A Winters Tale… In June?

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Well the forecasters were at it again, filling us with gloom and doom and trying to rain on our parade. What to wear with such a mixed forecast would have been on everyone’s mind before setting out. Some Knights arrived dressed for summer…. it is over half way through June after all, others dressed for autumnal weather while Neil must have been feeling the chill with winter gloves and jacket.

We’re going that way Puggy!
Honest I’m not cold!
Say that again!

Our planned route today was to stay local in case the threatened rain put in an appearance. Initially we set off along the Molescroft road towards Cherry Burton before turning back to Bishop Burton. It was a welcome change coming to “Granny’s Hump” at the beginning of the ride instead of near the end. By the time we reached the main road though, Neil realised he’d overdressed and decided to return home to change and then join us later. From Bishop Burton the rest of the group headed past the pond and along Dale Gate to reach Walkington heads leading us into North Newbald.

Our route then took us to South Newbald and Hotham before ending up in North Cave. Finally the wind was now behind us, we continued to South Cave. At this point, two knights James and Graham decided to add extra miles and left the group to head off towards Gilberdyke while Puggy, Matty and Heather set off to tackle this year’s KOM challenge up Beverley Road.

Waiting at the top cheering encouragement was Neil along with Mrs Puggy. “Can’t stop” cried Puggy “My garmin says I’m not at the end yet” before continuing past the junction. After regrouping Neil asked “I thought the segment ended at the junction”. “Well yes so did I, but my garmin had other ideas” replied Puggy. “It better have ended at the junction” said Heather as she scowled threateningly in Puggy’s direction making him feel somewhat protective of the “wedding tackle area”. Her demeanour was not improved when Matty suggested with an impish grin “You can always go back down and do it again”. Luckily all was well as it turned out Puggy’s garmin was showing the wrong segment.

After zooming down to Raywell then along Eppleworth road we arrived at the Sails cafe at Skidby. With the sun still shining we opted to sit outside. Eventually the cakes began to arrive but with no sign of our drinks. Neil must have begun to feel restless and trooped inside to “gee things along”. The drinks did then arrive but minus Neil’s. 😂 A little later some darker clouds appeared in the sky making us wonder if we should move to a table inside. However Puggy looked around at the sky and predicted that the sun would return shortly. Sure enough, we were soon bathed once again in sunshine, however any bubble of smuggishness he may have felt was soon burst as Neil pointed out “Hey Puggy, you’ve got your socks on inside out”. On that note it was time to head home to end another enjoyable ride with great company.

Knights Landing

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“Weather looking good tomorrow” announced ‘Squadron Leader’ Raymond “Perfect for a ‘low level’ assault on the beaches of the Eastern front. ‘Take off’ will begin at 0945 from Market Cross.”

A total of fourteen Knights gathered ‘on the runway’ at the appointed hour to be greeted with grey skies and a light breeze. “Jings it’s cauld” was the general consensus as the temperature gauges barely registered double figures. Our refuelling point was the next topic to be discussed with the ‘Mere Cafe’ being cited as an option.

When the ‘green light’ was given the ‘echelon’ set off through Beverley. There was not too much ‘turbulence’ in the area so passage to Weel Bridge proceeded smoothly. Our eastwards ‘flight’ was assisted with a light southwesterly wind as the phalanx of Knights passed through Tickton and along the ‘flight path’ to White Cross roundabout. At this point the ‘Squadron’ ‘banked left’ towards Leven and Brandesburton eventually reaching the road to Catfoss.

At this point it was decided due the number of ‘pilots’, to change our refuelling stop to the Floral Hall. ‘Banking left’ again took the Squad to Dunnington and northwards to Skipsea Brough. After swinging round to the south, we faced our first ‘taste’ of head winds as each ‘pilot’ tried to maintain position in the slipstream of the one in front. Arriving in Hornsea we were confronted by a local ‘barrage’ of cars and traffic lights impeding our progress until a quick thinking Neil suggested a left turn on to Mount Pleasant giving us an open road to our destination on Hornsea beach.

