Rik Thompson-Endurance mountain biker

Here is part two of the Moors section recce ride,
　
The Tuesday following the bank holiday Monday I set off to finish what I’d started. This time the sun was lighting up a glorious blue sky, the only downside was the 50mph winds that had been forecast!

I began with the climb up onto Urra Moor, the views from the top were beautiful with a clear view for miles around, the going was good once on the tops and I made good time to the first meeting point at Westerdale.

The techy moor land, heather lined single track sections were impossible to ride due to the severity of the wind, now hitting me full force from the side
From there it was up towards Rosedale Head and a very slow road section into a head wind as I turned towards the South and a good blast across Glaisedale Moor, down to Egton bridge and along the side of the railway (complete with steam train) to Grosmont.


This next bit hurt… a lot, the 33% climb out of Grosmont was as hard as it looked and seemed to last forever, Padge was parked about half way up awaiting my arrival, camera in hand in a hope of getting a good ‘pain’ shot , I did not disappoint.

I’m not looking forward to that next time.


Crossing over the main Pickering to Whitby road I remembered the fast rolling tracks along Sneaton High Moor, what I was treated to was instead a mud bog with many line choices and no chance of clearing the quagmire. Time to start walking again, surely it can’t be this bad come May can it???


I knew the end was getting closer as I crossed the coastal road towards Scarborough and shortly afterwards I was at the mast above Ravenscar over looking Robin Hoods bay. A really fast descent followed which lost stacks of elevation and spat me out onto the disused railway which was to take me all the way to the finish, a real nice way to end a good day in the saddle.
All that was needed was a big mint choc chip ice cream and Padge to push my bike back up the silly steep climb from the landing in Robin Hoods bay.