Clifton CC

I have a leave pass for Saturday morning so would like to get out for a training ride. Anyone else up for it?

There is a large Clifton representation at race tonight and I know that group has done hills over last few weeks so can I suggest something flat-ish. West/North route to old A1, Boroughbridge, Crayke etc?

I'll be out. Happy with any route...

Good plan. I'll be out too and am happy to head north.

Just about perfect!

I'll be out

I'm intending to be out....gonna test out my huge level of fitness that I've built up doing MTB racing.........probably get dropped on the first rise then (or before we even get out of York )

Occurred to me last night that if we do the northern route we can throw in a lap of the Milby circuit for anyone planning on riding the Clifton RR...

Good idea Phil.

Linked to Andy's ideas in other post about training for races, can we do a training "sprint finish" somewhere, ideally more than once while we are out? Hopefully you can think of somewhere safe to do this on that route?

We can have a crack at the finish where it'll be in the race.

Andy's certainly right about training for specifics. Sprinting's tricky in some respects as it's hard to replicate being in a bunch of forty blokes at 30mph, and much of the knack is keeping your nerve and being prepared to use your elbows (in large part why I'm so bad at it in races).

Other aspects are easier to work at - I fire out copies of the famous "PB of York says "I gained 200W!"" LVRC sprint drills to anyone who asks (and many who didn't), and the excellent Tony Williams is doing a couple of factsheets on sprinting - the first at http://www.flammerouge.je/content/3_fac ... sprint.htm which spells out how to do the bit before the sprint.

I might go as far as B'bridge and have me a little cafe stop if the weather is nice.

How long will you be out for, around 3 hours? If so I may come along for my first Saturday ride!

Yup it'll be about three hours - see you in the square at nine!

Good ride this morning with about 14 out. Started very social at a comfortable pace for everyone and, after a brief stop to water the hedge, a rather brisker lap of the Milby circuit. The sprint for the imaginary start/finish caused me a bit of pain, particularly when young Toby went flying past with 30 metres to go!

The run through Crayke and back to York slowly wound up in speed with Toby frequently setting the pace although Cam was also looking very serene up there. It won't be long before Toby is featuring in Cat 3 races at this pace - good work lad!

There was some very polite riding today - pointing out holes, slowing for horses and even some thank-you waves and smiles to car drivers that slowed for us! A credit to the Clifton.

I have 24.4mph for the Milby lap which wasn't too shabby given a relatively small group. 62 miles overall for me with the out-of-town bit averaging just under 21. Power figures Phil?

A good ride this morning with fourteen of us out - a mix of the current race squad, a few new and new-ish faces, and the welcome return of a few much, much older faces... ...who still seem capable of cranking the pedals round briskly, despite claims to the contrary. Grey skies and a steady southerly, but dry and substantially warmer than the last time I remember doing the northern route.

A steady first leg up to Milby was followed by a quick briefing and a fast lap of the Milby circuit, followed by regrouping and a not-hanging-about return run, which picked up speed as Toby and a few other mischief-makers started winding it up at the front. The numbers:- just under three hours at 21.4mph and 212W average for the main out-of-town bit, and 24.2mph and 259W average for the lap of Milby, with a fair chunk of the return leg not far off that too.

Pleased to report there were no chaingang-style horse-related unpleasantnesses; behaviour was so impeccable that I distinctly heard someone shout "morning!" at a gypsy horse tethered on the roadside near Easingwold. Well done lads!

Edit:- Synchronised postings there...

Thoroughly enjoyed today, a great workout! I quite liked the Milby circuit, nice to see some interesting roads other than the long straights of bishopwood.

Thanks for the company

Tobz