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  • Wolds Way Ride 2022

    Anyone up for a challenge? 147 miles ✅ 7300 feet elevation ✅ Despite these daunting figures, there was no shortage of willing participants for this year’s Wolds Way Ride. Training? What training? Just jump on a bike and get pedaling. I’m sure we’ll manage! After our last effort in 2019 I’m sure I told myself never again but as in the James Bond film Never Say Never Again.

    Early Morning Line Up

    Twelve Knights turned out at Market Cross at the earlier start time of 8am. It was still a little on the cool side but with the sun shining it promised to be a wonderful day for cycling. When we’d departed, our support team of Neil, Dave 💦🏡 and Alison headed off to meet us at the A1079. Our “opening sequence” took us over the Westwood to Walkington picking up the back road to High Hunsley. After plummeting down Trundlegate and through Newbald our first “warm up” climb loomed on the horizon as we headed up Stoneknowle hill to the junction of the A1079.

    Setting off in two groups we made the short hop along the A1079 to Kiplingcotes Lane with our “support” car following behind à la Tour De France. While we headed downhill, the support car carried on to Thixendale to get ready for our first feed stop. Once on Spring Road, we turned into the light breeze as we cycled gently into Market Weighton and onwards to Londesborough up the “lovely” Intake Hill.

    There was then a chance to recover as we followed the relatively flatter section down to Burnby and through Pocklington before ramping up again past Kilnwick Percy to Millington. It seemed a bit strange cruising past Ramblers Rest without stopping, but hey-ho we’ve got our own mobile makeshift cafe to look forward to. The route along Millington Dale was really pleasant with the wind now generally assisting. Unfortunately we all know what comes at the end of it with a “little” ramp up to Pocklington Lane. At this point Steve G left our group to return home for “domestique” duties while we turned into the wind again along York Lane winding our way to Garrowby. The zoom down past Robert Fuller’s gallery was a welcome respite as was the sight of our cafe trio set up in a layby in Thixendale.

    Our support crew had really outdone themselves with rolls, sausages, bacon and eggs on offer along with tea or coffee and a wonderful array of cakes and other goodies. I heard tell that in order to decide who should wear the “Scottish” apron it was decided to give it to the one who was born closest to Scotland. It was either Scarborough or Sheffield. Now I don’t know about anyone else, but I would have thought the answer was evident but Neil being a competitive sort had to resort to getting a map out “just to check”!

    Leaving Thixendale

    After “blagging” some goodies Colin left to return home while the remaining ten riders continued along the valley to Leavening. It’s a gentle rise with a little “kicker” near the end. Turning north at Leavening we had a nice downhill run to the turn off at Penhowe Lane. This led us through the beautiful village of Westow then Kirkham. Turning off at Stone Trough Inn we were immediately faced with a rather steep ramp hitting 17% in the early stages before gradually easing off averaging around 6%. Now that we were suitably warmed up we had a more gentle climb along Menethorpe Lane eventually leading us to Norton.

    It was not long until we reached Settrington. Unfortunately for Michael he suffered a puncture. Fortunately for the rest of it gave us a chance to rest before tackling the next climb. The first section is Horse Course Lane which “ambles” upwards with the gradient averaging 7.8% over 1km. Having struggled up that, we were then faced with Settrington Bank which starts with an encouraging sign warning road users of the 17% gradient to come. Ah well, head down and keep spinning/grinding away. The views from the top are certainly worth the effort.

    From the top of Settrington Bank we turned to Duggleby and a welcome downhill recovery section before arriving at Kirkby Grindalythe. From there we had a further two mile lumpy section to negotiate with yet more steep ramps before leading into Sledmere and our lunch stop.

    Our lunch stop was laid out beside the monument at Sledmere. Another chance to top up on the calories needed to fuel our way round the remainder of the route. Luckily most of the climbing was now out of the way and we could look forward to more gentle inclines. Perhaps that’s why Dave decided to join us for the second half. 🤔

    Leaving Sledmere behind we set off to Foxholes via Helperthorpe and Weaverthorpe, an 8 mile slight descent with a following wind… “Luxury”. Enjoy it while it lasts as it was back to climbing (although a much easier incline than the first half) along Ganton Road to Fordon Lane. After Fordon we turned towards Hunmanby and another brief refreshment stop.

