Category Archives: News

NYMBO League after 9 events – only 1 event to go on October 21st

We’re nearly at the finish of the NYMBO 2017 league, with just one event to go at Nidderdale on October 21st. You can enter that event here

The league table has now been updated and there is also a list of league qualifiers – you’ll find both on the Results page, where you’ll also find also the updated control maps for this years events.

Here’s the summary of the riders in the league qualifiers (update 17-Sep):

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Report from the Wensleydale OMM Weekend

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OMM Bike & Lite Planner’s Comments

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all of my rides checking all of the bridleways and controls as well as walking the main footpaths this summer and I’m so glad that the weather and track conditions weren’t the same as at the weekend.

You really had to cope with the worst conditions that a late English summer can provide. Your cheerfulness as you finished both days was remarkable. All of the bridleways seemed to be downhill with the wind at your back which is brilliant but uphill into the wind (and rain) which isn’t as enjoyable.

I hoped that I had made the optimum route long enough so that no riders would be able to clear up on either day. Graham Tibbot tried his hardest and only left out 3 controls on Saturday but he left a few more out there on Sunday although he still won comfortably. Most riders went anti-clockwise on Saturday trying to link the controls around Addlebrough before the big decision whether to head over to Swaledale then back via Buttertubs or to stay in Wensleydale. There was more variety on Sunday and many riders managed the cracking downhill on the private track down Mossdale.

I placed 65 of the 75 controls on routes that could be reached by bike but hopefully gave the runners plenty of opportunities to use public footpaths as short cuts. Most runners headed for #37 first then continued past Semerwater and around Addlebrough before crossing Wensleydale. Sadly, both stepping stones were under water so you had to use the lanes through Aysgarth or Askrigg rather than the field paths. There was more variety on Sunday and I was pleased to see that most runners visited Cotterdale but disappointed that there was more road running involved in getting away from and back to Hawes.

Thanks to Yorkshire Dales National Park, Natural England and many landowners who were happy for the event to go ahead. We will be making donations to the National Park and the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust as well as the Swaledale Mountain Rescue Team who would have been there if we had needed them. Thanks also to the gamekeepers who were happy for us to use many of the private tracks across their grouse moors. Unfortunately, there was an important shoot on Grinton Moor on Saturday which is why it was marked out of bounds.

It was great to see 130 riders competing at the same time using the same controls as 170 runners as well as no litter or open gates when we collected them in.

It’s a pity that only 14 riders and 2 runners made it to the Wild Camp so we will need to consider how to make this course more popular!!

Thanks to Jens Strain, Dave Chapman and Harveys for 4 excellent maps. Thanks to John Rawden, John Dixon, Michael Brough, Zoe Cowgill, Alex Davies, Sheila Pearce, Dennis Jaques, Mike Allenby & Tom Williams for helping me put out and collect in the controls. Thanks also to the OMM team for their hard work organising the excellent event HQ at Hawes.

OMM results and photos are here; NYMBO results are here

Map: 2017 Wensleydale OMM BIKE 50000 Saturday

Map: 2017 Wensleydale OMM BIKE 50000 Sunday

This was my 10th and last Polaris/OMM Bike as planner because I would like to compete again and help at events without any reponsibility.

Hope to see you again next year or at a NYMBO event soon

Steve Willis (Course Planner)

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Maps for Wensleydale next weekend now available

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Here are the course maps for the events next Saturday and Sunday, with the event centre at Hawes.

Flier for Saturday here | Flier for Sunday here

OMM Information here

Helmsley & Ryedale MBO

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Helmsley & Ryedale MBO

Planner’s Comments

I very much enjoyed planning this event. When I planned it in May we were going to be allowed to cycle past Duncombe Hall but late on Thursday the agent changed his mind so I had to move a control, resulting in Jens having to redraw the map. If this hadn’t happened I am sure one of the riders would have got all the points. The feedback from finishers was very positive & I think most people enjoyed themselves which was also helped by the good weather and reasonable track conditions.

Michael

Organiser’s Comments

Thanks to Michael Brough for planning an excellent course on the southern edge of the North York Moors and gaining permission to use the Duncombe Estate. The weather was perfect but some of the tracks were a bit wetter than we would have liked. Unfortunately, #31 wasn’t quite in the right place so if you couldn’t find it or wasted time looking for it please let me know so that I can adjust your score. I thoroughly enjoyed my ride and tried to stay on the plateau as much as possible. It wasn’t so I ended up descending quickly into some very steep valleys then climbing out very slowly . Thanks as ever to Jens for another excellent map; Michael for putting out all of the controls; Geoff Moorhouse, Barbara Willis & John Dixon for their help on the day as well as the control collectors.

It was Edwyn’s turn to win this time with an excellent score of 465; Sheila Pearce made it a double winning weekend with 325 points and the Brand-Barkers won their 3^rd NYMBO event in a row with 320 points.

You can follow all of their routes using the splits file and course map (below).

I have planned the OMM Bike & Lite event at Hawes on September 9^th & 10^th. As usual there is a Long (7&5 hours), Medium (5&4 hours) & Short (3&3 hours) course each day and they all count in the NYMBO League. You can only enter the Long & Medium courses via the OMM web site and you can only enter the 3 hour courses on the BMBO web site. Camping is available all weekend so why not enter and enjoy some cracking trails in the beautiful northern Yorkshire Dales. If you don’t want to compete you can always help put out and collect controls!!

Don’t forget that I will be retiring as an organiser at the end of the season so the Nidderdale event will be my last. I would still like to hear from someone who is interested in taking on the coordinators’s role and riders who would like to plan and organise an event. I will still plan an event every year and ride whenever we’re not on holiday, seeing the family or playing golf!! 3 riders have already offered to organise events this winter and 5 next summer but we need someone to take over ……please!!

Hope to see you next month.

Steve

Malham Show MBO Organiser’s comments

results from this weekend now available

Maps for the Bank Holiday weekend both available now

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Here are the maps for the two fantastic events on the Bank Holiday weekend Malham Show Event on Saturday, and the Helmsley event on the Bank Holiday Monday.

Enter here for Malham

Enter here for Helmsley

Details, flyers, event centre map all here

Monday – Helmsley

Saturday – Malham Show

Cleveland Hills Comments

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Update from last weekends event. Results are all here

Planner’s comments from Conrad & Jill:

As ever, Jill and I enjoyed planning an event in the north of the NYMBO region. The last time we ran an event in the area we also used the moor to the east of Lordstones (Barker’s Cragg) but that event was clearly a 4 hour course given the scores. This time we reduced the area to make sure that a clear-up was potentially on the cards.

Congratulations to Graham for a fantastic score of 508, only missing 2 controls and getting up to 48 on Cold Moor too. Congratulations to all category winners. Thank you to Steve and Jens who provided fantastic support as they always do. Also a big thanks to the control collectors who helped.

Organiser’s comments from Steve:

Thanks to Conrad & Jill for another excellent course on the northern edge of the North York Moors. The weather didn’t look promising as we arrived but none of us got too wet, it was mild and fairly calm so everyone seemed to enjoy their ride. Unfortunately, one control went missing so that will cost us £96 and make you wonder what use it is to anyone. Also, #35 was on the wrong fence junction so please let me know if you need the points for either of these controls. We also had a problem with FC when, out of courtesy, Conrad sent the draft course as they wanted to charge the full permit fee for using the public bridleways through their forests. I refused to pay and asked Conrad to move the controls off their land but leave the public bridleways as legal corridors through the forests. I have no problem paying to use private tracks as we will be next month.

Despite these problems, I thoroughly enjoyed the event and thanks as ever to Jens for another excellent map; Conrad & Jill for putting out all of the controls; Geoff Moorhouse, Sheila Pearce & John Dixon for their help on the day as well as the control collectors.
Congratulations to Graham Tibbott for only missing out 2 controls for an excellent score of 508; Karen Clark riding again and outscoring the other ladies with 324 points and the Brand-Barkers winning the mixed with 370 points.

You can follow all of their routes using the splits file and course map on the NYMBO site.
I thoroughly enjoyed my ride and having already seen the map, I decided to avoid the tough bridleway over Cold Moor and use the road to get to the edge of the hills so that I could ride the fantastic singletrack across the front of Cringle Moor. I then got a bit lost in the woods near Lordstones as usual before nearly not making it round the bend on the road below Carlton Bank. Quicker riding (despite my cleat and shoe separating) on the quiet lanes and good bridleways below the scarp slope before the big decision at Bank Foot and went for the moorland option. Great riding once I got up there but the views have been better before descending through the muddy woods to Seave Green and back to the hall.

The next event will be the 4 hour event at Malham on Saturday, 26th August which is being planned by Tim Evans & Simon Coiley this year. It’s an early start as usual and slightly more expensive but you get free entry into Malham Show.

Two days later it’s the White Rose MBO event at Helmsley on Bank Holiday Monday where Michael Brough has already planned an excellent course. The entry fee is £2 more than usual as we have to pay both Duncombe Estate and FC for access to their private woods. But you have free camping, portaloos (!!), burger van and you can orienteer on Sunday.

Don’t forget that this is my 5th last event and I will still be retiring as an organiser at the end of the season so the Nidderdale event will be my last. I would still like to hear from someone who is interested in taking on the coordinators’s role or a few people who would like to manage the events between them. I will still plan an event every year and ride whenever we’re not on holiday, seeing the family or playing golf!!2 riders have already offered to organise events this winter but we need someone to take over ……please!!

Hope to see you next month.
Steve