Missing the company of your fellow Knights? Here is a little teaser to see how many “Knights” you can identify from the gallery below? Just to help, there is a small clue with each one. Apologies to anyone who is not included.

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AHOY THERE lolloping landlovers! Anyone suffering from cabin fever? This beast from the east shows little sign of abating. No, not the pesky crow virus from China but this wind off the North Sea which has kept our temperatures below other parts of the country. Fortunately it has remained mostly dry allowing us all to get out and about into the Wolds.

Since my last despatch there has not been much activity on the Shark’s Tooth except to say we now have a new Queen in town. Despite the cool easterly, Steph set off to stake her claim for glory. Burning round the course like Daenerys Targaryen on her dragon to establish herself as Queen of the Mountain🏆🥇 with a time of 22:45. The “Shark” has now created a slight barrier with traffic lights appearing at the bottom of Kirk Lane and “Road Closed” signs erected so it may be some time before any further “Shark Fishing” events.

Over on “Chris’s Hill” Olivier the Grand Old Duke of York marched his bike to the top of the hill to set a new best time of 5:14 and sieze his crown as King of the Mountain 👑⛰️ among the Knights.

There has also been a few Strava trophies picked up recently between Heather, Sarah, Steph and Sharrin. Many congratulations and accolades were handed out in recognition of the achievements however I’m not so sure compliments such “Nice cups” will always be taken as intended! 😉

Despite Mark’s big efforts, Michael seems to be leading on the distance covered so far this year closely followed by Heather then Chad. No doubt as the weather continues to warm and hopefully “lockdown” may be eased over the next few weeks, we are likely to see some longer rides posted.

Meanwhile here are some photos taken while out and about.

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Meanwhile out in the Ridings, the Knights appear to be taking advantage of the mostly clement weather and enforced layoffs to clock up the miles. I’m sure it has nothing to do with the fact we have a new prize this year for the largest percentage increase in mileage! 😉

In the land of the Ionians it has been fairly peaceful so far. Sir Dave of House Water posting the best time of 1:18 which was equalled by Sir Michael a few weeks later.

In the battle of Welton Wolds, Sir Chris has thrown down the gauntlet in a bid to add another crown to his collection and is currently in top spot with a time of 5:26 followed once more by Sir Michael at 5:31. But wait a minute…….. 🎶 What’s that coming over the hill? Is it a monster? 🎶 No, I do believe it is Sur Gery Hatrick tossing aside his crutches and rising like Lazarus to bag third place with a time of 5:41.

Looks like we’ll have at least another three weeks of lockdown followed by continued social distancing so not sure when group riding will be feasible again. However I shall endeavour to keep you entertained until things return to normal.

Hey Shipmates……. up here! It’s me Germy Corvid stuck in isolation up here keeping a look out for those nasty 19 miscreants. The only thing spotted this week was a rather irate shark being chased around for its tooth. After Michael set a new bench mark for everyone, Sarah followed with a valiant first attempt. Shaun was next up to the plate, waving walkers aside like a ship’s bow cutting through water as he raced his way passed Risby in a determined effort. These attempts however, paled into insignificance when Chris not only managed to ride on the back of the shark resembling an elite surfer before ripping out its teeth and wrapping them round his head in the form of a crown. 👑 Well done Chris, game on!

Now we are in the third week of lockdown with no sign of an end in sight. It’s a bit like staring at the horizon for hours on end, willing something to appear just to break up the monotony. Fortunately the weather has taken a turn for the better and has allowed us to keep getting out for our “permitted exercise” 🌞😁. This week I have managed to spot another three Knights, like ships passing in the night. Chad zoomed on by, head down giving it full gas and did not “clock” Mr & Mrs Pugwash heading in the opposite direction. Apologies to the other two, as I was unable to id you but you were both wearing BK kit.