    Continuing onwards, we started to make our way south to Reighton and Grindale before going east once more through Buckton and Bempton. Heading south once more we arrived at Limekiln car park overlooking the sea near Sewerby where our wonderful support crew had set up shop.

    Heading homeward on the final leg of our journey we were faced with a slight head wind all the way from Bridlington through Burton Agnes, Lowthorpe and Nafferton to Driffield where we had a long wait for a train to pass. Now back onto more familiar territory we set off to Skerne and Hutton Cranswick where our support crew were ready to meet us one final time. Having agreed to meet at the Farm Shop cafe car park, we were surprised to see them outside the White Horse pub. Unfortunately Mark and Matthew had arrived too early and carried on before realising and having to double back. Some might say they just wanted to add extra miles.

    Iain decided he’d had enough so decided to leave us at this point while some of us joined the “crew” in the pub garden. The temptation to have a pint at this point was almost irresistibile, in fact too much so for Michael. Martin and Karl opted not to stop and continued on promising to meet us at the pub in Beverley. By now, the sun was getting low in the sky and the temperature was starting to drop. We decided not to dawdle any longer…. but wait Michael has still got his pint. “You’d better glug that Michael” we all suggested as we started mounting our bikes. Never the best way to enjoy your drink. Still, it all counts towards rehydration! 🍺

    Battling into the wind again along the exposed roads of Burnbutts Lane, the thought of the pub at the end helped to focus the mind. From Bracken farm we followed our normal route back through South Dalton and Etton to Cherry Burton and back to Beverley and the welcome sight of the Tiger Inn. “Pint please landlord….. make that two” 🍻 seemed to be the sentiment for most of us. Excuse the quality of the pictures from our apres-ride celebration. The photographer was probably a little “misty eyed”.

    It was a superb end to a wonderful day of cycling in brilliant company. A huge congratulations to all who took part in the challenge. For anyone else who may be inspired by these efforts, it has already been proposed to repeat the challenge next year. Finally a massive thank you to our excellent support crew Neil, Dave and Alison who followed our progress all the way round using what Neil designated as “Puggy Cam”

  • Spurred on to Spurn

    Six Knights, all booted and spurred, met at the earlier time of 0830 for a longer journey to Spurn Discovery Centre. Just in case the planned 100 miles was not enough, Mark decided to add a further 35 miles by cycling to and from home. Chapeau 🎩

    The roads were still quiet at that time on a Sunday morning making it a breeze through town to Weel Bridge, Tickton and Routh. From there we turned south to Meaux and on to Skirlaugh. Considering that the ride was around 100 miles, the pace was quite high, especially when the main protagonists, Markus Vingegaard, Wout van Powers, Michael Pogacar, Matteo Ganna hit the front.

    From Skirlaugh our route took us via Rise to New Ellerby. When we stopped briefly at a junction leading to New Ellerby Pugwash Voight took the opportunity to snack on an energy bar and in the process lost the back wheel of the group as Pogacar decided to attack up Lambwath Hill. Trying to chew a mouthful of energy bar while sprinting uphill to catch up is not recommended. Next up was Marton then on past Burton Constable. I couldn’t help thinking that this would often be our cafe stop. “How far have we to go?”

    At Humbleton we turned onto pastures new for most of us, heading through Danthorpe, Owstwick and Rimswell eventually closing in on Withernsea. We knew we were getting close when a voice cried out “I can see the lighthouse!”

    The Pier Towers

    After a short refreshment stop, we were back in the saddle. Immediately, Pogacar went on the attack. “Has he got his live Strava segments on?” enquired Pugwash. “No he’s only racing ahead to get some photos”.

    The Peloton
    Wait for me!

    Leaving Withernsea we followed the coastal road through Holmpton and Out Newton into Easington and the final few miles past the eastern most village in Yorkshire at Kilnsea taking us to the Spurn Discovery Centre.

    After a lovely lunch, it was time for the return journey. First passing back through Kilnsea and Easington we then took the Hull road through Skeffling and Welwick to Patrington. Turning towards Patrington Haven we faced various head and cross winds as we wound our way around the quiet roads of Sunk Island.

