Traing run map on bikely.com

I recently discovered this natty little tool for creating and sharing routes/training runs etc. As a test I have tapped in the Wednesday night training run. I thought it may be useful, especially for anyone new, who gets stranded in Lancashire after getting dropped out of Milnrow!
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Condor-RC-Wednesday-Training-Run-7pm
Please let me know of any mistakes, I had to make up the last bit down to Puzzle Hall having never made it myself! You can also view the elevation profile if you go to the 'Show' tab then select 'Elevation Profile'. Cheers, Daniel

13 May - 08.00 Denholme

This Sunday there is a suggestion we meet 08.00 at Denholme and then plan a run from there. Pateley Bridge and Masham have been mentioned. See you there - or 08.30 in Keighley. I'll be bringing a rain jacket ... Ian

6 May - Bank Holiday Weekend

Nmbers are down this weekend with several people away. Despite the poor weather forecast, Ian & Nigel are meeting at Luddenden Foot for 08:00 on Sunday for a run out west. Let one of us know if you are coming.

Sunday 29 April - 8am Denholme Gate

This Sunday we are meeting 08:00 at Denholme Gate for (yet another) run over Silverdale and on to Settle. All good practice for the Etape du Dales in a few weeks.

Our heroes at the Imps Road Race

22 April - Imps Road Race

This news just in from Grimpy, our racing correspondent :

Brian is really going well. I spent nearly 40 miles being dragged around in MOTO 1 with Brian and five others in the Halifax Imps Pete Fryer race yesterday on the Norland Circuit. I occasional went thro but I don’t think Brian missed a turn. It’s a great feeling and a shock to the system getting up speed in a breakaway, even when on my old Colnago still with mudguard on from winter.

I think Brian was third overall (2nd in age group) I just managed to stay with them coming in last in the break (7th) in pain.

Sunday 22nd April

I don't think anything has been arranged as yet. I'm only intending going for a local potter around the lanes finishing up at Norland to give our lads a shout in the Imps RR (hoping to get a few pic's for the blog). If anyone fancies the same let me know either on this blog or call me on Hx 205547. I had in mind going over Outlane to Marsden then perhaps over the Floating Light and back over Buckstones - meeting at Elland Bridge at 0830hrs?

The folowing Saturday I've entered the VC167 300k Audax from Wigginton (York) - so if you want a good excuse to put your feet up all day Sunday why not come along.

Spring has sprung

THREE HAPPY CONDORS HAVING RE-FUELED FOLLOWING THE SPRING INTO THE DALES

Commiserations to the ill & injured - it is unlikely there will ever be such a perfect day for the event again. Melvyn, Lumby, Richard, Clive, Paul and myself represented the Condor. Melvyn and I found ourselves with a sporting group which included Pete Whiteley, Mick Collins, a butcher from Hebden Bridge, a triathlete from Luddenden Foot, a doctor from Sheffield, a boxer from Stainland and a sprinter from VC Briganti. Spurred on by perfect weather conditions a cracking pace was sustained throughout the ride. Mick Collins and his mates 'pulled a fast one' by racing away from the Keighley checkpoint whilst others were still being served, however divine intervention struck in the form of Mick sustaining a puncture at Pecket Well allowing us to offer our sympathy to him as we passed him by the roadside on our way to finish at 1330hrs.

15 April - Spring into the Dales

From www.westyorkshiresr.org.uk:

A hilly 110 kilometre ride from Hebden Bridge, into the Yorkshire Dales, with a generous time limit based on a minimum speed of 12 kph and a maximum of 24 kph.

Start: 9:00 am Sunday 15 April 2007 at Salem Community Centre, Salem Street, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire.

Brief route details are as follows: -
Hebden Bridge - Oxenhope - Stanbury - Laneshaw Bridge - Earby – West Marton – Gargrave - Cracoe – Burnsall – Bolton Abbet - Addingham - Silsden - Keighley - Oxenhope – Hebden Bridge.

Sadly I won't be out but hope you all have a great ride in the warm spring sunshine. Make sure a Condor rider is the first to fly home to the finish as usual ...

Easter Runs?

Anyone planning to be out this Easter?

An Easter break ...

Yep, it is a broken collarbone as confirmed by a trip to Halifax General on Sunday night. They took a nice picture something like the one here. It'll be two weeks (probably more) before I can even think about trying to get fit again. At least, that is my excuse now for the rest of this season ...

