70 Mile Sponsored Ride to Hornsea

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!
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Denby Dale & Emley

Sunday 21st September 2008

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

Monday 25th August 2008.

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

Aldi have some more biking products at bargain prices- I called in today to check it out.

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

Saturday 19th July. 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



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Saturday 19th July

Due to St. Igs Summer Fair & other commitments we have missed a couple of weeks. The next ride is Dominic's choice:

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

This was a very enjoyable day out. The cyclists were: Andy, Joe & Tom Lowery, Malcolm Kyle, Chris Graham, Martin Dearnley, Dominic Barnes.

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