    At Stone Creek we pulled over briefly to allow a car to pass. Mark took the opportunity to reapply some lube to his nether regions. As he rubbed away vigorously a blissful look appeared on his face. “Ah that’s better” he said “Anyone else want some?” obviously wishing others to share in this enjoyment. His offer was met by numerous “No thanks Mark” but in a final attempt at encouragement he added “You can apply it yourself!”

    At this point in the ride we were actually closer to Immingham than Hull. The former we could see the cranes of Immingham Bulk Terminal across the river Humber. Starting off again Pugwash Voight took the lead with the wind now behind helping us all the way to Thorngumbald.

    Shortly after passing Burstwick Sharrina Vos was feeling a little let down in the tyre department. Soigneur! S’il vous plais. Team Powers got set to change the inner tube. It didn’t quite go to F1 precision. When it came time for inflation a loud pssst was heard by the onlookers as the co2 cartridge lost its charge into the ether. Oh dear, more global warming. 😂

    Our next stop was at Sproatley where we called into the local Post Office shop to top up with supplies before the final leg home. Taking the Park Road behind Burton Constable we were back on familiar roads to Coniston and Swine. On reaching the end of Beningholme Lane we turned south towards Wawne eventually passing through Kingswood to Dunswell. After taking a loop around Thearne we returned to Beverley via Long Lane.

  • Four Minsters Ride

    Beverley
    Howden
    Selby
    York

    The Four Minsters ride was originally proposed as a 100 mile flat ride calling at four of our regional Minsters……. “Eh excuse me, did you say four Minsters?” Well technically it was three Minsters and an Abbey but they all look pretty impressive and it rolls better off the tongue. “Hang on a minute, we only saw one Minster and an Abbey. Call the ombudsman, I want my money back!”

    To err is human but to make a complete mess of things you need a computer or a committee of divergent ideas. It started right from the off. “Anyone got a Wahoo? Anyone managed to download the route?” cried Steve as a form of pre-ride briefing. As one brave soul confirmed to have the route “locked and loaded” everyone else said “Right we’ll follow you”. Meanwhile Stephen and Sharrin decided to set off early to get a head start “up the hill”?? The rest of us set off to follow whoever was at the front 🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑 through North Bar and along Molescroft Road. “I’m sure Stephen and Sharrin turned up that alley” suggested someone as we all ignored him. By the time we’d reached the Molescroft Inn, we realised something had gone wrong. “The computer says we’re on the right road but heading in the wrong direction” said Chris. “Better call Stephen and Sharrin and let them know what’s happened”.

    “Hi Stephen we’ve set off in the wrong direction. Where are you?” “We’re heading towards Bluestones, meet you at the top?” “Bluestones?…. But we’re supposed to be heading past the Minster to Walkington and High Hunsley down Trundlegate to Hotham and North Cave”. “Didn’t anyone review the route before setting off?” “Well, we always go that way to Howden”. Thus we missed our first port of call at Beverley Minster.

    Regrouping at the top of Bluestone Bottoms

    “Now we’re here, we may as well carry on over the hill to South Cave then pick up the correct route again at North Cave”. A blanket of cloud filled the sky keeping the temperature at around 21°c and with light winds it was perfect for cycling. Leaving North Cave back on track, we turned right at Newport towards Sandholme and Eastrington before making our way to Howden Minster.

    Howden Minster

    After a brief pause and a photo shoot, the question was asked, “So Steve where is the first cafe stop?” “Chomp Chomp Chomp” came the reply. Soon all eyes were on Steve waiting with baited breath for the answer. “Chomp Chomp Chomp” he continued like a Pac-man on steroids. “Come on Steve, answer the man” they said laughingly as the “Chomp Chomp Chomp” continued apace. That’s the trouble with these energy bars, they can be quite chewy. Eventually he was able to swallow his bar and a little self consciousness to let us know there was a cafe near Naburn which was around 10-15 miles away.

    Leaving Howden, we found ourselves in pastures new as we cycled through Knedlington and Asselby on our way to Barmby-on-the-Marsh where the river Derwent meets the river Ouse.

    After crossing the Barmby Tidal Barrier we encountered our first taste of off-roading as we followed the NCR 65 to Hemingbrough. “Sorry guys, I didn’t realise it was going to be so rough” as we all surveyed out “pride and joys” for signs of damage.

