Leisure Group Ride Reports

Warden Ride 1st July 2009:

Ride report: warden-ride-2009-07-01

Ready for anything!

Blanchland Moor 10th June 2009:

Ride report: blanchland-moor-2009-06-10

Here’s the group, minus leader/photographer:

Middlesbrough to Tyne Valley Leisure Ride 1st March 2009:

Once again thanks to Geoff Williams for a great day out for non-competitive riders in fine weather [he's too modest to take the credit for the weather]. 13 riders took part and all but 1 made it back. If the straggler is reading this can he get in touch please as we’re starting to worry? Seriously, these rides are one-for-all and all-for-one so everybody was taken good care of - honestly! 58 miles covered and only one puncture; not bad for [mostly] off-road. Here they are all ready for the off, minus one very dodgy cameraman:

Sunday Nov 2, 2008:

Sunday started off a bit frosty but soon turned into a beautiful Autumn day with plenty of sunshine, clear skies and a light breeze. A total of 17 riders turned out, 7 using the trailer and others making their own way there from various points.

The Williams family, Geoff Juliet and David, had a bit of early bad luck as they all suffered from a puncture! Occupational hazard? 3 at once? No, this one was on the car 200 yards from home! But they got there and everybody had a really enjoyable day. He we all are, except the photographer of course, ready for the off:

Before the ride even started the driver of the car pulling the trailer, now hiding behind the camera, got it stuck in the muddy wet grass trying to get the trailer squared up and had to enlist the help of ‘volunteers’ to push it back onto the tarmac. No names, no pack drill, but who’s missing from the shot?

We decided to split into 2 groups instead of 3 as it was felt the loops nearer the lake would be easy to navigate for a bunch of roadies used to being on autopilot or fly-by-wire. Pity really as getting lost is all part of the fun; at least that’s usually our excuse.

The faster group went anti-clockwise around the lake from the Hawkhope car park and soon arrived at the castle so tried one of the skills loops, the blue (easy) one, and pronounced that quite technical enough for roadies. So most of that group did the blue grade Castle Hill 12km loop plus an extra few miles up and back down the Forest Drive. Uneventful apart from some choice language from a farmer whose sheep didn’t like bikes - should have raised them on 2 wheels instead of wellies, I reckon. For three more intrepid members of that group the blue grade was obviously boring so they chose to cover the red grade loop instead.

The other group took it a bit more leisurely in a clockwise direction along the Lakeside Way and stopped at Leaplish for tea and stuff, then again at the castle for more tea and stuff. Then some tried the blue grade skills loop and all rode back along the north side. We presume they kept all the tea and stuff down but weren’t there to witness this astonishing feat.

The faster group were taken aback by the good quality of the Lakeside Way and also its length, as it winds in and out of all the coves and headlands, and the trip took longer than expected.

And guess which trailer jockey got flashed by the speed camera at Riding Mill on the way home? Welcome back!

Altogether a great day for all with something for everyone. We’ll have to do it again before too long.

Hadrian’s Way Ride 19th Oct 2008:

The club would like to thank Geoff Williams for organising an excellent and enjoyable ride from Bowness on Solway to Tynemouth, a ride of over 100 miles, the longest ride some of the group, including Geoff, had made.

A 6am start at Stocksfield Station made it something of a long day but it was worth it! The bus trip over was uneventful and after dropping the ‘leisure’ riders off at Carlisle the rest progressed to Bowness on Solway, which is such a tiny place we sailed straight through it before we knew and had to turn back!

The ‘leisure’ riders at Carlisle: