Spring Standard Rides 01-03-15
The Cottingham Road Club (CRC) is the best cycling club in the world, that is within easy reach of Barton-Upon-Humber and is free to join - Huzzah !! But other clubs are available.
I was unable to participate in the CRC weekend club ride on Saturday due to work commitments.I needed to do a ride on Sunday and wanted to step up my weekly "big" ride miles to 50. What to do ?
It so happened that the East Yorkshire branch of the Cyclists' Touring Club ( CTC ) was holding their annual "Standard Rides" spring event on Sunday the 1st of March starting off at the Methodist Church Hall in Cottingham.
The Standard Rides were 35, 50 and 75 miles long. The 50 miler looked ideal, so why not take a look ? I was sure I would be bumping into Cottingham Road Club riders anyway so it wouldn't really be like I was cheating on CRC. Right ?
Registration and Starting
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| Registration at the Methodist Church Hall Cottingham |
In 1977 Star Wars came out. I was 13 and started queuing at the cinema 4 hours before the first performance. If something is important you go early, end of story.
I was planning to meet up with some CRC members to do the 50 mile ride. Annette, my other half was going to do the 35 mile ride with some of her cycling club colleagues from the Sunday Girls Road Club .
So we went early and got there before any of the organisers arrived ! Annette was pleased.
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| Getting Ready for the Off |
The organisers let me in for the standard £2 fee rather than the "on the day" fee of £4 as I had emailed them 2 days before the event.That was nice of them. Plus we were offered a cup of tea before we started.
We met up with our ride colleagues. I was going to go round with Chris, June, Carol and Charlie.
The guys doing the 75 mile route were first to start at 9.30. I positioned myself at the start line and filmed them surreptitiously.
After the razzamataz of the 75 miler start . Our start was a little less showy. " The rest of you can go when you want". Oh OK.
The 50 Mile Ride - Part 1, The Easy Bit
The route was a lumpy circle that had Cottingham at the bottom and arced out towards the East skirting with Hornsea before topping out in the North at Skerne. Then a downward westward arc on the edge of the wolds passing through Hutton Cranswick, Etton, Cherry Burton and back to Cottingham.
The main issue of the day was going to be the wind. There was going to be a strong westerley wind at a steady 20 to 25 mph and gusting up to 40 mph. So long as there were no sections of the ride in exposed landscape, travelling westwards we would be OK...oh.
We set off travelling East to Dunswell and Kingswood before we turned north and headed for Wawne. There was a little action from the wind on the way to Wawne with a cross wind from the left but generally speaking we had a helping hand from the wind up to this point. Together with some decent sunshine everything was rather pleasant.
"This is rather pleasant " I said. There I told you. "It's not going to stay like this ! " came the reply.
Notice Charlie nearly had a coming together with a wing mirror in Dunswell but just wiggled out of the way.
We went through Wawne and then after a few miles took a right turn and followed the road through Arnold and Long Riston before crossing the A165. Picking up the B1249 the group made excellent progress to Catfoss.
All the time the road was twisting and turning either heading east or north. We had not yet faced the wind head on, but time was running out.
Who Do You Think You Are David Bailey ?
Through Catfoss we were just short of 20 miles in now and we decided to have a little stop. I thought this would be a great opportunity to take a photo. There was some grumbling from my ride colleagues. I framed the shot, everyone was looking at the camera ready, but I sensed some impatience.
Unfortunately I was looking straight into the sun, this wouldn't do.
I had to get round to the other side of the group to take the picture, they will have to turn round. I asked sweetly if they would't mind turning round. June had had enough. She decided that actually she would be quite alright with me taking a photo of her back as she would like to carry on riding now.
" Just take me arse !" she declared. I gambled this was just her opening negotiating position. " Oh come on June it's for my blog" I pleaded. I imagine that this is what it must be like working with Naomi Campbell.
She relented and what a smashing picture.
Turning left at the T junction you see in the picture we headed for the A165 and for the first time we start to pedal directly against the wind. We went up a bit of a hill and I put the bit between my teeth and grind it out to the top and the junction with the A165.
I turned around to see that the guys have stopped some 50 yards back and seem to have pens and paper out ? What's going on here ?
I am still relatively new to these types of events and hadn't appreciated that you don't just cycle round the course having a gay old time. You have to prove that you've done it or.....else.
We had been issued with some paperwork at the start of the ride which of course I hadn't looked at. But on close inspection, well just inspection, when you reached the Warley Cross Kennels & Cattery, half way round the route, you had to note down the last 3 digits of the telephone number displayed on the sign outside.
Thus you were proving that you had physically been on the ride. Obviously you didn't need to be Danny Ocean to circumvent this but that wasn't the point. The numbers were written down and we moved on.
