Author: Paul

11 Stokers and 9 Pilots signed up; 7 Stokers and 8 Pilots made it. Thanks once again to ASLEF and the RMT, reinforced by a sickness bug, numbers were culled to, you guessed it, 7 tandems and a solo. Still, a very respectable turnout for a brilliant buzz around the bay. Morecambe Bay that is.

Departure was slightly delayed when a trailer board bulb exploded. So we nicked one from our second trailer and set off, watching the mercury rise from single figures into the high teens. And it stayed there – even nudging 20 in the afternoon.

As ever, the quote of the day award went to ride leader Barney. “You don’t need a bigger saddle. Give me a carving knife and I’ll reshape your bum so it fits better!”

Doubts that today’s attendance may have been in low single figures, (apparently there’s been a bit of a conflicting bash in London), were comfortably dispelled with a healthy turnout of 15 Trekkers at Leeds Road this morning.

Amongst attendees were newcomers Mark (Pilot) and Graham (Stoker) from York as well as Jo (Pilot) from Glossop. All were super cyclists, though Jo says she’d like to join another track session before committing to membership.

It was also great to see Katie back on the rear saddle and to renew an acquaintance with Ian P who piloted with us a few years ago.

The weather was more than very decent allowing Keith to run a couple of versions of our slow race. Honours went to Brian and Chris who narrowly pushed our resident dynamic duo (Stevie and Muz) into second place. But hot on the duo’s heels were Ian and Katie and with only a slender 1.5 seconds separating the three pairs, competition was intense. Indeed, it was probably only due to the fact that Simon and Graham had just been lapping everyone and the word “slow” hadn’t quite sunk in, that they narrowly missed out on a podium place.

“Well”, said Matthew, “At least you’ll have something different to write in today’s blog”. He was right.

Somewhere, probably on the M62, the retaining bolt on the rear timing chainring on M3 vibrated loose, potentially rendering the tandem unserviceable. Alas, unfazed by the prospect of having one less bike, a quick trip by Keith to the local bike shop succeeded in procuring a perfect replacement and, ignoring a 20 minute delay to our start time, all six tandems set out on another superb ride around the Ribble Valley.

And once again, everyone conquered the 15% gradient out of Grindleton before arriving at Bowland Bikes in Clitheroe for the compulsory calorie replacement exercise. Great service, as always, from the café team; their locally sourced bacon comes highly recommended. Very highly recommended!

Sincere apologies to the stokers who couldn’t be accommodated today. You’ll be prioritised when we return later in the year. Promise.

Tandem Trekkers – Hull-Hornsea with Beech Holme

Awaking to heavy rain at some frightfully early hour there was a quick debate with potential riders about going or not going and the opinion was it was only raining on Drew so we should go.

Our new storage has a totally undercover loading area so despite the fact that the rain was following Drew it was not able to get him wet whilst he was loading 5 tandems. Yeah. 😊

Off the trailer went with the rain pursuing Drew as far as somewhere around Goole where it decided it had had enough and buggered off.

Arrival and unloading and meeting and greeting the Beech Home folk was undertaken in the dry, albeit under a grey sky. As the day progressed the sun did come out and stayed out for the duration. Yeah 2. 😊

The ride was the usual combination of cycle track tarmac and mud (boo) and quiet lanes with the odd busy bit in Hull to and from Beech Home HQ.

The usual splendid fish and chip dinner was very quickly served up by the staff at Whiteheads in Hornsea at the lunch stop (they’re in the top 10 F&C shops in the UK you know….)

Plenty energy for the return trip by a different route to last year.

All in all a great if long day. And a goodly 33 miles ridden. 

At no point however will it be mentioned that someone’s stoker put the parking brake on during a stop and forgot to mention it to said pilot, rather asking “why aren’t we going?” for the first two failed attempts at forward motion…..Yeah 3. 😊

Drew (the wet one)

Despite the pre-ride pairing gremlin doing its utmost to disrupt plans, this morning’s Greenway getaway was absolutely ace. One confirmed case of Covid, one quite possible, one confirmed case of D&V (minus the V) and an elderly parent needing some post-fall TLC, all conspired to whittle our eleven bikes down to nine.

Simon, an experienced Open Country pilot, paired with Steve D to comfortably win the “Tandem with most seat posts showing” competition – and that was our LL bike.

And other event winners were Muz who broke the all-time Greenway speed record causing Stevie B to combine the ride with some decent off-road sections and Judith who, once again, walked off with the most infectious laugh trophy.

Till next time….

The upcoming repair-enforced closure for six months of Aldwark Toll Bridge, a rickety old structure and home to a particularly nasty and mean-spirited troll, also called Aldwark, persuaded us to bring forward the first of our two planned rides which start and finish in the North Yorkshire market town of Boroughbridge.

And what a superb day it turned out to be. Seven tandems and a couple of solos enjoyed some lovely Easter sunshine.

A fantastic day, made all the more special, by seeing Cashel and Chris on their maiden Trek and being joined by Andy, Chris V and Mark, friends who haven’t been able to ride with us for a while.

Finally, if things come in threes, expect a broken chain next week. The new Lightening suffered a break last week and today, L2, ridden by Mark and Tariq suffered the same fate. Alas, the Ride Leader pack was already, as instructed, racing back to the start. But, thankfully, Lou’s Parktool splitter, a spare Magilink carried by Paul and a pilot willing to get his hands very dirty (Thanks Mark) combined to spare us a vehicular retrieval.

