England : North Yorkshire York - Humber Bridge - York

[ColinJ]

I have only done the ride once and I have no recollection of going past that monument either, but it looks obvious on Streetview ...

Brian can tell you about how a dozy driver in Leeds has already tried to destroy the new bike, fortunately unsuccessfully! I'm hoping to see the bike on a 50-mile local ride tomorrow.

My singlespeed bike is very good to ride at speeds between about 13 mph and 21 mph, which should suit the route perfectly. I spin out above low-20s and grind a bit below 13. I've reminded myself of the few climbs on the route. I think I should be able to ride up them but if I have to walk it won't be very far.

 

[Littgull]

Include me in, please.

Well done to @ColinJ for getting this ride back on track, looks like we shall have a decent squad.

I'm particularly looking forward to seeing @Littgull and hopefully his new Thorn tourer - me and him will be able to bore the rest of you rigid when we discuss Rohloff gear ratios.

I've done this ride five times now, but still cannot picture the meeting point (above) for @EasyPeez.

We certainly pass the Press Association building on our right, so must pass the streetview linked by Colin, but I've no recollection of it.

I will get to the Minster closer to 8.30am, it would be handy if we could get away as soon as we are all assembled.

A bit of early concentration on getting the job done should see us get to lunch in good time.

I hope the called for pace is not putting anyone off, there really isn't a hill for the first 50 miles, so if ever there's a ride where you can make a bit of speed, it's this one.

And there's always the option of calming down a bit after lunch, or jumping on the train on the north side of the bridge.

All we need now is reasonable weather.

It'll be good to ride with you again @PaleRider. Yes, aiming to ride my new steed. I've clocked over 600 miles on it so far since I rode it back from Bridgwater in mid June. Really pleased with it. I haven't done this particular ride before but I'm aware that last year it was very wet and stormy so hoping that the forecasted dry and sultry August starts 10 days earlier than predicted.

 

[Littgull]

I have only done the ride once and I have no recollection of going past that monument either, but it looks obvious on Streetview ...

Brian can tell you about how a dozy driver in Leeds has already tried to destroy the new bike, fortunately unsuccessfully! I'm hoping to see the bike on a 50-mile local ride tomorrow.

My singlespeed bike is very good to ride at speeds between about 13 mph and 21 mph, which should suit the route perfectly. I spin out above low-20s and grind a bit below 13. I've reminded myself of the few climbs on the route. I think I should be able to ride up them but if I have to walk it won't be very far.

Ah yes, there is a rather scary tale to tell regarding an all too close encounter when I cycled back from Leeds railway station to Littleborough at 7 pm on Sunday just gone (there were no evening trains on the Northern Rail routes due to industrial action).

 

[Pale Rider]

It'll be good to ride with you again @PaleRider. Yes, aiming to ride my new steed. I've clocked over 600 miles on it so far since I rode it back from Bridgwater in mid June. Really pleased with it. I haven't done this particular ride before but I'm aware that last year it was very wet and stormy so hoping that the forecasted dry and sultry August starts 10 days earlier than predicted.

Six hundred miles?

We shall be able to add oil changes to our fascinating Rohloff conversation.

A couple of the deluges last year were very heavy, although it was mild and not windy so surprisingly bearable.

Killed the pace though, I think we were down to well under 10mph on the flat.

Another thing we can do without on the way to lunch is a head wind.

I copped one on the exposed bit from Goole onwards.

Not strong, but with no shelter it was very hard work.

That was the time I picked up a tail of four or five riders who were doing an audax.

One of them said thanks for the tow, perhaps the others were too tired.

 

[Littgull]

Six hundred miles?

We shall be able to add oil changes to our fascinating Rohloff conversation.

A couple of the deluges last year were very heavy, although it was mild and not windy so surprisingly bearable.

Killed the pace though, I think we were down to well under 10mph on the flat.

Another thing we can do without on the way to lunch is a head wind.

I copped one on the exposed bit from Goole onwards.

Not strong, but with no shelter it was very hard work.

That was the time I picked up a tail of four or five riders who were doing an audax.

One of them said thanks for the tow, perhaps the others were too tired.

Ha ha, yes the first oil change at 5000km (I think) will be arriving pretty quickly at current distances covered.

We could definitely do without a strong headwind on the 22nd but if we do get one I'll stake the initial claim to tuck in behind you, Rob.