Thanks again to Brian and Neil who got my bike sorted while I adopted the classic "Napoleon Bonaparte" position with my right arm tucked into my jersey. Your help was great.

The train home didn't work out as planned, but I did manage to get through to Clare and organise a lift after a while. If only I'd had Ian W's mobile number to stop him as he drove past in Settle in a van!

I hope to be in the Puzzle on Wednesday - just sadly not by bike.

Ian

Denholme Settle and beyond

An eventful ride today (1st April).

Ian gave a new meaning to the phrase 'hitting the wall' when he - well - hit the wall descending in to Settle and had to take the rail assisted route home nursing what I fear, when the medics do their work, will be confirmed as a broken collarbone.

After threatening to turn at Settle Damien found a second wind and when I last saw him he was leading from the front. There's a moral for you there Damien stick at it, as the great Jos Naylor said it's 70% in the mind.

At some point, somewhere south of Gargrave, after about four hours on the limit, I lost my own personal battle, and to be quite frank, interest in the sight of Niel's back side and so decided to make my own way home. I'd hoped that the first real outing on my new best bike might give me an edge but every other b*****d was out on there's so no advantage there then. Moral for me Damien it's not the bike but the rider.

Hope you're well Ian - I might see you down at the Puzzle on Wednesday, but somehow I doubt it.

Roll Call:

Nige
Melvyn
Damien
Brian
Grimpy
Ian (part)
Niel
Me

Richard

1 April - Settle and beyond

There will be an "April fools" outing from Denholme Gate at 09:00 for a ride up to Settle via Airton and - if the weather looks good - home over Bowland Knotts.

NEWS UPDATE

Evening mountain bike runs started last Monday with over 30 riders meeting outside VS Cycles in Brighouse at 1830hrs. We had a good ride in superb conditions going up through Rastrick Woods, down a superb descent, over the railway line and through the fields to Elland. Through Elland Bridge Park, up Gogg Hill, through to West Vale and along the side of Black Brook to Elistones Lane. Then up to Upper Greetland, down through Copley Woods and back to the Red Rooster along the canal towpath. The rides will meet there every Monday at 6.30pm through to when the clocks change back. Although some occasionally stop at the odd pub on the way round the runs always finish at the Rooster where the landlord, Eddie puts on a free supper.

The racing season is several weeks old now with Brian and John once again flying the flag for the Condor. They rode the LVRC Australian Pursuits at Barton-on-Humber last Saturday with Brian taking his first win of the new season easily beating former Huddersfield Star Wheeler, Richard Booth with whom he had formed part of a three man break earlier in the race. Grimpy showed that he's carried over his cyclo-cross form from the winter to take 6th place.

Myself and Nigel flew the Condor colours in the 200k Red Rose Audax on Sunday. We were joined by Damian, former Condor Pete Whiteley, Mick Collins, Steve Robinson (Sowerby Bros) and a few more familiar faces whose names escape me. It was dry and sunny but certainly not the glorious NW Passage weather, with a stiff, cold easterly wind making the home leg of 60 miles from Lantern o'er the Lune cafe at Glasson Docks, hard work. Hard or not it did'nt stop Nigel putting in the lions share of the work an the way home, I was almost feeling sorry for him as he was left on the front into the blustery wind - but I soon got over it. I went through whats become a familiar format, dropped on the climbs, spend miles chasing alone, catch the bunch at the cafe, nip out of the cafe whilst the're waiting for their tea to cool, get caught, sit in till the next climb then get dropped again. It was good to see Clive Williamson at the start, he's rumoured to have made a full recovery now from being run down by a motorist over Cringles a couple of years ago, he's obviously full of confidence and I hope he enjoyed the ride.

25th March - Trough of Bowland & Glasson Dock

It's rumoured that the youngsters are going Youth Hostelling this weekend. The rest are meeting at the Oddfellows Rooms, Coleridge Street, Halifax for The Red Rose 200k Audax. Start time 0800hrs (don't forget to put your clocks forward).

18 March - 09:00 Denholme Gate

Meet 09:00 Denholme Gate with your winter kit on prepared for snow! Off north & then out west. A route was discussed but just now I can't for the life of me remember anything about it. Clearly I should listen more (or drink less) on a Wednesday in the pub. But Deuchars IPA is such a good ale...

Club meeting on next Wednesday 21 March 21:00 in the Puzzle Inn, Sowerby Bridge.

11 March - out west toward Slaidburn

Meet 09:00 at Luddenden Foot for a run out west toward Slaidburn. The riverside cafe does great bacon and egg sandwiches, or can we only go there when it is sunny enough to sit outside?