Arriving at HQ this morning, there was a problem. A bundle of rather large roofing timbers was preventing access to both trailers. Not even, Drew, Stevie, Charles and Stephen D who had turned up to ferry tandems to the track would have been capable of solo riding two bikes apiece; though it would have been very interesting to watch. Thankfully, a fellow occupier of the estate was on hand, and brought a JCB equipped with forks to remove the aforementioned obstacle. So that was one problem solved.

Problem no 2 was rail enforced. Graham R, so keen to join us as a stoker, had his plans thwarted by a cancelled train. No surprises there.  And then, Tariq advised that earlier in the week he’d managed to wedge himself between the train and the platform edge. Not recommended. Thankfully, nothing broke (except the train) and apart from scrapped shins and bruised thighs, he’s expected to make a full recovery.

Anyway, despite the above, 15 Trekkers including three new stokers and a pilot made the most of a bit of an overcast and chilly morning.

Slow race honours went to Stevie and Ed with father and daughter team Cashel and Chris coming a very close second.

The £10.00 that Trekkers spent today was probably the best investment it has ever made.

Because that’s what we paid to the bike shop, adjacent to Julie’s cafe, to use their power washer and clean down our nine tandems. And a thorough wash down was very much needed.

The morning’s squally showers had ensured that the trail was particularly muddy.

Nevertheless, what a wonderful way to spend a Saturday morning, cycling up to Dunford Bridge before returning to Penistone and being reminded that Julie’s butties have no equal.

Last time we rode the Greenway, there were just three tandems. Today, there were nine … plus a solo. As Wallace would say, it was a “Grand Day Out”. And if further proof is needed of the sense of enjoyment the 19 Trekkers on our first proper outing in 2023 is needed, take a look at our WhatsApp chat; it’s exploded this afternoon with a flurry of post-ride messages.

Accessing the Greenway from our new HQ worked well. Indeed, the smiles on the bemused faces of the motorists who kindly stopped as the nine tandems emerged, convoy style, onto the main road tells a story all of its own.

And it’s just as well as Drew had the foresight to warn Hayley at the café of the impending invasion. She was well prepared.

Finally, a special mention of Louise, our newest pilot. Coached by our own Limitless Champion, Jules, she excelled on her maiden outing.

Well done, Louise … and well done everyone who made today’s 2023 inaugural ride out so successful.

What an amazing start to our 2023 season. Complimenting sixteen existing members were five new pilots (Louise, Jimmy, Ed, James and Donard) and a new stoker, Junior. An absolute delight to meet you all. And here’s hoping that we’ll see lots more of you as the season progresses. (Thankfully, there was no-one new called Steve today. We’ve already got enough of them).

With so many inductions, and only seven tandems on the track, there was only time for one extra-curricular activity – a slow race; an oxymoron if ever there was one!

And what an event it was. New pilot James, ably assisted by Izzy Harle, scooped bronze. (Izzy you did much better than your dad ever could have). Beating them by the narrowest of margins (just 0.4 seconds) and claiming second place were Judith and Elisa. (Elisa at this rate you’ll be leading rides before the season is through). But clear winners by over seven seconds (no mean feat) were new pilot Jimmy and Pete Hoey who only joined us at the tail end of last season.

Yes … a truly fantastic start to the year.

(And, finally, apologies for the dearth of pictures today. Got taken up with admin stuff).

Rounding off our pre-pedalling festivities, Steve and Jennifer, once again, welcomed Trekkers to their annual wine-tasting extravaganza. While most aspiring connoisseurs were able to successfully distinguish between reds and whites, it was the “No chips without fish” crew which romped home with Gold. Hardly surprising, given that Nicola lists Sommelier skills amongst her repertoire of abilities.

Sincere thanks to Team Davies, ably assisted by the lovely Lily and charming Caitlin, for making the evening a runaway success.

If a picture paints a thousand words, then Judith’s video shouts a million:

And for good measure a few extra pictures:

True – there was no cajoling DJ and it was only a residential living room, but once Amazon’s Alexa was asked to ditch the seasonal songs and ramp up the 70’s disco music, every single lady pilot at last night’s TT Christmas social demonstrated that their skill set extended far beyond being the front rider on bicycles built for two.

And why restrict the fun? Seeing our equally talented fairer sex stokers move to the music, thankfully under guidance, was the icing on last night’s TT’s social Christmas cake.

Reputations will never be the same…. (except for Judith’s!)

And the night of new talent discovery didn’t stop at the disco scene. Supplementing the traditional pilot vs stoker quiz (it was a tie), Ukulele singing (fronted by Sean, Martin and Jules) and solos from Steve D (the Queen’s better half) came a poetry rendition from Hajra and a festive singalong led by Lou on her portable piano.

But the award for cementing the evening’s tremendous talent must go to Jules. Seated at Lou’s piano, this blind lady was able to pick up the songs piping through the speakers and accompany them on a keyboard she couldn’t see.

Now that was a sight to behold.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Chinese Proverb: “Many hands make light work.”

Trekkers Proverb: “Many hands make bikes work.”

Never before in the history of Trekkers’ annual maintenance have so many answered Barney’s call for a cleaning and lubing crew.

