Thixondale ride report
John C.
Posts: 2,113
I think Thixondale is a first for the Loiterers and with the wet weather we have been having I can't say I was honestly looking forward to it.
I woke at the usual time of 06.30 to see blue sky, after rubbing my eyes, I again saw blue sky, I counted the units of alcohol consumed the night before and still saw blue sky, for that reason I was on the bike on the way to Ripon by 07.00. I packed my waterproof but it stayed in it's bag all day, which is a first this year. So at 08.00, well 5 past ,we had to wait for James, we headed to Thirsk at double quick time , 20-22 mph seemed to be effortless tucked in close to James ( a brave position to be in knowing of James Vegy diet) that meant one of two things: a. I was fitter than I thought. or b. There was a howling tail wind. Given the fact that the trees were bending double the latter seemed a reasonable explanation for our high speed.
At Thirsk we picked up Mark, Martin and Philip who with a nice new set of Mavic wheels was in fine form on the hills as we rode past Coxwold and up to Yearsley, this is beautiful cycling country, riding through woods where the road dips and climbs . From here we rode on the top of the ridge to Terrington, we stopped a couple of times picking out the land marks of York Minster the cooling towers at Drax, Eggborough and Ferrybridge. We also noticed the downpour that was descending on Pickering slightly to the north. so on to Terrington and the lavender farm for our first cuppa, wrong! a coach party just got there fist, so on to the post office cafe, Wrong! they'd just been burgled, So Malton it would have to be, this was the point when the weather got a bit warmer and I decided to show off my riding prowess and remove my upper outer layer whilst riding no hands and pack it away in my saddle bag, for some reason my fellow riders all seamed to loose there usual riding skills and wander in front of me, braking in front of me for no apparent reason and if I hadn't known better I would swear that they aimed me at the ditch, all of which they will deny. On entering Malton we had a con-flab and at Martins suggestion we ended up at the Kingfisher Cafe which I would recommend to anyone seeking sustenance in that vicinity. Just as we were about to leave the heavens opened so a round of cakes were consumed whilst we sat out the mini monsoon. The ride from Malton to Thixondale is all gentle up hill through the pretty hamlet of Birdsall, and then we turned left and had a 3 mile freewheel down a dry valley which just has to be seen, it's stunning, you could be in any century, there is no sign of 20C at all. And then more tea and cake.
Bill was slowing a bit at this point, but let's remember he broke his hip early this year and to tackle a 100 mile bike ride within 6 months is quite an achievement. After a bit of map reading we headed now into wind and home, the road gently rose and fell to Kirkham Priory where we had the last hill of the day, after crossing the A64 we saw a car broken down on the dual carriageway, after declining our offer of assistance James advised them not to wait IN the car because if they were hit by another vehicle they would be dead. Sometimes you have to be blunt !
Two minutes later I ran over a boulder and got a puncture, many thanks David ( David is a new face in the club and seemed to fit in well, I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult ?) for holding my bike whist I replaced the tube, it was pointed out to me that the tyre was in fact little on the bald side and may be I should replace it.
We were then on the plains with no hiding from the wind, Martin and I took the lead and tried to shield the group the best we could round the lanes to Sutton on Forest where we had a final cuppa at Sutton Park, At this point mutiny descended with Bill saying he wanted to go back via Aldwark Bridge, this did make sense and so I headed home to Thirsk all on my own, after 20 odd miles of riding on the flat I was ready for some hills , I love hills and when it's windy they offer some protection so I went up to Crayke, Oulston back to Coxwold and home.
103 miles and I thoroughly enjoyed it, good company, some of the best scenery in the UK and it stayed fine what more could you ask for. Ain't life hard
I woke at the usual time of 06.30 to see blue sky, after rubbing my eyes, I again saw blue sky, I counted the units of alcohol consumed the night before and still saw blue sky, for that reason I was on the bike on the way to Ripon by 07.00. I packed my waterproof but it stayed in it's bag all day, which is a first this year. So at 08.00, well 5 past ,we had to wait for James, we headed to Thirsk at double quick time , 20-22 mph seemed to be effortless tucked in close to James ( a brave position to be in knowing of James Vegy diet) that meant one of two things: a. I was fitter than I thought. or b. There was a howling tail wind. Given the fact that the trees were bending double the latter seemed a reasonable explanation for our high speed.
