Recent rides

Sunday, July 25, 2010
Wheel Easy Ride Report 222
Short Ride Report
The short ride included, unusually, Phil S today on his Brompton, introducing daughter Harriet to Wheel Easy, Joe and Geraldine, Monica, Caroline and me. We took the Hookstone Woods track to the Showground, the new cycle path to Crimple, and Rudding Lane to Follifoot, stopping briefly for the team photo.
From Spofforth we should have headed for Little Ribston to stay under the 15 mile bar, but with a touch of Harry Potter magic, mixed with lovely sunshine and the effortless pancake flat dream world cycle path on the former railway line, we found ourselves suddenly transported to the Gourmet Café in The Shambles, Wetherby. The coffee and tea were excellent, the portions of cakes and croissants we noted were all twice as large as expected, and the chat was good too, with Monica displaying a considerable knowledge of films through the ages, although her ability to quote chunks of Toy Story 1 raised a few eyebrows.
Before we knew it, we were transported back to Little Ribston and pedalling along Abbey Road into Knaresborough. As those with other commitments went on ahead, three of us returned up the Beryl Burton, Monica continuing to Bilton Lane, while I led Caroline back to Hornbeam by the least trafficked route along Bogs Lane and Kingsley Drive. A most enjoyable ride which must have been 15 miles, because that’s what it says on the tin. Malcolm

Click on slide show for all today's photos


Medium Ride Report
Twelve set off in the opposite, anti-clockwise direction to the Medium Plus but we were soon down to eleven when Big John’s ticketyboometer started reading low in Knaresborough. Waterside and Bar Lane to Farnham was followed by the long-way-round bridle path route to Bishop Monkton, thence to a warm welcome at the Sticky Wicket at Markington, the venue for the whole of Wheel Easy today, including DP who tried to appropriate me bacon sarnie.
We eschewed the harder, hilly route back, opting for Ripley, where Suzie left for Clint, and on to Killinghall, with Crawford and David taking the ride back to Hornbeam. Must fly. Off to buy shares in the Sticky Wicket. For the record, about 11 x 30 miles. Paul B

Medium Plus Ride Report
Us so called eight ''speedies'' set off from Hornbeam, under sunny skies,towards our first landmark of Pennypot Lane where 'Big Andy'' (hello and welcome) led out the Wheel Easy train to the turning right to Menwith, where Dan had to leave us.
The magnificent seven ventured on at a cracking pace towards Birstwith, where the ''broom wagon'' was wating to sweep me up. The number of yellow jersey's in attendance meant that along with ''Big Andy'' and ''The Queen of Ventoux'' there were a number of riders that were chopping and changing at the front of the peleton, and along with Paul A (welcome back after his injury lay off) the pace was unrelenting.
We arrived at the welcome haven that is Sticky Wicket in great time, and for a while had the place to ourselves, while Paul A informed us of his you tube ''habit''.
After great scones and lots of tea and coffee off we went again with the words ''Lance Armsrong and ''Wordsworth'' directed at me ringing in my ears. Three words never before used in the same sentence when describing me.
Once again the pace cranked up as we sped our way home via Copgrove and Knaresborough back towards Harrogate. A great ride with good company, nice weather, and a good cafe stop. What more could you ask for! I wondered lonely as a cloud............... Mark

Touring Pace Highlights:

Great group, great views, good climbs and fab downhill runs.
Watching frolicking bullocks in the fields.
Seeing the wind turbines spookily turning through the trees.
Seeing (for some of us) for the first time a two hole golf course on Penny Pot Road!
For the men a pretty sight of a lady wearing a short dress weeding her garden leaning over a fence and oblivious of the consequences.
Gia, Yvonne and Howard chasing after two riders from Harrogate Nova!
Huge cake portions at Sticky Wicket.
Guest visitor Martin meeting us for coffee.
Four Wheel Easy groups meeting at the Sticky Wicket in precision style order so as not to overwhelm the café.
Rescuing Peter who had been abandoned by the speedy group. 36 miles, one of Wheel Easy’s best rides.
Lowlights:
Seeing a hare frozen with terror by the side of the road.
Never seeming to have the wind on our backs! Gia.

