Yorkshire Wolds Organiser’s Comments

Although Dave Evans hasn’t managed to ride in any NYMBO events this year he still managed to plan another excellent course (and has already offered his services for next year). There was a huge spread of controls in the dry chalk valleys north and east of Pocklington but fast riding meant that there were some great scores. The tracks had dried out nicely despite the wet weather of the previous 3 days.

Thanks as ever to Jens for an excellent map and the helpers who made everything run smoothly as well as WoldgateCollege for an excellent event centre with good parking, a gym for Registration and showers!

2013 Yorkshire Wolds Working Drawing with Controls 3rd October

Congratulations to the category winners especially Max & Martin Vesty (G) who won overall with 450 points, Conrad Ellison (M40) 433, Graham Fielding (M50) 409, Rik Thompson (M21) 393, Steve Wood (M60) 345, Andrea & Steve Foster (X50) 340, James Martin (Y18) 320 and Jill Ellison (W40) 316. You can follow their splits on the Results page and check out the map below.

Most riders headed east then north with a big decision about when to cross the A166 and when to head back. Most riders got it right but it’s interesting to see how many riders managed to score very few points in their last 20 minutes when they were just trying to get back without incurring penalties. I thoroughly enjoyed my ride again as the dry valleys make for excellent riding especially the decents into Horsedale (#58) and Thixendale (#60) although the climbs back out and from Kirby Underdale were gruelling. Most riders who rode along Lavenderdale after #56 probably rode along the private track instead of the parallel bridleway. The map isn’t very clear (but the signposts were) so I’ll ask Jens to amend the map before our next visit. (The track runs along the bottom of the valley and the bridleway along the east edge).

The final NYMBO event of 2013 is the 4 hour MBO Score event in Lower Wensleydale on Saturday 19^th October. Parking is in Masham Town Square so please pay at the Honesty Box with Registration nearby in the Methodist Chapel in Park Street. Refreshments will be on sale before and after your ride so please support them. Prizegiving for the BMBO National League and the NYMBO League will take place at 3.30 so please stay to collect your prize and/or applaud the leading riders. NYMBO prizes have been generously donated by Richardson Cycles and Yorkshire Dales Brewery with cut-price engraving by Chris Lightfoot of Keith James Jewellers in Richmond.

Hope to see you there

Steve

2013 Dalby 25000 Working Drawing with Controls 29th August

Dalby Forest Organiser’s Comments
Thanks to Ralph Defty for planning another excellent course, Jens for another excellent map and the helpers as ever for making the event run smoothly – especially the control collectors – Paul & Sam Leight, Graham Townsend, Dave Lloyd and Adrian Baskerville who was collecting his first control as I was trying to find it.
Thanks also to the Fox & Rabbit for providing a different event centre. Congratulations to the category winners – Andrew Windrum 525 in M40 with 1 minute to spare; Max & Martin 465 in Gen and 3rd overall; a 3 way tie on 455 points for Rik Thompson (M21) , Mike Nayler (M50) and Ray Morriss (M60), Angela Brand Barker (W50) and first woman on 415, Ian Makinson & Margaret Scott (X40) with 335 points.
Although we have ridden in Dalby regularly for the last 10 years, starting at the Fox & Rabbit changed the emphasis completely. Once I had plugged into the mains instead of relying on generators I decided to head for Ellerburn and thoroughly enjoyed seeing parts of Dalby Forest that I hadn’t visited for too long.
Full results have already been posted on the NYMBO web page along with the competition map if you couldn’t make it to the event and want to follow anyone’s route.
There are 2 four hour NYMBO events in October. The eighth event of the season is on Saturday 5th at Pocklington. This is the event that was cancelled due to snow and Dave Evans has been out checking the controls. If you entered online in March, you don’t need to enter again but, if you can’t make it, please let me know and Ill transfer your entry to your next event. The final event is at Masham on Saturday 19th with parking in the town square. They are both in brilliant countryside – the Yorkshire Wolds and Lower Wensleydale so hope to see you there.
Cheers, Steve

