I feel qualified to kick this one off. As Cath was tapering for the Reliabilty I had permission to do the Saturday training ride which meant a rare opportunity for me to do back to back rides. as it turned out she had to miss both days with a bad cold which was a pity. Saturday was a miserable day spent on the forgetable roads round Taddy & Sherburn but hey it was the ride that was advertised and its not quite meant to be enjoyable. For me it fitted the bill - 65 miles at 18. something mph and I could still walk unaided up & down stairs afterwards.
I thought this time last year that the Reliability was a thing of the past but Pete Sutton at British Cycling and our own Andy Johnston sorted out the risk assessment and with the village hall booked it was back on the calender. However I feel we were very lucky with the weather with one of the few mornings without ice we've had for a while. I hope you like the circuit - I came up with this in 1994 and we've used it every year since. Some hard climbing with plenty of opportunity for recovery in between. It isn't a race but it is a good excuse for a good hard ride.
62 starters setting off in groups. Highlights - well seeing 62 starters, seeing a big guy on a heavy bike doing a lot of the legwork and still at the front on all the climbs. Tom you will go far. Seeing one of only two ladies leading a group of guys up to Crayke. Well done Claire. And Dave Cook another veteran of the Saturday ride still just about in there at the end. And well done to Mick McCormick for once again taking the oldest finisher trophy and Arthur Marshall, the youngest. Low lights - getting dropped on the hill of broken dreams at the end - I think I only got back on because no one else knew the way?
Thanks to Andy J for doing everything from filling out the event registration form to organising the cafe to signing you all on and putting out those signs in Stammy Bridge!
Weekend Report 6th & 7th Feb
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At the back as usual
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Well what more can I say than well done to all for the great organisation and route for this years reliability ride. This was the 1st one of these I have ever done and I was a bit dubious about the distance, considering the recent weather that has not let me get the bike out as much as I would have liked. Got to the start point to find Claire leaving with a big group and after myself and Steph has signed in, we got in a group of about 8 - can't remember all the names but Rich, his friend Chris (i think), Chris C, Jeff Barber, Guy, Steph, myself and one other (apologies for not remembering your name) set off at a good pace - 20mph+ till we got well outside York.
We caught up with a few others just outside Crayke - we lost one prior to this with a puncture - Jeff B and Chris C disappeared never to be seen till the finish and then 2 more when we went that little bit too far in Coxwold, up the hill to the Kilburn turn off before Steph caught us up to tell us off for going the wrong way
They decided to carry on round towards White Horse Bank to Byland Abbey and back onto the route from there - hope they got back ok??
So that left us with 3, Guy myself and Steph. Kept a good pace going till we got to the little hill out of Ampleforth when a guy with Team Chevin on his jersey joined us along with the guy who got the puncture outside of Crayke. Great pace set with these guys all the way through Helmsley when 3 from the university and 1 other joined us.
Great pace again all the way till we split near Norton. Last little hill up Birdsall was a welcoming site as we knew we were near the finish line. This ride will prove invaluable in my training for the Fred in May as I found that I still had a bit left in the old legs at the end, once again thanks to those who organised all this
We caught up with a few others just outside Crayke - we lost one prior to this with a puncture - Jeff B and Chris C disappeared never to be seen till the finish and then 2 more when we went that little bit too far in Coxwold, up the hill to the Kilburn turn off before Steph caught us up to tell us off for going the wrong way
They decided to carry on round towards White Horse Bank to Byland Abbey and back onto the route from there - hope they got back ok??So that left us with 3, Guy myself and Steph. Kept a good pace going till we got to the little hill out of Ampleforth when a guy with Team Chevin on his jersey joined us along with the guy who got the puncture outside of Crayke. Great pace set with these guys all the way through Helmsley when 3 from the university and 1 other joined us.
Great pace again all the way till we split near Norton. Last little hill up Birdsall was a welcoming site as we knew we were near the finish line. This ride will prove invaluable in my training for the Fred in May as I found that I still had a bit left in the old legs at the end, once again thanks to those who organised all this
After a day off on Saturday, I was ready for the Reliability on Sunday. I joined Muzzy's group of about sixteen riders - Nigel, IanH, a couple of H-group regulars (but inexplicably not H himself), a handful of guys from the university, a CycleWorker, The Lone Climber (a guy in a kerchief who floated up hills but lacked banana handling skills) and a few others. We were third group away I think, and after Nigel cracked the whip we worked well and didn't really let up from Sutton until Stamford, catching one group on the climb to Crayke and the leaders at Malton traffic lights. We ruthlessly abandoned Ian with a puncture a few miles past Slingsby, and shed a few riders on the later climbs.
The weather was relentlessly grey and damp, but not actually bad by recent standards - and it was nice to see a good selection of 'touring' bikes with guards, flaps (muzzy's nearly cracked under pressure), carrier frames and whatnot being thrown up hills with gusto. I behaved myself on the earlier climbs but decided to go for broke on Birdsall brow, getting an early lead before being passed by three smarter climbers. A final attempt to reel them back in failed when my legs got into a dispute with the road over how far it was to the top - the road, as usual, had the last laugh.
