Mothering Sunday.

First weekend in April was Mothering Sunday AND round four of the Yorkshire Classic Championship. The club has this year really taken to heart the intention to provide a days sport for all.  Although  sections are difficult enough to take marks from the best in the country, us lesser lights can still enjoy a decent ride out. With nothing bike or life threatening its now often the case that  slack ‘dabs’ can be very costly especially as there is little opportunity to make up ‘lost’ marks.

I suspect that in the coming months a number of clubmen will reverse the trend of recent years, and move up to the championship route as that to is now challenging yet rider friendly. So a big thank you to all those who have set trials out so far this year for YCMCC.

Roggerham Gate high above Burnley, has a reputation, It's cold, wet, windy and muddy, in no particular order to the extent that a number of riders deliberately omit it from their schedule. Observers are no different from riders and for the first time this year we had the odd un manned the section, although adding to the normally inclement weather its normally a fair hike for observers to even the sections closest to the car park never mind to the far edge of the moor which must be about 2 miles from the warmth of their cars, even the tenner bounty paid by the club to ever observer was nt sufficient this week.

Last Sunday was certainly the exception though, with the relatively mild spring and no sign of April's showers the moor was practically bone dry, the muddy climbs of the past, becoming simply hard rutted climbs with added loose rock, from the quarry workings, to make things interesting. Even the peat like surface on the edge of the moor was dust dry and  after the opening lap at least half the sections were tightened up to try to elicit marks form the riders.

Almost 70 turned out to ride, which is about half of those who have scored points so far in this years championship. One of the innovations that Phil Holey has brought in his role as website editor is to provide an up to date championship table.  It certainly provides interesting and stimulating reading and highlights the diverse bikes been ridden and the sheer number of riders who have competed so far this season, does any other pre 65 club have 140 riding members?

Other than the work detailed in the previous post the bike needed nothing doing to it I did not even take the auxiliary tank off so I filled up the tank with super unleaded and PJ1 ( at 70.1) and off we went. The bike ran great from the off and once warmed up carburetted perfectly, grip was  spot on with 7 lb in the front and 6 in the back ( an excess of pies in the preceding 48 years means I need the additional ‘air’ suspension). If opportunity presents I’ll ’turn’ the year tyre in the next couple of weeks and it should see us easily through the year,

The suspension paid dividends today  and the shocks are now showing a little of their value in fact front and back end move well together  and are as good as I have had on a pre 65 bike. However, I think the front can be improved, movement is restricted and ‘slow’ in comparison to other bikes I have ridden and the long awaited transplant of the Norton forks will have to be moved along.

At the end of the trial though I was very happy with how the bike had performed , the chain had remained resolutely in place and other than  a problem that feels like the rear brakes binding and robbing the bike of  momentum all was well. Thankfully effervescent Ady Brayshaw reckons he has the solution, so  given a moment this week we 'll have that sorted.  The light at the end of the tunnel is at last shining bright!

P.S. As for filling up the tank with fuel, post trial I refilled the tank and calculated that I had used  1.7 litres to do the four lap, 40 section  trial which probably had a 2 - 3 mile lap.
With unleaded at 1.30 a litre that is about £2.35 inc. the splash of PJ1,  plus the tenner entry leaving plenty of change from a twenty to visit the pub afterward or buy Mrs.TS some flowers for Mothers day!