux road leading to Routh and back along the cycle path Tickton. It was another great day out with perfect cycling conditions and wonderful to see so many Knights turn out.

Goodlads Hunmanby Ride

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Eight Knights plus one guest Gary, met up at Market Cross at the earlier time of 9am. Following our usual route through town towards Weel Bridge we encountered little traffic and with the wind at our back progress was swift 🚨🚨🚔 too swift for some it seems. “Do you know what speed you were doing sir?” Jon asked incredulously before adding “22MPH!”.”Honest guv, I was only following the wheel in front”. Easing off the pedal (a little) we continued our journey to Tickton and Leven where Chad joined in the fray as we headed to North Frodingham, Beeford then Great Kelk and Little Kelk.

Stopping on Moor Lane we took the opportunity to reserve our table at the Pot Still cafe at the Spirit of Yorkshire distillery. Shortly after, we reached Burton Agnes…..and here endeth the flat lands. As we skirted round Burton Agnes Hall we headed into unknown territory for most of us except for Karl who must have picked up the scent of coffee ☕️ wafting in the air and set off like a foxhound in search of his quarry with the rest of the pack baying at his heels. After passing Rudston we continued north towards Reighton before the final run into Hunmanby.

During lunch Karl enquired “You haven’t recced this route have you?” referring to Hunmanby Hump. “How bad can it be?”. We soon found out. No sooner had we left the cafe when we came face to face with the “WALL”. Not quite the North face of the Eiger but a stiff little tester reaching 12-13% climbing 32m in just 360m. Suddenly there was a whirring of gears, like the sound of the paparazzi trying to capture the the appearance of a supermodel, as everyone scrambled to find a suitable climbing ratio. With lunch still lying heavily in our bellies there was not going to be any racing up this hill.

The next section was once again flattish but directly into the wind as we rode through Wold Newton, Butterwick, Weaverthorpe and Helperthorpe where we eventually turned south west to Sledmere and back to more familiar roads. After tackling Limekiln hill and over the Monument “bump” we were “rewarded” with the lovely long descent into Garton on the Wolds. From there, we followed our usual route home via Kirkburn, Bracken and South Dalton.

Riding The Blues

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Blue skies complimenting the blue of the club kit greeted the Knights as a larger group than we’ve seen on recent Sundays gathered at Market Cross for a ride out to Withernsea and the Blue Light Weekend. Michael volunteered as ride leader for the day on our visit to his “old home town”.

Spirits were high as we followed our usual route out of town over the Weel bridge to Tickton where Jim joined us to make a round dozen. Following the cycle path to Routh we then turned south towards Meaux before picking up the road to Beningholme. So far so good but things took a different turn as we continued to Swine. As we came to a bend in the road, Michael suddenly veered off into what looked like a farmers field. Visions of taking their best Sunday bike through a ploughed field led to cries of consternation from the back of the pack, “Where’s he going?”. Fortunately, on the other side of the gate was a footpath leading to a segment of the Hornsea Rail Trail.

Emerging from the trail, we found ourselves riding past Ganstead golf club before heading through unfamiliar roads to Wyton and Preston. Always a bottleneck for traffic, it seemed even worse with the addition of traffic control for some road works. We did manage however to “wheedle” our way past and continued our journey to Burstwick and Withernsea.

After a look around on the sea front we set off again, this time heading northwest with a slight breeze in our favour towards Roos and Owstwick before reaching our cafe stop at the Spotted Duck in Fitling. The journey must have proved quite a trial for Ian as he ordered a stiff one. “Sorry sir we don’t have any cognac, but perhaps we have some whisky” he was informed. “Ooh that will do fine……. for medicinal purposes you understand” he intimated.

While seated around the outside tables enjoying the food and the company, Jim began to get itchy feet and decided to set off home ahead of the group. “I’ll come with you” declared Ian. Just as they were about to depart Neil piped up “Hey Jim, have you paid for your tea?”. After “sheepishly” settling their debts they set off, unfortunately neither having much idea of the route home, a case of the blind leading the blind. Checking afterwards, it would have been quicker if they’d waited for the peloton.

The homeward journey went well with the wind mostly behind us as we pedalled through Aldborough then turning to Withernwick, Rise and Long Riston where we picked up the main Hornsea road briefly to Whitecross roundabout and the cycle path back to Routh and Tickton. It was another wonderful day out on the bike, superb weather, great company and a good route despite the few ‘unusual’ aspects.

Over The Bridge

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“Meet at Etton 10am” declared our illustrious leader. “Route out of Etton, turn right to South Dalton, over the bridge and turn left…”. At this point we were all confused. “Bridge? What bridge?”

The “mystery” must have intrigued many of us with 15 Knights turning up at the start point. “Where’s this bridge then Neil?” we asked waiting patiently for the explanation. A few minutes later, still none the wiser, we set off towards South Dalton. As we came to the bottom of the hill on the approach to South Dalton where the road crosses Beck’s Drain, “There it is!” cried Neil triumphantly. Underwhelmed would probably describe all of our reactions as someone shouted out “Call that a bridge?!”

With the “mystery” cleared, we turned left towards Kiplingcotes passing Dalton Park before turning onto the Kiplingcotes Race Course road and the climb up to Cross Gate. Somewhere along the climb, Jim noticed his bike computer had fallen off and turned back to look for it. It was not until we reached North Dalton that we realised Jim and Colin were still not with us. “They’ve gone back to look for Jim’s computer” somebody informed us.

After waiting a few minutes, Neil started looking at his watch. “We can’t wait too long. We don’t want to miss the poached eggs” he claimed before continuing on to Bainton then adding “Anyway they know where we’re going”. At the same time Michael decided to go on a wild goose chase and headed back to look for Jim and Colin. He got back to Middleton-on-the-Wolds with no sign of the twosome before abandoning his “search”. Unfortunately for him the two “computer hunters” had gone back into Etton in their forlorn search for the missing device then taken a completely different route to the cafe.

Meanwhile the main group headed from Bainton to Hutton Cranswick and the farm shop cafe where we were due to meet up with Mel and Val. Sitting around the table Neil began to wonder where Mel was. “You told him 1145 it’s now only 1130”. It was not long before Michael arrived followed by Colin and Jim dripping in sweat to regale us with tales of the search.

After the cafe stop some of the group took a longer route home via Huggate while the rest followed our usual route home. Soon after leaving the cafe, Pugwash began to realise there was something wrong with his cleats. As we headed down to Bracken farm, Puggy was unable to release the left side cleat and had to resort to the unfamiliar right side. Arriving at Cherry Burton he took the opportunity to get some help to release the offending attachment. Turns out that two of the three holding screws had fallen out. “No problem” suggested someone “Just take one screw from the right side”. Well it was a great idea, until we found there was also one screw missing from the right as well. “Now what do we do?” In the end Puggy decided to try and ride home with no cleat on the left. After slipping off the pedal a number of times climbing “Grannies Hump”, off came the shoe finishing the ride with just a sock on one side.

Here endeth another memorable ride with the Beverley Knights.