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Beverley Knights Wow Wensleydale

By Sharrin Powers Leave a Comment Oct 3

To help round off another fabulous summer the Beverley Knights went on tour- this time to Wensleydale. After arriving on Friday lunchtime Neil, Heather, Chris, Nick, Stephen and Sharrin had a short ride to the Wensleydale Creamery where attempts were made to eat as much cheese as possible. A short ride to Askrigg followed with the only time limit being to get back for the Tesco delivery. Down into Askrigg with a tail wind was great- seeing the Tesco van go the other way added some tension. Some off-roading and a ride back into the wind followed but the delivery was met and the driver did ask if we were staying a week as a result of the volume of food delivered. The rest of the team arrived over the course of the day; Kevin & Isabel after a long delay on the A1, Mike & Jackie after a minor Sat Nav issue, Matthew & Catherine, Roger & Linda. Stephen Oliver showed his map reading skills by going to the wrong house- only 1 1/2 hours from his destination. Simon & Charlie, Judith and then Andy meant the house was full. An à la carte menu followed with choices of steak, Barnsley chops (luckily big enough for Neil!) or salmon, rounded off with apple pie or chocolate cake. Proper pre cycle eating. A relatively early night followed apart from the pool sharks of Team Grey (Stephen P and Andy) who soundly thrashed the young guns (Charlie and Stephen O) …messy after homemade Cranberry gin or Bramble vodka.

Saturday morning started with a production line to prepare 4 curries and dice 4 kg of lamb. Porridge and croissants prepared the gang for the cycling…. Or so they thought!

It was overcast as the 17 intrepid cyclists set off little knowing that in less the 10 minutes they would be hit by the first hill heading North out of Askrigg to Muker it ticked off the first of the top 100 climbs doing Oxnop Scar backwards with some 20% gradients. With this shock to the system everyone realised what was ahead of them.

A coffee stop at the Dales cycle centre in Fremington allowed time to consider the day ahead. Next up was the road from Reeth to the Tan Hill Inn ticking off climb number 2, it was a 10mile climb with some 12% gradients. Everyone reached the highest pub in the UK for lunch and it was enjoyed in a toasty bar. Coming out after lunch was hard work especially for Nick who’s weather forecasting skills meant he hadn’t packed a jacket and it was cold! Luckily Linda leant him a jacket (Polaris of course) and we all enjoyed a glorious descent with fabulous views . But what goes down must go up…Buttertubs next with a 9% average and areas of 25%. The more challenging route from Thwaite to Hawes was followed taking us from Swaledale to Wensleydale. Photographs were taken at the summit and then with cheery hearts we set off on the descent for home but only to realise the last steep drag was still ahead! A final dash for home and the cottage was reached early afternoon. We all caught up with Judith and Catherine who had been walking and avoiding Bulls in fields.

Après cycling snacks regenerated us all for the table tennis competition which took place with some fabulous views. None of which distracted Mike “the snake ” Straw who was crowned champion for the second year running.

The curries went down well and the Knights settled down to watch England  win at the rugby….except they didn’t and Wales were triumphant much to Sharrin’s delight.

Sunday started well with a Smithy cooked breakfast- just what the legs ordered. It was with anticipation and trepidation we all set off on another venture into the Dales and two more of the top 100 climbs to bag. We all headed south through Hawes and Gayle and then the first climb of Fleet Moss loomed intimidating ahead . A long steep ride with no hair pins to hide the inevitable, it took a few casualties. Another great descent followed, cycling past the river in glorious sunshine… It doesn’t get much better. Coffee and cake was consumed in Kettlewell and then onwards to the next climb of Park Rash. Some of the Knights were wishing they hasn’t read about the insanely steep climb the evening before but everyone tried their best, some triumphant, others to try another day. Heading back to the cottage for lunch proved a challenge and a pit stop in Askrigg for a liquid refreshment was required.

A beautifully sunny afternoon meant we all could sit outside and chat about the previous few days cycling. But all the time looming was the awarding of the Mr Grumpy award. All weekend there had been efforts to get a rise out of fellow Knights but to no avail. Perhaps it was the stunning countryside, the glorious weather but no one was grumpy !

The award was amended to the Mr Happy and the well deserved winner was Simon much to his (and his wife’s) amazement. The prize had been bought earlier in the day by Jackie and Catherine – a pair of ” hardly worn” boxers.

A few lucky Knights stayed over on the Sunday evening and enjoyed a meal of left overs, a few tipples and a lot of laughs .

All in all a most enjoyable weekend spent with wonderful people doing what we all love best… Cycling!

Thanks to Neil and all involved in the organisation x

 

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Tour De Derbyshire

By admin Leave a Comment Aug 1

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:

 

 

A well earned pint


Into the Goyt and around Errwood Resovoir.
The summit of The Windgather!

The first of two cafe stops!

Keep pushing, never stop!


The Beverley Knights Summer Solstice 2015

By admin Leave a Comment Jun 25

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!

 

Le Tour de Yorkshire!

By admin Leave a Comment May 5

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….

 

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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!

 

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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.

https://beverleyknights.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/457.mp4

 

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

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Beverley Knights Christmas Do!

By admin Leave a Comment Mar 25

A couple of photos from the Christmas Party with an ‘interesting’ choice of trophies awarded to Mike, Charlie, Heather and Andy.

xmas

 

xmas1

Five go on an adventure ( without Timmy the dog !)

By Sharrin Powers Leave a Comment Feb 27

Friday 27th February

imageThere were definitely signs, blue skies , snowdrops , spring was on the way .
5 Knights headed out full of adventure – Heather, Sharrin, Ray ,Stephen G & Jim S
Original plans took them to Allerthorpe but like all best plans they were designed to change.
Twitter had announced a new cafe in Market Weighton so all felt obliged to try it out ( nice cakes!!)

Heading up to the top of Nurnburnholme thoughts turned to the amazing wildlife and the majestic birds soaring in the blue sky ( where were you Mike ) . Wikipedia confined they were kites – gorgeous.

Heading downhill to North dalton was a blast to make up for the hard drag along the Hudson way into the wind .
Communications were lost after North Dalton when Sharrin got stuck at a junction and a gap appeared. The result meant she and Ray got separated from the group – the search for them invoked a call to Neil at work to ring Sharrin !!!
Once everyone was happy everyone was safe Neil got back to work and everyone else got back to enjoying the ride home

Cycling safety

By admin Leave a Comment Nov 9

Ray asked me to share this article on cycling safety with you, it turns out Pat and Chris Boardman have something in common.

Big G 2014

By admin Leave a Comment Mar 5

Just a reminder to everyone that entries for the Big G open on Saturday 8th March 2014. For more information check out their website

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