Later in the ride I asked Carol what happens if you don't bring back the necessary information ?
"I don't know" she said " I've never risked it ! ".
I now had visions of thumb screws being applied by people in CTC tops shouting "what are the last 3 digits of the Warley Cross Kennels & Cattery telephone number !" before Carol added " you certainly won't get your cup of tea ". Oh OK then.
The 50 Mile Ride - Part 2, Getting Tougher and The Coffee Stop That Never Was
Once we went through North Frodingham the direction of travel was north west and we were very much now pushing against the wind. Chris had done a lot at the front, as well as a 60 mile ride the day before, and I had now reached the point where my guilt was pushing me to the front.
So I did some time at the front from North Frodingham up to Skerne and into Hutton Cranswick, not all of it but a lot of it. Enough to say I did my bit.
Speeds were right down, I even got down on the drops at one point to try and reduce my profile being offered up to the wind. I think I lowered it from ginormous to just huge.Carol came off the back a few times so I couldn't have been judging the pace very well.
Carol would get her own back as later she would undergo a startling performance transformation.
We rolled into Hutton Cranswick where we stopped at the Garden Center for a coffee. To avoid the thumb screws we also had to get our paperwork signed to verify we had made it to Hutton Cranswick.
June kindly offered to buy everyone a coffee and I pushed my luck and asked for a millionaires shortbread as well. We sat down at a table. June came and sat down and I assumed the coffees and shortbread were on the way. After about 10 minutes everyone got up to go.
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| June Refuels, Chris Wonders Where The Electricity Is |
" There are no coffees available Alan they have had a power cut, they have got no electricity !!"
"What !"
I kept quiet that I worked in the electricity industry and headed for the door. Don't know why I couldn't have had my millionaires shortbread though ?!
One last bizarre twist at the coffee stop that never was. Myself and Carol headed for the loos before we got back on the bikes.
The toilets had no windows to give natural light so if you closed the door with the absence of electricity you would be in total darkness. To prevent mishaps I had to go to the loo with the door ajar and Carol standing guard and then Carol went to the loo with the door ajar and me standing guard. I hope that doesnt get out.
The 50 Mile Ride - Part 3 - The Hard Bit
We now started undoubtedly the hardest section of the ride from Hutton Cranswick round to Etton. Almost exclusively against the wind and with large sections on exposed roads with no cover to speak of. When you can see waves in the puddles on the road you know it's windy.
There was no way to make this easy it was just going to be a hard grind to push against the elements.
Even when there was cover the wind could take you by surprise. For example when I got to the end of a line of trees that was providing me with cover I was hit by gust of wind from the right that just took me off the tarmac completely and deposited me on the grass at the side of the road. Luckily it was a flat grassy section and I just pedaled back onto the road.
Had it been a ditch or something less friendly I would have been off. You can see some clips of the windy bits below.
Carol was starting to put digs in at the front now and gapping us, well gapping me anyway.
Once we got to Etton we were on automatic pilot for return to Cottingham. Carol was getting stronger and stronger making surges off the front and also Charlie was pushing ahead at the front. I was getting tired now and was looking forward to the finish.
I got a bit over enthusiastic trying to catch Charlie up and nearly went off when taking a bend all wrong.
Carol put a sprint in at the end running into Cottingham that I could not match and I only caught up with her because she slowed down. Could it be that Carol was kidding us on earlier in the ride ?
You can see some clips of me chasing Carol and Charlie below plus the final roll in to the finish.
Return to the Methodist Church Hall
We got back to the Methodist Church hall in Cottingham and after presentation of the correctly completed paperwork we were rewarded with a cup of tea and a biscuit. I never saw any thumb screws, they must have been round the back.
I challenged Carol that she was kidding us on in the early part of the ride so that she could put us in the hurt locker at the end. " Have you only just realised that Alan ? " she said with a smile.
The ride had been challenging and a little unpleasant at times. Yet again it was another endorsement for group riding in that I don't think I'd have even set off if I was doing that ride on my own.
But with a group you have got more motivation. You don't want to let your fellow riders down and you don't want to let yourself down in their eyes.
It's like Band Of Brothers but without the horrific war scenes. So to commemerate the occassion at the finish I wanted to get a photo of my band of brothers.
June played up again and Charlie was networking so is replaced by Annette holding a biscuit.
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| From Left to Right : Annette, Carol,, Chris & June |
Not a brilliant photo of Charlie but I couldn't leave him out.
I would just like to say in all seriousness that the ladies and gentlemen of the CTC had been very welcoming at the start and the finish and had been a delight to talk to. If this article doesnt get me banned for life from CTC events I would very much like to do it again and will probably join CTC as well.
So I guess the answer to my question at the top is no, joining another cycling club doesn't make you a cheater.
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