7 of of us out on the training ride this morning. We did the Malton, Terrington route with a lap of the TT circuit on the way back. Everyone worked well although two were dropped. Broomwagon got back on but elected for an early bath around Castle Howard. Apologies to Michael who was also dropped. Hope you made it back safely..
20.6 average.
Weekend roundup 23/24 July
Moderator: Moderators
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MichaelCarter
- Posts: 185
- Joined: Fri May 18, 2007 12:16 pm
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Broom Wagon
- Posts: 435
- Joined: Fri Mar 24, 2006 9:15 pm
So what does a month or so pootling around on your bike for pleasure with no intensity training get you, dropped on the first drag on the training ride - did you have to tell everyone Cam 
. I kept plodding on and got back on at Malton whilst the group was doing a bit of soft pedalling but elected to have an early bath at Coneysthorpe, I'd have been well shot out of the back on Terrington anyway.
On returning home and relaying the information that I was dropped on the first drag, my better half got straight to the point, "you know your trouble... you cycle with the wrong sort of people. You should cycle with fat people........fat people who don't cycle much........ who spend all their free time smoking and drinking."
It's a thought, maybe I should start a new club - The Fat People who don't Cycle Much CC. I'm not going to let any of you lot join
See you next week.
PS Cam....next week something along the lines of: Broomwagon was out too, until he said cheerio chaps, effortlessly rode off the front and disappeared into the distance (not everything on this forum needs to be true )
. I kept plodding on and got back on at Malton whilst the group was doing a bit of soft pedalling but elected to have an early bath at Coneysthorpe, I'd have been well shot out of the back on Terrington anyway.On returning home and relaying the information that I was dropped on the first drag, my better half got straight to the point, "you know your trouble... you cycle with the wrong sort of people. You should cycle with fat people........fat people who don't cycle much........ who spend all their free time smoking and drinking."
It's a thought, maybe I should start a new club - The Fat People who don't Cycle Much CC. I'm not going to let any of you lot join
See you next week.
PS Cam....next week something along the lines of: Broomwagon was out too, until he said cheerio chaps, effortlessly rode off the front and disappeared into the distance (not everything on this forum needs to be true
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MichaelCarter
- Posts: 185
- Joined: Fri May 18, 2007 12:16 pm
How's about "Michael and Broomwagon - who both stated they were focussed on next year - showed a level of focus Cadel Evans would be proud of by sticking within their target endurance heart rate zone and not been sucked into false racing mode - they really are going to give us quite some kicking once they hit their peak!"?!Broom Wagon wrote:PS Cam....next week something along the lines of: Broomwagon was out too, until he said cheerio chaps, effortlessly rode off the front and disappeared into the distance (not everything on this forum needs to be true
PS Cam....next week something along the lines of: Broomwagon was out too, until he said cheerio chaps, effortlessly rode off the front and disappeared into the distance (not everything on this forum needs to be true )[/quote]
Sorry about that Steve...Insensitive use of the word "dropped"...no hard feelings!
I like Michael's Cadel Evans analogy and I knew your Evans like "diesal engine" (to quote Phil Ligget) would take a little while to get warmed up but you would come powering back!!
)[/quote]Sorry about that Steve...Insensitive use of the word "dropped"...no hard feelings!
I like Michael's Cadel Evans analogy and I knew your Evans like "diesal engine" (to quote Phil Ligget) would take a little while to get warmed up but you would come powering back!!
Over to East Yorkshire again for me, along with Muzzy, Tim and Tom, for the VC Beverley RR on the Walkington circuit. The stiff northerly made the long drag up the main road hard work, but the sun shone and it was a fine day for racing. The organisers wisely shifted the finish line at the last minute from the downhill, downwind location shown in the start sheet to the usual point shortly after a short kick up and a false flat. Cue various riders on the start line asking "have I got time to change this 11 cog cassette??"
