MapRun results from Saturday are here. Please check to make sure your individual result is correct and let us know of any changes needed. Final positions will be updated shortly here.

Tony commented that “the area used was deliberately large to force riders to make route choices. I think I succeeded in that looking at the routes taken, but hope that the climbs were not too wearisome.

I put a lot of time into checking bridleways and control sites so I hope the map was clear and accurate.

Thanks to all those helpers who made the car parking work out, Tim for taking over the finish when I had to go off singing in Ilkley and to you all for coming.”

The MapRun course is ready for download at the usual location or you can use the QR code.
select event / UK / North Yorkshire / NYMBO / Winter 24-25 /

Start and Finish locations are shown in the photo – make sure to check the parking details in the post below, and review the blank course map to get familiar with the area.

Any other last minute details will be posted here if required.

See you all tomorrow!

Just a few hours until Askwith entries close tonight – enter here

Great to see good numbers of entries for this event! We’ve been thinking about the charging structure for events that keeps entry costs low, encourages early entry, and allows us to print enough maps for people who enter on the day.

This is our proposal for the 2025 league – a bigger discount for early entries for adult Day Riders & BMBO members; simple low-cost entry at all time for younger people and novices; and a small surcharge for EOD. As in the table below.

For BMBO Adult entries – that’s the majority of riders – the discounted price proposed here is cheaper than 2024!

Comments welcome on this proposal by email or to Tim on Saturday.

Tony Thornley has been hard at work planning our next event, all the details below.

Online entry here – closes Thursday 28th, discounts until Monday 24th

Registation 0900 – 1000 | Starts 0915 – 1015 | 3 hour course

Important – Parking     Registration is at the Penny Bun in Askwith, LS21 2JQ, which is also the finish.

Parking at the pub is limited; only those eating at the pub may use the pub car park.

Rob Marston at Ibbotson Farm has kindly agreed to let us park in his yard. It is ~400m E of the pub – see map below. If you park there, do not obstruct his access road. Do not park on the E-W road in the village unless there is nowhere else. If so, do not obstruct any residents’ entrances and only park on one side of the road.  Registration will be at the back of the pub outside the pub door if fine or in the back of the pub if wet.

Toilets and food – there are toilets in the pub which should be open from 9.00. No muddy shoes/boots in the pub please. The pub has an excellent and extensive menu. There is no need to order food in advance; Gary the manager says he will be happy to cater for hungry bikers as long as they don’t all turn up at the same time. There is plenty of indoor seating as well as a lot of space outside if the weather is ok.

MapRun   – the event is entirely MapRun based. b FAQ if you’ve not used it before. Don’t forget to download the event in advance (details to follow next week). All the controls have been checked for accuracy but GPS is variable. A Strava backup would be wise, but I’ll listen to pleading.

Start/Finish – You can register between 0900 – 1000 and start between 0915 – 1015. The time limit is 3 hours with the usual penalties. There are no pre-assigned start times; first come, first served. You will get control descriptions at registration. The start is on the road in front of the pub. MapRun will start if you tap ‘go to start’ at the pub. So, when told to start, and not before, tap ‘Go To Start’ on MapRun and it should bleep when the GPS finds you at the start. You will be timed from that point. The finish is in the pub car park. After finishing please report back to registration to confirm your finish: in the pub garden or in the pub if wet. I cannot see why anyone should cycle back past the start before they want to finish, but if you do MapRun might end your run. You can restart if near the start by repeating ‘Go To Start” and it will record it as a separate run. We will make adjustments at the end if anything goes wrong.

Course map – the blank course map is below. The map is 1:40000, adapted from the 50000 OS and is 350x275mm.This is a large and hilly area. I don’t think anyone will get near a full house of the controls, so choose carefully at the start. The map is marked with the usual 30 controls with points values between 5 and 30.  Map size is almost A3: 350 x 275mm.

Important Safety!

1. Kit: some of the routes cross high and exposed moorland. Come prepared if the weather is poor. We also urge you to wear a bright top and use lights as you are likely to use busy A roads.
2. Some roads and routes are marked out of bounds with red crosses – don’t go there!.
3. An unmanned, unsignalled level crossing in Burley in Wharfedale is usable, but be careful. Visibility is good and trains all warn of their approach.
4. The Wharfe stepping stones in Burley in Wharfedale are usually under water. You will be told at registration if they are feasible on the day. If so, you cross at your own risk. They are out of bounds if I say they are uncrossable!

You must report to the finish. My phone number is on the map if you’re stuck.

However I am going to sing in Ilkley at about 1pm, so please ring Tim if stuck after then.

Terrain – It’s hilly. The rideability of the bridleways is shown on the map – see the legend – but these are weather and rider dependent. There is one short footpath at the E end of Danefield which you can use, but you must give way to any walkers you come across.

My phone: 07771843255.   Tim’s phone: 07522 064419.     Pub phone 01943 243200.u

Any other updates will be on here.

Hope to see you at the event!

Tony Thornley

Askwith Course Map

We’ve got a full programme of ten events this year, starting with Askwith on Saturday 29 March. Full details of that to follow tomorrow – you can enter online here.

The summer league dates are all here – including the National Championships weekend in July; and the Swaledale weekend in September. Locations and durations will be updated as I get them confirmed. If you’d like to be the planner for August please do get in touch!

If you’ve signed up to our mailing list then you should have just received our latest email – read it here. If you haven’t received it then please check your spam/junk folder and add our email to your address book. If you haven’t signed up you can do that here.

Facebook is getting less reliable for updates (finding out about an event 6 days after it’s happened isn’t very helpful) so this website, our occasional emails and our WhatsApp group will be the best places to get information. Get in touch if you have any problems with any of these.

Next event – Saturday 29th March – Askwith, Wharfedale

Enter online here – discounted entry until Monday 24th March

Arkdendale Finish

MapRun results are here, please get in touch with any corrections

Claire Riley did a first class job for this event – great course, excellent parking and food logistics and first class March weather. Here’s her report:

The sun was ordered for Arkendale and it turned up!

Thankfully it had been dry for a few days before so tracks had dried a bit and were mostly relatively firm.

The sun order may have accounted for the very few DNS and several EOD. 63 riders tackled the course with everyone seeming to have enjoyed it or too polite to say otherwise at the finish!

It was great to see several GEN teams and particularly the younger generation really enjoying their day out on the bike.

A couple of people fell victim to the hedge trimming requiring a trip to a hardware store for a puncture repair kit. In his rush to assist at the roadside, Ed took a dive resulting in a bit of a bloody knee and unhappy mech but otherwise OK. This didn’t seem to hamper his result too much.

Thank you to everyone who frequented the pub and bought food/drinks. They said it was a pleasure to have us and all ran very smoothly. We may be back for a 3hr event…..

Parking at the farm seemed to work well. At the farmers request we have donated £100 to Arkendale church.

This was my first attempt at organising an event. Lots of learning points and I’m happy it went so well. Thanks to everyone who came.

Next event is at Askwith on the 29th March.