    Our return to tarmac was most welcome as we traversed the cycleway alongside the A63 turning off at Cliffe junction. As we approached the river Ouse, the road narrowed and then we were off-road again as the NCR 65 took us along the river bank into Selby. Bump, bump bumpity bump.

    Selby Abbey

    After our photo stop, it was back the way we came in, once again following NCR 65. Zooming along Bank Street there was the proverbial sound of screeching brakes (or in someone’s case for real) as “the computer says no”. “We need to head up that path along the river bank” said Chris to the sound of groans wafting on the ether. “Not more off-roading”. This segment required careful bike handling as we bumped, dodged and gazed longingly at the tarmac’d road below before eventually bringing us back onto said road and into Barlby. From there we picked up the cycle path alongside the A19 bringing us to Riccall.

    It was at this point we picked up the “Solar System” cycle path which forms part of the NCR 65 and the Trans Pennine Way. The surface has been recently tarmac’d and made for a very pleasurable segment as we swooped through the traffic free, tree lined pathway. Unfortunately we seemed to be in too much of a rush to get to our cafe stop to admire the Planet sculptures along the way, passing Pluto, Neptune and Uranus before turning off the path at Naburn.

    Cafe York Marina

    After a pleasant interlude 🎶messin’ about by the river🎶 it was time to head off to York for the next leg of the tour. Playing ‘follow the leader’ 🐑🐑 once more we found ourselves up a back alley in Naburn. “Sorry folks wrong way”. I did think we should be going back onto the cycle path the way we came down. However we did eventually return to the path having missed out Saturn. Rocketing our way past the remaining planets from Jupiter to Mercury we arrived at the Sun☀️. Unlike Icarus we managed to keep our wings so continued onwards through a series of on-road off-road segments including through part of York race course before crossing York’s Version of the Millennium Bridge.

    Thereafter we followed what passes for cycle paths in this country, disjointed, poorly laid out alongside busy main roads as we negotiated Grimston Bar to reach Dunnington. Then it was just a short hop into Stamford Bridge. We were so busy concentrating in getting to the cafe no one noticed that the route did not pass York Minster.

    Given the amount of off-road segments we’d crossed, it was not surprising that someone should suffer a puncture. As he set to effecting a repair, he piped up “Hey Chris, you’re really good at this. You were really quick changing a tyre last time” he said praisingly, obviously hoping to hand the job over. As Chris got stuck in, the repair was soon mended. Just pump it up and away we go. Pssst, oh… not so fast. Let’s try again. Having used one inner tube it was time to make a repair instead as no-one had spare deep rim tubes. By now the clock was ticking. Chris tried to pass off this mishap with a typical engineering stock answer “A quality job takes time”. Not if you get it right the first time. 😂 Perhaps “Third time lucky” should be added to the list of engineering terms along with “if at first you don’t succeed… “.

    By now the temperature was beginning to rise so the sooner we get back the better. The group all set off back up the hill except for Pugwash who’d got stuck at the cafe amid a constant stream of traffic. By the time it was safe to get on the road, the others were nowhere to be seen. After a short period the group realised there was someone missing. Eventually Chris, Stephen and James came back looking to see what had happened. As we started to make our way back to the group, Pugwash had a recurrence of leg cramps. While stopped to try and shake out the lactic, Stephen asked “Do you want m-mum-t-cum” Not quite hearing what he’d said, I thought he had some magic pill in his back pocket to cure the dreaded cramp. It suddenly dawned on me when he added “You could wait back at the cafe”. Anyway a huge thank you to Mrs P for providing the “broom wagon” and hope you enjoy the Pimms🍹.

    While I sat nursing an ice-cream back at the cafe, the rest of the group continued, returning through Pocklington, Burnby, Londesborough and Market Weighton. Total ride distance of around 90 miles fell somewhat short of the 100 mile mark that was expected, though with the heat beginning to increase steadily it was probably just as well. I think everyone enjoyed the ride with some reservations over the off road segments. Should we choose to do this ride again, perhaps we could find quieter alternatives to some of the rougher segments and include York Minster on the route.