At Thirsk we picked up Mark, Martin and Philip who with a nice new set of Mavic wheels was in fine form on the hills as we rode past Coxwold and up to Yearsley, this is beautiful cycling country, riding through woods where the road dips and climbs . From here we rode on the top of the ridge to Terrington, we stopped a couple of times picking out the land marks of York Minster the cooling towers at Drax, Eggborough and Ferrybridge. We also noticed the downpour that was descending on Pickering slightly to the north. so on to Terrington and the lavender farm for our first cuppa, wrong! a coach party just got there fist, so on to the post office cafe, Wrong! they'd just been burgled, So Malton it would have to be, this was the point when the weather got a bit warmer and I decided to show off my riding prowess and remove my upper outer layer whilst riding no hands and pack it away in my saddle bag, for some reason my fellow riders all seamed to loose there usual riding skills and wander in front of me, braking in front of me for no apparent reason and if I hadn't known better I would swear that they aimed me at the ditch, all of which they will deny. On entering Malton we had a con-flab and at Martins suggestion we ended up at the Kingfisher Cafe which I would recommend to anyone seeking sustenance in that vicinity. Just as we were about to leave the heavens opened so a round of cakes were consumed whilst we sat out the mini monsoon. The ride from Malton to Thixondale is all gentle up hill through the pretty hamlet of Birdsall, and then we turned left and had a 3 mile freewheel down a dry valley which just has to be seen, it's stunning, you could be in any century, there is no sign of 20C at all. And then more tea and cake.
Bill was slowing a bit at this point, but let's remember he broke his hip early this year and to tackle a 100 mile bike ride within 6 months is quite an achievement. After a bit of map reading we headed now into wind and home, the road gently rose and fell to Kirkham Priory where we had the last hill of the day, after crossing the A64 we saw a car broken down on the dual carriageway, after declining our offer of assistance James advised them not to wait IN the car because if they were hit by another vehicle they would be dead. Sometimes you have to be blunt !
Two minutes later I ran over a boulder and got a puncture, many thanks David ( David is a new face in the club and seemed to fit in well, I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult ?) for holding my bike whist I replaced the tube, it was pointed out to me that the tyre was in fact little on the bald side and may be I should replace it.
We were then on the plains with no hiding from the wind, Martin and I took the lead and tried to shield the group the best we could round the lanes to Sutton on Forest where we had a final cuppa at Sutton Park, At this point mutiny descended with Bill saying he wanted to go back via Aldwark Bridge, this did make sense and so I headed home to Thirsk all on my own, after 20 odd miles of riding on the flat I was ready for some hills , I love hills and when it's windy they offer some protection so I went up to Crayke, Oulston back to Coxwold and home.
103 miles and I thoroughly enjoyed it, good company, some of the best scenery in the UK and it stayed fine what more could you ask for. Ain't life hard
0
Comments
-
Another great report John.
My trip today took me through Chop Gate and down Bilsdale to Laskill, round to Hawby and over Snilesworth moor to Osmotherly. It was absolutely beautiful today. The recent rain has greened up the landscape, the heather is coming out and the sun was shinning.. Decided that this is probably my favorite ride. 51 miles in total and back in time to man the BBQ fur lunch.0 -
hugo15 wrote:Another great report John.
My trip today took me through Chop Gate and down Bilsdale to Laskill, round to Hawby and over Snilesworth moor to Osmotherly. It was absolutely beautiful today. The recent rain has greened up the landscape, the heather is coming out and the sun was shinning.. Decided that this is probably my favorite ride. 51 miles in total and back in time to man the BBQ fur lunch.
Must have passed you yesterday, though i was on silver Norton Commando!0 -
Might have passed me, I was on my Airbourne and was sporting a red and black Campag top.0