14 Trekkers. Amazing…..

Despite an embarrassing faux pas which meant we arrived with one tandem less than required (Paul has difficulty counting past seven!), the ride was a fitting end to our season.

Massive thanks to Nicola and Brittany who immediately volunteered to step down. A sacrifice made all the more special by virtue of the fact it was Nicola’s birthday and Brittany had brought her own tandem.

But for the seven bikes that did get away, all went well. Spurred on by last week’s success, Elisa once again rode like a true champion. Rumour has it she’ll be leading rides next season!

Great to see Ali back in the saddle. Sorry Saudi weren’t able to boss Poland as they had Argentina.

And so folks, that’s it for another year. Just next week’s maintenance session and then we’ll be hibernating our Orbits until 2023.

But the last words of this write up belong to Kate, who sums things up perfectly: “Lovely last ride of the season. Thank you for all the organisers over the year, the entertaining write ups and the stokers for all the wonderful chat and pedalling, and thank you to all of the Tandem Trekkers for making it a great first year for me. It’s been lots of fun and friendship with the occasional cake 🍰 Kate.”

Hear! Hear!

Our penultimate 2022 excursion saw just three tandems and a solo brave the heavier than expected drizzle up Spen Valley. Departure was preceded by running through induction with Pete H. and John H. who plan to ride with us next season. Highlights included bumping (not literally) into Beverley, out for a morning 5-mile hike into Hopton woods; and meeting Richard at the café. Talking about highlights – hot coffee and crispy bacon butties on a damp morning, sheltering from the rain. Scrumptiously atmospheric!

Never judge a book by its cover; nor a ride by the number of bikes.

There may have only been four tandems (and a solo) but, cards on the table, it was a thoroughly enjoyable day out. Not only did we all keep together, (as in no regrouping stops), but the pace was brisker than most of our outings. All bikes mastered Grindleton Bank’s 16% gradient and the ride was all over too soon. But not before partaking of refreshments at Bowland Bikes Cafe (formerly The Green Jersey.)

Two memories from the day. Judith disciplined herself to a single Bacon Buttie (she must have had a full English beforehand) and Elisa’s performance. Paired with Nicola, she was amazing – confessing on the way home she really had set her mind to conquering what is one of the harder rides on our schedule. Well done Elisa.

In the ongoing, and still continued absence of any adults, it was down to the Hon. Treasurer to do the complicated trailer fetching once again. This went without a hitch, especially since the farmer was present and helped drag the pesky trailer from its hole – (which was just as well as the Hon. Treasurer is, once again, suffering from a bad back). 

Everyone’s favourite Grease Monkey had the key and very kindly rode down to storage to a) open up b) load the trailer and c) have another look at the sticking disc brake on Small Tandem 1 which had decided not to play ball. This time it has been taken away for a severe beating in a shed….

This was the first time in many a week that no small tandems were required – hopefully the pesky thing will be sorted before we need it again.

All loading was done and all stokers and pilots assembled other than those meeting at Birkin and the trip over was without issue apart from the sheer brightness of the sun making it hard to see the road at times.

Yes, we had managed to obtain yet another Tandem Trekkers Weather Exemption from the Boys at the Ministry of Weather and it was both extremely sunny and positively balmy and nearly wind free.

The route was undertaken without issues, and we added the extra little loop via Gateforth at the end as things were that loverly ….

Café seemed to have a problem with our orders all being for someone called “Steve”. This has been partially resolved by the decision to call at least once of them Gary or Gaz from henceforth…. you’d to have been there for this one!

Drew

Anyone waking up in Yorkshire on early Saturday, 15th October, would have been forgiven for deciding to give tandemming a miss; we were getting close to stormy weather and rain! An Autumn day indeed.

Today I was paired, for the first time, with Muz and setting off from lock-up was an indication of what was in store. Where usually, the pilot says, “1,2,3 – Go” I expect a slow, gentle setting off – not today – this was having a rocket launcher at the back. As we were racing towards the greenway, we soon dumped all our responsibilities (walkie-talkie and ride pack) on a very speedy Kate and Alisa behind us. Kate relished this vital role, especially the walkie-talkie, which allowed her to natter with Martin. However, and it might have been “ENTIRELY accidental”, but she packed it deep in her hip bag (sorry Martin – I also am not sure what to make of that) – hihihihi. Good thing that Martin today with equally chatty Tim as when Muz and I did arrive at the cafe, we heard the roaring laughter from afar – yep; not a quiet bunch! Drew, I think, at the cafe, made a girlfriend who instantly clicked with him (a young Collie!), so they spend some time throwing leaves at each other – as you do – with excitable young pups!

On the final stretch Muz and I were caught up by Nicola on her solo bike and exchanged some jokes never to be repeated (I am being serious). Hihihihi

Once everyone was back at lock up, it became clear that Agnes and Jules really did have a bit of a workout and had been cycling with the back brake not releasing – I hope your trembling legs won’t result in too much muscle ache and seriously – well done both – as that sounded a bit aarrgghhh!

Finally, an important mention for “Dog Walker Extra-Ordinaire”: Isabel! Tessa must have had a marvellous time if her cute smile was anything to go by.

So overall, this rainy, blustery start to the day turned into another fun-filled ride with friends without rain but plenty of headwinds, so, unfortunately, no land speed records were broken!

