Des, Darren, Craig, George, Paul, Darryl and Dick who chose this ride, on probably the worst summer’s days since records began!! The weather was awful, the wind and the rain was relentless, stinging every inch of our faces. It was a real endure ride, and I (Darren) personally struggled with the 28.5miles. The ride was completed in just less than 7 hours, above all the hardship of the weather the Mudpackers still had a laugh and cracked a few jokes, which highlights how good the team spirit is…….Thanks lads for a cracking day out……U.T.M
George was the team photographer and due to the weather they might be the odd photo that will be added a little later.
This is my first write up so forgive me if it is rubbish. This was my first time doing the Bingley Bash, and I really enjoyed it, even though Dazza has done it plenty of time, he says it’s his first time doing this version of it, and thinks that Paul just makes it up as we go along. The ride started with a dangerous river crossing, and after the rainfall from the night before, none of us attempted. Onwards and upwards we rode up a lane which seemed to never end.
Along a flat single track and down Bingley’s answer to the Mac Mob, ascending up a little steep rock section then off to the quarry to play. Unfortunately the video I got of the ride wasn’t very good so not many pics and videos of the mudpackers showing off there skills to the local trials bikers. The quarry was good fun and was an added extra to an already good quality ride. We rode on and descending down a short single track section with plenty of drop off’s (fantastic). One of which managed to bottom out Dazza’s front suspension (nasty).
Along another section of single track which was rather wet and boggy, unfortunately it was my turn to have the problem, and I did popping my font tyre. While I was fixing the puncher with the help from others, a couple of mountain bike rode past and insulted the legendary mudpackers by questioning our intelligence. (Not a good idea). So I hunted them down and caught them walking up a brilliant piece of single tack sections with large rocks to knock us off but we never gave up unlike them.
We rode on hoping to catch them up again but they weren’t doing the same ride which Paul managed to make up as we rode on, down to the road and up to Paul’s house for the finish, a good ride with a good mixed grill and a pint in the pub.
The Heptonstall Moor part of this route was in the MBR around Jan of this year, we decided to add Worsthorne to extend the mileage. The mileage was around 20 miles. This is an excellent ride, all the more so when the weather is sunny.
This ride was our very owns Dick's Magical Mystery Tour aka the ‘Beast’. The ride was around 20 miles long and began and ended in Barnoldswick. We travelled up ‘Folly’s Lane’, up over the Weets, down towards Gisburn, West Marton and back to Barlick….an excellent route which I am sure the Mudpackers will attempt one dark night. I know it’s short and sweet but I prefer to leave the ‘write ups’ to our editor. Cheers Dick for a quality ride.
Des, Craig, George, Dazza, Paul, Neil and Lord Brown all made the short steep and sweaty tarmac climb past the very impressive Gordale Scar. This climb warms you up for the tour ahead and takes you quite a way up towards Weets Top. Then it’s off and across the moor heading south with a long descent down into Calton. A short road hop into the neighbouring village of Airton then an almost hidden bridleway down to Bell Busk (this is where Craig showed everyone how to crash and George his son ran over him....Nice!!!) Then onto a rough track with a short climb then a descent into Gargrave, the we headed along the road to Hetton.( I think it was here we were informed that mountain bikers should be in a field where they belong, this is rich coming from some lycra cladding roadies who think they own the road!!) We then took a good surface track onto the moor to take us north again to start a longer drag culminating in reaching Mastiles Lane. This good undulating section brings you above Malham then it’s down to the finish, albeit on tarmac avoiding all the cars and walkers!!
We parked up at Ingleton car park in the brilliant sunshine, all set for a 27 mile trip around Ingleborough, 8 of us made the trip, Darren, (sporting his new Giant trance X4) Craig, Dick, Dan, Paul, George, Mark & myself (Des) unfortunately only 7 of us started the ride, with Paul having to retire home after encountering problems with his rear hub and not even the ‘Doctor’ could work his magic and sadly he did not continue this circuit around one of the famous three peaks, linking three long off-road stretches via stunning views across Gods own garden (sorry Paul just had to add that). It was a steady start to the ride following a back lane out of Ingleton down to Clapham. From Clapham we rode up through the tunnels & up onto Trow Gill (good climb if your into climbs, Craig & Dick showed us how it was done) from here crossed Long Scar & Sulber before meeting the B6479 that brought us down to Horton in Ribblesdale, where we had 5minutesto refresh ourselves. Instead of turning left just before the Crown pub we rode past the pub & turned left onto the Ribble Way, which proved to be another testing climb up to Birkwith (Dick proving he is worthy of the yellow jumper king of the hills) before joining the original route at Old Ing. (a very worthwhile addition to the route) We followed the Pennine Way past Long Gill (another long climb) until we reached the Dales Way for a Long Descent down to the B6255 which we followed down to Ribblehead. Dick as usual couldn’t resist the temptation of the Burger van where he carbed up on a cheeseburger & another Mars bar. Another casualty here as Marks Knee had given in, so he followed the road back to Ingleton. (just as well I think we would have had his funeral on Scales Moor) We passed under the viaduct & followed the track to Winterscales where we picked up the bridal way that took us past Bruntscar & Ellerbeck onto Scales Moor. (this sorted the men from the boys didn’t it Dazza, I can think of better names for this moor and it is not Scales!!!) We then had a steep descent at Twistleton Scar Endthen a long descent back down to Ingleton, Craig as yet to do this descent without crashing or breaking something, god loves a tryer!!! Once back in Ingleton we had a much needed & deserved pint.