No big dramas but no big glory for me - generally tried to keep near the front but didn't have the legs to go with the dozen or so riders who took off near the top of the long climb on the third lap - keeping on a wheel and closing gaps was enough of a challenge. Bit of a sweary moment with just over a lap to go, when I snapped off a front tooth while attempting to rip open a gel sachet, but I grumpily dug in and was still there at the finish, pulling out a reasonable sprint to finish about fourth in our group - and hence comfortably out of the points again! A good day out though, apart from the upcoming dentistry costs...
No big dramas but no big glory for me - generally tried to keep near the front but didn't have the legs to go with the dozen or so riders who took off near the top of the long climb on the third lap - keeping on a wheel and closing gaps was enough of a challenge. Bit of a sweary moment with just over a lap to go, when I snapped off a front tooth while attempting to rip open a gel sachet, but I grumpily dug in and was still there at the finish, pulling out a reasonable sprint to finish about fourth in our group - and hence comfortably out of the points again! A good day out though, apart from the upcoming dentistry costs...
I have decided that I cannot compete with Darren's posts and so this is just a short, sweat tap on the keyboard to confirm that, on the Ullswater Overnighter: 4 started, 4 finished, no melodrama, gorgeous evening, cold dark night, fabulous sunrise over Ullswater then Yorkshire Dales looking pristine.
Right, I'll leave it to Darren to provide the entertainment - he's in a chipper mood - something about an Aussie sportsman doing well over the last few weeks. Can't be cricket....
Right, I'll leave it to Darren to provide the entertainment - he's in a chipper mood - something about an Aussie sportsman doing well over the last few weeks. Can't be cricket....
My brain is just functioning enough to write up the Ullswater Overnighter, a truly epic ride!…240 miles (400km’s), including non-stop riding through the night over some of the Lake District’s finest countryside.
Rob, Jon G and Greg all drew the short straw, choosing to spend 22 hours riding a bike with an Aussie on the day the first ever Aussie won the TdF! I wore my Aussie cycling jersey in celebration and I think my riding partners would have to admit that I actually let them off lightly, only reminding them of Cadel Evans’ victory every hour rather than every minute.
We were waved off by Rob’s family to much fanfare and photos, including snaps of my self-constructed drawstring Supermarket shopping bags fronting as a pannier. The prevailing westerly headwind held us up considerably in the first few hours, forcing us to indulge in the traditional Fish ‘n’ chips at Ilkley at 9.30pm rather than Skipton.
From then on, we began the night portion of the ride, aiming for Windermere by 2.00am. Riding through the night is a very weird experience, in fact so weird that it is already a blur in my mind as I try to recall highlights. I’ll happily admit that I’m not great at riding in the dark, I couldn’t see anything! My prescription glasses are sunglasses, obviously not great at night! I spent the majority of the time following the red tail-lights of my partners and simply hoping for the best. When we arrived in Kendall, the nightclubs were spilling out and we attracted boisterous barracking from the drunken masses as we rode by! The police turned up at Windermere to ask what the hell 4 lunatics were doing eating sandwiches on a park bench next to a roundabout at 2.30 in the small hours of the morning.
Kirkstone Pass in near darkness was magnificent, despite the very scary descent. At one point in the darkness I thought I was hallucinating when I saw the dry stone wall on the side of the road move. As I drew alongside, I saw that it was actually two sheep! At the top, the view of the farm lights in the distance was special. As Rob mentioned, the sunrise over Ullswater was glorious, although the lake seemed to go on forever! The crystal-clear night however made it freezing! We tumbled into a service station outside Penrith at 5.30am to get a coffee from the machine and sit in the heated shop. It’s not often you see 4 cyclists slumped on a service station shop floor trying valiantly to thaw out!
We then rode into the mist aiming for a Little Chef an hour away on the A66. They told us at 6.30am that they didn’t open until 7.00am but decided to give us a cuppa anyway. When it arrived, the full breakfast was magnificent. After that, the sun finally broke through and we absolutely powered back to York, taking in the early morning breath-taking views around Garsdale Head, a cuppa in a café at Hawes and a bask in the sun outside the cafe at Masham. The Yorkshire Dales looked as good as I’ve ever seen them. We were back home at 3.00pm, a great effort given that we had laboured into the wind in the first part of the ride. I had 249 miles on the clock D2D, and my brain had completely ceased to function.