Thanks, everyone – a fab morning indeed!

Judith

In the continued absence of any adults it was down to the Hon. Treasurer to do the complicated trailer fetching once again. This went without a hitch especially since the farmer was present and helped drag the pesky trailer from its hole.

Merrily driving along towards Brighouse it occurred to your correspondent that he had failed to bring the keys for storage with him so a quick detour back to Wibsey was required.  Duh number 1.

Arriving at storage it was determined that the requirement for the ride in addition to your author’s Tiny tandem already in his van, was 2 large tandems, 1 medium and 2 small, which point was stressed many times over during loading. 

Imagine therefore your author’s surprise when we arrived at Penistone to find that on the trailer were 1 small, 1 medium and 3 large! Someone had blundered! Duh number 2.

Luckily Tiny tandem is one size fits all so she was quickly re-formatted to fit a person of more diminutive stature such as Charles whilst yours truly and Muz took over the errant large.

A detour from the trail was required at Bullhouse Lane due to an issue with the bridge over the main road but this was accomplished without issue.

We had one unfortunate incident when Jules’ hand was very painfully caught between her bars and those ludicrous anti-motorbike gates that are situated on one of the minor road crossings. 

She however being a proper trooper carried on with just a bit of first aid sticky tape once the initial shock had worn off.

Moral of that one is discretion is the better part of valour at these stupid things and don’t try to ride through. Other than that it was a sunny and dry day once again and the café did us proud as usual.  Pictures below to prove it:

Ride report 24 September Birkin circuit with Beech Holme Club

In the absence of any adults it was down to the Hon. Treasurer to do all the complicated trailer fetching and storage opening and trailer loading stuff for this week’s trip to the Fisheries for our joint ride with our Hull friends from Beech Holme Tandem Club.

(Point of interest here – Beech Holme have been going as a CTC member group since 1950! Founded by amongst others that doyen of the East Yorkshire cycling trade, Cliff Pratt.)

Due to the fact that our friends on the railways were once again cancelling trains left right and centre we had a bit of a panic when pilot Agnes found herself unable to get to storage on a train as she had planned.  Luckily Tim was able to collect her from Knottingley station instead on his way to Birkin.

On the drive over we had a considerable downpour but we drove through it and the rest of the day remained cool, draughty but dry. J

As we were a tad late in arriving at the start due to trying to retrieve pilots from obscure railway stations Beech Holme had availed themselves of the opportunity of a second breakfast whilst they waited for us! 

Once Trekkers were finally assembled we set off with Keith on solo leading and Drew and Muz taking up the slow place at the rear, much of course to the disgust of Muz. 

To cheer him up I arranged for his seat post to sink beneath him after the first mile so we could stop and correct this issue and then go at a more Muz-like pace to catch back up again. (Something that takes longer than you might think when you have 20” wheels and everyone else has 26” or 27”.)

Apart from the seat post issue the rest of the ride passed without issue with Beech Holme helping to mark the junctions and turns. Once back at the fisheries everyone had the usual excellent lunch of their choice before we loaded up and returned to base another successful Trek completed. 

PS for future reference Tim is now thoroughly versed in tandem loading and strapping. J

Picture below of the assembled masses. Four crews plus a soloist from Trekkers and five from Beech Holme. 

PPS it was Keith’s 21st birthday yesterday and we were forced by someone who should know better to sing “Happy Birthday” before we set off in the morning…

After missing two Saturdays in a row whilst sunning himself on the Costa del Withernsea, the Hon. Treasurer made a re-appearance to oversee 20 Trekkers and 10 tandems up and down the Greenway via the Flowerpot café. Everyone turned up on time and everyone was sorted with matching tandems in their own choice of colours (well as long as they chose blue…).

The ride was without issue apart from some awkward roadworks at the bottom of Church Lane which we avoided by judicious use of the pavement.

Hayley at the café had been forewarned we were coming but there was a charity bike-packing event running yesterday as well in aid of Overgateand so the Greenway and the café were both very busy but we didn’t have to wait too long to be served. See below for exciting queue picture. Obviously not quite as long as that for the lying in state of her late Majesty.

The return was equally uneventful and equally pleasant as the way out and everyone was safely returned to lock up at the end of another sunny, dry and cheerful Trekkers trip.

A new addition to the Trekker’s route collection; and arguably its’ most scenic to date. Today’s eight tandems and single solo, leisurely wound their way around the market town of Stamford Bridge. Historically more famous for battles than for bikes, Trekkers enjoyed a disused railway viaduct, off-road wooded section, forestry commission landscape and the delightfully named hamlets of Buttercrambe and Skirpenbeck. All before partaking of the obligatory replenishment of spent calories at the Old Station Café.

Quote of the day: “Judith must be a long way back. I can’t hear her!” Alas, she was a mere two bikes away when Keith made the pronouncement. But then I guess the senility is in keeping with his decision to cycle out and back to Stamford Bridge. A mere hundred miles or so.

Four tandems, one dog walker and guide dog went for a blast up the greenway. Barney led with Ian on his first trekkers ride away from the track followed by Charles and Muz, Brian (first pilot duty) and Jules and Nicola and Collette. A really pleasant ride with everyone having a proper natter at the cafe stop before making a good fast return. All thoroughly enjoyed and Tess and Louise got to test out the Mardy Crumb cafe in Mirfield before Tess managed to find some wet grass and puddles to roll in.