This is a fantastic ride to underpin our charity ride across Scotland, and this was made extra special with this extraordinary weather we are having, it is a hard ride but well worth the effort.
9 of us made the 2 hour journey to this fantastic place. The weather was amazing. We rode both the North and South loops then decided to do the North loop again, a little slower than the first time. Chris did suffer from a few minor mishaps, one was falling down the side of the hill and the other was a puncture. Chris had to point out to his dad...."I bench press more than you can" but he couldnt remove a tyre from the rim......mmmmmmmmmmm. This was also followed up by a £10 bet between Chris & his dad Dick that Chris's waistline wouldn't be as large as Dicks when he gets to Dick's age, the amount of cake that was consumed in the cafe after doesn't look good for Chris. Back to the riding. In my opinion Whinlatter is definately on a par with the rides in the 7 Stanes, fast flowing single track with big berms, tabletops, singles & doubles even tree roots thrown in with good drop-offs & plenty of switchbacks. We hope to visit again later in the year.
This was a very difficult ride, 26 miles of lung busting hills!! Street Gate, 4 miles of sheer hell. Sadly George was missing, so he missed everyone riding Dawson crack. Excellent weather, excellent ride and well worth the saddle sore.
This was an indicator for what we can expect in June....38 miles was going well until we arrived into Gargrave, could i slot my saddle back in the groove, not a chance. This indicated i needed vaseline, lots of chocolate and a new saddle.
A few of us did the night ride around Gisburn Forest, this is well worth a trip. Photos will be along later, just waiting for the sub-editor to sort himself out.
Write up to follow, i think the sub editior should write this ride up as he went during the day and then went to the party later that evening. Come on George, you do not want the wrath of the Editor!!
This was one of the best rides i have ever done. There was a very good turn out this very cold morning, 8 of us all met up at Clapham and wrapped up for what we thought was going to be a very cold ride. We set off for the climb through the tunnels and by the time we all arrived at the top, articles of clothing were being taken off. We had some falls, Mark about 3 times, Des but he had to dive out of the way before Paul ran over him, Dazza fell in the snow and ended up on his back with his legs in the air.....beached whale comes to mind. Craig not sure what happened but it could have just been old age!!....and George did some acrobatics because he couldnt stop. Hopefully Des will add a bit more about the actuall route. Good food was had at the New Inn in Clapham, roll on next Sat. Thanks Dazza, I hadn't realised you were doing a write-up, so here's my version. Another good turn out this week with eight of us making the short journey to Clapham, (Nice to see Dave 1st ride this year) for this short but very enjoyable ride. The weather was kind to us, even though temperatures were sub zero, we had plenty of sunshine. (although Dave wasn’t to keen on the wind) The ride starts with a steep climb up through the tunnels, (remember to remove your sunglasses) this warmed us up nicely. As we climbed higher the temperature dropped and the terrain became increasingly icy with more snow, time for the first fall of the day, Cheets binned is bike on a short descent back to the road, up in a flash still with is sense of humour intact we carried on towards Feizor via a bridal way. Before we reached Feizor we crossed a small narrow bridge where the now famous Bogtrotter came to his peril, four of us riding it, the other four (Paul, Eds bitch Dazza, Neil & Cheets) forming a splinter group ‘The Pussypackers’ electing to get off & push. Just as Neil was telling us about doing an epic trail in Norfolk where the highest climb would be over a dyke, we came to a stiff little climb out of a little hamlet called Wharfe. (Go Neil!) After following bridal ways for a few miles we turned into the wind & started the climb (in the snow) up to the top of Long Scar. As we sat at the top taking a breather Dazza tried his best to get us to sing ‘All you need is love’ so he could get us on Granada Reports. We now come to the descent down past Trow Gill, (What a laugh) who didn’t fall off in the snow drifts? Cheets & George racing each other to the bottom culminating in Cheets binning his bike again. (Ouch that’s gunna hurt in the morning) Eventually we arrived back in Clapham via the tunnels still in one piece, (I don’t how) after a quick change into the New Inn for much deserved pint & good food.
Four of us Paul, George, Neil & myself (Des) Set off for Dumfries the day after New Years day, (so our heads were still like cotton wool) for 3 days riding. They are really spoilt for choice in this area because the Scots do know how to build single track. The 3 rides we decided to do were all part of the 7 Stanes. Dalbeatie Hardrock Trail 15.5 miles of red with optional black route on the Friday. Kirroughtree Black Craigs was Saturdays ride 19.5 miles of red & black with the famous McMoab followed by Heartbreak hill (It bust my lungs & Pauls chain) A shorter ride was picked for Sunday (fatigue setting in) Mabie Phoenix Trail 10.5 miles of red route. Neil managed about 2.5 miles then decided to destroy his rear mech' (anything not to complete a ride) George took the plaudits for most falls a narrow victory over myself) A couple of entertaining nights were had in Dumfries. We look forward to going up again in a couple of weeks time.
