Yorkshire True Grit

The event will run across two days in June. The Outlaw and The Drive (c60 and c40 miles respectively) will take place on Saturday 24^th June and The Stampede will take place on Sunday 25^th June.

The Event HQ has moved to the stunning High Paradise Farm at Boltby, right on the edge of the North York Moors National Park.

Organiser, Andrew Wright, of Bikewright.com said: “The North York Moors are vast. The easy option is to use last year’s route. But Yorkshire True Grit isn’t about easy, it’s about pushing yourself against the odds, that includes the organising team! We’ve been riding these moors for decades, and we’re keen to show that Gravel Riding is a great way to experience North Yorkshire – all of it! High Paradise Farm is a stone’s throw from one of the most famous drover’s roads in Yorkshire which combined with the facilities they can offer, make it a fantastic location for the 2017 Yorkshire True Grit.”

Ginni Skilbeck from High Paradise Farm commented: “It is great that the Yorkshire True Grit team has chosen High Paradise Farm as their Ranch/Event HQ for the 2017 event. The Farm has a long history of supporting and being involved in cycling events and it’s great that we can get involved with Yorkshire True Grit and showcase our bit of the North York Moors as one of the best in England”.

Those entering The Outlaw or The Drive will be able to enter The Stampede for just £5 – a great way of unwinding the legs after Saturday’s endurance test. “We’d love for folk to camp on the Saturday night and share their tales from the ride over a beer.” Said Andy.

Based on the U.S. Gravel Grinder format, Yorkshire True Grit also aims to be accessible by all disciplines of cycling – there are classes for gravel, mountain, singlespeed, fat and electric bikes.

To enter Yorkshire True Grit, or to find out more visit www.yorkshiretruegrit.co.uk

2017 offers something for both experienced cyclists and those wanting a more leisurely Yorkshire cycling experience. The vastly expanded the range of options now comprises road cycling tours, rides, group days and a new ‘route store’.

Charles Oxtoby from Yorkshire Velo Tours said ‘the response from riders who visited and cycled with us in 2016 has been brilliant and we are very excited about the new things we’re offering next year’.

Outline of the 2017 programme:

TOURS

3 options now available and typically comprise 3 days riding and 4 nights luxury accommodation. Two of the tours are based in Ilkley, an ideal base for routes in all directions. There also is a 2 base tour with overnight stays in Ilkley and Wensleydale.

CHALLENGE RIDES

Classic Yorkshire rides one Saturday a month. Ride in small groups each with a ride leader and have dedicated van support and mechanic on hand at all times. Weekend package also available for these events that also includes a steady ride on the Sunday morning.

GROUP CYCLING DAYS

YVT have teamed up with a local hotel to offer a corporate cycling day package as well as a ‘group cycling adventure’ for groups to tailor a ride and hospitality exactly to their specification.

ROUTE STORE

An exciting new way of obtaining all the information you need to enjoy a classic Yorkshire route, drawing on invaluable local knowledge of the best roads, climbs, café stops and bike stores. Routes start and finish in Ilkley and include off-street parking and toilet/changing facilities.

Since the recent announcement on the World Championships in 2019, there is certainly no better time come and cycle in Yorkshire!

For full details, visit www.yorkshirevelotours.com

The Night Before

Yorkshire True Grit billed itself as Yorkshire’s first gravel biking event ,taking in a combination of gravel tracks and trails. Riders on the Outlaw route were promised “an off road cycling challenge that will take you across the stunning North York Moors using a combination of public bridleways and private tracks…. Based on the popular American Gravel Grinder format, Yorkshire True Grit will test your endurance like no other cycling event.”

Credit: Mick Kirkman

I was fascinated to see what this was all about. As the owner of one of Specialized’s first batch of gravel bikes I was keen to see what else it could do.  It had already proved its worth as a tourer, where it performed particularly well on National Cycle Network routes when fresh tarmac often gives way to poorly surfaced roads and bridleways.  Its relaxed geometry and sturdy build had proved its worth when it came to carting camping kit around.  Its considerable bulk had made it less pleasant for bunch riding on winter club rides. On warm sunny evenings it was fun to be able to duck down random forest tracks around the Harrogate district and discover new bridleways.  So now it was time to give it another challenge. And since the organisers of Yorkshire True Grit had kindly offered me a place,  it would have been foolish to refuse.