One advantage of this social isolation, is the quiet roads. Returning home through town the other day, it would have been easy to imagine the tumbleweed blowing through the streets and the sound of “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” theme time whistling in the ears. Even the traffic lights kept changing in our favour.

Well folks that’s the end of my watch and I’ll be coming down from this lofty perch. The watch will now be taken over by Keep Schtummer who I’m sure will keep you all posted while captain Bo Nobo is recovering.

Ahoy there me hearties! How are we all coping with this enforced isolation? Like any ship in drydock, it is an opportunity to progress some essential maintenance so Captain and Mrs Pugwash have been hard at it….. maintenance that is! 😉🏠🎨 Now the decorating is finished it’s time to watch some paint dry! I used a long pole while painting the ceiling so if anyone wants to borrow it I’ll be able to pass it on without breaching the “social distancing” advice! 😁 Alternatively, I could tuck it under my arm like a jousting knight ready to fend off any miscreants coming too close.

Glad to see many of us are managing to get out for “sea trials”. With the weather turning a little drier recently, summer bikes are starting to appear. In my case it was like moving from battleship to frigate. Sailing solo now instead of in convoy has led to us to come up with other distractions. So far, I’ve managed to spot four Knights out and about. 🤺🤺🤺🤺

Thursday’s outing saw me acting as domestique. After giving Mrs P a slight head start, I realised she’d set off without a water bottle so raced off after her with an extra bottle in the back pocket. By the time I climbed Bluestone and up to High Hunsley, I was beginning to think perhaps she’d turned back early. Arriving at the base of Stoneknowle, there was still no sight but kept pushing on. It was not until Cherry Burton we finally managed to meet up by which time she’d worked up real “drouth” and latched onto the bottle like hungry “wean”. Thirst satisfied, we went on to complete the journey home together.

It’s only week two of lockdown but seems much longer, possibly due to group riding ending much earlier. While browsing through Strava, I wondered if we would have any sense of group riding, if on one day, we all followed the same route but at different times. Unfortunately, knowing the competitive nature of Knights we’d end up with time trial efforts! 🚴‍♂️🚴‍♀️ Until next time, keep the pedals turning.

After the recent Government announcements all group rides are cancelled until further notice. We may all be well, but as a nation we are being encouraged to avoid ‘non essential contact with others’. We can still head out individually and share our stories online. Hopefully things will return to normal sooner rather than later. Until then keep well and keep safe.

A meeting of the COBRA (Crows Of Beverley Ride Again) was convened at Manor House to discuss the latest developments in the virus outbreak. There had been a report that a group of 19 corvids attacked a pristine lawn, turning it into a quagmire. Spokesman for the crows, Germy Corvid, suggested it was not the crows to blame and pointed the finger at the Extention Rabble.

Chief crow, Raymond, called for a fly out to the Eastern front, where reports of a “murder” had taken place. Don’t know about him, but the rest of us could murder a bacon sarnie. Captain Pugwash suggested the route for today’s journey to Ulrome. Eleven crows set off towards Etton. Seadog decided to show the strength in his wings and flew off on a lonely solo until regrouping at South Dalton.

Crossing the main road towards Bracken, Matty decided to reprise his role as copper on point duty to guide the rest of the crows safely across the junction. Given some of his antics on previous rides when crossing busy roads, it was no wonder the following crows were a little apprehensive about his enthusiastic encouragement to cross.

At the top of Bracken, the wind came firmly behind allowing the crows to fly with hardly a flap of a wing. On reaching Cranswick, Neil and Heather returned to roost but not before delaying the Captain in a futile search among his feathers for the phone number of the cafe.

The remaining nine crows continued to Skerne and Wansford. This time it was the turn of Matty to leave the flock as he returned to the rookery via North Frodingham while the remainder turned through Foston-on-the-Wolds. At this point we had intended to phone ahead to warn the cafe of our arrival but with a slightly depleted number Raymond decided there was no need.