Rob again led us magnificently the entire ride, a complete master - what an asset to Clifton CC. Greg and Jon were excellent contributors to the cause. We all helped each other through the bad patches and as Rob said, the plan was executed to near-perfection. I chatted about this with Rob and there’s no doubt we’ll be swapping stories of this ride when we’re 80 years old living in Clifton CC’s old people’s home. …also reminding ourselves, of course, that our epic ride happened on the day an Aussie won the TdF!
D.
Rob, Jon G and Greg all drew the short straw, choosing to spend 22 hours riding a bike with an Aussie on the day the first ever Aussie won the TdF! I wore my Aussie cycling jersey in celebration and I think my riding partners would have to admit that I actually let them off lightly, only reminding them of Cadel Evans’ victory every hour rather than every minute.
We were waved off by Rob’s family to much fanfare and photos, including snaps of my self-constructed drawstring Supermarket shopping bags fronting as a pannier. The prevailing westerly headwind held us up considerably in the first few hours, forcing us to indulge in the traditional Fish ‘n’ chips at Ilkley at 9.30pm rather than Skipton.
From then on, we began the night portion of the ride, aiming for Windermere by 2.00am. Riding through the night is a very weird experience, in fact so weird that it is already a blur in my mind as I try to recall highlights. I’ll happily admit that I’m not great at riding in the dark, I couldn’t see anything! My prescription glasses are sunglasses, obviously not great at night! I spent the majority of the time following the red tail-lights of my partners and simply hoping for the best. When we arrived in Kendall, the nightclubs were spilling out and we attracted boisterous barracking from the drunken masses as we rode by! The police turned up at Windermere to ask what the hell 4 lunatics were doing eating sandwiches on a park bench next to a roundabout at 2.30 in the small hours of the morning.
Kirkstone Pass in near darkness was magnificent, despite the very scary descent. At one point in the darkness I thought I was hallucinating when I saw the dry stone wall on the side of the road move. As I drew alongside, I saw that it was actually two sheep! At the top, the view of the farm lights in the distance was special. As Rob mentioned, the sunrise over Ullswater was glorious, although the lake seemed to go on forever! The crystal-clear night however made it freezing! We tumbled into a service station outside Penrith at 5.30am to get a coffee from the machine and sit in the heated shop. It’s not often you see 4 cyclists slumped on a service station shop floor trying valiantly to thaw out!
We then rode into the mist aiming for a Little Chef an hour away on the A66. They told us at 6.30am that they didn’t open until 7.00am but decided to give us a cuppa anyway. When it arrived, the full breakfast was magnificent. After that, the sun finally broke through and we absolutely powered back to York, taking in the early morning breath-taking views around Garsdale Head, a cuppa in a café at Hawes and a bask in the sun outside the cafe at Masham. The Yorkshire Dales looked as good as I’ve ever seen them. We were back home at 3.00pm, a great effort given that we had laboured into the wind in the first part of the ride. I had 249 miles on the clock D2D, and my brain had completely ceased to function.
Rob again led us magnificently the entire ride, a complete master - what an asset to Clifton CC. Greg and Jon were excellent contributors to the cause. We all helped each other through the bad patches and as Rob said, the plan was executed to near-perfection. I chatted about this with Rob and there’s no doubt we’ll be swapping stories of this ride when we’re 80 years old living in Clifton CC’s old people’s home.
…also reminding ourselves, of course, that our epic ride happened on the day an Aussie won the TdF!D.
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Broom Wagon
- Posts: 435
- Joined: Fri Mar 24, 2006 9:15 pm
"Blimey, how 'ard is that."
Phil's far too truthful. We'd been through several scenarios he could have used - he was headbutted in the sprint or lost it chewing his stem because the race was that hard being the best!