  • HOT,HOT,HOT

    With the ride leader and his copilot out of service this weekend it was open season to organise a ride . Michael commented he had heard chat of a Howden trip and immediately he was promoted (press-ganged) to ride leader for the day.
    Then it was a stop the clock game on the chat with various start times being suggested . Poor Michael debated bing tucked up early on Saturday night with an early start time . “Just chose a time, I want to come along but when ?!!“ cried Steve . Soon it was compromised with 9 am start and a long route via Howden to Allerthorpe planned.
    It was a hot start to the day that saw 10 Knights gather at the Market Cross . All were suitably pre-warned by Sarah to bring suncream and water as it was set to be a scorcher .
    A steady ride out toward South cave with drag up Bluestones hill to remind everyone that even a flat ride can have hills . Michael debated his route planning skills when his Garmin beeped to tell him to turn right but the sight of no entry signs put him off . Turns out the no entry signs were for the other road but we had headed on and took an alternate route into Ellerker . Then it was the big engines on front to take us along the sun baked roads toward Broomfleet and Yokefleet. Keeping Matthew at a pace we could all keep up was like holding back a racehorse ready to gallop but he and Chris kept us moving at a brisk pace. At some points the numerous shouts for potholes brought Mark out in a sweat remembering the roads in Hereford but at least it wasn’t matched with the hills . Soon we reached Howden and passed the usual coffee stop in the square . By the end of the road that was a step too far in the heat so a halt was called outside a supermarket. Mark and Stephen popped in for a refill and Mark supplied the group a 5 litre bottle of water to refill everyone’s water . Much appreciated.
    Refilled and refreshed (ish) we were off again this time heading towards Allerthorpe. Brian took the lead pulling us along until Michael went in front in anticipation of a right turn that comes with the pressure of ride leader ! All directions worked well and we soon were pulling up at a very busy Allerthorpe. At this point Steve headed on leaving the other 9 to make their way though the crowds to find a table . Sharrin was given the responsibility to watch the bikes and grab a table for everyone whilst the rest queued for food . There wasn’t a rush as the crowds meant we had to chill , relax and catch up whilst waiting for food . By the time we left the temperature in the sun was 34C but even on the move it didn’t drop below 29C
    After lunch it was home via Pocklington and the pleasure of fresh tarmac and less pleasure of Intake hill . The remainder of the route home saw the group split at Cherry Burton and all head home having all enjoyed a very warm but an enjoyable route . Thanks Michael – early night I think !

  • The Hills Are Alive in Herefordshire

    Day 3 – Trip to Ross-on-Wye and Monmouth

    Today’s journey was planned to visit the towns of Ross-on-Wye and Monmouth. The forecast was good with only a 10% chance of rain. Setting off in lovely sunshine we turned towards Lyne Down and Fishpool. “Ooh that sounds interesting” somebody suggested as we entered the tiny hamlet consisting of only a few houses. The only sign of water though was the sweat from our brows as we faced a couple of short steep climbs on the way to Upton Bishop.

    The “Hill Billies” then turned south on the B4224, an undulating road passing South Herefordshire Golf Club and dipping under the M50 to reach Bromsash. A gentle downhill then followed to Weston where we picked up the A40 into Ross-on-Wye. As this was also a “sightseeing” trip we had planned to look around the town centre, however those in the lead continued to follow the “sat-nav” and were heading out of town until shouts from behind brought them back. “We should have a look around the town centre, perhaps have a coffee break” suggested Neil. “What? It’s too soon. I’ve only just arrived at Market Cross” wailed Chad.

    After cycling/wandering aimlessly through town looking for the riverside, we stopped near a car park. “It’s through here” said Neil as we followed him through the car park and onto a footpath along by the river. After dodging pedestrians along the way, we eventually found an outdoor cafe by the river.

    When we’d finished our coffees, the dark clouds were gathering. “Right which way shall we go? Along the river path?” asked Neil hopefully wishing to avoid the 9% climb up to the town centre. It was not long before the heavens opened. “I hate getting wet” said Neil while Pugwash smugly donned his rain jacket. “I’m going to Mountain Warehouse to buy a jacket” said Neil, “I’ll come too” added James while the rest of us went to find shelter near the Ross Sports club.

    Once on our way again, we cruised down to Walford so we could follow the river valley. The first section from Kerne Bridge to Lower Lydbrook was gently rolling but with the rain still falling we were unable to fully appreciate this designated AONB. On reaching Lower Lydbrook we found “Road Closed” across our intended passage. Undaunted we decided to carry on anyway thinking “There’s usually a way through for bikes and they won’t be working on a Sunday”. As we cleared the section under repair, the rain started to ease up while the road gradient did the opposite. The climb up to English Bicknor was 6.3km (4 miles for Old schoolers) with sections tipping up to 10-13%. At least we enjoyed the closed road.

