Mile 45 this happened!
Laws of physics say this won't end well. Swerving to avoid Dominic, Andy was launched high into the air, landing with a thump stroke crunch in the carriageway.
Suspected broken/dislocated shoulder & collarbone meant he couldn't continue.
My list of what to bring
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B3lbQSKVANxVYXBTQnNCMnJaY0E
11:00 am checkpoint
View Checkpoint 11:00 on 29/7/12 in a larger map
Meeting place In Hornsea
This shows the location of the caravan. Ray has shower facilities - please bring your own shower gel and towel.
There is parking on site and there is no restriction to access during the day. There are places to eat nearby. One in particular offers food all day so it doesn't matter if we are late!
Malcolm Kyle, Martin Dearnley, Dominic Barnes, Andy & Joe Lowery are cycling to Hornsea on Sunday 29th July to raise money for charity.
We are asking for sponsorship money which will be divided 50/50 between St Ignatius Church Restoration Fund and The Alzheimer's Society.
We intend to leave St Ignatius Church drive at 07:30 and arrive in Hornsea about 13:30.
The actual arrival point in Hornsea is still to be confirmed - watch this space!
We need some car drivers to bring us back! If you want to come and join us at Hornsea in your car, have some lunch & maybe bring someone back - let me know.
If you are joining us for lunch then we need to know names & numbers by 23rd July. The venue for lunch is yet to be decided - watch this space.
If you are going by car and can meet us halfway with drinks etc. (so we don't have to carry too much stuff on the bikes) then we'd appreciate it - let me know.
You can sponsor any of us in person by filling out a sponsor form face-to-face or alternatively online here:
https://www.justgiving.com/teams/ignatius
To contact me: martindearnley@hotmail.com
Thank you!
.
Denby Dale & Emley
This being the first fine weekend for a while we decided a ride was in order. Unfortunately many of the usual team were missing. Dom in London, Matthew & Andy playing football etc. So there were only 4 riders: Martin Dearnley, Malcolm Kyle, Joe & Thomas Lowery.
We (as usual) headed down Storrs Hill, up Netherton Hill to Midgley, along Denby Dale Road to Clayton West, then Emley, Skelmanthorpe, Upper Cumberworth, Denby Dale, Scissett, returning home via Netherton again.
The ride around Denby Dale was from a printed route by Kirklees Council. We passed through villages and along routes which we had never seen before. The route was very hilly so we enjoyed the downhill stretches & endured the climbs.
According to Malcolm's computer the ride was 22 miles at an average speed of 9.5 mph (good for such a hilly route) and a maximum of 38 mph.
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Spen Valley Greenway
After a party at Bill & Michelle's house for Liz's 50th birthday one-or-two of todays riders were a little "fragile".
The riders were: Andy, Joe, Tom & Matthew Lowery, Malcolm Kyle, Dominic Barnes, Chris Graham & Martin Dearnley.
Our route followed a path we are familiar with & is well-liked due to the lack of hills but this time we extended the distance.
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We went down Storrs Hill to Horbury Bridge then along the canal towpath to Ravensthorpe then headed north along the Spen Valley Greenway to Bradford. This is a steady uphill incline but due to the route being a disused railway line the slopes are gentle. We stopped at Oakenshaw, Bradford where the Greenway appeared to end & had lunch in the park.
The Greenway was quite busy with walkers & cyclists due to this being a Bank Holiday and is clearly a valuable resource to the area.
Unfortunately on the return journey Dominic had a puncture but the front 3 riders (with the puncture outfit & spare tube) were about 5 miles ahead before realising it!
This required some ferrying back & forth to get Dom mobile again.
A total distance of just over 25 miles according to Malcolm's trip computer makes this the longest single trip taken by the team so far. The average speed was high at 10 mph.
Biking bargains at Aldi
They have:
Biking sunglasses £2.99
Rack to fit a car to hold 2 bikes £24.99
Small retractable bike lock £3.99
Gel cover for saddle. Essential if you don't have one.
Nice designed backpack.
Special belt to hold water bottles.
A pulley system to raise your bike to the ceiling to save space.
Good quality cycle helmet for adult or child £8.99.
Newmillerdam, Crigglestone & Mud
The leader of the ride this week was Dominic Barnes. He chose a route incorporating a Wakefield Met Cycle Ride around Newmillerdam.