The flock continued to soar on the wind as we flew our way through Kelk, Gransmoor and Lisset now accompanied by a light sprinkle of showers, before the final leg into Ulrome. The Granary was a welcome sight as we rushed for shelter in the “Great Hall” where the crows assembled around the long central table.

As we arrived, the restaurant was already busy with lunch time patrons, so service was slower than we’d expected. When it came time to pay, the girl suggested we should have called ahead to warn of our arrival….. cue red faced Raymond!

Heading back to roost, the sun had made a welcome return and as an added bonus the wind had changed direction and would now be helping our flight home. The early pace was taken up by Chad as we made our way to Skipsea then Bewholme before reaching Brandesburton.

On the way into Leven, we noted that Steve’s tail feathers looked a bit limp forcing him to stop and make repairs, much to the chagrin of Chad who was now only a few minutes from home.

On the final leg, Mark set the pace as we made our way on the cycle path alongside an extremely busy main road. The end of another wonderful flight. It’s not often we get a circular route with the wind behind for most of the way.

The word was out, a Ginger Cow had been reported as openly wandering about somewhere near Everingham. Time to rustle up the cowhands to head out there and check the quality of the “meat”. Eight cowhands mounted their steeds to follow the trail to the west, passing through the one-horse town of Etton before making our way to Goodmanham and Market Weighton.

Heading up to the high ground towards Goodmanham, the cowhands were left wondering if it was the right decision as we came under attack by a forceful wind. A little further along the trail, greenhorn Ricky the kid’s steed suffered a thrown shoe. Unfortunately for him, he’d forgotten to pack his saddle bag and had no means to effect repairs, so had to rely on supplies from the other cowhands.

At Market Weighton, “Lone Rider” Andy returned home to attend a prior engagement while the rest continued to Londesborough. Taking the trail to Burnby the cowhands found the normally rough dirt track had been replaced by a lovely smooth surface. After the wonderful downhill ride, we headed for Hayton then towards Everingham where the Ginger Cow cafe sign came into view to provide a welcome break from the head wind.

With the steeds safely secured, the cowhands headed to the “camp fire” to place their order. Unluckily for some there had been a “run” on eggs so had to settle for second choices. While waiting for our food to arrive, “Trigger Finger” Neil produced a number of colouring in pages to keep us amused.

I’m sure the additional copies were brought in the hope someone else would join in to make him feel less conspicuous. The game was up however, as there was nearly tears and tantrums when told he could not have a lolly.

On leaving the cafe, it was noted that “Moonshine” James had suffered a wardrobe malfunction. Don’t look Heather “the Feather”…… oh too late. It appears that in order to combat the head wind, he’d decided to engage turbo-charger, assisted by the plate full of beans he’d consumed, and blew a hole in his backside. It made for much amusement on the return journey.

The expected helping wind on the return trail did not fully materialise, as it changed from westerly to South westerly. From Everingham, we turned to Harswell where we felt the first few drops of rain. The black clouds hanging over Beverley did not look promising but luckily the rain moved away ahead of us.

On the Cliffe Road, we headed to Hotham then South Newbald where it was decision time, to Trundle or not to Trundle. Sighs of pain sang out when “Tracker” Pugwash confirmed we’d be taking a “Trundle” up the high road. The final “trail” saw the cowhands taking full advantage of the following wind, galloping down Middlehowe Road towards Walkington.

On returning home there were many puddles on the road giving evidence of the earlier downpours. Another superb Sunday club ride with a mixture of hills and flats….. and the rain stayed away.

There are forecasts, damn forecasts and statistics, so what were the odds of the sun coming out today. Given the recent inclement weather, the forecast for Sunday looked borderline but with potential 🎶Sunny Afternoon🎶.

With one eye on the weather and mind on rule #9 Pugwash cast a lure to see if anyone was interested in today’s ride. “What about the hurricane!” wasn’t exactly an encouraging first response. 🤔Thank you Michael Fish 🤔. Our own Michael eventually “stepped up to the plate”. A true trojan of the Knights, ready and willing in (almost) any weather, “I’ll be out” he said.

