BCCC Website Updated

Have a look a the BCCC website! Any Feedback????

I need the your pictures! Bolton clarion jersey pictures! Ride Photos! good quality ones! Post them on the blog of FB or email to me!

Otley, Tour de France and Bolton Clarion.

Well what binds the three components of the heading? Well for a start, as a cycling club, we have history with Otley and the massive hill named the Chevin that the town stands in the shadow of. On top of the west side of the hill lies real Clarion history, the clubhouse of the Yorkshire Clarion, sadly privatised in the last few years.

In recent history Bolton section have regularly used the hospitality it offered, the bunkhouse, self catering kitchen, dining room/lounge. Along with showers and washing room facilities were also camping facilities, much used by members cycling to and from York Rally, CTC’s annual event.

May Bank holidays and August Bank holidays afforded long weekend rides for the club, ride over on the Saturday, or Friday in the event of a late Easter weekend, then following a day or two touring the delights of the Yorkshire Dales ride back to Bolton.

While the rides were superb it must be said that the real highlight of the weekend would be long evenings spent in the nearby Chevin End Inn, boy what good times were to be had here. The times we had in the pub have become legend, many tales, tall stories and true, will be recounted by those fortunate enough to have stayed there.

Albert Winstanley was a frequent visitor, along with other members of the Autumn Tints, Albert wrote a book of the origins of the ‘Tints’, Owd Tom from Wigan was the cycling stalwart who formed the club in reverence of cycling old timers reaching the venerable age of ‘seventy’. If you get the chance, read it, Bolton Clarion are prominently referenced. There was growth in the Yorkshire section of the ‘Tints’ though in general there seems to be a lack of interest these days.

Another notable time for Bolton section was bonfire weekend in November, it was during these weekends that the club ‘hill climb’ was brought back into being after disappearing from club events, again tales from these events are still alive and vibrant.

The clubhouse being at the top of the notorious ‘Chevin’ climb was a natural selection for the event, it was also extremely familiar to members as the trek up the hill was the route from the Otley supermarket at the bottom. Laden down with food and panniers, bulging saddlebags for the weekend, the hill was extremely daunting, especially ‘the hump’ three parts of the way up, if you made it over the hump, you had conquered the hill, a mile was never so hard at the end of a sixty mile ride. The hill was also a kind of unofficial hill climb as there was always someone able to romp up the hill even at the end of the day.

The hill climb champs were often ridden by members with a heavy hangover, thoughts of climbing the hill were put at the back of the mind when enjoying a night at the pub, often after hours drinking allowed by an amiable landlord was responsible.

The clubhouse was perfectly placed for rides out to the Dales, Bolton Abbey, Rievaulx Abbey and Fountains Abbey, Selby and York, all popular destinations, Knaresborough being a favourite.

Notable rides to the clubhouse would be via the beautiful valley B roads along the river to Otley, Beamsley and Keighley, these roads on a late Easter weekend would be heralding the forthcoming summer with a fantastic show of Daffodils and Bluebells, wonderful.

Returns back to Bolton would often be via Bingley Moor and  Haworth. on a nice day, arduous but well worth the effort.

I look forward to the staging of a Tour Etape from Otley, I’m certain many of my grey cells will be stimulated as the cavalcade of colour makes it’s way over familiar terrain.

Before leaving this subject I must mention the fact that the Yorkshire Clarion clubhouse was often used as a meeting place for the National Clarion committee, often with the memorable National Secretary Marion Lamb in the chair, accompanied of course by husband Harold.

I could go on and on writing about the Menston clubhouse, Otley, and the Chevin pub, I have a head crammed with memories but no doubt ‘Le Tour’ will release many more. Cycling, why would you want to travel any other way?   

  

New Clarion Logo

Does anyone like this new logo?