This week's riders were Dominic Barnes, Malcolm Kyle, Andy, Thomas, Matthew & Joe Lowery, Steve & Joe McCarthy, Martin Dearnley & a new rider - Iain Wilkinson.
The weather forecast was poor but although there were a few light showers there wasn't enough rain to spoil the morning. We set off from church, Horbury Bridge, canal to Navigation, on-road to Almshouse Lane, Newmillerdam.
Unfortunately at this point we had our first casualty. Steve McCarthy had to retire with a severe dose of The Crigglestone Crampy Sweaty Puky Fever.
Joe McCarthy carried on bravely but he appeared most concerned that his lunch had returned to Ossett with his Dad! This week Joe was on a different bike. Although it was borrowed it was bigger than his own and more suited to his size. This was much better for him & he coped very well with this ride.
Our resident medic - Andy - took responsibility to accompany Steve home where he is doing very well.
The team carried on along a very pleasant off-road route along a disused railway track & then a circular path anti-clockwise through the woods & fields surrounding Newmillerdam. We returned to Ossett via the southern side of the canal & then up through Horbury.
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Conditions on the tracks were very muddy & slippery as revealed by the photos at the end outside Malcolm's house.
Stats from Malcolm's computor reveal:
Distance 14.8 miles
Riding time (not including stops) 1h 50m
Average speed 8.1 mph
Max speed 25 mph
Saturday 19th July
I am planning a cycle this Saturday morning around Newmillerdam. The route will be down Storrs Hill Road from church, along the canal to the Navigation, then by road through Crigglestone and Chapelthorpe to Newmillerdam.Then, a circular route around Newmillerdam Country Park, mainly off-road, and head back to Ossett, either the way we came, or up through Pugneys towards Thornes and use the cycle path to Horbury. This will be the gentler option as it avoids Storrs Hill. Overall, I reckon about 16 miles of mainly easy cycling, so suitable for all, but we can extend it a bit by exploring one or two tangents, like a disused railway line that runs south towards Notton from Newmillerdam.
No lunch will be needed as we'll probably be back for lunch. Bring drinks & perhaps a piece of fruit. As Dom has other commitments it will be an earlier start than usual. Meet at 9:00 am on the church drive.
If weather is iffy a decision regarding the ride will be posted here at 8:30 am.
Report of Cannon Hall Trip 28th June 2008
When we set off it was clear that one of our number was feeling under-the-weather. Malcolm had been taken too much advantage of Martin's hospitality in the Parish Centre the previous night and was feeling very Southern unComfortable. Still - he carried on like a brave little soldier but at some points during the day he wished he'd stayed in bed!
Our route took us up through Coxley Valley and then to Midgley. The path from Little London to Midgley was very muddy necessitating frequent dismounts & short distances of actually carrying the bike on your shoulder.
We then headed into Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Normally there is a series of exhibitions in the Underground Gallery which change each year. We went along to investigate but it was clear that this was a work-in-progress as contractors & diggers were present.
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The next part of the route was a long, steady climb on a bridle path to High Hoyland. This was quite tough but pleasant cycling in the parkland with cows & sheep for company.
The ride into Cannon Hall car park was uneventful where we met Anne-Marie, Catriona (sp?) & Rebecca Barnes & Frances Lowery. Packed lunch at a picnic table in the parkland -

Here the newest member of the St Ignatius Team Velo demonstrated her latest skills -


The part of the ride enjoyed by most of the riders was the long (+2 miles) downhill stretch from High Hoyland Church to the junction with Denby Dale Road. Illustrating the increased level of fitness of the riders there were parts of the ride (uphill) which on previous rides we dismounted & walked but which we were able to cycle up un this occasion. On reaching Storrs Hill, even at the end of a 20 mile run there were some very brave attempts, with varying success, to scale it on bikes.
Courtesy of Malcolm's onboard computer we have the following stats of the ride:
Distance: 19.3 miles
Riding time: 2:34 (some pushing!)
Average speed: 7.4 mph
Maximum speed: 37 mph
Cannon Hall
I'll just add that there are lots of birds (ducks & geese etc.). I recommend that the children bring some old bread with them as the birds are tame (but hungry!).
