Ride Reports

Wednesday 23rd. June

Dave Siswick

Medium Ride

On a beautiful morning five of chose the relatively short medium ride with a couple of ‘testing’ climbs. Mark, Nick, Tim, Chris and myself departed Hornbeam and headed for Claro Road and the Greenway. Not too busy and we made good progress to Ripley and the slog up Scarah Bank. Flat run towards Fountains with the short sharp climb up to the visitors centre. The usual intelligent conversations took place as we sorted Covid knowing that the world would be a better place if we were in charge. The fantastic sweep down through the Deer Park and Studley Royal before we cut across Ripon to Littlethorpe. Again good progress through Bishop Monkton towards Copgrove Farnham and Knaresborough. Chris and I swung down Waterside as the others ‘blasted’ up Knaresborough Hill and home. Great ride. 32 miles for me and I’ve now sorted the camera on my phone(idiot that I am). Thanks guys. Colin B
Medium Plus Brisk Ride

Only four for the Medium Plus Brisk today – Yvonne, Giselle, Tim No. 1 & Tall Tim – bound for Sutton on the Forest with the newly added Route 279. It was warm & bright and a stop at Miss Daisy’s was well appreciated. Good food but the service was a little on the slow side. And then back again and up Knaresborough Hill. 60 miles in total. Tall Tim.

 

EG’s Ride

The customary motley crew arrived looking as though they had just rolled out of bed, or been up all night. Eric had a partial rain check but promised to catch us up if breakfast stop could be texted to him.

Spa Gardens it was.

We arrived without incident, riding at relaxed pace whilst the exciting events of the past week were relayed around the group.

Spa Gardens were attractive as ever and we sat outside with quite  a full complement of other elderly people (of both genders). Pity the new owners don’t seem to have quite grasped that a pot of tea is not too much to ask for, and that toasted (well done) is usually at least exposed to the heat on both sides.

Nice sitting outside though, watching the bowlers try to hit a visiting squirrel.

Eric messaged again (a few times), with progress on his plumber’s visit; well, lack of progress to be more accurate. This rate of progress to eventually characterise his day.

Further information was sent out; Bedale for lunch.

More pleasant but largely uneventful riding, now at increased pace, followed, and the North End cafe in Bedale easily demonstrated that the art of providing a POT of tea had not entirely left North Yorkshire. We sat outside and enjoyed good toast with beans or eggs, as well as other delicacies.

Then the thunderball!!

Eric had punctured en-route, and horror of horrors, the gungy stuff in his special tubeless tyres could not cope with the damage. A further advantage of marriage was therefore evidenced. Di had to be persuaded to get the car out.

Return to knaresborough went well and 84km. were recorded.

Thanks as usual to Dave P1 (sorry there was no mention of the lacerated thumb), Dave W1 and Bob (on his splendid electric Bianchi again), who peeled off on an adventure of their own, as well as Dave P2, Dave W2, Geoff and Dan who did the Bedale ride.

To quote Joe Gargery in Great Expectations, “Such larks, such larks.”

DaveS.