4 March - Blubberhouses

RARE PHOTO OF GRIMPY LEARNING TO RIDE HIS FIRST BIKE

We meet Denholmegate 0900hrs for the Blubberhouses route in reverse - Barden via Cringles or Eastby Brow, Stump X Caverns, Greenhow, Duck Street, I suggest instead of dropping down to Blubberhouses we turn left and go to Otley via Fewston & Norwood Edge. Cafe stop either at Stump X Caverns cafe or at Otley.

N.W.PASSAGE Audax Sec's report

SPORTIVE - FULL OF CYCLISTS WHO LIKE TO THINK THEY ARE RACING

AUDAX - FULL OF CYCLISTS WHO LIKE TO THINK THEY ARE NOT RACING

Thats what Bob Johnson (VC167) told me just before he shot off up the road to join a break of 3 or 4 that had developed on the way up from Tod. to Holme Chapel.

Once again we were blessed with Spring like weather for the North West Passage. Whilst it was disappointing not to see Brian or Grimpy on the start line we did have a good turn out with Nigel, Melvyn, Ian, Pete R, Richard and myself together with Andy Marshall, Martin Clemenson & Daniel Shaw.

It was the largest entry I've ever seen for the 200, so much so that we were set off in four seperate groups. This took the Condors by surprise, we had to set off in the 3rd group so for the first five minutes or so we had to work our way up to the lead group. We settled down near the front, said goodbye to that early break up the Burnley Road. West Pennine's star rider, Daniel Shand being the driving force in the break; rumour was that he had promised hid dad that he would be back to the Spring Inn before 3'o clock.

I was surprised that no Condors chased down the break (Philip would never have let them go without a Condor present). When we reached Blacko I realised that they had been biding their time waiting for the mountains. Richard and I 'lost intrest' at this time and drifted off the back of the bunch. (Nigel tells me no one in the group had put the hammer down, "we just rode in the group", obviously he did'nt look behind or he would have seen that the 'group' was spread out all the way back down the climb). I got over the top of Greystone intending not to chase but inevetably found myself in a group of four with myself and Dennis from West Pennine doing bit and bit eventually pulling back the bunch just as they rode into Settle.

At the check in the Naked Man cafe Pete Round took pity on an old man and let me push in to get my card stamped. A quick banana and a swig of energy drink and I jumped back on the bike with the stated intention of getting to the top of Buck Haw Brow before I was caught by the bunch. I got up Bukka', slipped it onto the big ring and settled down to evens waiting for the arrival of the mob. I was still waiting as I approached Cowan Bridge. I wound it up to 25's thinking I might just be able to get through the Kirby Lonsdale check before being caught; then the inevitable happened, I was'nt just pulled in but passed by an express train travelling at 30+ mph. My heart swelled with pride as I saw that the bunch was being driven by a flock of Condors, resplendent in full team kit, together with Andy (who may now be wearing a VS jersey but will always really be a Condor).

We got to Devils Bridge, cards stamped, mix energy drink, eat banana and sneak off whilst the others are chewing bacon butties and waiting for their tea to cool. According to my computer I had averaged just under 19mph to KL so I was expecting it to be harder than it was on the return leg, down through Lancaster to the Priory Cafe at Scorton, the computer rarely going below 20mph. Egged on by the fact that I had'nt been caught by the Condors I did'nt loiter too long at Scorton, just mixed a fresh bottle, ate two yogurt covered 'Eat Natural' bars whilst having chat with Harry Benson who was telling me how much he admired 'Ginley's' exploits on the world stage. Thinking of the old adage 'out of sight, out of mind' I jumped back on the bike before the other Condors arrived.

I was still feeling reasonable at Longridge, suffered as usual up through Salesbury but whilst freewheeling down the Blackburn By-pass began to wonder if I could stay away (not that its any sort of race of course). I managed to swallow two more 'Eat Natural' bars as insurance for 'Owd Betts'. Oswaldtwistle Moors did'nt seem as bad as usual - must have been a tail wind - Owd Betts also seemed easier than before - perhaps its because I was'nt having to attempt to stay on someone else's wheel. An easy free wheel down through Rochdale to check in at the Spring Inn at 3.45 and that was it for the umpteenth time - the weather just gets better and better (I remember the days when we rode through snow storms over Oswaldtwistle Moors - on fixed as well).

