Our first event of the New Year is at Tadcaster on Saturday 13th. Rik has planned an excellent flat course to the East of Tadcaster.

The blank map is available by clicking the PDF link. As usual, online entries by Wednesday please, and please let us know if you’re coming so enough maps get printed for on the day entries.

A note about the A64 there are cycle paths on both sides well away from the traffic and 3 bridge crossing points so the main A64 is out of bounds.

Details of the first event of 2018, enter online here

This event is organised by Rik Thompson – Rik could use a bit of help at registration, if you’re able to do that, please comment on this post or on the Nymbo Strava group

It will be nice to revisit the Coach & Horses in Tadcaster following our last event from there 2 years ago. Those who rode the event will remember what a lovely, sunny winters day it wasn’t! Yes there was freezing rain, wind, sleet, just about everything mother nature could throw at us in a few short hours, at least this year the weather can’t be as bad, can it?

As most of you will have seen shortly after the event the bridge at Tadcaster collapsed cutting the town in two for over a year and the Coach & Horses was flooded to about waist height for some time. Fortunately it has been refurbished and is open once again ready to serve us some warm food and cold beer on our return.

This time we will be heading off to the East towards Copmanthorpe using the network of quiet roads and a few bridleways. Last time I was a little disappointed that very few rode the tracks around Hazelwood and Hook Moor as they were fast gravel tracks which were a lot more fun than the roads, to try and even it out a bit for the guys on MTB’s this time I will keep some of the big pointers on bridleways as I know how fast my club rides can get round this area with it being so flat. I was out yesterday on the cx bike and apart from one BW across a ploughed field and one 200m section of another all the bridleways were holding up well to say Christmas is almost upon us.

So I shall say a Merry Christmas to you all and hopefully I will see plenty of you at the Coach & Horses in the new year.

Thanks
Rik

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Thank you again for your kind comments and the gift vouchers after the end of season presentation at Grantley. I am now the proud owner of a Skycaddie so that I can find my way around a golf course successfully; a new ski jacket and salopettes so that I look the part on the slopes despite my technique; and a winter biking jacket and tights so that I will be warmer in January at Tadcaster than I was last week at Thornton Watlass.

Brendan Smurthwaite and Paul Dobson have planned 2 cracking courses and Tim Evans drew an excellent first map. We have got 3 more winter events then next season’s planners are all sorted except for a forest event in April. Any volunteers?? Helen Pollard at Stage1Cycles is ready to take over as the NYMBO secretary so hopefully I can just ride next year (and keep an eye on things in the background).

Merry Christmas and I hope to see many of you at lots of NYMBO events in 2018

Updated – controls map now available – Thornton Watlass Final Map

Saturday dawned dry and bright and 27 riders braved the sub-zero temperatures to participate in the second event of the NYMBO winter season based at The Buck Inn, Thornton Watlass. The benefit of the dry/frozen surfaces meant that most people came back almost as clean as when they set off – almost unheard of in my experience! An added bonus was that everyone returned safely to the warmth of the pub for lunch, despite the two punctures, two retirements and a loose crank arm along the way. Congratulations to Duncan Archer (Senior Men) who won the event with a score of 344, despite Max Vesty giving him a close run in second place. The Women’s class was won by Joan Hanson, whilst Tim Evans took the honours in the Veteran Men’s class. Not withstanding the lack of competition, Steve Collins/Ben Collins and Graham Tibbot/Erica Moks won the Gen/Youth and Mixed categories respectively. Congratulations to everyone who participated.

Thanks, Paul

Thornton Watlass Results

Here’s the course map for next Saturday’s event at Thornton Watlass.

It’s also the first map created by our new map-maker, Tim Evans.

Registration at The Buck Inn 0915 -1015, starts from 0930-1030

You can use the online entry form to reserve a map

Thornton Watlass 9-12-17

Thanks to all those who turned out to ride the first of this Seasons Winter MBO events and thanks for the positive comments at the end.

37 riders set out from the Grapes Inn on a dry and bright morning (entirely different weather conditions than we had on the February morning when this event was originally scheduled for!)
Fortunately I was able to use the same course map that was planned and printed back in January – belated thanks to Jens for creating another excellent map.

Congratulations to Andy Conn for taking overall honours with a score of 420 closely challenged by Duncan Archer 410 and John Rawden 408. Pippa Archer took top spot in the Ladies category with 365, Geoff Moorhouse & Andrea Foster won Mixed with 312 and Steve & Ben Collins won Generation with 336.