True Grit had taken over a field on Duncombe Park outside of Helmsley and very kindly provided a camping option along with a coffee van and butty barbeque for those in need of refreshment. Had it not been tipping down pretty much constantly the day before I would have taken them up on the overnight option, but the knowledge that I could sleep in a warm, dry bed and still be at the 7.30 starting line within ninety minutes of getting up swayed me towards the easier option. Plus, it meant more time for kit procrastination.

It had been a long time since I had ridden off road, and it did cross my mind that the 32mm semi-slick tyres of my Specialized Diverge might not hack it on the day. However, several years as a roadie had made me complacent. I had conveniently forgotten the Formula 1 levels of consideration that go in to the technical choices of off road tyres and figured I could get away with what I had. Heck, it’s gravel; riding right? I’d seen the pics of nice, wide US dirt trails with cyclists zooming along lacking a care in the world. How hard could it be?

The Start

As the Untouchables quote goes, ‘you don’t bring a knife to a gun fight’. The night before I’d been pondering if my tyres would cope. Lining up with the other sixty or so riders for the event briefing the answer was starting to become obvious; No. No they wouldn’t. Not remotely. Every other rider was either on a knobbly and gnarly mountain bike or else riding cross bikes with some seriously chunky rubber attached. Hell, there was even someone on a fat bike. So not a pair of 32mm Specialized Roubaix’s designed for middle aged fellas going on cobble-jollies to Northern France then.

As the bunch made its way out of Helmsley and turned in to Riccal Dale woods, my bike slipped in and out of control. I was rapidly losing sight of the front pack as every ounce of energy and concentration was going in to not planting myself in to a bush or worse, taking out another rider. When the track went uphill my wheels carried on spinning, not helped by the front shifter refusing to take me in to the warm embrace of the granny ring. There was no other option but to get off and push. As the route flattened, so I was able to hop back on and pedal through, assuming the muddy single track was either not too muddy, not about to go down a steep chute or both. On a dry, mid-Summer day this would have been challenging but achievable. Today it wasn’t.

Credit: Mick Kirkman

The Middle

After leaving Riccal Dale, the route took us up and over Pockley Ride Plantation and on to Bedlam Rigg, where we got our first view of the classic Yorkshire heather moorland. If you’re new to North Yorkshire, then the Moors really must be on your bucket list of places to visit. Unlike the rolling hills of the Dales, they present a far more textured landscape of open heather, sharp, spiky undulations and wide open shooting tracks that make for great cross country riding. But Yorkshire is only as beautiful as it is because some days the weather can be downright horrific. This morning was one of those days.

Credit: Mick Kirkman

A solid few days of drenching had rendered the rubbly, sandy tracks a bogy, gritty paste that scraped on the brake discs as my pitifully shod back wheel fought for traction. The wind swept the rain horizontally across the moorland. My old Berghaus goretex paclite, prudently packed in place of a go-to Castelli rain cape, fought to keep the wind and rain from chilling me to the bone. It was like peddling in porridge.

Of course, not all of the course was this grim, as these photo’s generously provided by Mick Kirkman show, but it wasn’t easy!

Credit: Mick Kirkman

20 miles in and approaching the water stop at Bloworth Crossing, I had a choice to make – carry on with the full 60 mile Outlaw route or break off to the shorter Drive route and take an early bath. I would like to say that my innate ‘Yorkshire grit’ spurned me on with sheer bloody minded determination; That I stepped up to the the challenge, pushed through the limits, slayed my metaphoric demons and didn’t let it break me. But I didn’t and it did. Decades of silly exploits have taught me to know when I’m done . I also know when I should be on a short travel 29er with low tyre pressures and knobbly tyres. And to compile things further, I know that when I’ve got All About the Base by Megan Traynor stuck in my head, it’s time to quit the slogging and raise the pace in a homeward direction, if only to try and shake the earworm.

The End

Escape route it was then. Hopping on to the shorter trail took me along a gently undulating shooting track,  got me over to the Cleveland Way, along a heart-stoppingly fast, rubbly downhill and back to the safety of tarmac and a nice, swift, pretty much constant downhill back to Helmsley.