After refuelling it was time for the return ‘flight’. The first leg took the ‘Echelon’ further south towards Cowden before turning west directly into a now strengthening wind. While some fired up the turbo chargers others tucked in the slipstream as best they could until reaching Withernwick. The next segment led the Knights ‘echelon’ to Rise and Skirlaugh. From there we continued along Kidhill Lane

On reaching the Meaux Road, there was a brief respite from the adverse wind as we turned North towards Routh before returning ‘to base’ following our outward route to complete another successful ‘mission’. 1

Sojourn to the South Side

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This Friday was pencilled in as an “Away Day” with a chance to ride in an area we don’t normally visit. On this occasion we decided to meet at the Humber Bridge car park before heading “o’er the water”. Six Knights took up the challenge for a sixty miler down to Caistor and back however Michael and Graham decided to add a few extra miles by cycling to and from the meet point. Chapeau 🎩 guys for your century rides.

The day began with a slight fog but soon cleared to leave some lovely sunshine. While waiting for Jon to appear we took the opportunity to admire Chads new bike. As Chad reeled off the bullet points, Michael began to salivate. Eventually Chad offered him the chance to have a trial run. “I thought you’d never ask” he said excitedly as he climbed aboard and began cycling round the car park. He was like a kid opening a Xmas present with a grin from ear to ear while Chad started to worry he’d never get his bike back.

Meanwhile, as we continued to wait for Jon, he was actually waiting for us in another area of the car park but as the 10am deadline approached he suddenly appeared looking for us. After crossing the bridge we made our way through Barton-upon-Humber to pick up the Horkstow road with a gentle climb of around 5km averaging first 1.2%.

The final section of this road features a very steep downhill run with twists, turns and gravel. We were so concentrated on avoiding any mishaps that we missed our turn onto Middlegate Lane. When we gathered at the bottom, Michael asked “Did you not see that junction?” Looking blankly at him, “Junction? What junction?” we responded. Having realised our error we decided to continue on the main road through Horkstow to Saxby. At this point, Michael suggested we take the next left which would bring us back on track. Unfortunately this turned out to be Saxby Hill, a short but very steep 9% climb.

The next part of the route took us over very pleasant slightly undulating roads south east towards Melton Ross, Croxton and Kirmington before skirting round Humberside Airport to Grasby then arriving in Caistor. Our cafe of choice was the Rock Foundation sitting on top of the hill outside Caistor with fantastic views of the surrounding area. As our drinks were brought to our table, one lady (the local version of the governess from the Chase) began to complain. “Why didn’t you say you all wanted tea?” she asked indignantly “I could have made you a big pot”. “Oh is there a shortage of teapots?” asked one brave knight. “There will be if there’s anymore like you” she claimed before muttering “MEN!” as she returned inside. We tried our best not to laugh until Pug suggested “Perhaps we should put our helmets back on!” “Don’t look at me” said Michael “She’s already had a go at me”. Still we had no complaints over the food.

While we were at the cafe Melvin, who’d been having trouble with his electronic gears, was unable to continue and arranged to be picked up by his wife. The first leg of the return journey took us a short way along the rather busy Riby road so it was a relief when we turned off to Fonaby Top. Thereafter we had lovely long slightly downhill run to Great Limber, Brocklesby and Ulceby.

After following the roads around Thornton Abbey we were cruising along the road towards Barrow with Jon on the front when suddenly he spotted a cyclist up ahead. Well that was like red rag to a bull. Immediately his demeanour changed as his head dropped and the pace increased as we all thought “We know what he’s doing”. Unfortunately for him he was not aware of the impending right turn to Goxhill. With the wind in his ears and the ‘bit between his teeth’ he failed to hear the shouts from behind as he continued the ‘chase’ like a greyhound after the hare, forcing Michael to chase after him to bring him back to the fold.

The final leg of the route took us through Barrow-upon-Humber and back into Barton before returning over the Bridge. It turned out to be an extremely pleasant day out with light winds and sunshine along some great cycling territory.