Barney

Despite a 40 minute mechanically enforced delay, today’s seven tandems and a solo enjoyed (perhaps, endured is a better word) 30 plus degrees of sunshine on what is arguably the flattest ride we do. And given how high the mercury rose, it’s probably just as well that the steepest inclines on the loop were the two bridges.

Great to be joined by Chris and Keith on their first post-induction outing. You were both superb.

And although not on today’s ride, special thanks are due to “just back from holiday” Barney, who dropped everything to meet us back at storage to suss out exactly what was required to repair the problematic front mechs on two of our bikes.

Sorry Nicola and Matthew – for some reason I failed to catch you on camera. Apologies.

The key holder cycled down to storage to meet Martin, Jules and Tessa, followed by Judith and Nicola. 

We had lost one potential new pilot, due to the dreaded lurgy that is currently doing the rounds, but were still expecting one other and two new stokers who all duly presented themselves at the track along with Keith (straight from a park run) and Graham Sowden who is now renamed Graham 1 due to us gaining a second Graham – see below:

Nicola’s other half gave Martin and Jules a lift to the track, and Nicola mentioned in passing that he had previously spoken of a desire to be a pilot too.  Long story short, we now had two pilots to induct, along with two stokers.

New pilots were Chris, aka husband of Nicola, and Graham Drucas (henceforth Graham 2) who had brought his young lad along as moral support. (sorry, didn’t get his name… )

New stokers were Margaret and Ian.

A highly successful round of inductions were done with the usual Trekkers style and grace. All newbies seemed keen to return. 

We rounded off with a slow race, which shockingly was won for once by yours truly, on his second go of the day, being stoked by Ian – I think –  but I did two separate rides and I am not sure who stoked which….put that down to old age.

We look forward to seeing all our newbies on a ride soon.

Drew

Weather-wise, the ride was timed to perfection. The rain stopped as we started and started as we stopped.

It’s holiday season. So just a trio of tandems, and a solo, making more than the most, bobbing around Boroughbridge’s quiet lanes.

All rounded off with a brownie-come-cheesecake-raspberry-loaded gateau that left those sticking with more traditional sandwich fare, longing for a taste.

Next time.

Unusually, the weather wasn’t as kind to us as of late. A wise decision to miss the climb up Grindleton Bank, and for the eight tandems to head straight to the cafe at The Green Jersey in Clitheroe, meant we weren’t quite as wet as might otherwise have been the case.

Sadly, the prize for the wittiest comment of the day must be carried forward to our next outing. That said, several disparaging remarks about it always raining in Lancashire were overhead. Names have been taken.

Most Trekkers clocked just shy of 20 miles today. I say most because for reasons best known to themselves, Charles and Keith decided to cycle there and back intending to pump the miles ridden north of three figures. Unfortunately for Charles, the 25% incline up Mytholm Steeps and the accompanying fall on the way out rendered a return by bike impractical. Managing to avoid a similar argument with the slippery cobbles, Keith was able to keep to Plan A.

The bottom line is it was yet another thoroughly enjoyable ride. Well done one and all.

Question: What do you get if you add 7 tandems to 2 solos and introduce a largely off-road route and a gloriously sunny morning into the mix?

Answer: A wonderfully enjoyable ride up our local Greenway.

Thanks to everyone who joined us today and a special welcome to Brian and Mark – who having learned all about riding tandems with VI’s decided to join us on our morning’s escapade sharing pilot and stoker roles.

Also great to see Agnes on her first away from base ride as well as being joined by Tim’s lovely daughter, Isobel.

If there was an icing on today’s absolutely fantastic outing around the uppsy-downsy Yorkshire Dales, it must have been the marvellous view we had of the fly past by the Red Arrows.

But to stop there would be a travesty. Over 1500 feet of climbing including Nappa Bank at 14% (OK we did it as a descent), a lovely cafe stop at Wigglesworth Community Centre, 24 degrees of Summer Sun to complement the 24 undulating miles. What’s not to like?

Quote of the day, as usual, belongs to Barney. “Jules – stop acting like a girl. If you’re not careful, Charles will lick it off. He likes the taste of oil.”

What a great session – sometimes these track sessions feel like you’ve gone in a minibus singing along to reach your destination in high spirits with all your mates! Yes, it was one of those – though we had to temporarily dial-up our community “pretend normal” setting to welcome (and not scare off) two great new pilots, Agnes and Ian. Soon it became clear they fit our crazy bunch exceptionally well, so we had 1.5hrs of banter, fun and all-important riding.

As part of inducting, we do like to do the slow race; often, this can descend into mayhem – hence the need to do it within the safe confines of the track! Thankfully, Drew was ready to take charge, lay down the ground rules, tell people off for not sticking in their lane or trying to bend the rules (you know how you are – starting with L and ending on ouise with K ending on athryn! trying to set off seconds after everyone else!) and general refereeing. 

We had worthy winners, Nicola and Joanne, who did indeed go very slow, and in the second race, Barney and myself managed to go so slow we were investigated afterwards by Drew to check we played fair – we did. Top tip here: Barney did cunningly stick everything in the lowest gear. Other highlights included Stephen and Agnes whizzing around at great speed and making low-speed mini-handling loops with ease. Drew and Colette also tried to try and break the land speed record on Drew’s mini tandem, and Ian was very brave, too, as he had to deal with me wobbling as hard as I could on the back of his tandem!
Time just flew past, and before we knew it, this great morning with friends was over – thanks, everyone, for coming! 