Is anyone going by car? If so it would save on weight if they could take the lunches. Let me know.
10:00 28/6/08 Weather not too bad so ride will go ahead!!!
22nd June - Planned Easy Sunday Ride
A decision will be made at 12:30 and posted HERE if there is a problem with the weather so please check at or after 12:30 if the weather looks "iffy".
(12:50 I WILL be riding today but it is VERY windy!)
Meet at 1:30 on the church drive. The pace will depend who is on the ride. We will go at the speed of the slowest rider. All welcome!
Report:
The weather was not suitable for cycling. Gale force winds made it VERY hard work. I went down Queens Drive, up Spring Mill Lane past the golf course. along Park Mill Lane past Low Laithes Golf Course to Kirkhamgate. Then back to Gawthorpe via Gawthorpe Lane then into Ossett via Church Street.
Saturday 28th June - Cawthorne Park (planned)
http://www.barnsley.gov.uk/bguk/Leisure_Culture/Other%20Attractions/Cannon%20Hall%20Museum,%20Park%20and%20Gardens/Cannon_Hall_Museum_Park_and_Gardens
We will meet at at 10:30 on the church drive. A packed lunch will be had at about 1:00 pm at Cannon Hall. We will spend about an hour here so if any non-cycling friends & relatives want to come it is a nice place to visit. There is a cafe & toilets. There is no charge to visit but there is a charge for car parking.
There will be a mixture of on-road & off-road riding on this trip. The route to Cannon Hall is a long uphill climb but we will have plenty of stops & it is all downhill heading home!!
A decision will be made at 9:30 and posted HERE if there is a problem with the weather so please check at or after 9:30 if the weather looks "iffy".
Meet Saturday 28th June at 10:30 on the church drive with a packed lunch & drink. Helmets are advisable. All welcome!
Thornhill Hall, Whitley & Steep Hills
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The ride today was quite a challenging one. The riders were: Andy, Tom, Matthew & Joe Lowery, Dominic Barnes, Joe McCarthy & Martin Dearnley.
Our route took us down Storrs Hill, along the path to Healey, through the woo-woo tunnels to Figure-of-Three Locks, up past Thornhill Colliery site into Thornhill Park.
Here we paused to look at the remains of Thornhill Hall which was destroyed in 1648 following a siege by the Parliamentarian forces who attacked it with cannon fire from Runtlings (a long way). We were engaged in conversation by an extremely “odd” couple who insisted that there was a “feeling” about the place and he walked around the back of the ruin & announced that there was some improvement to the “aura” since last time.
We then climbed through Thornhill Edge and into Whitely. Here I was introduced to “Charlottes”. A farm which has diversified into a tea room, ice cream sales, crazy golf & some nice animals to be tormented. There was a long-haired goat who pretended he wanted to see where we were going but then tried to eat the map!
The goat is the one in the middle.


Following some dodgy navigation by Martin we eventually found ourselves on a gated road clearly marked “PRIVATE”. We were somewhere near Denby Grange when a nail went right through Joe McCarthy’s tyre, putting 2 holes in it. This was the first time we’ve had to fix a puncture “in the field” using some teamwork & a variety of tools we got the job done OK. Andy said it reminded him of being in the S.A.S.!!!
Then following some minor paths, lanes & bridleways we made our way to Middlestown & Overton. From there we took Smithy Lane up to Chapel Hill. Here there were some stunning fields which were scarlet with poppies. We all decided that we’d never seen so many poppies in previous years and were undecided what was the purpose.
This path took us into Coxley Valley were we followed the beckside path down the valley towards Horbury Bridge. Conditions were mixed with lengthy dry sections interspersed with slippery muddy bits. Martin was the first to fall, others either fell or came close.
Typically – Joe Lowery saw a patch of mud & decided to try to cycle through it but it was MUCH deeper than it looked & he sank down & stuck completely waiting for a rescue from Dom.

We all agreed it was an enjoyable ride but very hilly.
Sunday after lunch!
A decision will be made at 12:30 and posted HERE if there is a problem with the weather so please check at or after 12:30 if the weather looks "iffy".
12:30 1st June weather looks OK so we are going ahead!
Spen Valley Swans & Cygnets
Report courtesy of Dominic Barnes.