Back To School

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This Tuesday saw the Knights heading back to school…. and No… it’s not Knight school but a real bona-fide primary school. “Meet at the Cherry Burton duck pond at 0920” reminded Neil. Arriving at said “duck pond” there was no sign of anybody until Russell appeared a few minutes later. As we looked at our watches “They’re all cutting it fine” we thought but just at that moment the head of Dave J appeared around the corner of the nearby playground. “Hey! we’re over here” he shouted. You can take the ‘kid’ out of school but you can’t take the ‘kid’ out of the man.

At 0930 we assembled in the school yard of Cherry Burton Primary school where the children were doing a project on various forms of transport. We were welcomed by teacher Sarah. “Good morning Mrs Shepherdson” we chorused with impish grins on our faces.

After lining up we were introduced to the children who gave us a resounding “Good morning Beverley Knights”. There followed a short discussion on various factors concerning cycling. It was extremely uplifting to see so much enthusiasm and so many children who have bicycles. Shortly after, the children mingled in closer to our bikes so we could ‘show and tell’ about the bikes and the things we carry with us. To finish off our visit we rode around the playground in ‘convoy’ before departing for our scheduled ride.

The route for today took us to Etton then along the Kiplingcotes road to Market Weighton. The next challenge was the climb to Londesborough and onwards to Nunburnholme top.

After recovering we continued along the top then down to Dalton Dale into North Dalton. With the time pressing to arrive at the Cranswick Farm Shop cafe for our scheduled booking time, the ‘big guns’ set off ‘full steam ahead’ while the rest followed along behind.

The homeward journey proved somewhat tough as we faced a head wind virtually the whole way home. Despite the wind it was a very pleasurable day out with temperatures rising enough to wear shorts.

Favourite Things

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It’s been quite a ‘mixed bag’ of weather this week. Tuesday’s ride failed to materialise due to strong winds and showers in the forecast…… except for Neil and Heather who braved the conditions only to wonder why they bothered as they returned home completely ‘nithered’. Thursday we had four seasons in one day with warm sunshine followed by stinging hailstones.

Friday proved a much better day for cycling as we set off from Walkington Pond for a run out to Goodmanham.

Our route was described as “lumpy custard” with the first lump coming almost immediately round the corner at the ‘Dog & Duck’ on Northgate. It was a little smoother along Burton Gates before ‘wading’ our way uphill along Walkington Heads towards North Newbald. After ‘spooning’ through a few more lumpy bits we were faced with the ‘huge congealed lump’ that is Stoneknowle. On reaching the top at High Gardham there was a collective sigh of relief. “Well I’m glad that’s over with”.

The next ‘mouthful’ was a little ‘runnier’ as we ‘wolfed’ downhill to Low Gardham and then with a little more ‘consistancy’ towards Etton. Further lumpy bits appeared ‘on our plate’ as we turned towards Holme-on-the-Wolds not helped by the cool North-North-Easterly blowing over the surface. It was a different story after we turned left heading along the Middleton road. Now with the sun and the wind at our backs, the task of ‘polishing off’ the remaining few ‘lumps’ became much more pleasurable.

Beverley Knights Cycling Club Favourite Cafe Stop 2024

For our ‘main course’ we stopped at the Fiddle Drill in Goodmanham where we took the opportunity to present the accolade of Beverley Knights Cycling Club favourite cafe stop 2024. Once we’d taken onboard some real sustenance, it was time to finish off the ‘lumpy custard’ and head home.

The next ‘spoonful’ along the Spring Road proved a little ‘gritty’ and somewhat chilly with the wind in our faces until reaching South Dalton. Following the final few ‘lumpy mouthfuls’ at Etton and the often ‘unpalatable’ “Grannies Hump” we all returned home having had a very enjoyable day in the saddle.

Spring Is In The Air

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… Well at least the sun was shining and it was actually dry for a change. Unfortunately the pesky wind from the North East made it feel like someone had left the fridge door open. Seven Knights gathered at Market Cross along with a lovely group of WOW ladies.

After setting off through town our small group were soon split by traffic lights but regrouped after passing the Weel Bridge. “Big Engine” Colin jumped to the front with the rest of us content to sit on his wheel as we made our way into the wind to Tickton. Despite the breeze in our faces we continued to cruise along about 17mph along the relatively flat route out to Leven and Brandesburton. From there, we picked up the ‘never ending road’ to North Frodingham. With everyone taking turns at the front the pace remained relatively steady through to Wansford, Skerne and Driffield.

