Training ride, Saturday 23rd

PhilBixby · Post by **PhilBixby** » Wed Feb 20, 2013 12:32 pm

Forecast is (we should be used to this by now) for around zero degrees on Saturday morning but there's no suggestion - yet - of snow or ice. So... ...how about we go West? If it all starts looking iffy closer to the time check back on here and we can always revert to something less potentially problematic - but given that it's nearly March it would be nice not to have to!

Sharpy · Post by **Sharpy** » Wed Feb 20, 2013 1:13 pm

North East trophy for me this weekend! Hope to be back in 2 weeks...

Will we have started the Bishop Woods loops etc by then?

PhilBixby · Post by **PhilBixby** » Wed Feb 20, 2013 3:07 pm

I was going to suggest that if the weather's not too arctic we should start cranking up the pace next week by starting doing some fast laps - first road races will only be two or three weeks off. More details in due course...

Cyan Skymoos · Post by **Cyan Skymoos** » Wed Feb 20, 2013 6:20 pm

If you're going West on Saturday why not do a lap of the Saxton circuit instead of Bishopwood for a change. I'm sure plenty of you will be racing it this year, and everyone knows every inch of tarmac on Bish now.

Just a thought.

PhilBixby · Post by **PhilBixby** » Wed Feb 20, 2013 6:39 pm

If you can describe the circuit Darren, we'll do a recce lap on Saturday's ride. I'd still suggest Bishopwood for the fast laps the following week simply because it's easy to keep groups togther, it's fast and it's safe...

Cyan Skymoos · Post by **Cyan Skymoos** » Wed Feb 20, 2013 7:35 pm

When you turn right at Lotherton (towards Sherburn) you're on the circuit. Turn left up the little hill just before you drop down to the pond, stay on this road to Saxton take care on the left hand bend after the cricket ground coming into the village, keep left at giveway then straight road through the village and up the small drag out the other side. When you get up to the Towton road sharp left all the way back to Lotherton.

Assuming they use this version of course

mart66 · Post by **mart66** » Fri Feb 22, 2013 2:48 pm

Light snow predicted tomorrow!

PhilBixby · Post by **PhilBixby** » Fri Feb 22, 2013 7:03 pm

Common sense alert, folks - if we wake to snow-covered roads tomorrow, either (i) do the sensible thing and save your weekend ride for another time or (ii) be prepared for a change of route to something more gritted and straightforward. Hopefully spring really is around the corner and we won't have this sort of uncertainty much longer. I for one won't be out if it's dangerous.

Cam B · Post by **Cam B** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 6:13 pm

Eight in the first first group on the training ride. Heavy clouds did not bode well and the "light snow" that was forecst did indeed materialise, which proved a bit of a converstaion stopper as everyone got their head down. An early puncture

and a lenghty pee stop meant we were caught by group 2.. Groups came together at Thorner then split again. Incredible bike handling skills shown by Martin as he almost completely lost his back wheel on the road to Sherburn when he went thru a patch of mud. The weather improved slightly after that and the pace wound up nicely round Bish and all the way home.

PhilBixby · Post by **PhilBixby** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 6:41 pm

...and seven in the second group! We kept the "brisker" group in sight - by 'eck they fixed that puncture without us even noticing, which was impressive

- and basically just took it a little steadier up the climbs; good riding by all, folks. By the flatlands of Bishopwood we were just a few yards back so I nipped across and then... ...my rear derailleur decided to eat itself, and with cage/jockey wheels wedged unhelpfully against chainrings, I came to a rapid stop. Many thanks to Tom who peered with horror at the mess and checked I was okay; it was very definitely a mobile phone job and by half twelve I'd been taxied home and was thawing out. Hopefully that's my mechanical disaster statistics dealt with before the season starts....

Cam B · Post by **Cam B** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 8:16 pm

Crikey! I recall hearing a bit of a clatter and initially thought someone had come down. Quick look over the shoulder and - seeing everyone still on 2 wheels - just pressed on

Glad you got home ok. Oh.. and full disclosure: no-one punctured in Group 1

mart66 · Post by **mart66** » Sat Feb 23, 2013 8:53 pm

So that was the noise! Glad to hear you're ok, Phil.

As Cam mentioned - narrowly avoided my own disaster when my bike just seemed to go from under me on a straight stretch of road.

There was no puncture, but I stopped to let some air out of my bike tyre. Cheers to Cam for hanging back and getting me back up to the group (good bit of training that!).

Good bit of quick stuff at the end but all the time I was paranoid about my back wheel slipping - did no-one else find the Bishopwood circuit a bit slippery?

Martin

Broom Wagon · Post by **Broom Wagon** » Sun Feb 24, 2013 1:37 pm

I just don’t seem to get any quicker and was more than grateful that we kept having to slow down to avoid catching the quicker group

. I couldn’t help being in a bit of a grumpy frame of mind owing to the snow coming down, my back wheel sliding around and my front mech messing around – sorry to those following for my crap cornering and riding.

It was nice of people to ride steady up that small drag before the A64 so I wasn’t dropped for a change. I was grateful, though to be honest I’d rather people rode it at the pace they want to. It would be so nice to summit that climb in contact with the group because I was capable of staying with it, rather than because people had ridden steady for me. If I get dropped, I get dropped.

Once past Sherburn I’d expect to be able to do my share on the flat terrain but by the time we got to the turn for the Wistow circuit I was spent and went straight on. I’m getting into a nasty habit of doing that sort of thing.

I then soft pedalled for a while until the brisk group caught me shortly after Stillington and I jumped on their tail for a tow home. If I can take one crumb of comfort, I’d been overtaken by a couple of blokes slightly earlier and I couldn’t help notice the look on their faces of satisfaction that they’d easily passed a Clifton club cyclist. Shortly after, we overtook them at 25mph, they didn’t make any attempt to even look up – smug mode engaged…..

I shall escape the usual punishment next week as it’s my youngest’s birthday – I might do the Sunday club run though, same punishment but interspersed with a café stop.