Clifton CC

I know we'll be losing a few of the regulars this weekend (and to all of you putting your feet up in preparation for Wetwang - have a good race and mind how ya go!) but hopefully there'll be enough out to make a group ride of it on Saturday. It's the only day on the Met Office 5 day forecast that doesn't have b****y great raindrops hanging under the summary symbol.

How about Bramham - Thorner - Sherburn? Some flat, some hills, but generally allows a reasonably disciplined group to stick together?

Considered Tockwith then decided I might as well just get dropped on the training ride and save myself £20! See you in the square at 9

I should be along too

I might tag on in Tad, and do the lumpy bit. Might not go all the way back to York, Cawood maybe...I fancy doing Tockwith in the afternoon for some speed in the legs. Also got a race on sunday, so I wouldn't want to overdo it.

See you in the morning, any idea what time you get to Tad?

It's about thirty minutes into the ride I'd guess - so about 9:30 if a prompt start?

Well, about a dozen set off under skies which veered between the Met Office's predicted scudding-clouds-and-blue-intervals and the past fortnight's habit of simply p***ing it down. 25mph to Appleton Roebuck can only mean a hard return leg, and so it proved with the ride getting steadily tougher as it went on.

The numbers briefly increased when Darren joined us at Tadcaster but started to diminish shortly afterwards - apologies to anyone dropped today but by this time in the season I'm assuming everyone knows the way and the people up front are busting a gut because they've got looming humiliations in races to avoid. By the crossing of the A64 outside Leeds there were seven of us in the front group and - apart from Darren's departure (for a little light Tockwith this afternoon as a warm-up for Wetwang tomorrow.. ) at Sherburn - so it remained for the rest of the ride.

Some serious pedal-pushing by all concerned - the middle two-and-a-half-hours was done at 20.8mph and just under 235W. Thanks to all, and here's hoping the weather's due to perk up before too long. Some day our tanlines will come....

Top ride today folks , how fast was the run out to Tad?

The mid section lumps hurt as usual but didnt feel too bad. The return leg from Sherburn was horrible in the wind, although Phil's decision to add in a lap of the Bishopwood circuit, although making me swear under my breath as we turned to do the extra distance (apparently to ensure that we 'got our money's worth'- thanks Phil!), turned out to be the best thing ever for me! Just getting out of the wind for 10 minutes let me recover enough to not just have to sit in the wheels.

Then we turned back into the wind!

Hard work back to York but everyone seemed to work well together to get us back. 61 miles at average 19.6 mph for me which was pretty good given the wind.

If it's any consolation, Geraint Thomas tweeted about the pro bunch struggling to make 18kph on the flat into the wind in the Tour of Romandie today, so I guess we did okay!

Was a good ride yesterday. I enjoyed the ride through the lumpy bits, but when we got to the flat roads on the far side of Sherburn with that vicious headwind I really struggled. For some reason I just didn't have the legs to role through; whenever I got to the front I seemed to grind to a halt Will have to find a way to work on that. But anyway, cheers for the tow back into York guys, it was muchly appreciated! And everyone looked very strong taking turns into that awful wind! Thanks