Well that was the easy bit. Now came the ‘lumpy’ bit. “One lump or two?” Still heading into the wind we began the gentle ‘upwardly mobile’ route along Spellowgate towards Cowlam. The further we travelled along this road the rougher the road surface became making it very difficult to find a smooth path. Just before reaching Cowlam we were faced a short sharp climb averaging 8.8% but touching 12% at the steepest point. Not that we’d know it watching Graham, legs spinning away like a turbine rotor, disappearing off into the distance. There was a little chance for recovery as the gradient eased off until reaching the junction of the B1253 Bridlington road.

After regrouping there was much rejoicing with the wind now at our backs and downhill run into Sledmere.

Approaching the counter at Sledmere House cafe to place our order we were informed “Sorry the breakfast menu stopped at 11.30” It was 11:33. “I’ll ask if they can do you a bacon sandwich”. “Yes that’s fine and an Americano? … That’ll be ten pounds please.” “But I only want one!” “Cash or Card?” asked the girl responding with a smile on her face.

We all looked forward to the return journey with the wind mostly behind us. There was still a few ‘lumps’ along the way with the steepest coming very quickly after the cafe stop at Keeper’s Hill. Averaging over 7% gradient for 0.45km but reaching 12-14% in places. Pacing was important if you didn’t wish to see your lunch again! 😆 Once ‘over the top’ we had a lovely long downhill run into Wetwang.

From Wetwang we headed towards Huggate, a gentle climb made much easier with the sun and the breeze on our backs. Thereafter we followed our usual route home to North Dalton, Middleton, Holme-on-the-Wolds and Etton. It was a route we don’t take very often but everyone enjoyed the change of scenery and the mixture of flat and hilly roads.

Masters of the Fairways

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The day opened with with a light sou’westerly wind and a grey blanket of cloud blocking out any spring sunshine and the warmth that might have come with it. Still, with no rain in the forecast it encouraged a great turn out. Only decision to be made was “Shorts or Longs, Summer bike or Winter bike?….🤔

As is traditional with the ‘Masters’, the ‘veterans’ take the ‘honour’ and lead the ‘field’ off on the ‘first tee’. The first ‘hole’ was a ‘par 4’ right hand dogleg taking us from Etton uphill to Holme-on-the-Wolds. ‘All square’ after the first, the second was a long straight ‘par 5’ with a number of undulations which managed to stretch the ‘field’ out as we approached the twisting snake-like ‘par 4 third’ leading us into Middleton-on-the-Wolds.

Next up was the ‘par 3 fourth’, a short up and down through the village. Some confusion reigned at the start of the ‘par 4 fifth’ when some ‘competitors’ misread their ‘course notes’ and tried to miss out the next section of the ‘course’ by turning onto Warter road instead of continuing to North Dalton.

Setting off on the ‘par 3 sixth’, a long straight heading directly into wind on the Dale road towards Warter. On reaching the ‘par 4 – 7th tee’ the terrain took another upward turn as the various groups climbed towards the highest part of the course at Nunburnholme top.

Next up was the ‘par 5 8th hole’ taking the ‘competitors’ from Nunburnholme top downhill through Londesborough with a sting in the tail climb of Intake Hill towards the end.

The ‘par 4 ninth’ meandered further downhill towards Market Weighton before a dogleg left heading to Goodmanham and the climb up to the ‘half-way house’ at Fiddle Drill cafe.

Following refreshments the ‘groups’ set off for the ‘back nine’. The ‘par 4 tenth’ continued the climb upwards along Crossgate. As we approached ‘Amen Corner’ and the ’11th Tee’ heaving in great gulps of air, a waft of “eau-de-manure” drifted across from the neighbouring field tantalising our olfactory nerves. “Ooh the joys of the countryside!” (either that or someone was letting rip 🤭)

At the 12th Tee a few competitors abandoned to find their own way home while the remaining ‘players’ tackled the fast downhill run along Kiplingcotes Race Course. The 13th was a short ‘par 5’ featuring a 5% average climb at the beginning followed by a short dip and another climb before the long straight ‘par 4 14th’ bringing the competitors back towards Etton.

