Great Yorkshire Bike Ride 2015

Last Updated on 1 May 2023 by Colette

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This is the third consecutive year that Dave, my Dad and my sister have taken part in the Great Yorkshire Bike Ride – this is a charity bike ride of over 70 miles from Wetherby to Filey which takes place every June. 
Although the ride itself is obviously hard work for the riders, it is the culmination of months of training and ultimately a great achievement for them.  Behind the scenes though is their “Support Team” – ie me and Mum!  It’s an early start to the day to drive them up to Wetherby Racecourse.  The first riders of the day leave at 7.45am and the later you get there the longer you are hanging around waiting to start.  This meant I was up at about 6.15am and leaving the house with them before 7am – a joyous start to Saturday morning I’m sure you’ll agree.  I think I got back to my Mum and Dad’s sometime after half 8.  She’d got all the kids dressed so I just needed to have some breakfast and get dressed myself before setting off to Filey.  The drive to Filey on GYBR day always makes me laugh as you undoubtedly find yourself in a convoy of cars with empty bike racks heading towards the East Coast for exactly the same reason as yourself.

 

Although the sun was shining on Saturday, with a forecasted temperature of around 16 degrees, the wind was another matter entirely.  Luckily for the riders, the 40mph winds were to be behind them for much of the ride giving them a helping hand!  Although they were nervous when they set off it turned out that the strong tail winds really were their friend.  Not so for us on the beach though!  40mph winds on Filey seafront weren’t quite so much fun!  With our chips blowing off the table, the pram rolling along the beach and the sand being whipped ferociously around bare legs it wasn’t quite the relaxing couple of hours on the beach we had hoped for!  I had planned ahead and taken a beach shelter with us however it was so windy we couldn’t actually get it set up – it didn’t help that the instructions blew away the moment I opened the packaging.  You have to laugh!

To try and make the most of the wind I spent a couple of pounds on a kite from a nearby shop which Ben thought was wonderful!  We did manage to get it in the air but it was pretty naff and didn’t even have proper supports to hold the kite open – not that Ben cared a jot!  He wasn’t at all bothered by the wind and just wanted to be flying his kite and paddling in the sea (he was bitterly disappointed that I wouldn’t let him swim . . . perhaps we’ll save that one for France in August!)

 
 
 
 
We finally got a text from our coggers to say they expected to be arriving in Filey in around 45 minutes time so we packed ourselves up and made our way back up to the finish line.  Whilst the winds were still in evidence it wasn’t quite as difficult to manage and at least there wasn’t any sand to worry about.  I think we waited about half an hour for them but the kids were quite entertained by watching all the cyclists.  Ben was doing a good job of cheering other riders in and keeping an eye out for our own team.  (Mum and I have decided they need to have team shirts next year just to make them easier to spot!)  They crossed the finish line all smiles and looking surprisingly fresh – nobody had fallen off this year and they all seemed to have completed the ride without too much trouble despite Dave’s concerns about his own lack of training.  They said there had been quite a lot of spectators along the route this year cheering and banging cow bells – safe to say Le Tour had a positive and lasting impact on people’s interest in cycling!
 
Saturday night basically involved me sitting in on my own browsing the internet for dresses whilst everyone else went out for a celebratory dinner and cocktails . . . this is definitely my least favourite bit of the weekend!!
 
We finished our weekend in my parents’ beautiful garden enjoying a cheeky Pimms in the garden and our second BBQ of the season!
 

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Author

  • Colette Burgess is an experienced primary school teacher and has lived in Manchester for most of her adult life. She is married to Dave and they have three children aged 12, 15, and 16.

    Colette has been writing about days out and adventures in Manchester and beyond including day trips and short breaks in the UK and holidays abroad since 2012.

    Colette and her family love festivals, camping and generally being outside.

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3 thoughts on “Great Yorkshire Bike Ride 2015”

  1. What a lovely thing for your Dad, sister and Hubby to do each year. Windy beaches aren't much fun though are they?! x

    Reply

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