Planner’s Report
Thanks for the positive comments of riders returning back to the Fox And Rabbit after their ride in Dalby. A good number of riders achieved PBs in the points tally. We had tried to make this a high scoring event , ensuring that if the fast boys were going to clean up they would have to work for it and to my amazement AndrewWindrum did clean up and with 1 minute to spare. We hope you found new tracks and enjoyed a different view of Dalby.
We were blessed with fantastic weather and the tracks were dry and fast. I had taken Friday off work to put out all the markers which took me nearly 5 hours and I really enjoyed the ride around Dalby on a beautiful morning, seeing two deer and five jays, bonus! This is the second event we have planned and enjoyed both, so if you were thinking of planning an event then give it a go.
We would like to thank all the volunteers who made this event a success, especially the team who went out to collect controls, riding back up the steep climb to the Fox and Rabbit .
Hope to see you all at Pocklington
Ralph Defty

2013 Ampleforth Final map

Ampleforth Organiser’s Comments
Thanks to Steve Roberts & Karen Clark for planning yet another excellent course, Jens for another excellent map and the helpers as ever for making the event run smoothly – especially the control collectors – Steve & Karen, Sam & Paul Leight, Frank & Sandra Appleton and Rik Thompson.
The White Rose made an excellent event centre and our own café to sit and relax afterwards was a bonus!! Congratulations to the category winners – Killian Lomas (M40) 485 pts (pushing Andy Conn into 2nd place for only the 2nd time), Martin & Max Vesty (Gen) 410 and 3rd overall, Rik Thompson (M21) also 410, Tim Evans (M50) 395, Andrea & Steve Foster (X50) 335, closely followed by Geoff Moorhouse (M60) 330 then Jill Ellison winning W40 for the first time this year with 325.
I enjoyed my ride crossing the magnificent grounds of Ampleforth College before climbing to Pry Rigg Plantation, through Wass Forest then down Wass Bank for the first time ever in an event. Across to Coxwold, so that I could ride the peaceful, gated and interestingly named Colley Broach Road before a climb up to Gilling Woods for the last 2 controls.
Full results have already been posted on the NYMBO web page along with the competition map if you couldn’t make it to the event and want to follow anyone’s route.

The final NEMBOS event of the season is at Wark Forest on Sunday 8th September. Parking is in the wood yard just outside Stonehaugh village and camping is available at the site only 400m from the event centre at the Village Hall so ring 01434 230798 to book. There is the usual amazing Flower Show in the hall on Saturday night where a good night is guaranteed and full English cooked breakfasts are available on Sunday morning if you book in advance by email al@stonehaugh.com
Refreshments will be on sale afterwards so please stay for the prizegiving at 3.30 and applaud the category winners.
The next NYMBO events are a 3 hour MBO Score event in Dalby Forest on Saturday 21st September followed by the annual Moors Marathon on Sunday. The event centre is at the Fox & Rabbit on the A169 5 miles north of Pickering this year where camping is available both nights.

Hope to see you at one of these events or at the social ride at the Hambleton Inn on Thursday 29th August. I’ll be there but no-one has said that they want to join me. Please let me know if you want to book a map.
Cheers, Steve

Planners’ Comments
The challenge for us is always to provide courses which ensure that riders are kept thinking from start to finish. We were very conscious that the area would provide some very fast riding and without the luxury of using the dismantled railway line that ran through the centre of the area we had limited route options across the middle of the map. That aside we found some stunning control sites such as 60 at John Bunting’s chapel ( http://www.johnbunting.co.uk/memorial.html if you would like to find out more) and 59 just above Husthwaite which provided a panoramic vista of the area. The farmer at Holly Bower farm just below 55 claimed he had been told his was one of the best views in this part of Yorkshire.
We did consider the possibility that all the controls would be cleared but the contours obviously played a part in challenging even the fittest of riders. It was particularly pleasing to get such good feedback at the finish and it would seem most riders enjoyed both the scenery and their rides.
Many thanks to all those associated with the successful running of the event. In particular a big thank you to all the control collectors who despite competing headed back out, quite understandably on four wheels rather than two!
Karen Clark and Stephen Roberts

I forgot to post the competition map last week so here it is

2013 Swaledale South 40000 Working Drawing with Controls 24th July

Everyone seemed to enjoy the event and I’m so glad the event was on Saturday not Sunday when our golf course was closed due to flooding!