The ‘par 5 15th’ led back through Etton village with a dogleg right and a short climb over the old railway line and into Cherry Burton. The next stage to tackle was the fearsome ‘par 3 16th’ with the infamous “Granny’s Hump”, a short climb averaging 5.2% but touching 9% briefly.

Once the ‘players’ managed to get over the ‘road crossing’ the ’17th’ was a relatively easy ‘par 4’ taking us back towards Manor House. The final ‘par 4’ 18th saw the ‘players’ taking various routes back to their own ‘clubhouse’ to end another extremely enjoyable ride around the East Riding.

Fiddly Wind Hilly Drill

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“Forecast looks good” proclaimed Raymond “Meet at Walkington 10am for a hilly ride which includes a ‘Fiddle’. Route to follow”. “Ooh I love a mystery tour”. DJ was first to respond “Ding Dong I’m free!” Matty followed up with “Yes, I’m on the Fiddle!” though I’m not sure he meant that literally. Seadog then piped in with “I’m up for a bit of drilling”. Ooh er missus, not sure we want to know what you sailors get up to.

Fourteen Knights turned out to be greeted with a blanket of lovely spring sunshine. Things were going really well…. but then we had to mount up. It wasn’t long before we were heading directly into the wind along Middlehowe Road. A gentle incline up to High Hunsley but with the westerly wind it felt like wading through treacle, though not as pleasant. Conversation was somewhat staccato as the wind snatched away words and instead filled the ears with a cacophony of sound.

After a brief respite we headed off to North Newbald. Still into the wind but at least it was now mostly downhill. “Regroup at the village green” Raymond had advised however that message seemed to fall on deaf ears as the ‘leading group’ took the shortcut down Townend Lane to wait near the local school instead.

Setting off once more it felt like bliss with the wind now on our backs giving us a gentle push along as we approached Stoneknowle hill. Any thoughts of PBs were soon quashed however, as we came face to face with a massive tractor with escort straddling the road, forcing us to pull into a nearby lay-by. At Gardham top we crossed the main A1079 with one of our group ‘earning’ a blast of the horn from one entitled miffed driver. “How dare you cross in front of me!”

With everyone safely across, it was time for another downhill run followed by a wind assisted blast towards Etton. Our next challenge was the climb up to Holme-on-the-Wolds. With the wind now on our left flank it was not so much of a hindrance unless we passed a gap in the hedgerow. It was a different story when we turned into the Middleton road as we were once again exposed to the full force. The only hiding place was on the back wheel of the rider in front and just pray that you could ‘hold the wheel’.

The final run in to the Fiddle Drill cafe was an ‘up and over’ Cross Gate with the wind now on the starboard bow. The leading group consisted of Michael, Colin and Matty with Pugwash hanging on their tails. I suspect there was a bit of an undeclared race going on between Michael and Colin with neither willing to be the first to ‘ease off’. There was one advantage being in the lead group though… first dibs at the cafe.

The journey back was somewhat easier with the wind generally assisting as we returned via Kiplingcotes, Etton and Cherry Burton. It was great to see so many members turn out to take advantage of the dry weather and making it a very enjoyable ride. Looking forward to our next outing.

Hutton Cranswick Hurdles

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Ladies and gentlemen welcome to this months running of the Hutton Cranswick Hurdles. It was touch and go whether todays meet would go ahead, however the early morning rain fizzled out leaving the course wet but rideable. It’s approaching 10am and the jockeys and their mounts are assembling at the start line by the Light Dragoon in Etton. Hold on, here’s one jockey arriving with his head almost hanging on his mounts head. Looks like Iain. “Well that was ***** hard going” he said in some sort of Anglo Saxon vernacular referring to the head wind he faced on the way to the start.

And they’re off! Raymond makes a quick getaway for an early lead as the riders approach the first hurdle in the climb up to Holme-on-the-Wolds. Luckily the wind is slightly behind and all the riders make it safely over.

