Three Flats and a Packet of Wisps

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Dawn broke with dull grey skies and a cool northerly wind prompting a return to winter dress….well at least for most of us! For today’s ride to Shiptonthorpe we had a welcome return to to our normal meeting place at Market Cross.

The ride set off on time, unfortunately James was unable to make the start due to suffering a “flat” tyre and would try to join us at Etton. Matty set the early pace like a great steam engine leading the group of eleven Knights through North Bar to Molescroft and onwards to Cherry Burton. As we came into Etton, we found Caroline sheltering from the wind in the bus shelter while anxiously peering out waiting our arrival….either that or she was hoping for the next bus home. While some of the group continued to get a head start on the Gardham climb, it was not long before James joined us and the rest set off to catch up.

Unusually for the ascent to High Gardham, we had a following wind which helped several of the group achieve personal bests. James buoyed by his newly inflated tyres, soared to top like a hot air balloon setting the best time of the day on both Low and High Gardham.This was followed by a speedy downhill into North Newbald. After regrouping at South Newbald, we were just about to cruise through to Hotham when Mark had that feeling of “deflation”.

Not that sort of “pump” Matty
How many Knights….?

While he set about making repairs ably assisted by a few others, the rest of us were thoroughly entertained by the proceedings and the witty badinage. Just as the repairs were completed the sun put in a brief appearance. 🎶Hallelujah🎶 however we only got the “chorus” as it promptly pulled the blanket of cloud over its face and went back to sleep. Eventually we set off again through Hotham towards North Cave. On reaching the Cliffe Road we split into two groups as we headed directly into the wind towards Market Weighton. Our attempts to create a “professional” style chain gang worked up to a point managing to maintain a decent 18mph pace.

From Market Weighton, it was just a short “hop” to Langlands garden centre including negotiating the tricky five ways roundabout with each branch having an exit and an in lane with an island in between. Oh how the Dutch would laugh at our cyclepath designers. No wonder Colin opted to go on the road on the way back.

After a pleasant lunch break, it was time to make our way back to Market Weighton before heading to Goodmanham.

Turning into Red Lane

At the top of the climb up Red Lane, three of us stopped while Matty checked his shifter batteries which seemed to be playing up. Meanwhile a kindly old gentleman emerged from his car and engaged us in conversation about his days as a cyclist…..Eventually we managed to “extract” ourselves, wishing him a pleasant day before continuing on towards Etton to catch the rest of the group. Once again we seemed to have a headwind making progress difficult.

Finally we found some relief from the wind as we turned for home through Etton to Cherry Burton. Running down the “final strait” with the “finishing line” in sight and visions of our chosen “refreshment” chilling at home, there was a “pop” as Mark suffered another “flat”.

“Seconds out! Round two….”. While Mark set about his troublesome tyre he suggested we should all just carry on and leave him to it. We were having none of that and like the Brownlie brothers were determined to see him safely home. It was a shorter ride than usual for a Sunday but none the less enjoyable.

Toy Story

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Michael gathered his ‘toys’ in his makeshift ‘den’ at Etton (aka bus shelter). As he surveyed the assembled ‘crew’ he noted there was one missing. Just as he was about to begin a search party the final ‘toy’ ‘Roboto’ arrived. “Just before we go” said Michael “I’d like to introduce you all to the newest ‘toy’ ‘Teela'”. He then went on to outline the ‘activities’ for the day including an ‘assault on Bagpuss’. (He’s a very ‘naughty cat’)

The bunch set off towards Holme-on-the-Wolds with ‘HotWheels’ setting the early pace closely followed by ‘Han Solo’ and ‘Teela’. While negotiating our way through Lund ‘Skeletor’ got overexcited and managed to ‘throw a chain’. With no damage done, the lively bunch of toys continued to Middleton-on-the-Wolds. The going got a bit rough as we turned onto the climb up Warter road. Having jostled, bumped and shoogled around the numerous potholes the toys finally arrived at the top. “Come on!” cried Michael excitedly as we headed downhill to Dalton Dale.