    Matty
    Chad
    Neil

    From Staunton into Monmouth we had a lovely downhill section for 5km but with a wet road surface caution was required around the corners. In town we stopped at the Monnow Bridge before calling at Estero Lounge where we stopped for lunch.

    After lunch we left Monmouth on the Hereford road before turning towards Osbaston where we immediately hit two short sharp climbs in a row while following the river Monnow. Over the border back into England we reached Trigate Bridge before the next climb over 2.6km starting with a 21% kick before easing to around 8% bringing us to Welsh Newton. The climbing did not end there as we hit another 8-9% on the way out. Finally we came to a descent into Llangarron. Unfortunately the single track lane was full of pot holes and hazards making progress tricky.

    The final leg saw yet more climbing as we returned via Hoarwithy, King’s Caple and How Caple. At least the sun was starting to shine and when we came to Crossway, we were met by Alison who rode with us for the final few miles back to our house.

  • Tour De Herefordshire

    Day 2 – Southern Cider Tour (shortened version)

    On the local Herefordshire website there are three listed “cider tours, ideal for cyclists” one of which passed quite close to our house, so that was the route we chose. However the route also took in Hereford and after our previous experience the day before decided to amend the route to avoid Hereford. Ideally we’d stop at each of the Cider Brewerys along the way but the thought of “sampling” and cycling did not appeal, so we opted to call into Weston’s Scrumpy House at the end of the ride which was quite close to home.

    Some rain was forecast for the day and it didn’t disappoint. It kept “persisting” it down most of the day. At least the start was dry as we set off down past Weston’s on our way to Much Marcle. It was not long after Ledbury that the sky started to “rain on our parade” ☔. Time for rain jackets, well at least for those who’d thought to bring them.

    “It’s only a brief shower” we thought/hoped 🤞until eventually we found the Hop Pocket cafe near to Bishop’s Frome to seek some shelter and refreshments. Sure enough, by the time we left the cafe, the rain had let up. Unfortunately it was not the end of it and it was time to put jackets on again. It was becoming like the movie ‘Karate Kid’ “Jackets on, Jackets Off” except for those without who were ‘content’ to continue with “soggy bottoms” (and tops for that matter).

    The next leg was a gentle undulating climb to Burley Gate followed by a sharp steep descent around Ocle Pych. In fact we were enjoying the downhill so much we almost missed the turn to Withington. Continuing on to Longworth and Prior’s Frome we were faced with a number of short sharp punchy climbs before eventually dropping down to Mordiford.

    On regrouping at the bottom, there was no sign of Chad and Neil. As we waited, “Postman Pat” pulled up alongside us to let us know he’d passed our two guys mending a puncture. At that point Heather and James headed to the nearby pub to await the return, while Matt, Pug and Mark “kept vigil” on the corner. After a short while, Mark set off back up the hill to see if he could see them only to spot them on the way down. Luckily the rain had eased up by now as we congregated in the beer garden at the Moon pub. “Shall we have a drink here?” someone asked. Tempting as it was, we decided to stick to our original idea and continue our ride.

    Questions arose about which route to take home from Mordiford. Should we turn left to repeat the climb we’d done yesterday or keep going on the slightly longer way round. Stick to the planned route was the consensus. Unfortunately Heather mustn’t have heard correctly and missed the main group depart toward Fownhope as she and James turned left towards Haugh Wood.

    As we reached the top of the first climb out of Fownhope, we stopped to wait for our “missing” two, thinking they must have been caught by the traffic lights we’d passed on the way. As the wait got longer and longer, Neil decided to phone Heather to check they were OK. “Where are you?” he asked. “We’re over the hill and down the other side” she said “Where are you?” “We’re at the top of the hill waiting for you”. It then dawned on us that we were talking about different hills. “OK we’ll see you at Weston’s”.

    After continuing up the next hill, it became clear that Neil’s puncture repair had not been truly effective so he decided to abandon and wait for rescue at Lucksall Cafe while the rest of us carried on. After a few more stiff 15% hill challenges we arrived at the Cider Mill to find Heather and James already there nursing a well earned drink. Well it would be rude not to. 🍻 Chin chin!