Credit: Mick Kirkman

So what did I make of the whole experience? First of all, as I’ve made it pretty clear in this review, I had well and truly turned up with the wrong tyres for the job. In perfect conditions the route would have been manageable to anyone with a degree of off road bike handling skills. Would I have defined it as a ‘gravel’ route in the way that the bike companies market the sector? Turning to Wikipedia, gravel roads are defined as “… a type of unpaved road surfaced with gravel that has been brought to the site from a quarry or stream bed. They are common in less-developed nations, and also in the rural areas of developed nations such as Canada and the United States. In New Zealand, and other Commonwealth countries, they may be known as ‘metal roads’.”. For me this felt more like a cross country challenge that could be tackled with a variety of bikes, but where the fastest time could best be achieved by a technically competent, fit rider on a well shod cross or gravel machine. So fantastic training for the annual Three Peaks race for instance but not what  might be immediately equated with ‘gravel riding’.

It was though a smashing event. The organisers were attentive and friendly, the route well marked and the facilities at the start line well thought out. I definitely have unfinished business…

Fancy having a go next year? Keep an eye on http://yorkshiretruegrit.co.uk/ and follow @yorkstruegrit

The sportive was supported by Carlton Lodge Activity Centre in Thirsk and All Terrain Cycles of Wetherby, as well as lots of other companies who contributed to this event, and more than 50 volunteers, many from YLCC and their friends and family, who marshalled and helped out at the sportive. The event raised funds for Women v Cancer which comprises Breast Cancer Care, Jo’s Cervical Cancer and Ovarian Cancer Action.

Female cyclists from as far a afield as Ireland and Falkirk travelled to Carlton Lodge Activity Centre, Thirsk, to take part in one of the three rides with options of a 30 mile ‘Cuppa tea and a piece a cake’ ride; a 60 mile ‘Reet Gud Ride’; and a 103 mile ‘By Eck Tha War Ard Ride’ route.

“It was an absolutely fantastic event which was even better than we expected – we filled every place, raised a staggering amount for women’s cancer charities and ate lots of cake!” said organisers Kate Horsfall and Judith Worrall.

“The sportive was everything that we wanted it to be, attracting riders of mixed abilities, but all with a common love of cycling. While we appreciated the many men who helped at the sportive, we felt that the rides really benefitted from being a ladies-only affair. Our cyclists felt happy to give it a go, even if they hadn’t done a sportive before, and it was an extremely friendly event.

“We’d like to thank everyone who helped to make it such a special day including our riders, volunteers and our many sponsors. A big thank you to Carlton Lodge Activity Centre and their staff for hosting the event, it really was the perfect venue and to All Terrain Cycles for their ongoing support, from helping us to set up the club 18 months ago to providing equipment and mechanical help on the day and, it wouldn’t have been possible without them both.”

Tony Booth, managing director of All Terrain Cycles, which has bike superstores in Wetherby and Saltaire, says: “Congratulations to YLCC for putting on such a magnificent event. It was great to see so many ladies taking to two wheels in aid of such a good cause and no doubt the sportive will be even bigger and better next year.”
The event was supported by a number of local businesses including Carlton Lodge, where Judith works. David Sharpe, chief executive of the activity centre agreed to stage the sportive which has also attracted sponsors including Yorkshire Tea Room, Yorkshire Tea, Office Solutions, Heck Sausages, Paynes Dairies, Masham Sausages and Chia Bars which are donating cakes, tea, sausages, energy bars, milk and office supplies.
The charity Sportive will be held again next year on the 20th August 2017 and details will be released via British Cycling events at the beginning of September.
Yorkshire Lass Cycling Club meets at 10am most Sunday’s at All Terrain Cycles www.allterraincycles.co.uk on Audby Lane, Wetherby. Anyone interested in joining the club should visit: www.yorkshirelass.cc

Always keen to keep an eye on developments in the North Yorkshire cycling scene, we grabbed a few minutes with Yorkshire True Grit gravel sportive organiser Andrew Wright to learn a bit more about his upcoming challenge

A quick introduction…
 
Andrew Wright, I own bikewright.com, Easingwold’s local bike shop.

Why did you create Yorkshire True Grit?

I wanted to bring Gravel Biking to Yorkshire. I’ve lived here all my life and have enjoyed all kinds of riding on the open moorlands. The extensive network of gravel tracks on the moors really lend themselves to the “gravel grinder” format of event.

Why did you choose the Yorkshire Moors specifically?