Andy, Nigel, Melvyn & Ian finished about 4pm with Pete and Richard not far behind. Martin & Daniel also finished at about the same time. I was amazed how fresh and happy everyone looked at the finish - must have been the weather.

Sorry there are no photo's but I couldnt bring myself to take another one of Condors sat in a pub, people might get the right impression.

North West Passage

Saturday the 17th February is the date (not Saturday the 10th - a rumour spread by the Imps, and not Sunday the 17th - confusion tactics being circulated by Ian). 8am from the Spring Inn for 200k or 9am for the 120k event.

Sunday the 25th of February meet outside the Ritz in Brighouse at 0900hrs for the HCA Reliability Ride. John Kaye has been busy working on an exciting new route for this year.

Forthcoming local events to note in your diary -

Sunday the 25th of March, The Red Rose Ride, a Chris Crossland 200k Audax taking us over the Trough Of Bowland to Glasson Dock for a greasy butty and a pot of tea then back to Halifax for the feast.

Sunday the 15th of April, 'Spring into the Dales' 110k Audax, another Chris Crossland event starting only a few yards away from Pete Round's front door in Hebden Bridge. It says in the handbook '2 cafe stops', I'm not sure if these are compulsory but I hope so. Its been rumoured that once Ian was out of our sight last year he took a short cut so we'll have to keep an eye on him this time.

Club Dinner

11 Feb - 09:30 Brighouse

This is the last Sunday run before North West Passage on the 17th so you'll be wanting to get plenty of miles in.

Meet 09:30 in Brighouse outside VS Cycles (www.vscycles.co.uk).

Ian

Thursday 8 Feb - Track Night

Pedalsport (King Cross Cycles) run regular trips to the track at Manchester Velodrome as training sessions for all levels. Beginners welcome. See www.pedalsport.co.uk for full details.

4 Feb - Silverdale in the sunshine

Eleven riders set out from Denholme in warm, bright sunshine for this day out in the dales. JohnG's world championship medal must have been weighing heavy round his neck because he turned for home at Arncliffe with Daniel for company, while Damien was last seen pedalling on toward Kettlewell.

The remaining eight "enjoyed" the climb over Silverdale and down into Settle for the cafe stop. Overcome with enthusiasm they they "enjoyed" even more going over Attermire to Airton. As long as you didn't stop to fix a loose mudguard, the happy band then had an easy run down to Gargrave for the route home.

Fantastic weather and clear visibility made it a great day to be out for early Feb.

Grimpy on the Worlds Podium

Well done John!

28 Jan - Downham

We made our run out to Downham as planned, even if a strong headwind forced an early pit-stop at Whalley. The quiet little lanes around Rimmington were a pleasure - though perhaps not for Neil. Maybe the 2nd pint at the Condor dinner meant he was a tiny bit dehydrated? We expect you back in top form next week Neil. Meanwhile PeteH is doing the write-up of the dinner - to follow!

Grimpy grabs bronze at World Champs

John took the Bronze at the UCI World Masters Cyclo-Cross Championships 2007 held in Zilvermeer Mol, Belgium on Saturday 20th January. Fantastic!! - congratulations John.

First three in event:

1 Martens Herman (Belgium) Time 35’ 15”
2 Mike Ives (GBR) 36’ 49”
3 John Ginley (Condor Road Club) 37’ 00”
Next GBR rider was Ian Small in 13th place.

We even have this quote from the man himself: "Fast race, poor start, eventually caught Mike Ives but couldn’t hold him. I was pleased to get on the rostrum and collect my UCI world medal and my Duvel beer, but I'm not too sure about the flowers.

ps Peter - please note the clean jersey with no mud"

Thanks to Andy Kerr (MI racing) who took the photos.

AGM 18/1/07

The Condors flock together for the Annual General Meeting at Greetland Community Centre, Wednesday evening, 18th January

21 Jan - Airton / Settle

We met 09:30 Denholme Gate as usual. Though fewer in number than the past couple of weeks we were joined at the start by a welcome "new" face Blair Buss, and then by Chris Young for a few miles into Gargrave. Hopefully all had an enjoyable if wintery ride and got home safely.
Ian

Malham Arncliffe 14th Jan

Just introducing myself to the blog and testing it out really.

Hard run on Sunday - hanging on by the time we reached Malham only to find we weren't having the cafe stop in Malham but Cracoe! It's a bloody long way over the top to Cracoe when you're already spent at Malham.

Dragged myself round though and feel pleased with myself for that! Thanks lads (Ian, Melvyn, Sean and Andy) for waiting for me on a couple of occassions.