  • Tour De Spurn

    An 8.30 am start time was proposed to allow time to fit in 100 miles. Both Stephen and Sharrin needed to get some Tour de France miles in. Olivier , James and Colin were all keen to join. With the wind forecast we knew that the way out would be the easier of the two halves and wet set off at a pace to make the most of it . Burton Constable was reached within the hour and then we pushed on East via Humbleton, Danethorpe,, Owstwick, Roos, Rimswell, and then reached Withernsea. Time for a stop and a snack at the beach. At this point Colin left us returning to Beverley. We headed on and ended up in the middle of the Withernsea 5 race and fund run. With the road blocked luckily the marshal was happy to let us through so we continued on , cheering those from Beverley AC as we passed. We made good time then heading via Easington ( and its Puffin ! – did spot another but can’t remember where!!) , the vast site of the gas terminal (we were reliably informed that 1/3 of the Uk gas supply enters the country here from Norway) and then Kilnsea and onto Spurn. We had a lunch stop at the Spurn Point Discovery Centre sitting in the shelter of the amphitheatre. Fuelled by some good food we now contemplated the trip home without the benefit of the tailwind.As soon as we set of towards Patrington the ominous black cloud that was getting closer opened up and it started to rain. However it was warm and no one fancied stopping to put on rain jackets so we just kept going until it stopped. We dropped down towards Sunk Island and formed a mini echelon to gain some shelter. It felt like the road to nowhere, no one about and never ending ! Thanks to the hard work of Olivier , James and Stephen we reached Thorngumbald and another snack stop to give Sharrin time to recover!! After a pep talk and” its just like a 50km ride starting now ” we headed on back Northward towards Humbleton and onwards to Swine . When we reached the main road that normally meant a right turn to home it took a lot of effort to turn left and head to Wawne and a loop to ensure the 100 miles was completed. We reached the Asda roundabout and aimed to get on the cycle path. The roundabout is now renamed Olivier’s roundabout as the gravel took his wheels when we were half way round and he slid on his elbow and knee to a halt with the cars stopped behind – scary moment. However adrenaline kept him going ( and a train to catch ) and we reached home via Thearne and Long Lane. Great day out !

  • Cider Tour

    DAY 1 – Hereford and Back

    The day has finally arrived. The plan was to meet at “our house” about 1pm and have a short local ride before returning around 4pm. Route selected, loaded onto Garmin and off we go! “Oh wait a minute, my garmin is not giving directions” wailed Pugwash. “Never mind” said Heather “I have it on mine and it’s this way” as we turned left onto a gentle climb. No sooner than we’d set off a loud “BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP” was heard coming from our car park. “That sounds like my car” thought Pugwash. “I’ll head back and check” while the rest continued the climb. “We’ll wait for you at the top” they all assured me.

    After regrouping we soon realised that we were on the correct route but heading in the opposite direction as the Garmin kept telling us to “make u-turn”. “Never mind” we thought “we’ll just continue in the opposite direction”. The undulating terrain continued as we rode along quiet single track country roads. The downside was that there was little opportunity to gain speed heading downhill due to state of the road surface, blind bends and virtually no passing places.

    On reaching Hoarwithy we crossed the river Wye and were immediately faced with our first big climb of the day up to Little Dewchurch. A 2.4km hill averaging 5% but with a tough kick to the first 0.6km hitting 15% before easing to 7-8%. After recovering from that effort, Neil assured us that it would be “All downhill into Hereford”. “I’ve looked at the map” he added. He was nearly right, except for one final little climb peaking at around 8%.

    Arriving into Hereford we tried to find the town centre and a suitable cafe to have lunch. Negotiating our way through the busy traffic proved somewhat difficult with some decent cycle paths spoiled when coming to a sudden end with no obvious way to go next. With the help of one local we found out way to the De Koffie Pot cafe where we ordered our drinks via an phone app. As we waited and waited with nothing appearing at the table, it was time to head inside to see if they had received our order. When eventually our drinks arrived, the owner came out to apologise for the delay and offered us a free cake 🍰each as compensation. Well, how could we refuse. Mark, having already eyed up the goodies on offer opted for the Lemon Drizzle cake. “That sounds nice” we all decided except for Heather. “We’ll have yours” suggested Neil, so the extra portion was shared out, even if you didn’t want it!

