After weeks of planning in great weather and on bone dry tracks, this week’s weather is just a little strange, but we’re all set for a great event on Saturday.

Over the past few weeks we’ve cycled all the bridleways on the map, planned more controls than we needed and hopefully planned a good course that riders on either the 2 or 4 hours will enjoy. We’ve made some changes where we either a) got it wrong b) found the bridleway didn’t exist or c) just thought it would make it easier for everyone. Jens has made an excellent map, and the little tweaks should help everyone.

This picture is Dan at one of the controls, but it’s not giving anything away as we’ve used quite a few fingerposts as control points.

Our remaining task before the event is to make sure that we get all 30 controls in the right place.

See you on Saturday

Dave and Danny

It was great to see so many riders at our first league event of 2012. Thanks to Tim for an excellent course, Jens for an excellent map, Duncombe Park for a perfect event centre and access to some superb private tracks and final thanks to the usual band of willing helpers.
There aren’t many mountains in Ryedale but there was plenty of climbing. Most of the tracks were excellent to ride but some made you work harder than expected. Duncombe Estate had allowed us to use even more of their private tracks as it was between the shooting and nesting season. I decided to go for a scenic ride taking in 2 tracks I have never been able to ride before. Across Reivaulx Moor which was a bit wet but still very fast then down Beckdale which was brilliant. Many riders came back and said how much they had enjoyed their day and Andrew Windrum showed that the course wasn’t too large by scoring 450 points out of a possible 515!! Congratulations to him and all of the other category winners.
There were a few problems with it being the first event of the season. Dave & Sue Relton have retired from SI management as they want to ride (and enjoyed the views in Ryedale and around Reivaulx Abbey). Chris & Ralph Defty volunteered to step into their shoes and did a great job. There were queues at registration so thanks for your patience and we will sort out a better system for registering next month. It was my job to tidy up the entries once everyone had started but I didn’t manage to get in all of the changes – especially if riders used their own dibbers instead of hired ones. If your result is still incorrect please write a comment on the NYMBO web site and we will sort it out.
Tim also had problems planning as he couldn’t go onto the estate until the end of the shooting season on February 1st. This is why we didn’t find out about the nesting bird restrictions near #10 until Thursday. It also explains why I didn’t spot that the tracks from #13 to #30 and through Oscar Park Farm hadn’t been marked as permissive. I hope this didn’t spoil your ride. #30 was also put out on the wrong junction so if you didn’t find it or anynother errors in the results then please let me know. The simple results are on this web page and the splits have been posted on the Ebor web page with a link from the NYMBO page.
I sorted out the online entries and it took ages so please help next month by checking your details on the BMBO site. Register your SI card/dibber if you have one, add the name of your town or club and make sure that you are in the right class and gender! It also looks better if your name is written in this format eg Steve Willis – not STEVE WILLIS, steve willis or willis steve.
Hopefully we will see you next month at Terrington on Easter Saturday (7th) or Blanchand the following weekend (14th) and the details of the summer evening events have been posted on the web pages.
Cheers
Steve

PS Both riders who needed hospital treatment for chest pains on Saturday are ok but still in James Cook Hospital. Hopefully, they will make a full recovery and will be back on their bikes before the end of the season.
PPS Muddybums will be sponsoring the NEMBOS League this year and Tony Harker will be bringing a selection of sporting goods to all NYMBO and NEMBOS events. Please support him by buying some kit – it is excellent and competitively priced.

Online entries have now closed and we have got 121  pre-entered riders for this Saturday so there will be 19 spare maps for late entries and entry on the day.
This is the first NYMBO League event of the year and the National ranking list will replace the old National League for 2012. All events on the BMBO calendar, of 3 hours or more, that use SI or Emit will be included in the ranking list. Only riders who provide a current BMBO membership number will be included in the rankings.
So please make sure that you have renewed your membership for 2012.
See you on Saturday

I wanted a gentler ride today so I checked the final 10 controls for the event in May which starts at the George & Dragon in Hudswell. Hazy sunshine and the usual spectacular views especially on the new bridleway below Willance’s Leap.

Sorry for my mistake. This is a 3 hour event not 4 hours as I wrote last night. We are up to 30 pre-entries now but hopefully everyone else is going to get online this weekend.