After all the stuffing of turkey and beer, a few of us ascended to Gisburn Forest, cold morning but it was a lot better than the previous weeks we have encountered. Craig (gumpy), cheeky kid, Des, Paul, Dazza, Neil, Lord Brown and his peasant Tom who now wants to be called Nick, Darryl and the down hilling queen... Mick. It is always hard work straight after Christmas but we found out that Lord Brown gave his Christmas speech to his minions of Skipton from his very own balcony. I think it went something like this
To the people of Skipton..........Christmas is a time for celebration, but this year it is a more sombre occasion for many. Some of those things which could once have been taken for granted suddenly seem less certain and the question has been asked...are the mudpackers going back to Lycra???.....say no to skin suits....
People are touched by events which we have completed and we are going to complete more in 2009.
In such times as these we can all learn something from the past and we will need support when we complete the biggest challenge yet. We might begin to see things in a new perspective and stop wearing lycra. And certainly, we begin to ask ourselves where it is that we can find lasting happiness...will it be when Mick comes back from the dark side???
Over the years those who have seemed to me to be the most happy, contented and fulfilled have always been the people who have lived the most outgoing and unselfish lives; the kind of people who are generous with their talents or their time.
There are those who use their prosperity or good fortune for the benefit of others whether they number among the great philanthropists or are people who, with whatever they have, simply have a desire to help those less fortunate than themselves.
What they offer comes in the form of what can easily be recognised as service to the Mudpackers or service to the wider community.
When life seems hard the courageous do not lie down and accept defeat; instead they are all the more determined to struggle for a better ride.
I think we have a huge amount to learn from individuals such as these. And what I believe many of us share with them is a source of strength and peace of mind in our families and friends......
To my peasants, I wish you all a very happy Christmas and remember that i will beat you if my work is not completed or the Mudpackers turn to Lycra.....
The night before the ride, I thought i would start the write up early, I have no punchures and nothing wrong mechanically so we will see what tomorrow brings, other than the usual wet, windy and cold weather.CANCELLED DUE TO THE AWFUL WEATHER
This was a mega night ride, Des got some new lights for his birthday and wanted to test them out. So we set off up the weets hill, in the wet, dark night. its was a really good ride, Gayorge was a little scared without his daddy but held it together, but apparantly fell off near the end. Roll on the next night ride which is hopefully Gisburn Forest.
Winter has finally arrived, it was a cold morning...in fact, very cold! Everyone was dressing up and screw showed us how many clothes to wear....6 layers is a little too much. Seen as gayorge loves screw he followed suit and had wrapped up. Dave had to be taught how to use his camelpack....turn the knob and water comes out!!! This ride was out of the MBR, a very good ride. Dazza let the side down with gears playing up, a puncture and finally a smash. The editor is still the winner of the yellow jersery.......I will let the Ed add some more about the ride....over to you Ed
There were supposed to be eight of us making the journey to GrizedaleForest to do the North Face Trail but due to illness Ben & Ash couldn’t make it, & according to George Big Bob couldn’t tear himself away from his lunchbox. So Paul, Neil, Screw, George & myself (Des) made the journey. We arrived to chaos in the car park as the visitor centre is being redeveloped, but all the amenities are open as is the hire shop where you can hire bikes & in Georges case helmets (oops I’ve forgotten my helmet DOOH!) at £2-00 a time. Neil unveiled his new Specialized Rockhopper (very nice bike Neil, you’ve no excuse not to come out now) The ride itself is a well marked mainly single track with fire road connecting it all together, with plenty of North Shore over the bogs. (You’re supposed to ride over the wood Paul haha not get your feet wet) It may only be just short of 10 miles but it is a very enjoyable ride where you have to work on the technical bits coming down just as much as when you are pedalling up. Lunch & a much deserved pint was had in a local watering hole. (Can’t remember the name, sorry)
The ride secretary chose well for this ride. The weather was kind to us. The ride was excellent, slightly longer than planned as we missed a invisible right turn and ended up back at Pateley bridge, we all dug deep for the massive climb up Greenhow hill....2 1/2 miles of sheer pleasure!!! This hill wrote George off......even the fittest bloke in Barlick could not handle the hill. Aparantly George loves pink and wearing tights!! Not bad for a so called rugby player. so the rided ended up around 26 miles.
There was a good turn out this weekend, weather was kind to us....which make a change. Mark had joined us for the the first time in 5 months as he has been to China.....so the lad looked like the kung fu panda!!! The ride was different, i am sure the ed will add a bit more of a description as i have no idea, where i was or where i was going plus i was too busy praying that my bike that had been rebuilt by Craig was going to get round without problems......Craig has now voluntered as the groups mechanic.....cheers!! and our social queen.
Quote of the day came from Neil the ex-sailor........'Yer treat your brakes like yer treat yer women........gentle at first until you bed them in........ then you can bang them hard'