Long Ride Report
There were 11 people, including a guest appearance by Malcolm Y on his time trial bike, for the long ride of 72 miles today. It was steady progress from Hornbeam through Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Hutton Sessay, Carlton Husthwaite to the first cafe stop at Coxwold, arriving just as it opened at 11.30. After a pleasant stop in the sun, we continued on past Byland Abbey to Ampleforth. It was just after passing the College & Abbey that we took the wrong turning (due to my misreading of the map!) ending up on the road to Gilling rather than Nunnington. Rather than head back up the hill to where we had gone wrong we worked our way back to the route via Cawton & Stonegrave, adding in an extra steep hill to get us back to Nunnington. After Slingsby we were facing a head wind for most of the ride back. We passed through Hovingham heading for Easingwold and our much needed second cafe stop. On arriving at Cafe21 it was discovered that it was closed to the public which was not good news as there is usually little else open in Easingwold on Sundays. We decided to make do with whatever we could get at the shop, but arriving in the centre we found a new cafe & deli, which was open. Several of us descended on this while others opted to visit the shop. After the stop Malcolm headed off for a speedier ride home while the rest of the group continued back together. The final mileage was 82 miles for most people, due to a slight underestimate of the original route & the unplanned detour, while Andy who cycled out from Leeds would have done 106 miles by the time he got home. Jill F

Off Road Ride Report
Another excellent turn out of twelve riders met for the off road ride. Several cycled from Hornbeam, meeting up with the rest of the group in Ripley in plenty time for a 10.15am departure in lovely warm sunshine.
Crossing over the B6165 we started with a short climb up hill onto a section of the Nidderdale Way. We had our only real mishap on the first stretch of downhill, with a nasty somersault over the handlebars and down the steep slope to the right of the track. Some of the group formed a ‘people chain’ to help pull bike and rider back onto the track, where he was shaken but fortunately unharmed, and even managed a brave chuckle at his own misfortune. A stretch of single-track followed, with a large step drop-off at the bottom of one section, then through Cayton Gill, over a small stream and back uphill to High Cayton farm. After this we headed left towards Haddockstones then joined How Hill Road for a short ride up and down hill before turning right by Abbey Fall Wood to make a short climb with a great view back over Fountains Abbey.
We continued off road through Hill House Farm where the cow herd was waiting by the gates to greet us. Pressing on a pleasant section through the woods eventually leads to Whitcliffe Hall where we took a right onto Ripon Rowel Walk. Another right took us towards a small stretch on road, Whitcliffe Lane, leading up to Morcar Grange before continuing over Brickley Hills and then down Strait Lane. This finishes with a great piece of singletrack, then its back onto the road for a cruise through Ingerthorpe and on to Markington where we met up with Gia and the medium road riders at the Sticky Wicket Cafe.
After eating them out of carrot cake, just as we decided to leave the cafe Debbie nipped into the washroom and on emerging thought the group had left without her and so sped off at a rate of knots aiming to catch up. Within a few minutes it became apparent that either she’d taken a wrong turn or had somehow managed to miss the other eleven, who after a quick phone call it transpired had actually been waiting out of sight at the back of the building .. so now it was their turn to hit the gas and catch up!
Once re-united we continued via Shrog Wood and back up to High Cayton Farm. Here we took a different route home, taking in a fairly steep climb past a disused quarry, where Terry decided his brand new mountain bike was going back to the dealer in the morning to fix the dodgy seat, and onto another short section of the Nidderdale Way which led back down to the B6165.
An enjoyable ride finished back in Ripley where half the group headed home, with the rest cooling off with an ice cream before a gentle cycle back to Harrogate. The rain that threatened briefly in Markington held off and we survived with only the one early mishap, and remarkably not a single puncture. Debbie

2010 Wheel Easy Miles (approx) Today 2225 YTD 85797