Is there anywhere else? The Moors are on my doorstep – I know the best routes and trails. Gravel biking requires more than just a map – some bridleways you can ride on a mountain bike but might struggle on a gravel or cross bike. It’s that intimate knowledge of the moors that really brings this event to life. We’ve worked alongside National Parks, Forestry Commission, Bransdale Estate and Duncombe Park Estate to create something really special.

When not in the Moors, where’s your favourite place in North Yorkshire to ride?

 
Whilst you can’t beat the Moors – the variety is amazing – even from Kilburn to Hawnby the diversity of trail and scenery is dramatic, then the second best place would be dependent on the bike – the coast has some good gravel tracks, the dales has some great mountain biking, the wolds are good for road biking. Yorkshire is the best place to ride because there really is nowhere like it!

With so many other events in North Yorkshire, what sets your event apart?

We are the first Gravel Biking Challenge event to take place in North Yorkshire – it’s our knowledge of the area that has allowed this event to come to fruition – we are passionate about riding bikes and still love getting out and riding the routes that we have created for the event. Being able to use private land means that entrants get to see Yorkshire from an angle they’ll never have seen before.

What advice would you give to riders tackling the route?
 

Get some hill practice in. The general thought seems to be that this part of Yorkshire is flat – well we might not have the height of the dales but we can certainly pack a punch with the climbs!

Is there still time left to enter and if so how?
 

Advance entry close on Wednesday 31st August – entry is via the website www.yorkshiretruegrit.co.uk. We are taking Entry on the Day (at Registration) on the Saturday evening and Sunday morning but at a higher price.
 

Anything you’d like to add?
 

We are donating a percentage of the profits from the event to Scarborough & Ryedale Mountain Rescue and The Yorkshire Air Ambulance both who do great work in the area. And also to St. Monica’s Hospital in Easingwold.

Pride of Yorkshire

In an inttervew I listened to during the Scottish referendum, the writer CJ Sansom talked about his dislike of patriotism based on who we’re not rather than who we are. That so much of what people take to be patriotism is tribalism bordering on xenophobia. Then it all made sense. Growing up in Yorkshire in the 1970’s and 80’s, being patriotic to Yorkshire (from where I was sat) meant really only two things – supporting Leeds United and putting down Lancashire. Doubtless I’ll get shot down for not talking about rugby and cricket but in all honesty I wasn’t exposed to them.

The problem with the people I encountered that professed to be loyal Yorkshire folk was that they were generally loyal Leeds United fans. And the problem with the Leeds United fans I encountered was that, frankly, they had a tendency to not be very pleasant. Songs about shooting ‘scum’ supporters of other teams? A sign in the car window depicting a footballer urinating on a Manchester United shirt? Chants about being a ‘Yorkshire Republican Army’? This wasn’t for me. If this was what being a Yorkshireman meant then count me out. They didn’t seem particularly proud of their team, more they got a kick out of disliking everyone else. The same went with the whole dislike of Lancashire act – from what I had seen from visiting relatives it seemed like a thoroughly pleasant place with some stunning scenery that in places equals what we have in North Yorkshire.

But by spending more and more time exploring the region by bike and foot, I found a place and people I could be proud of. When the Tour de France came to Yorkshire in 2014, the World got to see the phenomenal scenery that we have on our doorstep. It saw the passion and pride of those living close to the route, embracing the occasion with bunting and yellow bikes. Were they all mad about cycling? Probably not (truth be told, the locals get equally excited for a display of bed racing in Knaresborough). But the massive crowds behaved pretty much impeccably and for those two days we weren’t proud to be Yorkshire for who we were not. We were proud to be Yorkshire because we knew how lucky we were to be here, to feel pride in the stunning landscape and respect what we have. We wanted to share that with the rest of the world, to invite you to share our pride in our region.

And that brings things nicely to the Brownlee Brothers. These are two guys that absolutely love riding their bikes, running the trails and hitting the pool. And they clearly love Yorkshire. As any club runner or cyclist in the Pennines area will testify, their appearance at local events, riding in the Dales and sitting in cycling café’s is never a shock. They’re often seen doing what we at North Yorkshire Cycling love to do – smashing around the by bike or on foot. As Alistair came to take his second Olympic gold medal, he grabbed flags of both the Union Jack and the White Rose of Yorkshire. He was proud to be winning for Team GB, but also for a Yorkshire that so many of us are proud to be a part of. And although envious that there weren’t high profile Yorkshiremen like the Brownlees to look up to when I grew up, we can be thankful that the next generation have them to aspire to.