3:06 from Nestle to the Village hall made it 19.5mph average which seemed pretty good. And they hadn't even had time to unpack the cakes! Many thanks to Paul, Andrew J and the organising team for a great event.
After Paul's kind words I shouldn't criticise the route - but in fact it was spot on. On paper, I thought it was a bit conservative: too flat between Helmsley and Malton. But riding it, it worked just fine - a warm up, then a tough bunch of middle-sized climbs, then a bit of a breather with just enough dips and rises to keep you working, ready for the big finale out of Norton. That Birdsall is a tricky b*gger - no killer gradient but no let-up either.
Tom
The weather was relentlessly grey and damp, but not actually bad by recent standards - and it was nice to see a good selection of 'touring' bikes with guards, flaps (muzzy's nearly cracked under pressure), carrier frames and whatnot being thrown up hills with gusto. I behaved myself on the earlier climbs but decided to go for broke on Birdsall brow, getting an early lead before being passed by three smarter climbers. A final attempt to reel them back in failed when my legs got into a dispute with the road over how far it was to the top - the road, as usual, had the last laugh.
3:06 from Nestle to the Village hall made it 19.5mph average which seemed pretty good. And they hadn't even had time to unpack the cakes! Many thanks to Paul, Andrew J and the organising team for a great event.
After Paul's kind words I shouldn't criticise the route - but in fact it was spot on. On paper, I thought it was a bit conservative: too flat between Helmsley and Malton. But riding it, it worked just fine - a warm up, then a tough bunch of middle-sized climbs, then a bit of a breather with just enough dips and rises to keep you working, ready for the big finale out of Norton. That Birdsall is a tricky b*gger - no killer gradient but no let-up either.
Tom
Yeah, cheers Pete, we did make it round fine. Having ridden straight up the hill in Coxwold I just didn't fancy turning round and going back down, so opted for the longer Kilburn route to Byland. Thanks to the organisers for a good day out.
It started inauspiciously when I met Rich to ride to the start and he said in a fine impression of a Victorian antarctic explorer "I don't feel too good, if I get dropped, just leave me"! Following the blast out of York (I was relieved when someone took over at the front around Haxby, I had no computer and no idea how fast we were actually going) and our Coxwoldroute problem, Rich and I rode together across to Ampleforth, up the bumpy climb and freewheeled down the other side. It was during this 40+mph freewheel that I realised how cold it was, despite multiple windproof layers, but we made good time to Nunnington, where the fun and games started. Rich punctured just at the bad bend at the bottom of Caulkley's Bank prompting a cold repair stop. The first attempt pinched on re-assembly, leading to a patch up job and longer stand, before pressing on to Hovingham. Here Rich called a halt again as the patch was leaking, so I did the decent thing and gave him my spare tube - on the understanding that if I then punctured, he'd repair it while I mocked him.
It took the whole ride to Malton to get warm again, before the ascent to Birdsall and Acklam. On the approach I managed to persuade Rich that it was just like Nunnington - just a drag! I think he's still speaking to me. At least with taking the extra time the sun was finally breaking through up there and we had a tailwind across the top. The final part of our unreliability ride occured when I failed to fork R to Buttercrambe and went via Bugthorpe to the A166 and a final bumpy and uncomfortable 2.5m blast along the main road, reaching the Hall before most people left, leaving a leisurely group ride back to York. It's my first proper ride of the year, the longest my commuter/hack bike has ever been and we achieved around 80 miles for the day in total. And I was pleasantly surprised to still be able to attack the Col de RSPCA at the end!
It started inauspiciously when I met Rich to ride to the start and he said in a fine impression of a Victorian antarctic explorer "I don't feel too good, if I get dropped, just leave me"! Following the blast out of York (I was relieved when someone took over at the front around Haxby, I had no computer and no idea how fast we were actually going) and our Coxwoldroute problem, Rich and I rode together across to Ampleforth, up the bumpy climb and freewheeled down the other side. It was during this 40+mph freewheel that I realised how cold it was, despite multiple windproof layers, but we made good time to Nunnington, where the fun and games started. Rich punctured just at the bad bend at the bottom of Caulkley's Bank prompting a cold repair stop. The first attempt pinched on re-assembly, leading to a patch up job and longer stand, before pressing on to Hovingham. Here Rich called a halt again as the patch was leaking, so I did the decent thing and gave him my spare tube - on the understanding that if I then punctured, he'd repair it while I mocked him.
It took the whole ride to Malton to get warm again, before the ascent to Birdsall and Acklam. On the approach I managed to persuade Rich that it was just like Nunnington - just a drag! I think he's still speaking to me. At least with taking the extra time the sun was finally breaking through up there and we had a tailwind across the top. The final part of our unreliability ride occured when I failed to fork R to Buttercrambe and went via Bugthorpe to the A166 and a final bumpy and uncomfortable 2.5m blast along the main road, reaching the Hall before most people left, leaving a leisurely group ride back to York. It's my first proper ride of the year, the longest my commuter/hack bike has ever been and we achieved around 80 miles for the day in total. And I was pleasantly surprised to still be able to attack the Col de RSPCA at the end!
