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Ambleside Sports 25th July 2019

JeremyPJeremyP
in General
Just a quick heads up on Ambleside Sports always held on the last Thursday in July. There is a full programme of grass track events organised by Beacon Wheelers (Bob McLean). Riders from CCA and Contour Cycles have supported this over the last two seasons and it would be great to see folk in 2019. Plenty of prize money on offer to pay for your fuel and frothy beer.

Geoff’s farm provides a great base only an hour-ish from the venue. Maybe a chance to make a weekend of it and enjoy some of Geoff’s routes around County Durham/Yorkshire.

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/details/199148/Ambleside-Sports-2019---Grass-Track-Cycling


Comments

  • MitchyMitchy
    Hi Jeremy, I definitely plan to make the annual pilgrimage. Hoping Ellie will be able to sneak a day off school to come and race the kids races. If others confirm interest on here we can look at combining transport if suitable,
  • geoffggeoffg
    If you want to share the mobile I can offer Ellie a spare bed in the house Dave. Hows the collar bone?
  • MitchyMitchy
    Geoff, lovely offer. Disastrously I've realised I haven't booked leave for the wed and Friday, and someone else on my team has. My options are now really limited, maybe a late drive on Wednesday and back Thursday evening, or a monster day on Thursday? Normally organised, but dropped the ball on this one.
  • geoffggeoffg
    understand. Harley, travis and archie bracewell want to come up. Maybe coordinate with them and send Ellie up. I can always pick people up from darlington. Harley and travis came up with kit and bikes last time by train.
    Let me know either way
  • MitchyMitchy
    Hi Geoff, Ellie is a bit young to travel without me or jo yet. Hoping she might still come and race on the day. thanks again, gutted I wont get to do the same 'trip' as last year with multiple stop overs!
  • JeremyPJeremyP
    Great to see everyone last week - link to photos

    https://mobile.twitter.com/WoodentopsFR

  • Senecio [Daniel D]Senecio [Daniel D]
    Ambleside Sports really is a delightful and special occasion. A local sports day set in the heart of the Lake District with all the atmosphere of a village show but without the sheep and The Morris. There was however a sizeable brass band, several stalls selling tat (some selling high quality fluffy snakes on sticks), a huge fudge trailer and an artisan pickle stand. In the middle of it all (normally a sheep field) was a seemingly pan flat neatly mown arena laid out as a sports track. Fine bench seating surrounded this with a series of reassuring poor sound quality galvanised speaker horns led aloft on substantial poles fixed in place by fine looking iron dogs driven into the ground.

    Of course CCA were there for the grass track racing. This was excellent, though perhaps slightly fewer events than a normal grass track meeting as of course many other sports were using the track. I have never seen such a crowd though! One section of said crowd seemed in very good spirits and were taking a keen interest in Mitchy’s results. Max Pendleton had warned me about the hill and on looking at the beautiful green field I thought he must have been joking. He wasn’t. Coming out of the finishing straight the bend became a real struggle as the concealed gradient did its best to rob you of your momentum. To be honest this suited me, so long as I remembered to heave myself up it. Personally I did okay in the endurance events and terribly in the sprints; but that’s me! Some great rides from Richard Lawrence, Dave Wells, Jenny Andrews and of course Mitchy. Our young riders were ably represented by Ellie Mitchison.

    I was holiday with my friends Sarah and Bob from Pedalon and Sarah bravely entered the cycling (steering clear of the fell run). She is a strong rider and though this was her first time on grass it is perhaps not surprisingly she finished 3rd.

    What really impressed me was not the Northumberland wrestling (white tights, white shirt and big black pants on the outside!), nor particularly the athletics but the fell running. There was both human and canine categories. Seeing really young kids set off for this hills with such vigour was nearly as inspiring as seeing them return, hot, exhausted but determined. The dogs were set off in sixes and they followed a scent trail left by dragging a bag of aniseed along the route in the morning. They yelped an barked as they set off into the hilly distance. Then nothing. Eventually these mini stallions could be seen high above us running as enthusiastically as when they left, tearing down the fell towards their owners who were shouting out their names and rattling dog food in bowls. Sue Lawrence noted a winning dog would nett 50% more than a winning cyclist (keep an eye on this Richard, you could be sharing the house with another quadruped soon).

    It was a splendid day. Baking hot sun until the end when it poured with rain. Beacon Wheelers did a great job and it was great to see Jeremy Prodger (who was helping out) and catching up on ‘all the gos’. Shame not to see Geoff, but I understand the farm was busy.

    Report and photos from the Westmorland Gazette here LINK
  • MitchyMitchy
    Great report Daniel, definitely a must do for any grass track rider!
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