Photos courtesy Stephen & Joanne. Narrative – Judith

“What – only five bikes out on a glorious day like today!” sparked the discussion. “Rail strikes, buses not running, holidays, building human powered torpedoes, family triathlons, cricket and maybe a bit of Omicron Mark II” were all advanced as possible explanations. “Quality not quantity”, concluded Aisha. No-one disagreed.

All five bikes powered up the full length of the Greenway to Low Moor, before a gravity assisted return to the cafe.

To borrow Wallace’s catch-all word to capture a truly grand morning: “Splendid”.

If the first law of cycling is that for every uphill there is an equal and opposite downhill, then the second law must be that for every headwind there is an equal and opposite tailwind. At least on a tandem the power to wind resistance ratio is much better. Our return to base was decidedly easier than anticipated. Or maybe it’s just that our stokers are collectively fitter than given credit for.

In short, a superb ride. A full complement of ten tandems and a solo including husband and wife Ian and Nic, together with Tom and Amar all on their maiden away ride.

Thanks everyone who made the morning so enjoyable.

We struggled with sunshine and nice June weather today on the track – however we didn’t need it as get some Trekkers together, and it’s a “jubilous” atmosphere with plenty of smiles that make up for it… Just Barney on his own is one big smile; even though we crunch the bikes through use!

As Keith was around, we all needed to do the oxymoron- a slow race! Always fun, always tricky, and feat of partnership, balance and nerves. Our slowest teams (congratulations), I believe, were Ikra & Charles and Michelle & Louise.

We had quite a full house today and, thankfully, enough pilots to keep everyone warm and toastie and bodies moving! We also welcomed new stoker Amar to the Trekkers – we hope to see you on a long ride soon – you’d love it!

A good day overall apart from Keith & Barney trying to run me over, I am assuming this was entirely accidental, unplanned and trying not to take it personally.

Thanks for coming Colette, David, Michelle, Matthew, Ikra, Charlie, Martin, Jules, David J, Louise, Barney, Keith, Charles, John, Amar and David Q. Also, thanks, guide dogs Reggie and Tessa, for giving everyone snuggles and kisses.

Judith

We refer to this ride as “Fairburn”. That’s for historical reasons. Today the route starts and finishes several miles to the east at Birkin Fisheries. And apart from the busy A19, that so rudely dissects the quiet rural roads, it’s normally a superb way to spend a Saturday. And today was no exception.

Seven tandems (and Steve C. on solo who safely shepherded us all across the aforementioned A19) benefitted from a trouble free ride.

Well – it was almost trouble free.

Some of the towing electrics on Paul’s car decided to throw a wobbly – and it’s more than just the left indicator that’s goosed as he discovered on arrival home🙁🙁. Auto Electrician recommendations required.

Despite a near Biniam Girmay incident on Friday night (Giro d’Italia reference there) the designated ride leader was able to present himself at lockup in one piece. As no-one could be found to accompany him this week he rode solo, leading, in time honoured Plaza-Torrean fashion,  (Gilbert and Sullivan reference there) from behind. So five tandems and one solo duly went off and this week everyone rode to the top of the Greenway at Lowmoor before going to the cafe, even Martin who was suffering with a chest-infection, although that might be because his pilot Tim hadn’t ridden the Spen route before and rode past regardless… The usual good grub at the Sunflower pot and then back to lock up for another incident-free and dry ride. Special prizes are available to the first person to tell us what the two references above are all  about. (Special in this case meaning not actually real…..) Anyway,  I’m away for two Saturdays now in a hut in Withernsea, so see you all in June. Drew

It started well. It ended better. But there was an in between.

At the beginning Barney explained who was in charge at Drew’s place. Apparently the pecking order is Dog, Dog, Sam, Wheely Bin 1, Wheely Bin 2, Drew, Wheely Bin 3. Drew didn’t disagree.

Departure from Glasson Dock was delayed. An altercation with a ridiculous and completely unnecessary height barrier rendered one of our tandems unserviceable.

Undeterred, the ride set off. Plan B was initiated.

Plan B allowed a couple of Trekkers to visit Lancaster University to assess their facilities with a view to booking Trekkers Residential 2022. More to follow. Stay tuned.

But back to Plan A. Seven tandems, and Isobel on her solo, cruised around Morecambe Bay, thoroughly enjoying summer sunshine and a largely off-road ride that truly merits the description of superb.

Thanks to all who came. Isobel – you were absolutely wonderful and we hope to see you again real soon. Barney – what a brilliant route. Please risk assess more like this. Kate – you’re proving to be a real stalwart. Elisa – for agreeing to be Judith’s stoker…… we know and understand. Joanne – for putting up with Paul…. that takes real patience.

And to everyone else, pilots and stokers alike, who displayed in abundance what Trekkers is all about.

THANKS

A reasonably sunny and dry day for our latest track session. One new pilot, Andy and another new pilot/stoker combination in husband and wife team of Ian and Nicola came down to be enlightened in the arcane arts of the two-up bicycle.

All went well and the other regulars present were able to get in some decent miles as well.