Hope to see you at Hamsterley on Sunday 11th August and don’t forget to enter online by Thursday if you want to guarantee a pre-marked map

Congratulations to Kevin Smith for clearing all bar one of the controls. Thanks to the 63 riders for appreciating the course and superb riding, thanks to Jens for another excelent map and to Stuart & Brenda Price and their staff at  the Dales Biking Centre for making us welcome. Pity there weren’t more riders but perhaps this event shouldn’t have been scheduled for the summer school holidays.

The Dales have never been so dry and the singletracks so easy to ride. I even managed to ride up from Castle Bolton to #47 when I was collecting controls without having to push or carry my bike. Thanks to all of the helpers but especially John Rawden, Andy Parsons, Sam & Paul Leight, Graham Townsend and Tony Gray who helped to collect the controls in despite being already rather weary after 5 hours in the saddle.
I enjoyed planning the course and checking the control sites as well as a few bridleways I hadn’t ridden for a while. I didn’t go for a ride while you were riding but enjoyed putting out 9 controls on Friday with help from John Dixon, Dave Robertson and Graham Townsend – and collecting 7 on Saturday evening. Thanks also to Bolton Estate for letting us use their private track past Greenhaw Hut which many riders seem to have used.

There doesn’t seem to have been an optimum route with many riders taking very different routes – and having to go in and out to some controls – particularly #53 which was on a lovely track. I was surprised to see so many rider choose to push their bikes south up to #52 and also north up to #59. Very difficult optons which could have been avoided with a different route choice. I feel sorry for those riders who had difficulty finding the track up to #52. I wondered about taping it but it appeared to have improved when I checked it but I did ride it from south to north which is definitely easier – although some riders got lost in that direction as well by following the footpath along the landrover track westwards instead of the quad track going north. No apologies this time as the control was on the ‘footpath’ fingerpost which should have been a good clue!!
Congratulations to the category winners and John Dixon will update the league so comments about that when they are posted. Commiserations to Graham Fielding who was on for a great score until his tyre split which cost him 2 hours – but he still managed 295 points.
You may have noticed that there were permanent markers at a lot of the controls. These are part of the Dales Bike Centre permanent MBO course which is going to be opened at a special event on Sunday 13th October – the weekend between the Pocklington and Masham events. Look out for details on the web sites soon.

Next NYMBO events at Malham on August 24th and Ampleforth on August 26th.

Next NEMBOS event at Hamsterley on August 11th.

League results after 4 events now available

Hope to see you at least at one of these.
Steve

PS Our apartment in Samoens is still available for late bookings this summer and early skiing bookings!

NYMBO League after 3 events
Here is the updated league table so please let me know if there are any errors.

Tim Evans is planning this event on July 14th so it might warm you up for Swaledale a fortnight later