Actually the race can't have been that hard - the fact that I was still in it at the end being confirmation of this.
I'd offered Phil a lift earlier in the week - reason being if I hadn't I probably wouldn't have gone. But I kind of enjoyed it in a strange way. I spent most of the first lap near the front, had a turn actually on the front near the end when everyone was past caring when the break was long gone, and had a go in the sprint for about 15th place.
First road race for over 2 months and very few miles of any description since then so pleased just to get round. I've not had any form since getting over a virus but I've not missed a stage of the Tour de France - truly inspiring and at the same time quite humbling to watch at times. Any suffering I did today was insignificant compared to this!
Phil's far too truthful. We'd been through several scenarios he could have used - he was headbutted in the sprint or lost it chewing his stem because the race was that hard being the best!
Actually the race can't have been that hard - the fact that I was still in it at the end being confirmation of this.
I'd offered Phil a lift earlier in the week - reason being if I hadn't I probably wouldn't have gone. But I kind of enjoyed it in a strange way. I spent most of the first lap near the front, had a turn actually on the front near the end when everyone was past caring when the break was long gone, and had a go in the sprint for about 15th place.
First road race for over 2 months and very few miles of any description since then so pleased just to get round. I've not had any form since getting over a virus but I've not missed a stage of the Tour de France - truly inspiring and at the same time quite humbling to watch at times. Any suffering I did today was insignificant compared to this!
Good to hear the Ullswater four had a fine + clear run - is this a case of 'Epic Succeed'??
Another report on the Walkington RR from me. After a patchy season of being dropped off the back of various hilly road races in East yorks, culminating in actually being lapped at our own RR in Newbald, I thought the Walkington circuit with its long gentle climb might offer some relief. Not quite.
The first lap was very quick, especially up the hill, made harder by a steady crosswind from the right, but I clung on near the back. On the second lap I steeled myself for a beating on the hill once again. It didn't happen, sanity had set in and I felt good enough to start picking my way forward. Half way up I saw an opportunity to tuck in at the front and pushed past a knot of riders, only for an attack to go right at that moment. Cue lots of shouting and the front of the bunch dissolved as various people set of in pursuit.
I guess I should have tried to go with them, but instead with all the practised cool of a rabbit in the headlights, I just dangled there, six feet to windward in no man's land. I had to do something so I slid backward, tried to find a wheel, coudln't hold it, and then slid off the back.
Not a great result, but at least I somehow managed to get dropped from the front, not the back, this time... staying put would have been a better plan. Still, a fine day to be out in the hills and a well-run race by VCB.
Another report on the Walkington RR from me. After a patchy season of being dropped off the back of various hilly road races in East yorks, culminating in actually being lapped at our own RR in Newbald, I thought the Walkington circuit with its long gentle climb might offer some relief. Not quite.
The first lap was very quick, especially up the hill, made harder by a steady crosswind from the right, but I clung on near the back. On the second lap I steeled myself for a beating on the hill once again. It didn't happen, sanity had set in and I felt good enough to start picking my way forward. Half way up I saw an opportunity to tuck in at the front and pushed past a knot of riders, only for an attack to go right at that moment. Cue lots of shouting and the front of the bunch dissolved as various people set of in pursuit.
I guess I should have tried to go with them, but instead with all the practised cool of a rabbit in the headlights, I just dangled there, six feet to windward in no man's land. I had to do something so I slid backward, tried to find a wheel, coudln't hold it, and then slid off the back.
Not a great result, but at least I somehow managed to get dropped from the front, not the back, this time... staying put would have been a better plan. Still, a fine day to be out in the hills and a well-run race by VCB.
My photos from the Ullswater Overnighter are up here. I'll write something a little more detailed later, for now it will suffice to say that I had a very good sleep last night! It also sounds like we've been upstaged in the well'ard stakes by Phil's tooth. Sorry to hear that, Phil.