    Shortly after we set off for the return journey, we hit another problem. The trouble with following routes in the reverse direction is that it doesn’t account for one-way streets. Thus we ended up pushing/scooting along the pavement against the flow of traffic. “You cyclists should be on the road!” shouted one irate woman as we tried to find our way out of town.

    Eventually we escaped the melee heading downhill to Hampton Bishop and Mordiford. The “fun” was soon over as we hit the first of the climbs on the way home. Haugh Wood Hill climb averages 6.8% over 2km hitting 21% briefly near the bottom and frequently touching 15%. This was quickly followed by another similar but shorter climb up Nurdens. The final 0.2km kick up near the end averaged 15%.

    The sight of our house at the end of a tough ride was very welcome as was the beer that greeted our arrival. The general consensus seemed to be that we did want to return to Hereford.

  • Windsday on Sunday

    The recent spate of sunshine continues to dominate our weather pattern, unfortunately the wind decided to put in an appearance as well. “Its all that hot air from the south don’t ya know”. “Anyone fancy a ride to Langlands Garden centre?” came the initial cry. Seven Knights met at Market Cross including Colin who was a whole two minutes early (just to prove he doesn’t hide round the corner to arrive exactly on the dot)! Although a cynic might say that he arrived at his normal time and just missed out the wait around the corner. 😉 However we’ll allow him the benefit of the doubt and marvel at his military precision in timing his arrival to perfection. ⌚

    We set off initially to Molescroft then onto the cycle path to Cherry Burton where there was some “ducking and diving” to avoid overhanging branches and overgrown bushes. At the junction to Etton we were joined by Heather who was out for a short ride. Turning onto Etton main street we had our first taste of the head winds to come as we spun our way up to High Gardham.

    Climbing to the top of Stoneknowle hill we spotted Zog in the distance waiting patiently having cycled up from Brough to join the ride. While the peloton continued through North Newbald, Heather peeled off to return ‘home alone’. At Hotham, the wind direction must have been firmly in Neil’s mind as we turned towards North Cave Wetlands instead of the shorter route down Common Hill, “to get the full benefit of the following wind 🌬️” he suggested.

    Two groups set off in a chain gang along the Cliffe Road. One minute each on the front before peeling off to the rear. Starting at a reasonable 20mph the speed picked up, then a bit more and then a bit more again until we were hanging on at around 26mph 🥵. Needless to say everyone achieved PB’s 🥇on the various Strava segments along the way. Great effort chaps. The sight of the junction at Giant Bradley Way was a welcome relief that the “end was nigh”. The rest of the journey to the cafe was much more relaxed.

    After the cafe stop, the group split with Brian and Colin wanting to complete a longer ride, while Zog headed off to face the now increasing wind strength back to Brough. The rest of us took the easier option to return home to Beverley via Kiplingcotes.

  • Solstice Ride 2022

    Bright sunshine and warmth greeted us at the start of this year’s Solstice Ride, a commodity which we have not had much of so far summer. Fifteen Knights made it for the photo opportunity just before we set off. Colin maintaining his reputation as “Last Second” arrived just as the ride was departing bringing the total to sixteen.

    The impressive “train” set off following our usual route via Weel Bridge to Tickton where we were joined by Chad and Andy. On reaching Routh, we split into smaller groups as we headed south to Meaux. After turning onto Kidhill Lane the “blue train” continued to Arnold before taking the underpass to Long Riston. From there we headed to Mappleton via Great Hatfield.

    At this point we regrouped while Neil called the restaurant to confirm our arrival time. Not sure what happened during that brief stop but the pace picked up significantly. Perhaps it was the fear of being late, but still we had to have another brief stop on the sea front at Hornsea for our traditional Solstice photo.

    Once clear of Hornsea the “train” lit up the afterburners and headed to Bewholme. With various people taking turns on the front the pace remained high resulting in many PB’s and a QOM for Heather. Nothing like the thought of a cold beer and hot food to inspire us onwards.

    By the time we’d finished our meal, the sun had all but disappeared and the cool evening breeze was settling in. Time for lights, jackets and arm warmers for the final return leg to Beverley. An extremely enjoyable ride, pleasant company, really nice food and drink.