Following a short break in the sunshine, the ‘toys’ set off at pace with a generally downhill run towards Warter with ‘Buzz Lightyear’ turning on his rocket boosters to post a fantastic top speed of 75.7 km/hr (47mph). Things calmed down somewhat when the gradient changed through Warter and the ‘toys’ faced a steady climb towards Kilnwick Percy. Michael once again couldn’t contain his excitement and started to push on before he’d reached the ‘real’ climb. Soon enough though Baggaby hill appeared in front of us looming like the sight of huge beer belly. 🍺 Cheers Michael! Taking the climb at our own pace, there were some who sounded like Darth Vader before eventually regrouping at the top. “Well I’d like to say I enjoyed that” said Skeletor with a rictus grin firmly across his face.

The pace picked up again as we headed down towards Pocklington. While working our way through the town there was a brief confusion about which way to go with some having a dance all the way round a roundabout. Once onto the Allerthorpe road, Barbie and Ken put in a superb performance to grab a QOM for Barbie.

Arriving at the cafe we found it was crawling with cyclists like ants around a termite mound. The queue snaked around so far it was difficult to find the end. Despite the long wait to order, the service was still very quick.

Leaving the cafe behind, we headed for Everingham and Harswell. Along this section there is the club time trial. Once again, Michael full of energy, tried to muster up some support for the TT effort. Unfortunately with the wind against nobody else was interested. “Well I’m doing it anyway” he declared joyfully. As we approached the start at Everingham Michael shot off leaving his ‘toys’ behind. There was a brief call of “Wait for me” as ‘Han Solo’ and ‘Hotwheels’ chased after in vain. Wind? What wind, Michael managed to post a very impressive time of 7:57 giving a speed of 37.7 km/hr (23.6 mph) and secure the overall best time this year. What might he achieve with the wind assisting?

Things began to settle down after that when the ‘toys’ adopted a more gentle pace as we continued to the Cliffe road. At this point ‘Johnny Seven’ left the group to return home via Sancton while the rest split into smaller groups for the dash to Common hill. Further splits in the group occurred at South Newbald with some opting to return home via Walkington heads while others took on the final frontier of Trundlegate. Overall we had a great day out with beautiful sunshine and light winds. What’s not to like?

Schools Out!

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Todays ride was described as somewhat “lumpy like school custard” however this did not deter the dozen Knights who turned up for ‘assembly’ at Etton. ‘Headmaster’ Ray outlined the curriculum for the day starting with a ‘geography lesson’. “Do we all know the location of ‘Grannies Attic’ as we’ll be heading past there, then along the valley to Market Weighton”. When the ‘bell tolled’ 10am, the ‘class’ set off, ‘compass and map’ firmly established in mind, and headed for Kiplingcotes. With a gentle wind behind us, progress was relatively easy as we continued to Goodmanham.

The ‘first lesson’ ended when we reached the A614 roundabout. It was at this point that Heather ‘raised her hand’ to ask “Please sir, may I be excused? I need to get home”. While the rest of us prepared ourselves mentally for the upcoming ‘double maths’, Heather went to ‘revise’ the ‘geography’ course.

The next ‘lesson’ began almost immediately as we contemplated with enthusiasm the challenge ahead. We raced down the initial part of Intake Hill however things soon began to get tough as we wrestled with ‘logistics’ of ‘power’, ‘weight’ and ‘velocity’. The ‘class’ passed the ‘first test’ by reaching Londesborough before the ‘endurance factor’ crept into play as we continued up to the top of Nunburnholme. Just as Jim was about to complete his ‘task’ a ‘school bully’ in a ‘four wheeler’ almost sideswiped him by pulling out from a junction right into his path. If looks could kill…..

The first ‘maths lesson’ came to an end as we approached Bailey Lane. “It’s now time for a little break” advised the headmaster. While the we headed downhill on the ‘playground’, Paul W made his excuses and ‘ducked out of class’ to head home via Middleton-on-the-Wolds. At the same time Martin ‘snuck in the back door’ having played ‘catch up’. ‘Playtime’ however soon ended when we reached Warter and were then faced with the ‘grind’ up Mill Lane. ‘Percentages’ were the main ‘theme’ of the second ‘math lesson’ as we struggled with the ‘plusses’ and ‘minuses’ of the terrain. Matty earned a ‘gold star’ 🌟 as he led the ‘class’ into Huggate. The final ‘thesis’ before the lunch break involved the effects of ‘resistance’ as we turned into the wind towards Field Farm Cafe where Sharrin showed an impressive burst of speed ‘out of the classroom’ quickly followed by Matty.