And so it came to pass, only two Knights turned out at Market Cross. With the wind from the North West, we decided to head towards Rachel’s Walnut Cafe at Huggate and enjoy the tail wind on the way home. Taking our usual route we headed out to Middleton-on-the-Wolds via Cherry Burton, Etton and Holme-on-the-Wolds.

The roads were still wet from the overnight drenching and there was the occasional brief few drops that fell from the sky but there was a promising hint of blue to the west. The wind was mostly from the side as we made our way north. This soon changed when we reached Holme-on-the-Wolds and headed along back straight to Middleton-on-the-Wolds. It was just a taster for what was to follow.

The section to North Dalton proved to be a long slog as we headed uphill and into the wind, however it was nothing compared to the section heading upwards to Huggate where we turned directly into the “teeth” of the wind. At times, it felt like we were climbing a 10% mountain. Just as we managed to pick up a little extra speed, the wind gusted once more feeling like a soft finger poking you in the chest. 🌬️”Not so fast sonny boy” 🌬️ Conversation dried up as we concentrated our efforts on keeping the pedals turning, the thought of the return journey spurring is onwards.

It was a huge relief to pull into Walnut Cafe and a chance to recover and rest those weary legs while partaking of the goodies on offer.

All too soon, it was time to return home, this time with the wind behind. As the speed picked up, the exhilaration increased too as we flew our way down to Tibthorpe then to Kirkburn and Southburn. Ominous dark clouds appeared to be hanging over Beverley as we made our way home over Bracken. Fortunately we managed to get home just before the short hail storm.

🎶Love is in the air🎶 at least a love of cycling as it managed to bring out ten Knights for a ride to Hornsea. Our cafe destination was Lily’s on the seafront, a first visit for the Knights.

Weaving our way through town towards the Weel road, stretched the gang out. Once together again, the pace picked up with the “loving air” lending a helping hand as the initial nine Knights set off to Tickton to join up with Andy.

Crossing the road at Tickton proved difficult with a continuous stream of traffic heading in one direction and a stationary queue in the opposite way. As soon as one way cleared, the opposite side started to move. Fortunately a kindly driver stopped to let us pass safely.

Just after joining the cycle path, we came upon a group of elderly riders heading in the opposite direction. Unfortunately one of the gentlemen lost his balance as he passed by and hit the deck in what seemed to be a slow motion fall. While the “rear echelon” stopped to check he was OK, the lead group having missed the incident, continued onwards.

Heading along the cycle path we found another “helping hand” as the back draft from passing lorries gave a brief “shove” from behind. Once caught up with the lead group, we set off through Leven and Brandesburton before turning towards Bewholme. It was there we stopped to phone in our cafe order. The final section leading into Hornsea proved more of a challenge as we battled the head wind, a precursor of things to come.

On entering the town the “Lanterne Rouge” took a slight short cut to the cafe while the peloton passed through the centre allowing everyone to arrive together. Having preordered, our food and drink was ready almost immediately.

The return journey saw us head along the promenade road and then towards Mappleton and Cowden. Neil took to front initially then peeled off with the intention of creating a chain gang. Mike “the knife” then took over at the front setting a strong pace as he cut through the wind like a hot knife through butter. The peloton soon became strung out behind him.

After regrouping at Cowden, Pugwash jumped to the front to set a somewhat more “genteel” pace, but soon found himself slipping off the back once more. Approaching Withernwick, Pugwash and Russell stopped to allow Seadog to catch up. The shout to the lead group got lost in the wind as they continued their merry way.

When the “Lanterne Rouge” arrived at the next crossroads, there was no sign of the peloton. “Noses are red, fingers are blue, which way did they go, I wish I knew” so we ended up taking the wrong road. We very soon realised the error, however decided to continue onwards before eventually making our way back having added an extra eight miles or so.