Author Archive
Cheap bike wanted
25/01/2012 by Doug.
One of my mates (who has injured himself whilst running, which is apparently his favourite pastime) wants to do a bit of cycling and requires a second hand bike which will, in his words “do the basics”. He is a beginner and wants to pay about £150. I know it is a bit of a tall order, but can anyone assist?
MARK CAVENDISH - WORLD CHAMPION!
26/09/2011 by Doug.
I just thought we ought to have a post to mark the occasion. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait another 46 years for it to happen again like we did last time (Tom Simpson 1965). This is an amazing achievement by a fantastic cyclist.
Club Run 19.06.11
17/06/2011 by Doug.
Captain Alex is planning a short ride to Rossi’s Cafe on Sunday because of Fathers Day. Who is out on Sunday, and is anybody planning on doing a longer route, carrying on from Rossi’s?
WEBSITE
25/05/2011 by Doug.
Is there any chance that we could change the image of the mountain biker on the website to something more appropriate? Surely an image of a road cyclist would be more in keeping with our club? I don’t wish to be pedantic, but surely we want to create the correct impression that we are predominantly road cyclists?
Pocklington in 8
17/04/2011 by Doug.
I don’t regret doing this ride instead of the Robbo for one second. Don’t get me wrong, the Robbo is fab, but the cameraderie on this one was great. The way out was steady to begin with, with a huge group and then things began to get quick. There was a crash and a puncture near Aberford and the group split for a while. We joined up after Cawood and set a blistering pace when we neared Pocklington - speeds of 30 mph with turns at the front and hanging on for dear life. There was a one hour stop for lunch and then back again.
The pace was very quick and we split into two groups. Me, Ben, Creaser and Fry up in the front group and Mike the Ref, Sky John, Sinner, and Phil R in the other group. Speeds crept up and up and about 25 miles from home the pace exploded. Fry up dropped off and Ben joined him for company. I wish I had done the same, but I stayed on for about 15 miles, riding with Craig Newton amongst others (he is still a class act).
I got dropped with about 9 miles to go and settled into my own pace, to catch one other rider on the outskirts of Dewsbury. At the end, the Pocklington in 8 became the Pocklington in under 6. Or, if you discount lunch, in a few minutes over 5.
97 miles covered at an average speed of 18.9mph. I came in only 5 mins behind the group who dropped me, and Craig said the pace had dropped after I had dropped back. B*gg*r!
This was a great day - lovely weather, fast pace, good lunch stop, and lots of tactical riding to get a fast time.
“This isn’t flat, Alex!” Tickhill 27.03.2011
27/03/2011 by Doug.
Me, Alex, Phil Rounding, Ben, Sky John, Young John, Spinner, Metal Mike, Geoff and Dave Hirst turned out today for a fantastic ride. 87 miles at at average of 16.3 is pretty good for this time of year, and despite the promise of a flat route, this wasn’t flat at all. We went out towards Sheffield and Barnsley and then cut across to Tickhill, riding on some “rolling terrain”. Some of the uphill sections were pretty testing. By the time we got to the cafe we had ridden 46 miles. The cafe was superb - the service was first class and the staff were very friendly.
The way back was through Doncaster and Wakefield and over the nasty little Horbury drag, which everybody seemed to ride with ease.
Ben was very strong today - I wasn’t too far behind him. Dave rode well too, as indeed did everybody. We all had our strong episodes. The best part of today was the fact that ten of us set off and we all returned together. It was tough at times. We often had mad moments of 30mph on the flat, testing each other, hammering it up some of the hills, but it was done in good spirits and nobody seemed to “take the hump”.
This was a great route, and it should be a regular one, in my view. Maybe it helped that the weather was good; maybe the banter at Sky John’s expense, and Ben’s when he had his mechanical, helped too - but I can honestly say that cycling doesn’t get much better than today.
A FEW GOOD MEN
03/10/2010 by Doug.
Well four, to be precise, which quickly became two. However, at the start were Me, Alex, John and Craig. The weather was terrible -heavy rain all day. We set off at a fair old pace via a hilly route. Craig and John had announced their intention to turn back once we reached Langsett, so Alex threw in a few more hills, just for them. The rain got heavier, and Alex and I left Craig and John and headed over the Strines. Because of the weather the traffic was light, and despite the rain the route was very pleasurable. The hills were dispatched and we descended into the Derwent Valley and eventually arrived at Hope, wet through. There we felt sorry for ourselves and figured that we were less than half way so needed a FEB. Delicious. We scoffed it down and had two mugs of coffee. The heavens opened even more as we set off towards Winnatts Pass. It bucketted down. The road at the bottom of Winnatts was like a river. We rode up in the rain - and to be honest it wasn’t too bad. We then headed for Chapel en le Frith and had the road to ourselves due to it being closed to traffic. From there to Glossop along a very busy road and more heavy rain - lots of it. Alex got the stomach cramps, which slowed him down and lasted the rest of the day. We gave the cafe at Glossop a miss and headed to Woodhead, then Dunford Bridge and Huddersfield. The rain sapped our strength a bit, but spirits were high, and finally, after 78 miles it stopped raining!