With the temperature being a little cooler than last week the class opted to dine in the canteen, however there was a slight draft which saw many of the pupils grabbing the nearby blankets to keep warm. As we tucked into our ‘lunchboxes’ Colin and Michael turned up. “Sorry we’re late sir….” they whispered “but we’d like to join you for the next lesson”. It wasn’t long before the beginning of the afternoon ‘session’.

The first afternoon ‘lesson’ proved to be ‘religious instruction’. In the ‘beginning’ there was an ‘Exodus’ from the cafe then we all prayed for shelter from the wind while heading to Tibthorpe. Fortunately we had the ‘Numbers’ with the ‘Colossians’ taking to the front on the way to Bracken Lane. The last ‘lesson’ of the day consisted of ‘homework’ as we followed our usual route via South Dalton and Etton. Finally the ‘marks’ for the days ride gave a solid ten out of ten with gold stars 🌟 all round.

A Beast from the East

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Seven Knights turned out for Raymond’s Friday ride. “Weather’s looking good for a ride” he stated confidently in an effort to rouse up some company. When the morning dawned, we were greeted with a dull grey blanket covering the sky and a breeze from the east. After meeting up in Etton we set off towards Holme-on-the-Wolds. As we continued west with the wind on our backs we noted a number of farm vehicles along the road. The peaceful start to the journey was then suddenly interrupted with a series of very loud gun shots, BANG BANG BANG. Made us almost jump out of our skin. Glad I’m not a rabbit or hare or whatever they were shooting at or perhaps they were testing a bird scarer.

Shortly after, we noted the wind beginning to pick up indicated by a solitary windmill in the distance whirling away like a turbo-prop ready for take off. Meanwhile we were confronted by a large lorry filling the road space forcing us to pull over into a nearby passing place and an opportunity for Ray to check his bike.

The next leg from Middleton-on-the-Wolds to North Dalton is a rollercoaster road and was not made any easier with the wind coming from the side.

At North Dalton no-one fancied the longer route via Huggate so we turned towards Bainton. Then, it was like someone had opened a fridge door and ramped the fan up to full blast, so it was with some relief when we turned off the main road into Bainton and found some shelter, albeit briefly, among the housing. Leaving Bainton we had a mad dash to Hutton Cranswick where we stopped for refreshments at the Farm Shop.

Around the table the banter flew and none more so than when there was a misunderstanding regarding Led Zeppelin and a hydrogen balloon leaving a smile on our faces as we headed back into the cold. Unusually on this occasion for the first part of the return trip over Burnbutts Lane we had the wind behind. Just as we were heading along Bracken Lane the sun put in a brief appearance, peeking out from the grey clouds like a nosy neighbour through the curtains. The rest of the ride became a matter of survival as we returned home having covered around 40 miles with only the warmth of the company to help us along.

You Bean Toasted

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It’s been a while since we managed to get out for a decent Sunday club ride. In the absence of our ‘glorious leader’, Michael stepped up to the ‘plate’ to suggest a ride to the Ramblers Rest at Millington. Five Knights turned out at Etton for a lumpy outing. Given that some of us had not many miles in the saddle so far this year it was an ambitious ‘warm up’.

Our route took us first to Holme-on-the-Wolds then to Middleton. At this point we turned onto the climb along Warter road. We were soon reminded why we don’t use this road very often as the surface was more akin to a ploughed field at times. Eventually we reached the B1246 road. Our joy of the downhill cruise was soon over after passing through Warter where the road began to rise steadily towards Baggaby hill, a climb of around 1.6km (a mile for old schoolers) at an average of 5% and touching 15-16% briefly. To top that off, we turned towards Huggate and continued another climb of 0.8km averaging 7% reaching a max 12%. Kudos to Colin for posting the best time on the day.