A truly nifty day out. For me a total of 72 miles, all in, for the day - the longest (by at least 25 miles) and the hilliest (anything after Crayke) for four months.
With my co-equipier,hard man Bernie the T, we progressed at a steady rate commensurate with our lack of preparedness. No traumas, no heroics just a measured plod that got us from A to B in a reasonable time, in a reasonable state without hesitation, deviation or interruption. Definitely hard work, but trouble shared is troubled halfed and between us I think it's safe to say we did a good and enjoyable job of getting ourselves round.
With my co-equipier,hard man Bernie the T, we progressed at a steady rate commensurate with our lack of preparedness. No traumas, no heroics just a measured plod that got us from A to B in a reasonable time, in a reasonable state without hesitation, deviation or interruption. Definitely hard work, but trouble shared is troubled halfed and between us I think it's safe to say we did a good and enjoyable job of getting ourselves round.
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bernard turgoose
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- Joined: Tue Nov 14, 2006 8:21 pm
BernardI also missed my fellow 'co-equipier', Cath, who was forced to sit out with a badly timed cold. It's a lonely ride after Crayke when you just can't quite close that 20-30 metres and then as the 2 riders ahead of you become 3 riders and then 4, leading to my 30m deficit growing to 50m then 100m..........you've all been there!....... 
I finally lost sight of my 'carrots' ahead along the Helmsley-Wombleton road, but I kept at the solo task in hand and was most fortunate to be caught by the ever-smiling Mr Barber and his co-rider Chris C at the top of the Nunnington climb. A few big digs by yours truly (and a fair amount of goodwill from Jeff and Chris, I think) meant that I had 2 wheels to follow all the way to the climb of Norton Wold.
A huge thanks to you 2 guys for that tow!
Over to the final climb of Birdsall, I love Paul's description above! I watched Jeff & Chris fly off ahead, but they had rejuvenated my focus and I was measuring my efforts for a last gallop to the finish. A small surprise to see a few riders up ahead as I tried to raise the pace over the top and once again the tortoise was chasing the hares! Much assisted by some hesitant route choices up ahead (I have to have some advantage with 16 years a member of Clifton to know the route), I was once again able to mix in a few wheels for the flat run-in to S. Bridge. Had that strange cramping up feeling if I tried to free-wheel or ease up, so with PhotoBen & Aiden from Newcastle, we made short work of the final 10km.
I can only add my thanks to the many above. Paul and Andy J are to congratulated for resurrecting this ride from its insurance bureaucracy and Andy J's family certainly knew the way to revive some jaded cyclists with their 'cafe' experience.
ClaireG
I finally lost sight of my 'carrots' ahead along the Helmsley-Wombleton road, but I kept at the solo task in hand and was most fortunate to be caught by the ever-smiling Mr Barber and his co-rider Chris C at the top of the Nunnington climb. A few big digs by yours truly (and a fair amount of goodwill from Jeff and Chris, I think) meant that I had 2 wheels to follow all the way to the climb of Norton Wold.
A huge thanks to you 2 guys for that tow!
Over to the final climb of Birdsall, I love Paul's description above! I watched Jeff & Chris fly off ahead, but they had rejuvenated my focus and I was measuring my efforts for a last gallop to the finish. A small surprise to see a few riders up ahead as I tried to raise the pace over the top and once again the tortoise was chasing the hares! Much assisted by some hesitant route choices up ahead (I have to have some advantage with 16 years a member of Clifton to know the route), I was once again able to mix in a few wheels for the flat run-in to S. Bridge. Had that strange cramping up feeling if I tried to free-wheel or ease up, so with PhotoBen & Aiden from Newcastle, we made short work of the final 10km.
I can only add my thanks to the many above. Paul and Andy J are to congratulated for resurrecting this ride from its insurance bureaucracy and Andy J's family certainly knew the way to revive some jaded cyclists with their 'cafe' experience.
ClaireG
I really enjoyed the ride on Sunday. I started in the group with Pete Kane, Rich, Chris T, Chris C, Jeff Barber, Guy and Steph. We all stuck together at a good pace unit we got to Crayke where me and Chris C went of the front whilst having a chat. No real intention of breaking off from the group. That climb is one of my favourites so like all the rest of the hills on the route we (me and Chris C) attacked it. Though we were taking it gently going down due to the occasional bit of mud and debris on the roads. We didn't see anybody else until we met Claire G just after Nunnington where we stuck together until the climb out of Malton. At this point some Malton Wheelers caught us up so we upped the pace not wanting to be passed. Thought all the hard work we put in going up the hill at Birdsall was lost when we were unsure of the road and almost everybody we passed on the way up re-overtook us.
After the Cafe at the end I really was flying back to York upping my average speed for the day by 0.2.
After the Cafe at the end I really was flying back to York upping my average speed for the day by 0.2.