Clifton CC

Since I'm in front of the computer, and my legs have given up working, I'll start this off...

Down to Harworth for the last race of the season, in a lacking-in-motivation car-sharing pact with Muzzy, who like me was wondering whether to call it a day after the East Coast vets race. As it turned out, we were both glad we didn't.

Once out of New Earswick's personal fog blanket it was a glorious morning - blue skies and pretty nearly calm. Doncaster Wheelers' Autumn RR was 2nds/3rds/4ths, but thankfully rather fewer 2nds around than earlier in the season. Still pretty quick - over 25mph average for 57 miles - but I was generally able to keep myself in or near the front half of the bunch most of the time. A break got away fairly early but got pulled back with a couple of laps to go, and another then went and was still just about 100yds clear at the final turn. The usual rather messy sprint up the final climb saw Muzzy bag the final BC point on offer and me roll in about seven or eight places behind.

A good way to end the season - far better than the hideous soaking at this event last year - and enough encouragement to start the thoughts about next year rolling...

Half a dozen in The Square for one of my favourite Sunday Clubrun routes. Heather preparing for next week's 3 Peaks Cyclo Cross, SeanW claiming to have a gammy leg but still able to tow us along as before, JonG getting top hardman points by riding in and out from Selby (about 130 miles for the day), Richard enjoying the hills and IanK riding as smoothly as ever.

Settringham Bank, Snainton, Troutsdale, Dalby. Heavy shower just before the cafe at Thornton-le-Dale had us sheltering under a tree. Classic route home via Kirkby Misperton, Amotherby etc, but I finessed it a bit at the end with Ganthorpe, Bulmer and "The Bumps". Home around 4 with just shy of 100 miles on the clock. Great day out - Troutsdale as deserted as ever, nobody I know in York has heard of it - let's keep it that way.

I'm not out next week, but Richard volunteered to lead. Cockayne anyone? 0900 in The Square as ever. Enjoy.

Saturday and the K ride for me. K tried to give me a map, and send me off with the inbetweeners, but I wasn't having it, so we all set off on a nice potter out to Millington.
I had an idea Kev might want to split the group in 2 at some point so I tried to hide at the rear of the group all the way out to Kirby Underdale, this didn't work and I was forced to take off and ride down into Thixendale with the big hitters. Tony picked the easiest hill out of Thix for us, which confirms what I thought..he's going soft in his old age.
Great ride, good company...not so great cafe, world peace or something, all very nice but no toasted teacakes on the menu.

Fortunately only 3 of us out for the training ride on Sat. TimJ, Will & myself. I say fortunately as although I was prepared for a pasting from the boys on the Malton route, I wasn't prepared for the abrupt and somewhat painful ending to our ride.

45 mins in and doing about 23mph, Tim hit a small but deceptively deep pothole & came down hard. I was on his wheel so swiftly followed him sliding down the road in a mess of metal & tarmac. Tim's derailleur snapped but i think frame (new Pinarello!) undamaged. My bike also undamaged except for left shifter, pedal & other 'sticky out bits' (seems I slid down the road holding it up). Amazingly, no broken bones. just shock, bruises & some rather profuse bleeding from Tim's fingers

Think we were very lucky - my skin was saved by thick Rapha armwarmers. (thanks changeable english weather!),my legs are well padded, there was no traffic at the time and, thank goodness, there was no-one riding behind me. Thanks to Will for sorting out the walking wounded & his brother Tom for the rescue vehicle (never been so glad to see a service station cup of tea in my life).

Sore - but will survive to ride another day

Edited to add - the offending pothole was about 2 miles out of Buttercrambe, on the way to Malton.

Jess wrote: the offending pothole was about 2 miles out of Buttercrambe, on the way to Malton.

As it's a frequent route for us perhaps one of you could report the hole, if you haven't already done so? http://www.fillthathole.org.uk/

5 of us headed to the Isle of Man to do the End 2 End Race, a MTB race that covers the length of the Island. What started out a few years ago with some Island locals challenging eachother to a race top to bottom has turned into one big event now with over 1700 riders this year (up from 1200 last) from all over the UK.

The weather was fair on the day but the recent heavy rain and storms had taken its toll on the course which was extremely muddy along the whole course. However, the atmosphere makes up for it as hundreds of locals turn out along the route to cheer the riders and provide refreshments, some at official feed stations and some randomly dotted along the route. I felt quite guilty riding past one smiling 8 year old girl holding out a plate of freshly iced fairy cakes that looked like her own.

Scotty did well again coming in the top 100 and Emila came 3rd Senior lady and 10th lady overall which was brilliant. Times were all a little down on last year because of the conditions but all Cliftonites easily made the cutoffs and made it back in 1 piece.

Hospitality was provided again by Paul's father +co who fed and ferried us all weekend and we're most grateful.

Ouch Jess, I hope the bruises and TimJ's fingers heal soon, and the bike damage proves not too expensive!

K ride for me, including the split with Cyan (and his carbon aero wheels), Ian H, Tony and first-timer Dan. I like the World Peace Cafe but then I didn't order a teacake

I still have one of Kevin's maps, I don't live far from him so could someone let me know his precise address please, I'll pop it through his door.

