Clifton CC

Only three riders - ClaireG, DaveI and myself - in the Square for the 10am Saturday rides.

Conditions were a bit blustery, so we decided to keep it simple and head for Knaresborough. Remarkably, as we left York, and the tailbacks of Christmas shoppers behind, the wind dropped, the clouds cleared and we had blue skies and a slight tailwind. We headed out via Beningbrough Hall and over Aldwark Bridge, discussing how courteous the car and van drivers were, giving us plenty of room and a friendly wave as they approached and overtook us.

At Staveley, a stiff breeze suddenly got up but Lizzie Armitstead and Marianne Vos appeared out of nowhere and stayed at the front until the wind dropped and we were coasting downhill to a cafe by the riverside. The weather was so lovely that we sat outside and watched the crystal clear river gently flow by at what were pretty much summer levels. The lack of toilets in the cafe didn’t matter as the public conveniences were pristine, smelled of freshly-cut flowers and had a cleat-friendly, non-slip floor.

Our route home took us along the riverside and on towards Little Ribston, where we came across Alistair and Jonny Brownlee. The lads were struggling a bit, so we let them draft us and gave them a tow until they got some energy back. Alistair commented that he was relieved to see I hadn’t broken his 5km Parkrun record at the Knavesmire last week. Through Tockwith and Long Marston, the road was like a billiard table, with not a single pothole to be found.

Back in York, with 50 miles on the Garmin, I arrived home to find a number of vans parked outside my house. All my online Christmas shopping had arrived and the delivery drivers had noticed that I was out for the day and so had waited patiently until I got back, before carefully carrying my goods to the doorstep.

Thanks again to Claire and Dave for a steady, early-winter ride which maybe wasn’t quite as I’ve detailed here but enjoyable nonetheless. Carlsberg might not do Saturday Club rides but Clifton C.C. do, even in testing conditions. Renew your memberships now, or you'll miss out.

Yes, thanks to Craig and Dave I'A for their company yesterday.
I enjoyed the winter miles on the quiet lanes.
It still doesn't feel like proper winter, it is so mild. I even changed back to my Autumn tights and gloves for yesterday, having overheated in the week in my Winter ones.
The wind was certainly not dangerous, it was nowhere near the windiest conditions I've ridden in, nor gusty - it always sounds worse outside the window or down your chimney.
Craig did some very (very) long turns on the front, I noticed he was being really careful to keep Dave & I tucked in and as a result, we succeeded in a very tight formation ride, which made for shelter and good conversation - Thanks!
Dave's short nose bleed meant my 3 year old antiseptic wipes showed off their good packaging seals, still clean and moist having lived in the depths of my saddle bag for that time and all those miles!
I did nearly reenact the 'Bernard & Dave' electric fence caper, but fortunately, I think Beningbrough Hall must be on a cost saving exercise.
River Nidd was high through Knaresborough, with a very strong looking current, a sobering reminder of the flooding which really is causing chaos in other areas of the country.
I tried to take a turn on the front on the return leg from Knaresborough, but soon resumed my rightful place, hanging on at the back, with the guys careful to keep the elastic stretched, but without causing me to actually snap it!
Good ride, good cafe, hope to see you out next week. Claire G

Six of us ventured out for the deferred A-ride today. I was going to write about how we cruised up the A19, drafting vehicles all the way, before cruising along the A170 bathed in glorious warm sunshine and pushed by a tailwind, but I forgot to take my hallucinogens this morning Chapeau Craig for a very entertaining read!

Rich, Graham, James, JonG and Pete (?), a fellow I'd not previously met joined me for today's ride.

I left the house in glorious 13C temps and quickly eshewed the wind jacket, gloves and booties. Enroute to the square I encountered serious flooding on the path between Water End and the Lendal Bridge.

Right on cue, the heavens opened as I arrived at the square, delivering a short but thorough soaking. Since we were waiting for Rich, we took shelter on the steps of the Art Gallery.

Setting off on the freshly soaked roads, I quickly regretted doffing the booties, however, by the time we reached Huby, the clouds parted and we caught our first rays of sunshine. The group remained tight and kept a decent pace up to Coxwold, where we decided that despite the wet/mucky roads, we'd make a run for White Horse Bank.

I slipped off the back of the group enroute to the climb, trying to ingest some calories i.e. making up for an inadequate breakfast. About a third of the way up the still wet and greasy hill, I heard shouting and a commotion. Rounding a bend, I saw our group dismounted adjacent to a silver van with some people standing around. Getting closer to the group I realised that we had encountered a fender-bender between two vehicles simultaneously ascending and descending one of the sharp bends. Remounting our steeds, we huffed up the rest of the hill, pausing to catch our breath at the summit while watching some fabulous flying at the gliding club.

I'd forgotten how far the A170 is to Helmsley, but since the conditions were good and we had a slight tailwind, we singled out and upped the pace. Rich and I got into a road race, frequently leapfrogging each other along the way. Just when I thought I'd snatched victory, Rich overtook me in a "racing pass" as we descended the final 100m to the bridge at Helmsley. Chapeau Rich

Excellent banter and lots of laughing at the Castlegate Cafe before a fairly routine trip back via Harome, East Ness, Slingsby and Castle Howard. We maintaining a tight group riding through Strensall, where Rich took a strong pull, sheltering us from the wind.

Another fabulous day out, with amazingly mild weather (for December) and a well-matched group of great guys. Thankfully no mechanicals although I do offer an apology for my loose front fender resulting in my bike rattling like a bag o' bones all day.

104Km and 811m climbed for me, and since it was a short ride, we were home well before sunset.

Pleased that a good sized group were able to rise and shine on Sunday morning and join the traditional Sunday Clubrun.

Muzzy, Heather, Nigel, Austin, AndyG, Steen. Snaresgate, Hambleton Bank, Reivaulx, Hawnby thence the mountain road to Osmotherley. Bagged the table in front of open fire, a few calories, then back via Knayton, Sutton, Kilburn etc. Even a little rough stuff between Huby and Wiggy, meaning that everyone had been on new roads at some point.

140k door to door and about 2000m of climb on gnarly roads. A remarkable day for a winter ride; gloveless morning, cooler afternoon, blue skies and we'd have been home in proper daylight were it not for a late puncture-fest.

Sunday riders' Xmas dinner next week in Scarborough. 0830 start, but bring lights as it's a long ride (165k) with a longish stop.

Great write up Craig.

Deferred inters ride for me to Helmsley, thanks Tony and all for the company, much more benign conditions on Sunday. Quiet lanes especially returning from Helmsley however another seasonal thingy going on at castle Howard which meant a lot of traffic through the estate, strong riding from Rich on return leg into the wind. Good group riding throughout with equally matched riders. Did not witness the accident on white horse bank between the vehicles but did hear it from a distance. not the longest ride of the year but still valuable miles for winter. Barring any flooding issues preventing me attending should be out Saturday.

Jon