We covered 85 miles today, and it was quite an epic. The rain was the best and worse thing about the ride because it made it more of a challange - though at times we could have done without it.
I hope John and Craig made it back okay and enjoyed themselves as much as we did.
Contador Tests Positive
30/09/2010 by Doug.
See Cycling Weekly. I knew it!!
“Waiter, my bill please, and some Clenbuterol, if you please”
“Of course, Senor”
Glossop 22.08.10
23/08/2010 by Doug.
This was a ride of two halves. At the start were Captain Alex, Sky John, President Phil, Metal Mike, Martin Lucas, John, Geoff and me. The pace was steady as we went out to Glossop. This was a fine route – a long way round to Uppermill. It was lovely scenery almost all of the way. Well done to Mike – I am guessing that this was his longest ride yet on his road to recovery – but I, for one, was very impressed with his determination. To ride a bike with his “device” on his lower leg is some accomplishment. Roll on the day it comes off!
We stopped at the petrol station cafe and fed our faces. This was very nice scran indeed – beans on toast with an egg on top and a pot of tea.
From there we split up. Alex and I were determined to go over Snake
Pass and the Strines and invited anyone else who wanted to come along. Sky John didn’t know what to do – he had seen the Strines , but only from the “easy” side; and he had seen the profile of Snake on some You Tube thingy or other. He sat, frozen, on his bike outside Barclays Bank in Glossop whilst the others went out towards Woodhead and Alex and I headed up the road. I turned back and said to him “Don’t be a p**f, come with us”. And he did. It’s amazing what a few words of encouragement can do!The route over Snake and Strines was thoroughly enjoyable. I hammered it up Snake, followed by Alex, and John was left to pedal a couple of minutes back – but he did it with ease. We regrouped at the top and descended into the valley and up to Strines. John obviously had some mental block about Strines Moor, but when it came to the tough bit he did just fine. We rode up together, side by side, letting Alex off the leash (!) and all the trepidation was forgotten as he nailed that hill! To reflect on the day’s climbing we had a pint of coke, crisps and coffee in the pub beer garden in Langsett, overlooking the reservoir. The staff in the cafe had been obnoxious, once again, as we queued to get served, so we turned and left! It was a good decision.
From there we hammered it home. 85 miles, 15.3mph average speed. Well done to Mike and Sky John on this one – good ride from both lads.
Lynda’s Ride 8th August 2010
09/08/2010 by Doug.
The route for this year’s ride was different to the previous three years. We arrived at 6am outside Sowerby Bros Cycles, and about 30 of us lined up for the start. Alex, Craig and Howard Newton, and I represented the Thorpers.
We cycled to Morecambe, suffering two punctures through
Bradford, picking up Craig, who had slept in but managed to get ahead because of our unscheduled stops. A morning stop in Settle, 47 miles in, meant that we could gorge ourselves on sandwiches and drink tea, courtesy of some very kind folk and good organisation.
Afterwards Alex and I decided to stretch our legs and up the pace. Actually we hammered it a bit. It provided some entertainment – we did it for a good 8 or 9 miles and the group spread out. We actually arrived in Morecambe for 11.30am and had time to “see the sea” before the second group arrived. We then went for lunch at a Church Hall - pasta, cakes, coca cola, tea, and coffee were all provided.
The trip back was the hard bit. We had averaged nearly 19 mph going to the coast, but we had some monster climbs on the way back. The Trough of Bowland was truly magnificent – and Widdop Moor played its part in sapping the strength in the legs. Some youngsters joined us on Widdop. Dave rode back with them and gave the “okay” for everyone to hammer it back. We duly obliged.
A very large group played “cat and mouse” at the end – and with all those miles in our legs we all took turns on the front and put in speeds of up to 31mph from Elland to Mirfield. It added to the fun of the day – and we all finished with smiles on our faces.
Our average was 16.5 mph by the end, but the climbs were relentless for the homeward journey. The total mileage was 148 miles. Was it better than the traditional route? I didn’t think so on the journey out; but the return route was outstanding. The other route is more “epic”, but this one was more interesting and more enjoyable, and logistically better – we didn’t have to start and finish in different places.
Hopefully we may have alleviated a little suffering by raising some money for Kirkwood Hospice. A huge thank you to Dave Sowerby for once again organising a marvellous day. I enjoyed myself very much, and it was a privilege to take part.