Our first league event of 2012 will be held at Duncombe Park in Ryedale on Saturday 10th March. Tim Clarke has planned an excellent course and Duncombe Estate have allowed us to use even more of their private tracks this year because it is between the shooting and nesting seasons. This is a 3 hour event but don’t forget that there is a 2 hour league option if you don’t want to ride as far.
Online entries cost £11 but postal, email or on the day entries will cost you £12 – less deductions for BOF membership or your own SI card.
We have only got 20 pre-entries so please enter by March 6th to guarantee a map – then Jens knows how many to print. We will have 20 spare maps but if you decide to send an email after this date or just turn up and enter on the day you run the risk of only having a black and white map. Hope to see you there.

Terrington Moor

Dr Danny Chan and I have taken on the task of planning the second event in this years NYMBO League.  Although we planned the summer event in Hovingham last year, neither of us have planned a “proper” bikeo before – despite having ridden quite a few. It’s interesting for us, as I could be fairly described a “not the quickest rider” and Dr Chan has been described as “navigationally challenged.”

So our aspiration is to plan a good ride for both 2hr and 4hr competitors, and with controls in fairly straightforward places. This means no controls hidden knee deep in brambles; attached to live cows; or needing snorkel gear to find them in water-filled trenches.  I know those last two have never happened but having been to Driffield there’s always a first time. Although this will help riders on the day, it’s mainly to help Danny and I get the controls in the right places the day before.

Dr Chan was otherwise engaged in a secret mission this weekend, but he let me spend the time deciding on the locations of about half the controls. Saturday was marred by a flat tyre and an inept repair, but when the sun was out on Sunday it was a great February day for biking. The view in the photo is of one of the controls not far from the start at Terrington. The other bonus was seeing various deer, rabbits, and due to my frequent breaks, a Great-spotted Woodpecker.

I was quite pleased to get a farmers permission to use a mark track permissive rather than cycle across a field, and I’ve learned that it takes time to check good control locations so the next six weeks will go quickly. I’m hoping for a dry, sunny Easter!

Dave

I always enjoy planning an event on my doorstep, it is amazing what one finds even after living here for so long!
It is also gratifying to see that the riders have enjoyed the challenge, either mine or from the weather. Reading the post ride route choice I can see that some of the bridleways were tough going and that everyone who went south east enjoyed the view along Landmoth – one of my favourite rides.

I apologise for some errors, the position of control 16 is on the north wall of the building, south west of the track junctions. I also understand that I may not have got the phone number on the back of the chevron road sign correct at number 24. HeyHo. The garage door at number 1 used to have 5 windows but has been changed to an up and over with 7. Except it was up when some riders got there so difficult to tell how many there were. Still, as long as you did the navigation I’m not too bothered about the answer!
John D

All of the fliers for the 2012 League events are now posted on the events page. You can also download and print the 2012 Poster for your local bike shop, just click the image .

2012 NYMBO League Poster

It was great to see 45 riders having a go at Andrew Windrum’s second attempt at planning courses in Gilling Woods. Everyone was relieved that he got it right this time so that the winning times reflected the Medium course distances. Congratulations to all of the category winners – particularly Killian Lomas (A course), Graham Fielding (B) and Nathan Parker (C). It was great to see Dave & Sue Relton on the other side of the SI desk and out on their bikes. However, it was disappointing to see a few riders lose their time through mispunching. Unfortunately, in this discipline of MBO, you have to get all of the controls to qualify and there are always extra controls to confuse you in the forest. It was great of Ebor to allow us to use the woods after their important orienteering fixture – but it also meant that there were over 60 extra controls in the forest!!
Thanks to Dennis Hooton for drawing up the courses and having them printed on waterproof paper. Thanks also to the volunteers who helped by collecting in most of the controls. Unfortunately I then locked two of them in the forest when I left so they had an anxious 20 minute wait until I got back and let them out!!
Our MBO Score league starts on March10th with a 3 hour event at Helmsley in Ryedale – and our next MTBO event will be at Pickering Forest on May 12th – in the morning before the Score event.
Final apologies to riders who paid too much online. Please claim your refund for BOF membership or your own SI card at the next event. I have amended the online entry form this evening.
PS I still prefer riding in Score events and from an organisers point of view they are far simpler and safer as you know that everyone will plan a route to match their ability and will take no more than 30 minutes longer than the time limit.