Rounding the next turn, the riders were faced with an adverse wind heading along the ‘back straight’ towards the Goodmanham road hurdle where the riders can build up momentum on the slight downhill before trying to maintain the impetus for the short climb that follows. Once all the riders were safely over the obstacle they arrived at the Middleton-on-the-Wolds turn.

It was not long before the riders were confronted by the next few hurdles on the way to North Dalton. Finally, on reaching the ‘top end of the course’, with a following wind there was a bunch sprint along the main road to Bainton. It was here that the ‘chase’ came to a brief halt as the riders (except for Kamikaze Matty) had to wait for a break in the constant stream of traffic before crossing the A164.

The ‘chase’ then continued along the Neswick straight to Southburn leading the riders to Hutton Balk and the final dash to Hutton Cranswick Farm Shop where the riders were ‘fed and watered’ ready for the return leg.

After a short break, it was time to face the head winds on the way home. While the main bunch took the Bracken route, Michael and Colin however decided to take their mounts a different way home through Skerne and Wansford. There was no hiding from the wind as the riders set off along the initial section of Burnbutts lane. Fortunately it was not long before they found some shelter with the hedgerows.

Heading down Bracken lane the ‘chase’ was exposed once again but at least this section was downhill eventually leading along Mere lane before facing the next ‘hurdle’ of South Dalton Ramp. There was then a brief respite as the riders returned to Etton almost freewheeling with the wind on our backs to the penultimate ‘hurdle’ Etton ramp. The riders then all ‘bunched’ together along the Cherry Burton ‘straight’ girding their loins ready for the final challenge. You could almost hear the strains of Frank Sinatra 🎶and now the end is near, it’s time to face the final hurdle 🎶 😁 Yes it’s everyone’s favourite “Grannies Hump” not a difficult climb in the scheme of things but as usual it comes just when the legs are getting tired.

The ‘course’ was rather damp and quite muddy in places but at least the riders stayed dry with the sun trying to poke through the clouds towards the end. Another very enjoyable day out…. though I suppose I’ll have to clean my mount before the next outing.

The Best Laid Plans..

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.. Of mice and men, oft go astray. Raymond freshly returned from his winter “training camp” was full of enthusiasm to get back into the saddle. After issuing our detailed route instructions he then followed up with a list of “training camp rules”. Well who could resist such tempting rules… G & Ts, Wine, beach loungers, reading, music. What’s not to like? Perhaps that was what drew so many out of winter hibernation to gather at Market Cross.

We set off towards Tickton into a nippy easterly wind. “Feels like we’ve overdone the ice in the G & T” we thought as the chill seeped through our gloves. Raymond’s plan was to head to Leven and Brandesburton then loop through Dunnington. “Last time we were out that way, the Dunnington road was closed” advised Pugwash. “If that’s the case we can continue direct to Bewholme.” replied Raymond. Sure enough the road was still closed.

From Bewholme we headed north towards Skipsea Brough. After regrouping one encouraging voice cried out “The wind’s behind us now” as we continued towards Beeford. Our minds filled with joy at the thought of ‘Flying’ along with the wind at our backs as we headed through Foston-on-the-Wolds, Wansford and Skerne. Unfortunately our ‘joy’ was shortlived as we reached the Wansford road we were faced with “ROAD CLOSED” signs.

“Well what do we do now?” we asked looking around at each other. “Perhaps we can squeeze through or walk past” suggested one. When a car went past the barrier, we decided to follow and see what the situation was. However it was not long before the car returned like a dog with its tail between its legs. Just at that moment a burly workman confronted us to explain that the road was closed and there was no safe way through. “And who’s insurance is going to pay up if you run into one of us?” he added officiouslly.

Eventually we decided to change our cafe stop and head back to North Frodingham and Brandesburton. Unfortunately we were now heading back into the wind. There are times when that road feels like it goes on forever, even more so with an adverse wind. I guess that “training camp” has taken its toll on the legs. 🤔

Six Knights decided to call into the 10th Hole cafe at High Farm on the way home, while the remainder continued without stopping. After enjoying some great banter and a lovely lunch we set off on the short journey homeward.