Clifton CC

Sunday Clubrun for me. Just 4 in The Square. Easy ride to Masham with a cross tailwind. Jordans looked majestic, but it was a day for discretion, so we went in the Cafe! Dave and Andy took more direct routes back, but self and Steen battled into the teeth of it across to Bagby. Some epic carved snow drifts along the road side above Snape. Roads were fine though, with salt stained like a pair of Muzzy's shorts on a long summer ride! Swung south at Bagby and on home through Kilburn and Crayke.

Back by 3pm with about 90miles on the clock. Felt pretty battered and exfoliated!

It's Steen's Blummin' Banks ride next Sunday. I'll let him tell you all about it, but sounds fantastic!

I'm planning a ride on Friday if anyone wants to join me. It'll be Sunday Clubrun style, and nothing too heroic so will be good prep for BB on Sunday. Meet in The Square at 0900. One-cafe-strategy, back mid to late afternoon. No need to post, just turn up.

Not sure how far I went but I went out via Kirkham priory, then birdsall followed by thixendale, huggate, millington , garrowby hill, bugthorpe etc.

Seemed to be into the wind most of the time apart from coming back from garrowby hill. I was in the same gear going down the hill into thixendale as I used going up birdsall hill. It was a long 3 miles, the valley seemed to concentrate the wind!
The Givendale road up to Garrowby hill was probably the worst with snow and a sidewind which blew me off the road twice. I was leaning at about 30 degrees just to go straight.
Anyway I enjoyed the ride and and compared to the last few weeks I appreciated the lack of rain. Finished up when i got back watching Grease and eating popcorn with the family.

I didn't get any decent cycling done this weekend.

However, does anyone know how Kevin's recovering from his off?

Turbo for me - 45mins each day. Getting really frustrated with weather - need to get those legs out in the fresh air before they are too white!

So what is this ride next Sunday? I'm more than intrigued Also is anyone planning on riding on Monday? Making the most of my time off work

What a difference a year makes for the Fountains 100K Audax, last year it had a huge entry on a warm sunny day, this year only 18 of us turned up, it was bitterly cold and The organiser Gerry said he thought the section after Studley may be a bit tricky and if anybody wanted they could go as far as Ripon then backtrack home if conditions were worse there.

Darren, John C, Phil, and myself were the only Clifton reps there and after a steady start with a strong tailwind Darren John and I decided to take full advantage of the favourable wind and pushed on hoping to warm up a bit knowing our work would be cut out on the return leg.

Going through Studley and over Watergate were passable with care with only small parts where the snow had been drifting across the road were a bit tricky.

There were two control points and three information questions of which two were the names of pubs which I already knew for some reason so on arriving at the busy Ripley tea rooms and ordering our food and drinks John was very amused as Darren and I was as he put it "doing our homework" filling in our Audax cards.

It was quite hard riding into the wind all the way back but we shared the work well, thanks guys quite enjoyed it really and certainly enjoyed the hot shower when I got home.

Ian H

As Ian said in his excellent report, Fountains Monk’y-Business was a grand day out. Had a tough start to the day, took me 50 minutes just to slog into the big easterly to get to the start line in Wiggy! Not sure why only 18 turned up – was it the doomsayers on the forum the night before; was it the questionable offer of an alternative soft option the following w/e despite the event not even being cancelled; or was it just too flippin’ cold!…dunno.

The big wind felt, and smelt, like it was blowin’ straight out of a Siberian polar bear’s backside. Ian, John and I got into the early break - and were literally blown all the way to Studley Roger. The view of the sparkling white landscape up to the Church in bright sunshine was a sight to behold. Beyond that point, the easterly wind was lifting snow flares over the road like it was the top of Mt Everest. There were a few ‘foot-down’ moments to get over some snow banks but it wasn’t too bad. We strolled into the Ripley feed zone around 40 minutes ahead of the main peloton – just as well too as there was only one table left and as Ian said, we needed to do our ‘homework’! (Notice how Ian already knew the answers to the Pub names without even having to look out for them We did find ourselves questioning the direction our lives were taking when filling in these Audax cards. )

The grunt back into the big easterly towards Wiggy was brutal. I was almost blown to a standstill near Beningbrough Hall, felt like I was half way up Chimney Bank! Like Ian, I also strangely enjoyed the trip back, the three of us working well into the breeze with frequent rotations. Our echelons never quite worked though, the ever-present cars making them very difficult to sustain. By the time I got home, I had 85 miles on the clock, but it felt like I’d done 185! I also think I’ve got frostbite on the end of my nose – it’s been numb for the past 2 days from the frozen drip attached to it all day Sunday – feels like I burnt it! When we split off in York, Ian yelled that at least we’d bagged a hard-earned challenge point – we deserved it too (unlike any soft-option takers!).

Good Friday is my only play day over Easter, so I’m intending to be out with Rob. Weather report says “bright intervals with bitter easterly winds making it feel even colder” – so last Sunday was great training for it then!!

Numbnose.

Sunday was a MTB club run day. A last moment change of venue took us to Dalby forest to avoid drifting snow on the top of Sutton Bank. 13 turned out, faces old and new. We all stuck together as one big group covered 23 miles, mostly off the current red route. We even managed a loop out on to the Moor, however the trees offered a welcome shelter from the wind. All back without incident and a big well done to Joe on his first MTB club run.
Looking forward to the next one!
Simon

thanks to all of you for sharing such nice ideas here.