Event Reports

Fred Hill Memorial Run - Sunday 10th February 2008

This years Fred Hill Memorial Run was a Cracking event. We were getting some keen winter frosts coming up to the run and the morning of Sunday 10th February was no exception. The roads were clear but the pavements were white with frost and it was somewhat cold riding the few miles in to our meeting point at 09:00am. Even with winter gloves and the luxury of heated grips, you still got cold hands.

Eleven Wakefield MAG members and one Barnsley MAG member met up at the Stork Lodge Tea Rooms in Thornes Park ready for the run. Hot teas and coffees did a grand job of thawing us out prior to setting off for Squires at 10:00. Twelve of us had a nice leisurely ride over to Squires, taking the scenic route through Stanley, Methley, Castleford, past the ducks and swans at Fairburn Ings, then onto the old A1 route at Fairburn, through Ledsham village, then the back roads route to Squires, arriving at 10:45. The back roads were still a little slippery so we took it nice and steady but by the time we got to Squires, the sun was out and it was warming up nicely (or maybe it was the second large coffee at Squires which did the trick).

Wakefield MAG Mission Briefing

At Squires we met up with a further 6 Wakefield members, so 18 on the run in total, a brilliant turnout from the branch. An excellent turnout at Squires too as we had well over 150 bikes set off on the run at 11:30. We followed the same route as previous years through Sherburn-in-Elmet, Tadcaster, Boston Spa, Harewood, then the picturesque country roads to the Sun Inn at Norwood, Nr Otley, our destination. It was a lovely run on a now nice and warm (for February) day, no off-road adventures this year (Allen, not mentioning any names), and we all arrived in one piece with surprisingly clean bikes. More coffees, a catch up with old friends and the obligatory group photos.

2008 Fred Hill Run Group photo (well, some of the group)

A huge thanks to all the Wakefield MAG members who attended and they are all duly rewarded with 75 branch points (as opposed to 10 for a normal ride-out) as this counts as a MAG demo run.

Wakefield MAG at the 2008 Fred Hill Memorial Run

A very fitting memorial to Fred Hill, a true MAG hero. Terrible the circumstances he died in, but it could have been in August and not February!