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Weather forecast looks okay for Saturday - bit chilly, but otherwise alright - so the aim will be to do the "west" route:- Appleton Roebuck - Tadcaster - Bramham - Thorner - Scholes - Barwick - Aberford - Sherburn - Cawood and home. If you've not done this route before just take a quick look at it on the map so you know roughly where you'll be.

09:00 from the square as usual, and we'll split into two or three groups depending on numbers.

Weather forecast now looking very chilly - minus two, but dry - might switch to the northerly route for the avoidance of icy roads...

If there was a Clifton trophy for most flats over winter my name would be on it. Different wheels, new rim tapes, new tyres, different tubes...I don't know what more I can do?

Thanks to Phil and Tony for waiting, you didn't have to, but it was nice to have some company. It was probably a harder workout than taking short turns with a large group so I think we had a good ride.

Despite a seriously chilly forecast and heavy frost on everything this morning, still a good group out for the Training Ride - I lost count but must have been nearly twenty. General view was that back roads may be unsafe so we headed off out in one long (traffic-annoying) line towards Wetherby to do the "safe" northern route.

The sun was on our backs up the A168 but it was still zero degrees when, as per Darren's posting, he punctured on the way into Boroughbridge. Given the big group I suggested half should head off but as it turned out everyone did (thanks lads ) leaving Tony, Darren and me doing a brisk three-up onwards to Easingwold. Here we caught a couple of backmarkers and a short-cut past Crayke put us in touch with a couple more, so a group of us eventually rolled into town. It was indeed a good ride - 219W and 20.2mph for the out-of-town bit - not too shabby for mid January and rather Finnish conditions....

Yeah it would have been a good opportunity to sort into 2 groups, Cam is going well, the Hope guy must be a bit handy, and a few other strong legs would have made a really good group. As it was I enjoyed the ride, Tony knows how to hurt and will always give 100% and you ain't too shabby Phil. I honestly wouldn't have minded if no one waited. It was cold and it is a training ride. I would've had a cafe stop in B'bridge and pottered home.

As for the other group- we set off from BBridge in a bit of disarray but got it together as we left the town. Once we got it together everyone worked pretty well, we shed a few on the way but had a group of about 9 left by the time we hit the flat 10 out of Sutton.

Felt like a good session today- just over 55 miles at an overall average of 19.5mph. Some good group work both before and after Darren's flat. Thanks for the ride folks. I am now mainly wishing I hadnt arranged to do the Malton Reliability ride tomorrow, cos my legs hurt!

PS- sorry Darren, Phil and Tony- it looked like loads had stopped to wait- clearly not. Not sure I'd have been much use if i'd waited though, you three would have killed me within the first 5 miles

"Given the big group I suggested half should head off but as it turned out everyone did (thanks lads ) leaving Tony, Darren and me doing a brisk three-up onwards to Easingwold."

Yes....sorry about that.. When Darren punctured I only made a cursary glance and it looked like a few had stopped.I was pretty keen to get back for Midday (and it was cold ) so got going. After we got to the other side of B'bridge it became clear that virtually everyone else had the same idea! Felt a little pang of guilt but then we started thru and offing again and, as Nigel said, we had a decent ride. After we stopped for a comfort break it wouldn't have surprised me to have seen Darren steaming up again...what with the practice he has had I am sure his 'inner-tube replacing skills' must be lightning quick now!...Anyway sounds like you three guys got a good ride in..
It was even colder this morning and the fear of icy roads led me doing similar route this morning....getting to Ripon and then doubling back. A bit boring but better than doing a lenghty session on the t***o..

It wasn't a bad change with frozen fingers, but Tony then had a problem with his mudguard, and catching you was never going to happen. I don't know about the others but I was going as hard as I wanted to go on a freezing cold January morning.

Well, I thought that having joined last week's ride I'd be along for this weeks, but then I awoke to see just how sparkly everything was and decided against. So Sunday lunchtime I headed out on roughly a Buttercrambe > Malton > Terrington loop (72km) which I completed in 2hrs 42mins. I was very heavy on the breaks on all the descents, and very aware of how many small pockets of ice loitered at the edges of the road. Still not confident on road wheels in this weather. Hopefully it helped a bit.

By the way, is anyone a Dailymile user? Would be nice to see the routes and times others are posting.

"Given the big group I suggested half should head off but as it turned out everyone did (thanks lads ) leaving Tony, Darren and me doing a brisk three-up onwards to Easingwold."

Yep - sorry about that also! Phil sent a few of us on to collect up the front riders - only thought there were a couple but as Cam says, we suddenly seemed to have everyone. :-/

Carried on with the main group until about 5 miles out of Crayke where Will had a mechanical - I stopped to wait & then we tried to get back on but it wasn't really happening (seems to be a theme for me! ) - VERY fortunately we then got swept up by Phil, Tony & Darren (such a relief -I was not looking forward to a 2up ride home!!). Anyway, I clung on to the group and sat in in the wind whilst the boys towed me home. (thanks guys)

Apologies from me for getting cross @Tony - during the thru & off on the old A1, there were 3 or 4 people who weren't coming through at the back & by the time I realised & pulled through, a gap had opened up - Tony did the same thing I think, resulting in him (inadvertently) cutting me up on a couple of occasions. Just one of those things - though it does help if the last rider can say 'last man' or something - in a large group with some sitting in it can be hard to know what's happening behind you.

Anyway - good ride though I was a little delerious from the cold when I got in. Glad it wasn't much longer!

Agreed on the 'last man' shout.....