Slingsby Results

A quick scan through the Answer sheets suggests that the majority of riders cleared the North side of the map first and then picked off points South of Slingsby as time allowed. Very few ventured as far South as Terrington but I wanted to include this road section on the map in case the weather was really wet and riders wanted to avoid the offroad sections, As it was most of the tracks were in good condition and very rideable.

Final note: thanks to Steve, who although officially retired as Organiser, steered me through my first event as Planner.

Next event is at Thornton Watlass on the 9th December.

Cheers, Brendon

First Winter Event next Saturday 11th – course map now available*!

Brendon’s been out checking the route…

This event is at Slingsby next Saturday 11th November, planned by Brendon Smurthwaite
Registration at The Grapes Inn 0915 -1015, starts from 0930-1030
Enter online by Wednesday and save £1

Final league results, Nidderdale results, and control map are all found here.

Nidderdale MBO Organiser’s Comments

Thanks to Neil Reed for an excellent course in this lovely, tough but rarely visited part of the Yorkshire Dales. At least it was dry for most of the day but most of the tracks were very wet which should have taught us to avoid the soft ones.

I thoroughly enjoyed my ride as usual once I’d reached the road at #47 after crossing the moor from Skell Gill. I decided to ride the bridleway along the east side on Gouthwaite Reservoir as I thought it followed the old railway line (which it did but 20 yards to one side)!! However, the route choice improved once I got onto Fountains Earth Moor with the wind at my back. Thanks to Jens Strain for his final, but as always, excellent map, Geoff Moorhouse for his help on the day and especially the control collectors, Graham, Ray, Andrew & Paul who went back out in the worst of the weather.

Unfortunately, some riders used an out of bounds track near #57 as Neil explains below but thanks to Mark Rowley for letting me know at download that he had used it.

Congratulations to Graham Tibbott for another excellent score of 480; Sue Booth outscoring the other ladies with 340 points and the Brand-Barkers winning the mixed again with 295 points. You can follow all of their routes using the splits file and course map on the NYMBO site.

It was brilliant that so many riders in the hall stayed to see the leading riders receive their tee shirts as well as their beer and engraved glasses. Thanks to Rob & Anne Wiltshire of Yorkshire Dales Brewery for sponsoring our events.

Then Conrad stood up to speak and I realised why you were all there. Thanks for all of your kind comments and very generous gifts as well as your support over the last 20 years. It has been a pleasure but it’s time to step down and let someone else take over. Fortunately, I have had 10 offers from riders to plan and organise events next year, Helen Pollard of Stage1Cycles has offered to sponsor the league and act as secretary. Neil Reed will look after the equipment and Tim Evans will draw the maps, I’ll still plan one event every year and hopefully be riding at many others but only if it fits in between holidays and time with our family.

The next NYMBO event is at the Grapes at Slingsby on Saturday 11th November which was originally planned by Brendon Smurthwaite in February. Unfortunately it was cancelled due to a snowy forecast but hopefully the weather will be kinder next month and we can enjoy riding around the Howardian Hills

I’ll be there, hope you will be.
Steve

Planner’s Comments

Thanks to everyone that turned up for the final NYMBO event of the year. I had enjoyed the planning and recce rides for which I generally had much better conditions than those on Saturday !

I considered the course to be reasonably “tough” and to an extent had  in mind those riders that cover a lot more distance than I do when positioning some of the controls in the more far flung corners. I considered the main challenge would be how much time you could spend in Nidderdale before needing to head back.

That said the main intention was to provide something that everyone would enjoy and judging from the positive comments I received this appear to be the case, even for those arriving somewhat late !
Given the soft ground conditions and blustery weather on the day I was pleased and surprised to see plenty of scores in the 400’s.

On a slightly less positive note a few riders mentioned that they had seen some riders using the farmers private track leading directly to the road from CP57 which was clearly indicated as out of bounds on the map. Without labouring the point this gives an unfair advantage to those that used this as a shortcut but also potentially undermines future cooperation from the land owners. In this case I had spoken to the farmer and his son on two occasions to explain about the event and to request permission to place a control on his gate whilst emphasising that his track would be clearly marked as out of bounds and that riders would not be permitted to use it. My concern is that in future it would be understandable if they chose to be less cooperative.
Thanks to all those who helped out on the day.
Hope you all had a safe journey home.
Regards
Neil Reed

Gouthwaite Reservoir from Fountains Earth Moor

Nidderdale results here

League table and comments to follow

Saturday 21st October is our final league event of 2017 – the blank map for the Nidderdale course is below

Enter online here by Wednesday