Excellent photos (I love the way Rob appears illuminated from within at night) - an amazing ride by all four and definite winners of this week's well 'ard award. In the spirit of full disclosure I should point out that my missing tooth had been root canalled earlier this year and was hence, effectively, dead. That's how it goes in yer 50's. So I'm not in pain; I just look like a nutcase.
Intermediate ride for me this week as I had a whole day pass. Wasn't quite sure what to expect and slightly apprehensive not having ridden so far for months (and having heard tales of the prowess of the intermediate riders).
A large bunch set off from the square bound for Cockayne but at Strensall the group seemed to split and 8 riders (John C, Tony, 'Roo, Mark, Manolo, Dave C, David and myself) went on over the common, then through Bulmer to Castle Howard and the anticlockwise way round Cockayne.
There was a stiff headwind on the long drag up to the head of the dale and the group stretched out a bit. Tony unfortunately p****red just after the hairpin - John C kept him company whilst the rest of us had a rest in the field between the gates but then as the 2nd group hove into view it was decided that we'd better avoid all arriving at the cafe in one bunch and so 6 of us headed on up the steep bit and motored downwind to Helmsley. Dave C was in full Cadel Mode and was simply uncatcheable!
Tony and John arrived soon after and a pleasant lunch was taken before a steady ride back (although the drags before and after Ampleforth don't get any easier!) with Tony putting in a few digs on the front to keep us moving.
Thanks to all for a 'Grand Day Out' - with any luck I'll try for another day pass next w/e.
A large bunch set off from the square bound for Cockayne but at Strensall the group seemed to split and 8 riders (John C, Tony, 'Roo, Mark, Manolo, Dave C, David and myself) went on over the common, then through Bulmer to Castle Howard and the anticlockwise way round Cockayne.
There was a stiff headwind on the long drag up to the head of the dale and the group stretched out a bit. Tony unfortunately p****red just after the hairpin - John C kept him company whilst the rest of us had a rest in the field between the gates but then as the 2nd group hove into view it was decided that we'd better avoid all arriving at the cafe in one bunch and so 6 of us headed on up the steep bit and motored downwind to Helmsley. Dave C was in full Cadel Mode and was simply uncatcheable!
Tony and John arrived soon after and a pleasant lunch was taken before a steady ride back (although the drags before and after Ampleforth don't get any easier!) with Tony putting in a few digs on the front to keep us moving.
Thanks to all for a 'Grand Day Out' - with any luck I'll try for another day pass next w/e.
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m-k-lewis@msn.com
- Posts: 87
- Joined: Thu May 21, 2009 9:28 pm
- Location: Copmanthorpe
I finally got back on my bike after the C2C and huffed and puffed my way around the K-ride!
It was great to be back out and riding with a group again. This time I brought my 13 year old son, Ben along and I am very grateful to all on the ride for making him feel so welcome.
He has never ridden in a group before so I sat at the back with him for the first bit of the ride to prevent him wiping anyone out. Eventually I think he got the hang of it and he started to be able to hold the wheels more easily and safely. He learned to stay off the brakes and avoid sudden movements and with some coaching from Kevin, was happy in the middle of the bunch by the end of the day. He absoloutely loved it and is desperate to come out again!
I had to give him a bit of a "slap" at the top of the main climb though for showing his old man up!
Thanks to all for the company and especially to Kevin for helping Ben out.
Mark L
It was great to be back out and riding with a group again. This time I brought my 13 year old son, Ben along and I am very grateful to all on the ride for making him feel so welcome.
He has never ridden in a group before so I sat at the back with him for the first bit of the ride to prevent him wiping anyone out. Eventually I think he got the hang of it and he started to be able to hold the wheels more easily and safely. He learned to stay off the brakes and avoid sudden movements and with some coaching from Kevin, was happy in the middle of the bunch by the end of the day. He absoloutely loved it and is desperate to come out again!
I had to give him a bit of a "slap" at the top of the main climb though for showing his old man up!
Thanks to all for the company and especially to Kevin for helping Ben out.
Mark L