Hi all
Just a post from the training ride.Jess has done the explaining.Glad she seems ok and not too much damage to her and her bike.My elbows have taken a batter and my fingers but not too much else.Bike wise i hope only a new mech hanger and bar tape and pedal better than expected.Thanks Will for the jacket i have had it washed so i will return it asap.Thanks to my Dad who came and picked me up and a man in a white van who stopped and gave me another jumper.
Phil Authur Met ride signing on gets a bit busy but is pretty well run.Ithink there are a couple of groups setting off at differant times this year after police said there are to many all at once.So it might be wise too get there a bit early. cheers

Jess, glad you're all relatively okay with no broken bones etc. sounds like a nasty fall. Hope you're all healed and back riding pain free soon!

Unfortunately I haven't done any riding this weekend (or in fact for the past two weeks) as I moved to Sheffield University on saturday to start my mathematics degree, and left my bike at home! Will hopefully have my bike down soon and will be able to begin exploring the peaks I look forward to the holidays when I will be back in York, so I can be out riding with Clifton CC soon! And Clifton will remain my first claim club of course!

Thanks all,
Andy

AndyMyers wrote: Unfortunately I haven't done any riding this weekend (or in fact for the past two weeks) as I moved to Sheffield University on saturday to start my mathematics degree, and left my bike at home! Will hopefully have my bike down soon and will be able to begin exploring the peaks

Good call on going to Sheffield, Andy! There are lots of good hillclimb comps within about 10 miles of where you'll be living, like the Monsal Head event run by Sheffrec CC (good club, by the way), the national champs (!) and the BUCS event. Get your bike down soon and maybe I'll see you at the latter?


Tony G, if you're reading this, I've now replaced the earth tape on my bars, so the cycling fashion police will hopefully grant a stay of execution.

Like others, I’m also glad to hear the fallers, Jess & Tim, are OK. Always impressed to see riders sacrificing their personal well being to keep their bikes in the air during a fall.

My Sunday was spent at the NYMBO MTB Moors Marathon out of Dalby Forest. Three of us turned up from Clifton. Allan got us off to a flyer, it was great having someone to navigate the Dalby and Moors tracks without having to consult the map. We started half an hour after other entrants so were playing catch up for most of the day. Above Goathland after 20km, Allan was on a 50k-er and peeled off, bidding us farewell. Chris H and I then headed West to take on the big climbing sections around Grosmont, Egton Bridge and Glaisdale. Just short of the half way mark at the checkpoint on the top of Glaisdale Moor, Chris H (on a 75k-er) and I shook hands as I continued in a Westerly direction on the 100k-er.

As if on cue, the heavens opened as I trekked further West across the Moors. I knew I was half an hour behind the other 100k-ers and went hell-for-leather from the top of Blakey Bank across to Bloworth Crossing and then directly South all the way to Gillamoor. Soon my efforts were beginning to pay dividends as groups of MTB-ers hove into view in the distance. This is where all my gains fell apart. Near Hutton-Le-Hole, I took a wrong turn on a bridleway and ended up ankle deep in mud in a cattle yard, costing me about 15 minutes. I then made a terrible error after Cropton Bank and rode 4 miles down the wrong bridleway! I spoke to a local and agreed the only way out was to retrace my steps. This ridiculous error cost me an hour. The final sting in the tail was the horrendous climb up the steep grassy slope of Farwath Crossing before making it home to Dalby to a round of applause from the organisers, which I felt I deserved after riding 8 miles further than anyone else.

Despite my navigational mishaps, this is a fantastic event and is suitable for roadies and MTB-ers alike, not to mention the attraction of a commemorative mug from the event sponsors, Big Bear Bikes!



D.

As Phils previous post I was the other Clifton rider at the last chance saloon at the Yorkshire/Notts road cycling hot bed - Harworth home of Tom Simpson - 10 laps of a 5.5 mile equilateral triangular circuit - 2 smooth gently rolling stretches linked by a bumpy climb to the finish line, a bumpy stretch past the HQ through Harworth , a couple of mini roundabouts and a bumpy descent. Its a good safe circuit and I do like uphill finishes. I've ridden the circuit a couple of times in BC events scraping points in both by good fortune. The first of these was this event in 2006 gaining my 2nd cat licence in my last race of the season due to four riders in an eight man break crashing on the last lap! The other involved a mass pile up in the bunch behind me which split the field so I could say my good fortune here was due to others misfortune?
Safe to say in this years edition I had no ambition other than to just get through it ok and finish the season with a decent ride. And thats how it turned out on a perfect calm, walm and sunny day. The bunch stayed pretty much intact and it was fast throughout - average speed was over 25mph and we were touching 30 mph on the flat bits. On the last lap a small break was just dangling off the front as we turned left and squared up for the finish. I was pinned against the kerb and the guy in front of me midbunch was going nowhere. Squeezed through a non existant gap somehow & managed to get up to finish 15th. Quite pleased with that. Looking at the result on the BC website the top 15 contains ten 2nd cats sharing hundreds of points between them for previous placings. Reassuring to know I can still occasionally do something right to mix it with these guys. Roll on club runs!