Network Bike, on 23rd September 2016, is a challenging 45-miles sportive with an emphasis on business. Eat, meet, connect and ride with like-minded business people.

The event begins at stylish cafe and restaurant Christian’s, Harrogate. There will be a gourmet breakfast and fresh coffee over networking from 8:30am. Guest speakers include CEO of ground-breaking nutrition company OTE and the businessmen behind new start-up Power Kitchen.

Groups will then take on the 43-mile route, which takes in 3632 ft of elevation including notorious climbs such as Norwood Edge and Hartwith Bank. Then riders can relax back at Christian’s and pass out business cards.

Network Bike is organised by Harrogate-based company Struggle Events who are most well-known for their gruelling sportive, the Struggle, beginning at the Army Foundation College. Director Matt Mannakee said: “Throughout my successful career in sales and marketing I’ve attended countless networking events. All very generic and with an emphasis on listening rather than talking and interacting.

“I then realised most of my most lucrative business transactions, relationships and ideas all began when riding my bike with other businessmen and bike enthusiasts, which gave me the idea for Network Bike.”

The route will be fully signposted so you can ride at your own pace and all abilities are welcome. Get on the guest list now for only £49.

Find out more and book at www.ridethestruggle.com/events/network-bike/

Last Saturday, Dan was  fortunate enough to be invited along by Charles at Yorkshire Velo Tours to get a guide of some of the legendary cobbled climbs with their inaugural Bronte Cobbled Classic Route. Here’s how it went.

Like the vast majority of people you meet in the cycling world, Charles is in it for the love of the bike, the love of good company and, of course, the love of Yorkshire.  Having been a social rider for over twenty five years, in 2011 Charles was instrumental in the setting up of the now mighty Ilkley Cycling Club.  After spending five years on the committee (during which time the Club grew from a a few people in a pub to an organisation of several hundred members including supporting children, racing and the terrific White Rose Classic sportive), he recognised a needto provide a first rate guiding experience to newcomers to the area.

Beyond guiding, Yorkshire Velo Tours will also hook you up with great local accommodation and the comfort you’ll only get from knowing your trip, be it for a day or a weekend, is being handled by someone with a genuine passion to share the best of the area with his guests.

We chose to join him on the Cobbled Classics route for two reasons.  The first was that it takes place in West Yorkshire, an area which we really have zero personal knowledge of.  The second is that it takes in some of the most challenging cobbled climbs you will ever encounter in the UK.  Inevitably doing so means that it’s at the far end of navigationally challenging – these routes out of the valleys are typically tucked away on the more industrial peripheries of the County.

We were warmly welcomed by Charles and his Yorkshire Velo Tours support staff  of Jayne, Mel and Chris with the opportunity for a full mechanical inspection with resident mechanic Chris as we popped inside for a morning Cappuccino.  With wheels up at 9.30, we rolled out through Ikley and across the Moor.

Preparing for the off

Our first climb of the day was Thwaites Brow.  Tucked out of site behind an industrial zone in Keighley, this is a climb with cobbles that would give a Classics winner pause for thought.  Ascending steeply and turning sharply, you need to ride it with your weight in the right place, your wits about you and hopefully a set of wheels that aren’t too delicate.  Thankfully I was on a gravel bike with 30 mm rubber so no problem for me but not as kind to a couple of other riders in the group, for whom the climb afforded no opportunity for recovery once their toes went down.

Coming out of Keighley, the ride blessed us with stunning views across West Yorkshire and then back in to the Valley on the other side After a quick recovery stop (complete with on-tap water, energy gels and home made sandwiches, flapjack and cake), we headed off to hit the Shibden Wall.

Across the valley from the Shibden Wall with YVT

Coming up the Wall

Shibden Wall was followed by further climbs of Gibb Lane and, of course the famous Haworth Main St before a lunch stop in Haworth.  From here the ride took us back to Ilkley via Priest Bank and my own personal nemesis, Goose Eye before heading back to the Wheatley Arms for a well earned coffee and the added bonus of a commemorative bottle of local ale. All in all a terrific day out and a fantastic tour of the area that we would recommend for anyone looking for a great route and  top guiding from a first rate team.

Charles plan to run further Cycle Saturday rides in June, July, August and September that are all listed on our events section.  As a way to discover the region they are an absolute gem and wholeheartedly recommended.