Bernard's Thursday ride looked inviting on paper but I was dubious about his claim for a nice slot in the weather. I opted for another sojourn into town on the fixed gear shopper bike down the nice flat Middlebrook trail. Despite the wind behind me the icy cold bit through the two pair of gloves I had on, the long johns and thinsulate lined trousers kept the nether regions comfortable. The snowdrops falling from a grey cold looking sky gave a little comfort from my decision to not  accept Bernard's invitation to ride over to the car wash cafe. Once in town and into the shops for odds and ends I nicely warmed up, the temperature had also raised a tad or so. The weighted down shopper carried me back the way I had come, back home now along the Middlebrook, though now I was into a headwind. I reflected that at least Bernard and company would have a nice tail wind home from the car wash cafe, they would be thankful for that.

Started delivering the newsletter, posted 8 to our more distant members, pdf copies sent to our overseas members.
Will bring all the remaining to Monday's club night.

Just watching a pair of pigeons copulating on the fence.
Have you ever wondered why there are so many pigeons?
Unlike all other birds who only mate in the Spring, pigeons just like us manage it 12 months of the year.

Did my 26 mile circuit today, nice to be out, not nice to suffer, very cold but not as cold as it has been but I was very glad to get that wind on my back. Left to ponder, am I unfit, am I one degree under (long time since I heard that one) or did I just work hard for a change. 13.3.13.

Bolton Clarion Members Blog and Forum: I am in regular contact with our oldest member Joh...

Bolton Clarion Members Blog and Forum: I am in regular contact with our oldest member Joh...: I am in regular contact with our oldest member John Mann. John is due another operation in a couple of weeks following a pre-op consultation...

Start the Trans Pennine Trail

Managed to get out Sunday to do a little bit of the Trans Pennine trail from Stretford to Penketh. Road out at 8am with 2 and met my bro Eddy at the Swinton junction A6/A580. Plodded down to Stretford thorugh media city at Salford quays and down to Stretford Precinct were we got onto the TPT and headed West towards dunham. Stopped at Dunham Massey tearoom for a bacon sandwich. Back onto the trail and headed west towards Lymm and then onto south Warrington. Headed over to Penketh on the TPT and then had to head back home through Warrington, Newton and Leigh. Weather was cold but dry and sunshine in the afternoon.

I am in regular contact with our oldest member John Mann. John is due another operation in a couple of weeks following a pre-op consultation. At eighty three, (shortly) he is amazingly upbeat despite his problems and as part of his daily medication he consumes a twice daily dose of half hour sessions on the rollers I loaned to him. John says he divides his time between the rollers and his electronic organ, the organ is second choice of course even though it has wheels and pedals. John is longing for the open road and sees the rollers as a passport once over his current problem, a more positive man I have never met.

Despite the blue sky it's another freezing day with minus temperatures, brave or stupid, a bit of both as I will settle for the turbo trainer when my porridge settles down.

Rode into town on my shopper bike, fixed gear of course, down the middlebrook trail, the icy cold wind was so bad even the Heron was standing on the grass verge in the strong sunshine, as opposed to it's usual spot in the middle of the stream. The polaroids I was wearing were quickly removed when the blue skies suddenly gave way to mini snowstorms while in the town centre. Retracing my way home was more comfortable as the the strong icy wind was blowing me along despite being weighted down with shopping. I hope this cold spell moves off soon, I need to get some miles in.

Things not going well, Chest still completely ****** up coughing up a form of yoghurt!!
 Bike and even the turbo are a no no!! Seeing GP on Wednesday.
Further complication wife 999 back into hospital early Saturday.
And there is light snow falling as I sit here

fixed gear in old age: fixed gear in old age

fixed gear in old age: fixed gear in old age: Seventy five years old and this is my first venture into creating a 'blog', still don't know what it is, but I thought I would p...

At Last!!!!

Thanks Andy,
Dragging me screaming in the world of blog. Not sure yet what if anything I can contribute but I will be here.

BCCC Spring Newsletter on Website

Fellow Riders the Spring Newsletter is now available to download online on the BCCC Webby.

A bit of clarion history - guess who

Anyone see thin man lately?

tony and Peter to start Blogging

Well , when this works we may have somthing to go at!

Blog Check

Layout of the blog needs creating to support BCCC

Anyone tried this new blog yet?

Leg ripper run last Saturday ripped my legs to shreds!!!!!

Test our first blog