So, a confession. This site’s called North Yorkshire Cycling. Its purpose is to celebrate cycling in Yorkshire. I’ve lived in Yorkshire all my life. And yet it’s only really in adulthood that I became patriotic about a County that is known the world over for being fiercely proud of itself. So what took so long?
There’s a lot of sportives in North Yorkshire this year. A really, really lot of them. And that’s good for the local economy and good for cycling. And there’s a lot of opportunity to relive the highlights of Stage 1 of the Grand Depart and hit the great climbs of Buttertubs et al and their equally awesome neighbours. But if you want the connoisseur’s choice then head East and hit the lesser-ridden gems of the Yorkshire Wolds.
Cast your minds back 12 months and Harrogate was host to one of the greatest cycling spectacles this country has ever seen. In fact, many claimed this great small town had perhaps hosted one of the most memorable Grand Depart ever.
Another store room in Mallorca, packed and ready
A man of many travels. Fresh after his mini adventure in the Yorkshire Dales, NYC’s Dan jets off to sunny Mallorca for a few days!! Lucky sod. Check out his thoughts and experiences of his new Bike Box Alan erm….. bike box!! Lucky sod (again).
Hammering through 35 miles of Yorkshire sleet and rain to make it to Harrogate by 9 am, the question of what on earth possessed me to attempt a 70 mile, hilly, partly off-road mini-tour on a school night was at the foremost of my mind. It had all seemed like a great idea on paper. How could a fast and light adventure be squeezed in mid-week whilst still fitting in a day’s work either side? How easy would it be to travel fast and light on the new breed of do-it-all bikes? Could you have as much fun on and off road without compromising performance at either end? Finding out seemed like a good idea.
There comes a time in most cyclists lives when we realise we just don’t need any more “stuff”. Obviously we’re not talking bikes or bike clothing here – there’s always a place in our lives (if not our homes) for that. Or holidays for that matter.
One of our very favourite restaurants, Bed (in Harrogate) is opening its doors during the day at weekends to accommodate us pesky cycling folk that demand good food at either a mid ride cafe stop, pre ride fuel up or post ride recover. Owner Dave Burns not only makes some of the very best local food, he also turns a mighty fine pedal both on and off road so you’ll be hard pressed to find a better host.
Podcasts can be a little like blogs – they kick off with great intentions but rapidly fall victim to a lack of time, commitment or resources. Like blogs, some stand the test of time and become go-to places for information, entertainment and analysis (Inner Ring we’re looking at you). Here are some cycling podcasts to take a listen to. You’ll typically be able to find them via iTunes or Soundcloud. Dedicated Android access can be less consistent.
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Ride report by Jonathan Cave
I’m going to start this article by going back twelve months. I’m on the last climb of the 2012 Etape Du Dales, a kind of ‘rights of passage ride’ for a Yorkshire sportive cyclist. Turning left in Stainforth I start the climb and immediately I begin to cramp up, I’m exhausted and this is the last thing I need. The only thing keeping me going is the thought that after this it’s pretty much down hill all the way to the finish. I’m going so slowly it would probably be quicker to walk. I grind it out all the while saying never again, never again………
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