Penistone flyer

Here is the competition map
2013 Boltby and Thirlby map

Hambleton Hills Organiser’s Comments
Thanks to Andy Parsons for planning an excellent course, Jens for another excellent map and the helpers as ever for making the event run smoothly – especially the control collectors – Andy & Corinne Parsons, Sam & Paul Leight and Graham Townsend.
It was great to use a different event centre and Andy had included a couple of new bridleways which we have never used before!! Congratulations to the category winners – Andy Conn 434 (M40) just 13 points ahead of Andrew Windrum, John Rawden 363 (M50), Adrian & Nathan Parker (Gen) 355 and 5th overall, Rik Thompson 346 (M21), David Williamson 305 (M60), Andrea & Steve Foster (X50) 301, Charlotte Somers-Cocks 300 (W50)
I enjoyed my ride and decided to climb onto the Hambleton Hills through Boltby Forest with the wind at my back before riding the bridleway down into Arden Hall for the first time ever. The view down into Thorodale as I fell over my bike was spectacular. It was then back up the byway and into the wind across Dale Town Common before dropping down to the woods to follow the new bridleway below the Cleveland Way and the interesting descent down to Southwoods Lodge. I was able to stay out longer that usual because Ralph Defty made such a good job of updating the entries onto the computer and John Dixon ran the download so efficiently. Afternoon tea in the marquee at Thirlby finished off the afternoon perfectly.
I was disappointed that there were only 80 riders (after 120 at Cropton) so if you were one of the 40 who didn’t make it please let me know why? Was it too long since the last event, did 5 hours at Ingleton put you off, do you prefer all forest events?
There were a few incidents which I would like to pass on.
Unfortunately, a few riders fell crossing a cattle grid near #51. Mike McGeogh was the worst injured so thanks to Nicola Kipling for helping him. We can’t mark every hazard and wet cattle grids, railway and tram lines all need crossing at right-angles.
A few riders went off the map and used the road to get to #50. This is not allowed but, although it may not have been quicker, we should perhaps have marked the road as out of bounds.
The bridleway junction on the way to #56 was indistinct but exactly opposite a very distinct wall junction and public footpath, Not all junctions have fingerposts and it was only 500m north of the crossroads. Some riders then missed the gate as the grassy track went to the south of it. It was marked on the map and easily visible with a blue arrow so please go back in future rather than climbing the wall/fence when you realise you have made a mistake.
When I arrive at #47 I wasn’t sure where the control was until I read the description which explained the position of the control very clearly – 25m S. Tree W side
Full results have already been posted on the web pages along with the competition map if you couldn’t make it to the event and want to follow anyone’s route.
The next NYMBO is at Swaledale South on Saturday 27th July. Parking is in the field at Grinton and you are welcome to stay overnight free of charge on Friday and/or Saturday. Registration is at the Dales Biking Centre with café, shop and bike wash. Please let me know if you would like to give me a hand putting out the controls on Friday afternoon.
There isn’t a NEMBOS event in July (although NATO are organising a 2 hour event from Capheaton on Sunday 14th July) so hope to see as many again at Hamsterley on Sunday 11th August where parking is at the Grove – 2 miles west of the visitor centre.
Hope to see you at one of these events or at the social ride at the Smiths Arms, Beckwithshaw on Thursday 27th June. Please let me know if you want to book a map
Steve
PS Tim Evans is planning the Sprint event at Penistone Moor on July 17th. The flier is on the NYMBO page and you can enter online on the BMBO pages.
PPS Don’t forget that ABBA Gold will be performing at Thirlby Sports Field on August 31st. A good excuse to go back to a very friendly village.

Planner’s Comments
I enjoyed getting out on my bike to check the tracks. I needed an incentive to get out when our spring weather was so poor. Although there was some rain and even hail during the event, the warm weather was a real contrast to my first planning trip in April when there was snow on the ground and the mud started freezing to my bike. Despite the drifts against some the walls along the tops I enjoyed my ride around some of the bridleways on the north east of the map that I had not visited on previous events, including down Thorodale to Arden Hall, and the two west to east routes to the south down Sunny Bank and Gowerdale Bank. I thought the route along Gowerdale Bank and down Noddle End was the best of the three and so placed controls, 36, 55 & 38 to make a nice through route (if going down) – sorry to those of you that chose to tackle 55 in the uphill direction!
When we were hanging controls on the Friday evening there were a lot of cows and young calves around the stream at control 46 and they got quite excited when we went through. Cows can get quite aggressive when they get separated from new calves and as the steep bridleway to the south was very muddy and not rideable in either direction we decided to move 46 at the last minute for both rider safety and enjoyment.
At the finish lots of riders told me how they had enjoyed their rides, which makes the effort involved in planning and hanging the controls worthwhile.
Many thanks to Claude and the baking ladies of Thirlby for the excellent refreshments in the marquee at the finish.
Andy Parsons

I’ve just found out that the Black Horse at Tollerton is closed. Ooops. Still meeting there at 6pm tomorrow (Thursday 30th) for our ride but we’ll be eating at the Station Inn afterwards. 10 riders signed up so far. Hope to see you there. Steve