I joined a YACF (Yet Another Cycling Forum) ride on Friday night - we left York station at midnight, and rode to Scarborough - my first night ride.

Night riding in a group is brilliant! Next to no traffic, and any drivers are so bewildered, they give you masses of room, or wait for ages behind you. All you can see is the tarmac in front of you, the rear lights of the riders ahead and the stars, and what a lot of them there are! We were lucky to have an offer of tea and cake at Pocklington, at 2am, which was very welcome because we were all cold, and then we were into the hilly bit, which kept us warm. Half way up the perpetual hill to Sledmere, I looked to the east and saw light under the edge of the cloud. The first time I've ever watched dawn come up.

61 miles to Scarborough, and a slap up breakfast at the Wetherspoons pub.

And then I and one other rode home again. Into a headwind all the way. He gave up 30 miles from York with seized up shoulders, so I did that last bit alone.

By the time I creaked back up to the stairs to my flat, I'd done 127.92 miles, my longest ride ever, and been out for for 20 hours (riding time was actually 14 hours, average speed 9.2mph). My knees were sore, and my legs ached, but thanks to my recumbent ride, the rest of me was merely very tired.

An excellent experience. The next one is Whitby next month...

If I had a baby elephant, it could help me wash the car. If I had a car.

Also often found on www.cyclechat.co.uk

Whitby will be a laugh! There is serious riding in them there hills... And the train won't be running during the night (tho might be worth the shortcut back south the following day!).
Rob

Well done you ............. but what were you riding?

Geoff

That is really funny.

well done arch, that's quite a distance! sounds like a great ride, i fancy one of these night rides myself.

cheers,

velocidad.

so....

you'll riding up to Bike Right.

Zorro Wrote:
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> Well done you ............. but what were you
> riding?
>
> Geoff

Catrike Dash.

Robh - the train is a likely option for coming back from Whitby, assuming they will take the trike - I've got to check with the NYMR. I reckon I could then ride home from Pickering - all the way back from Whitby feels like a bit much for the end of October.

If I had a baby elephant, it could help me wash the car. If I had a car.

Also often found on www.cyclechat.co.uk

"I'd done 127.92 miles, my longest ride ever"

Well done Arch. Longer than anything I've done.


"Night riding in a group is brilliant!"

We did some in Sussex at Worlds at Bentwater. A customer had a Fuego fitted with a SON and B&M LED lights. We kept thinking we had a car behind.

Need to put Bike Right in diary... so busy these days.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 24/09/2010 09:07PM by LaidBack.

Hi Arch,
I've heard tell the NYMR don't bat an eyelid at trikes but haven't tried that theory out myself. Shouldn't be that busy in October unless they're on to Santa Runs already...
Good luck and watch out for the steep downhills!
Rob

Another (more scenic) option would be to cycle along the coast to Scarborough using the old railway line (I actually travelled it as a kid before Beeching sharpened his axe), but then you are at the mercy of whoever runs the Trans-Pennine service to Liverpool via York. I often use this service when in the UK, and there is ample space for bikes.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 24/09/2010 10:09PM by beeline.

I've been warned by recent users the old railway line path is rather rough going for a trike... with one particularly steep section detouring around a disused/closed tunnel. Another 'National Mountain Bike' rather than 'Cycle' route. Otherwise absolutely stunning...

beeline Wrote:
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> but then you are at the mercy of whoever runs the Trans-Pennine
> service to Liverpool via York. I often use this
> service when in the UK, and there is ample space
> for bikes.

Back when I owned a Trice QNT in 2007 I managed to sneak it onto one of the TransPennine Class 185s. But I wouldn't want to bank on being able to do that after a long ride, particularly if I was trying to mix it with the morning rush hour services to York.

I cycled part of the old rail line between Whitby and Scarborough on my XXL some years ago - from near Boggle Hole YH to Scalby - it was definitely rough going at times but I did stay on the trike all the time - mind, this was in the summer, and the 'trackbed' was pretty wet in places even then.

John Turvey

Yes, I'd forgotten about the surface, but then I'm sure Arch doesn't mind the occasional bit of rough stuff ;-)

The last time I used it was after a downpour and the bike was a completely different colour at the finish.

There was a recent post on another forum, CTC I think, which claimed that the surface was incredibly bad.

"I thought of that while riding my bike." --Albert Einstein, on the Theory of Relativity

2007 ICE QNT
2008 Hase Kettwiesel AL27
2011 Catrike Trail.
1951 Engine in need of partial rebuild.

beeline Wrote:
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> Yes, I'd forgotten about the surface, but then I'm
> sure Arch doesn't mind the occasional bit of rough
> stuff ;-)
>

I'm so glad you included the 'stuff' in that sentence...

The NYMR sounds like the more possible bet - part of the reason I always planned to ride back from Scarborough was because I had no expectations of getting the trike on the train. Various people in the group said I ought to try (although I did want to ride back, for the challenge), and just chance it on the platform, but I don't have the nerve for stuff like that. Plus, there would be every chance I forked out for a ticket, and then get refused on the platform or something. I'm going to email the NYMR to ask them, but if they run proper guards vans, I would imagine it'll be ok.

If the worst came to the worst, I'd have to ride back again! I could always stay a night in Whitby, and ride back on the Sunday, although I gather Whitby will be chock full of goths that weekend... I'm already planning some form of illuminated pumpkin on the trike..

If I had a baby elephant, it could help me wash the car. If I had a car.

Also often found on www.cyclechat.co.uk

I can confirm from last November that the Scarborough end of the coast route is very nasty on an upright tandem. I wouldnt recommend it on a trike.
NYMR do take trikes, but I dont think their Whitby extension runs that late into Autumn (the section from Grosmont is merely a user agreement on the Middlesbrough line). Check their website. You could ride the lovely back road from Pickering to Malton and hop on the train to York, too.
Which route do they ride to Whitby? When cycling to the beach hut, I go Warthill-Buttercrambe-Malton-Kirkby Misperton-Pickering, then over the moors via Newton-under-Rawcliffe, to Egton Bridge, the old toll road to Grosmont, then Sleights-Ruswarp and into Whitby on the back road. Lovely run, but some perilous descents at night.
The main road has some HUUUUUGE climbs, but descending Blue Bank on a trike would be such a blast!

Borntoolate Wrote:
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> Which route do they ride to Whitby? When cycling
> to the beach hut, I go
> Warthill-Buttercrambe-Malton-Kirkby
> Misperton-Pickering, then over the moors via
> Newton-under-Rawcliffe, to Egton Bridge, the old
> toll road to Grosmont, then Sleights-Ruswarp and
> into Whitby on the back road. Lovely run, but some
> perilous descents at night.

In reply to [www.velovision.co.uk]
Borntoolate Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Which route do they ride to Whitby? When cycling
> to the beach hut, I go
> Warthill-Buttercrambe-Malton-Kirkby
> Misperton-Pickering, then over the moors via
> Newton-under-Rawcliffe, to Egton Bridge, the old
> toll road to Grosmont, then Sleights-Ruswarp and
> into Whitby on the back road. Lovely run, but some
> perilous descents at night.

That's the route I used to take the York Cycle campaign rides to Whitby in the 80s - of course the road over Wheeldale Moor was unsurfaced in those days.