My agents had reported many back-roads still covered in compacted snow, so, with freezing temperatures once again over night, I plotted another stock bad weather route to the SE for this week's Sunday Clubrun.
Not the most scenic, but good to be out nonetheless. Joined by Cookie, Muzzy and Henry on the B road through Elvington and on down to Howden. Quick cup of tea and a bun in Gilberdyke Garden Centre, then back via N Cave, Market Weighton, Londesborough, Pock and Stammy Bridge. Roads all clear apart from the couple of miles between Full Sutton and Stamford B where the compact snow/slush gave us chance to practice some bike handling skills.
About 70 miles and back before 2pm. Thanks for the company guys.
Weekend Roundup.
Moderator: Moderators
Sunday riders use us Saturday riders as their 'ice canaries' and take advantage of our 'clear lanes' reports.
Yesterday was fine on gritted roads, so Saturday riders took a known route of Holtby-A166-Buttercrambe-Gally Gap-Malton-Hovingham.
The unsafe bit is getting past the treacherous ice from your front door and the quiet roads outside home!
Just Kevin, Stein and I out to enjoy the balmy 6degC temperatures and relatively traffic-free picturesque countryside.
Needed a hot winter soup to warm the insides still at Hovingham cafe and then took the Helmsley road to Oswaldkirk-Gilling-Brandsby back to York.
Felt a bit sluggish after the time off the bike, but great to catch the chance to turn the pedals and fill the lungs again.
Thanks to Kevin for tapping out a good pace for us.
Claire
Yesterday was fine on gritted roads, so Saturday riders took a known route of Holtby-A166-Buttercrambe-Gally Gap-Malton-Hovingham.
The unsafe bit is getting past the treacherous ice from your front door and the quiet roads outside home!
Just Kevin, Stein and I out to enjoy the balmy 6degC temperatures and relatively traffic-free picturesque countryside.
Needed a hot winter soup to warm the insides still at Hovingham cafe and then took the Helmsley road to Oswaldkirk-Gilling-Brandsby back to York.
Felt a bit sluggish after the time off the bike, but great to catch the chance to turn the pedals and fill the lungs again.
Thanks to Kevin for tapping out a good pace for us.
Claire
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bernard turgoose
- Posts: 231
- Joined: Tue Nov 14, 2006 8:21 pm
After 2 weeks off the bike & having had the walking boots out to enable some exercise of limbs etc to take place, today i managed with Mac as company, to do a route over clear roads around Bish, Appleton, Bolton Percy, Tadcaster, Wighill, Thorpe Arch, Bilton to Tockwith for the cyclist Christmas bun fight & carol service, before riding home in daylight with 35 miles done.
Hopefully despite next weeks threat of very cold weather again we will be allowed to get out & develop an appetite for Christmas lunch.
Best wishes to all
Bernard
Hopefully despite next weeks threat of very cold weather again we will be allowed to get out & develop an appetite for Christmas lunch.
Best wishes to all
Bernard
The A614 from Howden to Holme-on-Spalding Moor could be the least inspiring road for cycling: flat, exposed, plenty of trucks, nothing much but fields and factories either side. I started using it during last winter's big freeze to give me a long flat gritted + swept loop down from Barlby to Howden and back through Holme and Bubwith. Sunday found me back there again - I was too busy Saturday to catch the warmth and found a fresh layer of ice on the path on Sunday morning to squash any hopes of a hilly ride.
Still, I got some sunshine and lots of very fresh air. At Bubwith bridge on the way home I caught up with Joel Wainman of Team Swift, whom I'd passed coming the other way earlier on, and rode with him a few miles. He'd started from Hull and was most of the way through a ton, having put in 70miles the day before, and over 100 on the turbo the previous weekend. Made my cheerful 40mile effort seem rather inadequate... There's a lesson there I suspect.
Just to prove my fears were well-founded, there were plenty of spots were the slush-ice piled up at the edge of the road had wept meltwater which had trickled onto the carriageway before refreezing into black icy fingers - salt notwithstanding. It was definitely worth staying alert and keeping a good four feet away from the verge.
Tom
Still, I got some sunshine and lots of very fresh air. At Bubwith bridge on the way home I caught up with Joel Wainman of Team Swift, whom I'd passed coming the other way earlier on, and rode with him a few miles. He'd started from Hull and was most of the way through a ton, having put in 70miles the day before, and over 100 on the turbo the previous weekend. Made my cheerful 40mile effort seem rather inadequate... There's a lesson there I suspect.
Just to prove my fears were well-founded, there were plenty of spots were the slush-ice piled up at the edge of the road had wept meltwater which had trickled onto the carriageway before refreezing into black icy fingers - salt notwithstanding. It was definitely worth staying alert and keeping a good four feet away from the verge.
Tom
Although I dont ride with the club I thought it might be worth adding that the roads to the west of the A1 around Ripon, Bishop Monkton, Stavely and Arkendale were all free of snow and ice on sunday. I imagine the high ground towards Pately and Masham maybe bad still but anyone wanting to ride on quiet snow free roads may want to consider it out to the west.