Once ‘over the top’, we turned down into Millington Dale. Any thoughts of trying the ‘freewheel challenge’ were soon dismissed as we faced what felt like a howling gale along along the valley with James and Sean taking the brunt of it while the rest of us tucked in behind. Cheers lads. After a final little climb near Millington woods we arrived at Ramblers Rest ready for refuelling.

I’m not sure what inspired our choice of sustenance but there was definitely a ‘whiff’ of Blazing Saddles about it. Perhaps we were hoping for a turbocharged ‘blaaaaaast’ up the hills on the way home. We certainly could’ve done with some assistance as we hit Nunburnholme hill for the first time this year. Whose idea was that anyway? On this occasion Sean showed everyone a clean pair of heels, reaching the top over a minute ahead of the pack.

Following a brief respite we set off again towards Londesborough and another climb up Intake Hill leading to Market Weighton. Thereafter we followed the more gentle inclines of the Kiplingcotes valley back to Etton. I don’t know about the others, but I felt ‘toasted’ and had to gently ‘spin the legs’ for the final few miles home to stave off twinges of cramp. Still, it was a rather enjoyable ride including some ‘new’ routes.

What’s ‘Eating Gilbert Dyke?

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Having been confined to “barracks” for a number of days, due to in part to icy conditions then by a battering from storm Bert, it was no surprise to see a good turn out for this Tuesdays ride to Gilberdyke. Our rendezvous point was Walkington pond where we huddled together in the bus shelter. The sun was shining but the slight breeze made the 4°c feel more like zero degrees. The last to arrive was Russ and Stephen both wearing matching ensembles making them look like they’d just come from auditions for the latest episode of “Orange is the New Black”.

Nine Knights set off up Kirk Lane heading for Little Weighton with Graham and Matty setting the early pace. They must have been feeling the cold as they soon had the group spread out before stopping to regroup when we turned onto Rowley Road. “OK Matty we’re all here, let’s go!” came the shout from behind “MATTY!…MATTY!… oh never mind off we go”. On reaching the end of Rowley road, we were waiting for an opportunity to exit the junction when a kindly van driver stopped to let us out, probably much to the chagrin of the traffic behind. In the kerfuffle of the mass scramble to get going, there was a squeal of concern from Heather as she narrowly avoided touching wheels with Matt. Later as we emerged from the junction at the bottom of Welton Dale we had a ‘reprise’ when Puggy 😳 got caught in the wrong gear heading up Elloughton High road impeding her progress. At this point we waved goodbye to Stephen who continued into Welton.

On “Top of the World” (aka Elloughton High Road)

Coming onto the main road at Elloughton we split into two groups while making our way to Ellerker along the Brough/Cave road. After regrouping, we continued through Ellerker to Common Road where we said goodbye to Matty.

Our ride to Broomfleet was interrupted at the railway crossing where we had a triple whammy of trains. Following a short break we continued to the Brickworks along a lane called “The Landings”. Given the state of the road surface it must have been named after the lunar landings. Having safely negotiated our way through, we arrived at the Gilberdyke garden centre

When we’d all had our fill it was time for the return journey. Along the busy main road through Newport we formed a “steady away” chain gang until reaching North Cave. At this point Geoff left the group to continue home on his own while the rest headed along Townend lane towards Hotham.

Unfortunately there was some misunderstanding over the directions which resulted in three of us heading along Hotham road while the three at the back turned to Nordham and through Hotham park. When we regrouped outside the Hotham Arms “referee” Neil ‘blew his whistle’ and showed the ‘yellow card’ to Puggy. “We agreed at the cafe we’d go through the park” advised Neil. “But referee!!…” cried Puggy proverbially flailing around for any excuse before trotting out the oft used adage “…but we always go that way”. Meanwhile Chad was trying to sink into the background muttering “Don’t blame me, I was only following the wheel in front”.

The final leg of the journey took us home through South and North Newbald and along Beverley road to complete another enjoyable ride in great company. Till next time….

Sled MeerKats

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

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

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

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

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

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

Friday The 13th

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

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

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

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

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

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

Goodlads Hunmanby Ride

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

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

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

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

Riding The Blues

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

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

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

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

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

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