Drew

Interesting start to the ride today when I arrived at the farm and the trailer was nowhere to be seen….of course it was there really as it had already been got out ready so those of us with a bad back didn’t have to try dragging it out. Just wasn’t visible on the way in. Anyway, panic over, off to storage where we were loaded and off in good time, mainly thanks to Barney.

Arrived at Penistone to find cafe shut. Oh no! Transpires we were there so early it hadn’t opened yet. Phew. 

Unloaded and after the usual faffing we were off. Lovely sunny day with a trouble-free ride then commenced and ended with usual oversize cafe portions. Reloaded and returned without issue. 

Not much else to say really. Usual thanks to all drivers, pilots and dog-sitters 

Drew

It wasn’t ever a race. Of course not. Perish the thought.

But when Joanne whispered to pilot Steve W, words to the effect of “let’s chase them down”, the gauntlet was truly on the deck.

And try as they might, Keith and Steve D just couldn’t quite muster the muscles to triumph around the purpose built BCKAT circuit. Never underestimate the cycling power of the fairer sex.

Thanks to everyone who came today. And if you weren’t able to make it, you missed a great session cycling around an absolutely superb track. Huddersfield needs one of these.

Seven tandems, warm weather and the only mechanicals being a slightly squeaky bottom bracket and a small gear indexing issue.

What’s not to like?

And if anyone is suffering from rodent infestation, Barney has the answer. Apparently, a wooden tent peg, a squashed After Eight Mint and a .22 air rifle is all you need!

It was with some trepidation that I approached the being in charge of the trailer and going to Hull thing yesterday mainly due to the need to get out of bed at 06.30…so I carefully laid everything out the night before…. except for my number plate for the trailer…oops. So if Paul gets any speeding fines next week it’s nothing to do with me that his plate was still there….

Everyone and everything reached Beech Holme in good time and after the usual faffing (or maybe more than usual since there were 2 groups) we were led through some decidedly busy roads to get to the trail to Hornsea. The trail was mostly memorable for the need to get off at every junction due to gates that are not in any way cycle-friendly. So much so that it was a relief to go back onto roads.

Lunch was pre-ordered from Whitehead’s fisheries. Excellent and very large portions appreciated by all, especially me. The return to base was cut short for me and Michelle by a flat tyre that saw us take a ride back in the Beech Holme broom wagon.

Everyone made it back and for some it was their longest Trekkers ride so chapeau to everyone.

Thanks to the Beech Holme folks for their guiding. Made an interesting if somewhat long day out.

Drew

Today saw a fabulous small gathering of passion, skills and enthusiasm at our monthly track session. We welcomed three new Pilots woohoo – Kate, Tom and Carl. All three underwent serious teasing, oops; sorry, no, testing to see if they had what it takes to be a Tandem Trekker Pilot, and we’re delighted to have given them their wings. 

Today, Martin brought unique spectacles to allow the sighted members of the club to get an inkling of how our stokers might experience the world – very weird looking glasses – but they should be a staple for track sessions for new pilots. It really brings it home!

Equally newsworthy was Ikra today, who met her match in new pilot Tom and together became the “Speed Demons” of Leeds Road (the track!), going so fast they almost became a blur! At the same time, we could hear the gentle natterings of new Pilot Kate and Collette going round in circles with clearly a lot to talk about! And then there was Carl, full of enthusiasm and being shown the ropes by Martin. 

We finished the main induction session on a high with the Slow Race (thanks, Keith for the idea), which was won by Tim and Martin, 2nd place by Colette and Kate (who came to a total standstill due to mechanical failure), a neat 3rd place for new pilot Carl and Tim’s daughter. 4th and last place went to Tom and Ikra, who failed to go slow, and just continued whizzing around the track with big smiles! 

Finally, the dull stuff: weather was very crisp, layers were definitely needed, two tandems gave up and didn’t want to play out – picture attached for the serious bike mechanics, for everyone else, its a bit like a quiz “what’s wrong with this picture”; rear-wheel mechanics are not where they are supposed to be.

So to the newly inducted pilots… great job, welcome, and hope to see you all soon; thanks for a great morning! 

Judith (aka Missy Red Boots)

We broke two things today.

The first was a record. And that was for the number of VI’s arriving on the same train at Deighton Station. 9 stokers to be precise.

The second was a more literal breakage. Although the timing chain on Paul’s tandem didn’t actually snap. It simply refused to stay on following an argument with a shoe.

Thankfully, with only 3 miles to run back to base, a man with a van. Or should that be a Mann with a van, came to the rescue.

All that said, what a fantastic way for the ten participating tandems to spend a very sunny Saturday.

And that might just be a third record. Joint rides with Beech Holme excepted, I don’t think we’ve ever had ten tandems cruising around Fairburn’s fair lanes before today.

Thanks to everyone who came.

Today was John’s first outing as ride leader so the gods of chaos and confusion (aka Network Rail) decided to cancel the trains bringing most of our VIs to Deighton. 

After various messages to and from Martin and others we finally settled on an hour later start time and those already present went to the café to wait it out.

Eventually all arrived with a few stoker cancellations leading to some pilots getting a day off. 

Further minor faffing with recalcitrant quick release levers eventually saw 6 tandems making their merry way to the Sunflower Pot cafe in glorious sunshine. 

