"Tour of Britain - Stage 1 (12/9/09)Exciting meet up ride"

[postman]

Ok the plan is go to Pocklington then back to York.Yes.?

Roughly how far from York Is Pocklington 12 milesish.?

So L-Y-25 Y-P-12-P-Y-12-Y-L25.Roughly 74.

I am going to book this day out.

Hope to see some of you.
Going to bring along some of my mates.(none of them are CC though) hope that is ok.

 

[postman]

PS Anyone who would like to meet us in York .It would be appreciated.

Cos on our mini tour.We finished up near Fulford Golf Club.We were looking for Stamford Bridge.

 

[Arch]

Then using the skills & navigational craft of 'Arch-the Navigator' (tm)to steer us to the finish at York - though please no off road stuff as my skinny wheels don't like it...

No worries, I tend to avoid off-road unless I know it's a good surface. I've had a look at a route on the map which seems ok and makes it about 14 miles from Pock to York, with about a mile on the main road, but there's not really a way round it without adding a few miles. I will do a practice run before the date, to check and replan if I think the A1079 is too awful. I think Postman, your 12 mile route must be along the main road, which I personally wouldn't want to do.

If enough people would like a relatively leisurely 20 mile ride from York to Pock, I can lead one, we'd need to gather at the west end of the Minster for about 10.15. (and we'd have to ride past the Balloon Tree Farm Shop cafe, not stop...) Alternatively, if people would prefer to take the shorter route out (and return the same way), I could lead that too - that'll probably be just over an hour, so aim to leave the Minster 10.45ish. I'll check timings when I do a recce.

Postman, bring along anyone you like, we can convert them as we go....

This is my favourite cafe in Pock - but it is quite small. Great value though.

http://www.pocklington.gov.uk/wendys-tearoom.htm

Might be a good place to meet up, or maybe somewhere else easy to find. I'll do a recce....

 

[Soltydog]

Mrs Soltydog has had some literature for stage 1 through the post from the council. There's a couple of fliers 1xA3 & 1xA5 if anyone wants them let me know. & there also this route map, which may be of interest

 

[craigwend]

Solty's route is basically route 66 and I haven't found a quicker way to Pock (apart from the A1079). I think it took me about 2 hours to get from Beverley to Pock last weekend so a 10am start sounds about right.

If it takes about 2 hours we may be better off setting of at 9:30 (though we will actually set off at 9:45) (I do like route66)

we will need to get to pocklington early to get to the best cake shops before the dreaded York pose with Wessi back up steal our cakes (I can feel another battle of stamford bridge looming)

strangeley I saw you twice today, once in beverley loading your bike on your car, then second time you'd stopped in walkington, sadly both times I noticed the bike first!

This before my big family adventure at ...
http://www.diggerland.com/

anyway it's begining to look good for the 12th...

Others feel free to join us anywhere on the route

 

[HelenD123]

strangeley I saw you twice today, once in beverley loading your bike on your car, then second time you'd stopped in walkington, sadly both times I noticed the bike first!

This before my big family adventure at ...
http://www.diggerland.com/

anyway it's begining to look good for the 12th...

Others feel free to join us anywhere on the route

I was heading west to Preston for a fitting at Paul Hewitts. And had coffee and cake with Punkypossum while I was there which was nice.

How was diggerland? Looks fun.

 

[craigwend]

Helen

Was the fitting good? always wondered what a pro-set up would be like (my only perfect bike is the euros, which I specced, but still didn't know until I rode it) so what did he do/suggest?

Diggerland, borrow some children & go, go, go, go! You get a bit grimy and tis abit expensive (so don't take too many children) - though we (well mrscraigwend) exchanged tesco vouchers.

Not had so much 'fun' in ages.

Thomas land towards the end of the week !

 

[Arch]

I look forward to taking Oli to Diggerland sometime... Whether he wants to or not.

I'll go and recce that Pock-York route this week or at the weekend.

Just as a rough idea, how many people want to ride from York to Pocklington, and do they have any preference for more/less direct route out? We'll all do the shorter route back, but the route out could be an hourish, or an hour and a halfish. (about 14 miles or about 20)

 

[galaxy1]

I'm riding from york and don't have a preference

 

[postman]

Two of us maybe three at a push.

Can meet at West Door.10-15 10-30.ish.

 

[Arch]

Ok, so we have a peleton of at least 3, maybe 4, so far, happy to do the 20 miler out....

 

[postman]

20 ok.

 

[JamesM]

There's a chance I might be able to make it but I probably won't know until the Thursday / Friday for certain. I'd be probably getting an early train through to York from Shipley via Leeds. I'd be happy with either route if I can make it.

 

[Arch]

Right. I want you all to be very, very grateful.

I got up at 6.30am (woke up, couldn't get back to sleep). By 7.20 I was out of the door. It was grey, but dry.

It stopped being dry in Stockton on the Forest.

I was too early for the Balloon Tree Cafe.

It stopped raining for a bit, as I sat in the cafe in Pocklington, having my sausage sarnie.

I remounted.

It rained again. And the lovely tailwind I'd had all the way over was now in my face.

Anyway, recce stats are:

York to Pock, via Stamford Bridge, 20 miles, 1hr 35mins - about normal for me. That's with a tailwind, but in rain.

Pock to York, via Sutton on Derwent and Elvington, 15 miles, 1hr 20. Into the wind, with rain - I was just about keeping to double figure speed. Also includes a little bit of faffing about on campus, you'd think after 10 years I'd know how to get to this computer room by bike, but they've dug the road up and I had to come in a different way, and all the cycleroutes just fizzled out or ended in doorways.

So, we should just about get back to York in time, if we don't have such a bad wind, or if we can take advantage of being in a group. The Road back after Elvington isn't the nicest, but I think it's better than the A1079. The short stretch of the A1079 we do have to do is ok.

If anyone really wants to take the main road back, then can, but I'd prefer not to....

And thank you to the BMW driver who patiently waited for me to clear the roadworks on the Barmby Moor Road (my light went amber just as I passed it, and it took me so long to get through into the bloody wind, his had gone green...)

I'll dig about online and see if I can find the route to the finish...

 

[Arch]

Hmm, the best i can find is 'near Heworth Stray' and a list of road closures in the local paper, so I'll have to do a bit of detective work. You'd think it would be easy to find the route, wouldn't you? But the ToB website map just shows the route going into York, the detail helpfully obscured by the label "York"

Not a city centre finish then. God forbid Official Cycling City York should close any city centre roads....