 

[EasyPeez]

I've done this ride five times now, but still cannot picture the meeting point (above) for @EasyPeez

Don't feel bad - I worked at the Press Association in Howden for 18 months and don't recall ever seeing that monument!

@ColinJ - will you be passing/pausing at Howden Minster? If so I'll wait outside that. If not I'll suss out where the monument is, I'm sure.

Andy

 

[EasyPeez]

Mention of Howden Minster got me thinking, as you'll be taking in two of them (assuming you start from York Minster or cycle past), a few tweaks to this ride could turn it into the Yorkshire 5 Minster ride - Hemingbrough, Hull and Beverley being the other three. Perhaps an idea for a ride variation next year? I'd be happy to help with the route plotting.

I did think that was the complete list of Yorkshire Minsters but there are also, the interweb tells me, further examples at Doncaster, Leeds, Rotherham, Dewsbury and Kirbymoorside. Meaning you'd have to be quite a cyclist (and/or a Minster fanatic) to undertake a Complete Yorkshire Minster day ride.

 

[Pale Rider]

A route tinker for next year might freshen the job up a bit.

As regards this time, we could meet outside the Press Association building, which we do both know.

 

[EasyPeez]

A route tinker for next year might freshen the job up a bit.

As regards this time, we could meet outside the Press Association building, which we do both know.

Sounds like a plan. See you there circa 10.30am, all being well.

 

[Starchivore]

Oh - @doughnut and @Starchivore - this isn't officially my ride, but I did say that I would 'tag' you in any ride threads that I am involved in, so consider yourselves tagged!

Cheers Colin, appreciate that

I've got a busy time at the moment, trying to get ready to move, but I'll see how I go and if next week I think I can make it then I'll jump back on the thread. It would be quite nice to do a long flat ride, I don't really have experience of that.

 

[ColinJ]

Cheers Colin, appreciate that

I've got a busy time at the moment, trying to get ready to move, but I'll see how I go and if next week I think I can make it then I'll jump back on the thread. It would be quite nice to do a long flat ride, I don't really have experience of that.

You'd probably enjoy the relaxed nature of it, providing we don't have nasty weather conditions.

@Littgull and I have been discussing transport ... We had intended to catch the first train of the day through Todmorden, and change at Leeds for York. The problem with that is that it only allows a nominal 11 minutes to make the connection. It wouldn't take much of a delay on the Tod train to miss the connection, or make for a very stressful dash with the bikes from one train to the other.

So ... we are now going for option B, which is to catch the Blackpool-York train from Hebden Bridge at 06:34. We will make sure that we get there in good time for that one, even though it means a very early ride out to the station. Brian will have to set off at about 05:30 and I will leave 20 minutes later - it is going to be a long day for us!

Our train should arrive in York at 08:03, so if all goes well we should be at the Minster by 08:15. Even if we were delayed by 15 minutes, we would be there by 08:30. If everyone else is there reasonably early then there would be no point in hanging about and we'd make an early start. @EasyPeez, I will text you with our ETA in Howden, which should be roughly 90-100 minutes after our departure. (Everyone else - just before we set off, remind me to send that text! )

 

[Buck]

I'll be leaving at 7 via car and will get to the Knavesmire (free parking ) by 8 then gather my belongings and a 15 minute ride to the Minster for 8:30

 

[Slioch]

Oops. There's a road closure for part of the route after the bridge, which looks as though it will need a rethink on our route. Details here.

The road affected is the entire length of the minor road which runs between North Cave and Market Weighton. Our route follows this road for 3 miles or so northwards from North Cave to where we turn off westwards at North Cliffe.

A suggestion for an alternative route for us would be to follow the usual route to North Cave, then head west on the B1230 to Gilberdyke, then head north and west on minor roads to Sandholme, Eastrington, Portington. Then north on the A614 for a mile, then back onto minor roads through Spaldington and Willitoft, to link up with the outward route at Bubwith. I'm familiar with these lanes and they are reasonably quiet with a good surface, so there's no issues for anyone on skinny tyres. But there may be better alternatives?

Not sure what this does to overall distance though - I'm not terribly competent with the technical wizardry for mapping routes

 

[ColinJ]

Well spotted! That would have been a nuisance on the day ... I'm off out now but will check your suggestion when I get back.

 

[Pale Rider]

We use the road as far as North Cliffe.

I wonder - as with most road closures - if it will be passable to cyclists, particularly if we don't mind pushing for a bit.

Alternatively, the closure may be further north than we want to go.

I've emailed the contact in the press report in the hope of getting more information.