Topic Title

Well first the words of warning - when driving to an open event always make sure you leave enough time for the procurement of petrol and always check your route before leaving home so you don't have to stop, hunt all round for your start sheet and then retrace your route.
On arriving at the hq don't stand around talking when you haven't time and always have a warm up because if you have a warm up instead of just jumping on the bike to do the 3.5 mile ride to the start which you will have to do in under 10 mins, you might then realise the left hand crank which came loose in the previous race last Wednesday and which you took off , cleaned up and replaced the night before is actually at 190 degs to the r/h crank rather than 180! Splined bottom bracket axles - now theres progress -you couldn't do this with square axles!
Oh yes and always take a full tool kit with you!
Steve / Charlie - apologies for being such an amateur & for my none appearance at the start hope you weren't too worried and a pity we couldn't make the team prize. However perhaps today wasn't meant to be as I have now the first signs of a cold.

How did the rest of you get on - I presume you managed more than the 2 pedal stokes I rode...

Rode the club mtb ride in Swaledale with Nick and Chris on Saturday. Great route - highlights were Gunnerside Gill and Fremlington Edge. It was howling up there; the sort of wind that distorts your face and sucks the air out of your mouth!! And I've not eaten that much chocolate in a day for some time.

Thanks for organising/leading Nick - a grand job.

R

Spookily, I think I can see a pattern here! Packed rucksac last night after day of domestic argybargy, pedalled off this morning to ride to Hull Thursday RR at North Newbald which started at 10:00. Got there at 9:40 to be told signing-on had finished at 9:30. Noooooooooooo! Moral of story: actually *read* the startsheet...

Watched most of the race - Matt and Andy S being the Clifton contingent - and then rode back, grumpily. Matt was up in the main bunch of about 25 or so when I left and they were busy reeling in a 2-man break, so I'm assuming he was up there in the final sprint up the hill - howd'ya do, Matt??

Still, it was sunny and warm-ish and I got in 80 miles...

Well we managed to reel in the couple of breaks that went away and i managed to get myself into about 4th place at the front of the bunch ..... then punctured just before the final turn. Spooky indeed!

To continue the theme... after 15 years of cycling you'd think I'd turn up to do 110 hilly miles (Etape Du Dales) in a good state of hydration. Well perhaps not, and I only realised how bad it was when I got a headache which felt like my brain was exploding on the first climb. With 50ish hilly miles to go before I could fill up with water it was no fun. Also you'd think I'd know to do my own ride on something like that and not try to keep up with people substantially better than me because then I'd just blow up...wrong again. Well there went my hopes of a gold standard ride.

And where were you Clifton, I'd expected to see the classic black and red a least somewhere on the ride.

Can't recall passing you Malcolm (like you said I would) how you'd do?

Arthur, Steve and I were flying club colours. Perhaps you weren't quick enough to catch us

Seriously, a good ride. The organisers finally managed to sort the weather out this year too (albeit a bit chilly at 7am) and the views were fabulous.

I'd have had no chance of catching you fellas. Tad disappointed at doing 7hrs 08 mins, I'd expected a sub 7hr ride (oh well). How'd you do? Seemed to be a high calibre of entrants (compared to the Fred Whitton), judging by the rate at which people were passing me.

I was, of course, jesting. The only chance I had of finishing before you lot was to set off a 7am. I did 7.43. Arthur was sub 7 hrs, 6.57 I think, and Steve was around 7.40 on his 'leisurely ride'. Gill did it in 9.17 virtually all on her own. She refuses to wear a Clifton jersey because she says she doesn't want to embarrass the club. She was the one calling everyone in a Clifton jersey 'Arthur' , I think you met her at Tan Hill.

Other reults I know about were Alistair Swales 8.13 and newcomers Tony Allen and Stephanie Winn who rode together in about 10.15.

You're right though about the calibre of some riders this year. The winning ride of 6.02 is breathtaking given the wind in some places.

Steve - you passed me in a fast bunch where the goat was just before Fleets Moss (you were a lot of miserable sods - the poor thing was petrified and nearly brought a couple of peole down).
Arthur - you flashed past me on the climb towards the Ribble Head Road ('twas I who gave you the shout)
Steve - saw you in the car park so got in before you (but there again I set off well before you as well).
We won't mention the time but 1% faster and I would have made a silver.

6:53 for me I was pleased witht that. I can now state from experience that 39x25 isn't an ideal gear to do the Etape on, but I rode up everything so maybe it just ensured I had to keep going fast!

I know what you mean about the dehydration though - I sufffered a bit as well (though not as much from the sound of it). It's the deceptive combination of a bit of wind and not acutally feeling that hot while the sun was still very strong. A few gallons of very sweet tea at the finish sorted that out though.

A hard day out, but a very good one. Next time, you should have another hour in bed then start with us We'd probably both have gone quicker - I ended up riding round pretty much the whole thing on my own (there were two of us together down from Ribblehead and I got a tow in for the last five mile, but that was it).

I did the LVRC Ferryhill Wheelers RR (in the C/D race) on Sunday. The race was around Barton (near Scotch Corner) on an exciting undulating course. The bunch split into 2 on the second lap and I ended up stranded between groups. After chasing in vain to get back to the front group, I sat up and got caught by a group of 3 riders. We then worked through-and-off and started picking up people as well as shelling people off. By the last lap there was just me and another guy left when we were caught by the front group of E/F riders. We tagged on the back (as per LVRC regs.) and finished the race with that bunch. Local riders Colin Hawxby and Nigel Warnes rode in the A/B race. Elite category cyclo-crosser, Noel Clough, also rode in the A/B race and got 5th place (I think).

i did the stockton whs 50m t/t on sun - finished with 1hr 57;25
for another top 10 place - happy with position although i don't
know final placings yet ( let you know when i know )
but unhappy with myself, took me 12m before i finally found my rythmn ?
against head wind but by then was 2mins slower than i wanted ?

was a lot quiker once i found out where i was going wrong, this proberly
sounds weird / stupid but i know what i mean

All this sportif stuff sounds v glamorous but i bet you didn't have as much fun as the merry band of 7 who left the square at 9am

Dodging the mg owners club run we detoured our way to Leavening before enjoying some of the finest cycling territory on offer as we dropped into Thixendale and then onto Millington for ample refreshment

Only 40 mins in the cafe - sadly Howard was not with us. And as Bernard took the helm from Claire on the way home our intended 4 hour ride extended to 6 and it was 3pm by time i finished with pedals.

Good effort by all - i think one of the best rides of the year so far.

Not sure how Gill wearing a Clifton jersey would embarrass the club. If you told non-cyclists you were going to cycle 110miles up the hardest climbs in the Dales, they'd probably ask how many days you were intending to take - wear your Clifton Jersey with pride. Sorry I wasn't too talkative at the time, it wasn't because you called me Arthur..I needed water bad.

Saw those goats Mal, but not you. Damned things nearly killed me

Arthur, I'd have thought riding 39x25 might have actually slowed you down a tad (especially on coal road). I had hoped a few of us would ride together - hence my "Etape Du Dales - The Clifton Squad" posting with the intention of us sticking together but aiming for a gold standard time. You managed it anyway and I don't think you'd have been quicker for riding with me. Maybe next year.

BW - 39x25 did slow me down really. I was being a little tongue in cheek there. I wanted to fit a 13-29 cassette but couldn't get it to work on the new bike.

I'd also have been up for starting together but as Steve pointed out, a 7:30 start means leaving York at 6, which would have meant breakfast not long after 5. As it was, eating baked beans and bread and 6am was bad enough!