We were apparently no longer in England it were that nice! 😁

Four of the six opted for the longer run to Low Moor before the café stop and then all returned to storage thoroughly pleased with John’s Ride Leading and the non-English weather.

See you all at Fairburn.

Drew

Fans of the 80’s TV series -The A-Team – will need no reminding of Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith’s immortal catchphrase “I love it when a plan comes together”.

Today, a plan did come together. Perfectly. Well almost.

What did work so well were the logistics. 11 pilots superbly matched with 11 stokers. And no arm twisting to balance the numbers involved. We planned to leave storage at 09.30. We left at 09.31. We planned to start riding from Penistone shortly after 10.30. And sure enough that’s exactly what happened. . The 1.5km trail diversion at Dunford Bridge was a joy to ride. Julie maintained her gastronomic reputation of serving the biggest, best and cheapest bacon butties and chip sarnies this side of the Pennines. Even the weather behaved itself.

If there was a slight downside it was that the Dawes Edge punctured. Again. But it’s two tyres are now destined for the skip.

But back to the positives. On arrival at Dunford Bridge we were warmly welcomed by Azad, Tom and Kevin, guys working on the National Grid – Morgan Sindall project to route the 400kV power lines underground. Full marks for the absolutely first class diversion that’s been built. It’s superb, and as regular trail users, we sincerely hope you leave it in place, once your work is all done and dusted

And finally, just to show our appreciation, Judith (who else) refused to leave until Azad had agreed to have a go on a bicycle made for two ….

“It’s been a long, cold lonely winter.
Little darling,
It feels like years since it’s been here.
Here comes the sun.”

George Harrison (The Beatles – 1969)

Indeed, the sun did come out this morning (though it was a bit chilly) and dusted away any remaining cobwebs of the last three non-cycling months. Three months, that for some, had felt more like a few years.

22 Trekkers, including new pilots Steve and Jenny and stokers Kristiana and Ikra, were welcomed into the TT family. And it was lovely to see lots of familiar faces too.

Thanks to everyone who took part. Hope to see many of you over the weeks and months that lie ahead.

“Best Blind Drunk ever” said Martin.

“By far” concurred Jules.

And who could possibly disagree?

Which isn’t to say that any of our previous year’s wine tasting extravaganzas have been anything other than absolutely awesome.

But last night’s event, so wonderfully hosted by Steve and Jennifer, and more than ably assisted by son Jack and his lovely girlfriend Lily, was beyond brilliant.

And whilst the tasting tour of some of the world’s leading vineyards was clearly foundational to the evening’s enjoyment, the accompanying vintner’s quizzical exercise, brain-teasing cryptic challenge, live music and singing, canapés and other delightful delicacies all conspired to make this year’s Blind Drunk one to remember.

Well done Team Davies!

If further proof was ever needed of the fabulous family spirit that makes Trekkers the caring community it has become, it was in evidence by the bucket load at our Christmas party.

Thanks are due to so many. To Barney, for causing us to question why he’s never been invited to Master Chef; not to mention all the time and energy committed by Rachel, Izzy and himself, before and after, the evening’s event. To Brittany, who once more, worked so tirelessly behind the scenes, assisting with the logistics and for the warmth of her welcome. To Jules, whose saxophonic rendition of “White Christmas” is a sure fired chart-topper. To Judith, though absent, who had so loving wrapped and wax-sealed gifts for everyone. Gifts generously donated by her marketing contacts – Sian and Trevor at https://www.troteclaser.com/en-gb/ Teresa at https://www.weleda.co.uk/ and Kate at https://www.wagtail-designs.co.uk/ And to the stokers in attendance, who convincingly trashed the pilots in the trivia quiz.

But the biggest thanks of all must undoubtedly be reserved for two groups of people. Firstly to each of the 37 Trekkers and friends who came together in a clear demonstration that the relationships fostered on tandem saddles, go much further than the miles pedalled. And secondly to every other member of our charity; to the pilots without whose selfless commitments, Trekkers couldn’t function – and to the stokers whose personalities and charisma shine so brightly, as they daily demonstrate that sight loss might be a disability; but it certainly is no inability.

Merry Christmas everyone. And here’s looking forward to many more happy miles and smiles in 2022.

Seizing the opportunity of our pre-planned annual maintenance session, and despite a thoroughly miserable forecast, Keith and Martin (hereinafter our official “crash-test-dummy”) met new pilots David, Keith and Nicola to run through what riding a bicycle made for two feels like. Not that there were any spills. Indeed, the ability and cycling experience of all our recent pilots is, to say the least, very impressive.

Inductions done, the track crew joined the maintenance team up at storage to lend a hand cleaning, lubing, adjusting and check riding our fleet of 22 bikes before their annual hibernation.

Stevie graciously brought along his newly acquired Motorhome, the awning of which gave some shelter to team members. That was until Storm Arwen threatened to return.

And Judith provided an excellent opportunity to open up one of our first aid kits in, I’m glad to say, a successful attempt to prevent her from bleeding to death. Keith suggested that if the plaster didn’t stem the blood flow, duct (or duck) tape – choose your spelling – would work (and has other uses too!)

Finally, sincere thanks to our Chief Grease Monkey, Barney, for organising today’s event and for reminding us once again that you can be a dab hand with a multi-wrench and cooking utensils. His home-cooked mince pies and ginger bakes were truly scrumptious. Move over Gordon Ramsey.