Our 17 riders set off on the first day of Ride to Northampton 2 this morning from Bootham Crescent. Raising money for the British Heart Foundation, the Minstermen supporters left at 8am to embark on the first leg of a 170 mile journey to Northampton Town’s Sixfields Stadium. All 17 had reached our first stopover in Corringham near Gainsborough by 15:30 after a great day with the weather staying kind. The day saw the fundraising total hit the £4000 mark.
The journey from Bootham Crescent took the riders out towards Selby before passing through Camblesforth, Carlton, Snaith and onto a lunchtime stop at The White Hart in Thorne. The difference in experience between our first time riders and the veteran second timers was clear, with the majority of the former opting for the fry-up offered in the pub and the returnees sticking to their pre-prepared pasta meals.
The pub offered the opportunity to stage the first challenge of the Dan Waterworth v Rob Corker ‘Mug Off’ series. Featuring 5 different challenges, it is hoped that it will encourage further donations as people choose their likely winner.
Waterworth proved to be the victor in the aptly named ‘Doughnut Challenge’ – destroying three jam doughnuts in just over a minute before having time to clear his throat and announcing that “Robert Corker, you are a mug”.
The second half of the journey featured a 10km straight route from Sandtoft through to Misterton and Beckingham. There was enough time to hold round two of the ‘Mug-off’ on a country road. The ‘Upside Down YCFC Quiz’ making it’s first appearance, quite possibly a worldwide first. Whilst assisted by other riders, each contestant had to perform a hand stand whilst answering YCFC related questions. Corker redeemed himself for a shocking performance in the ‘doughnut challenge’ by getting all of his 5 questions correct including the 13/14 top goalscorer. Waterworth however struggled and could only recall Josh Carson as the man who scored the winning penalty v Bradford in this seasons League Cup. We go in to tomorrow’s two challenges level pegging.
The final segment of the journey into the hotel in Corringham passed without any incident as all 17 riders completed the day, all be it a bit spread out.
Whilst recovering from the days exploits, main organiser Ian Jones gave his thoughts on how the day had gone:
“To my surprise, the opening day has gone a lot better than expected with all of the new lads settling in well to the group and no major incidents, especially for myself, as I didn’t fall off this time!”
Seasoned ‘mug’ Rob Corker said:
“I really enjoyed today’s ride. The highlight of my day was of course destroying Waterworth in the YCFC Upside down quiz. Tomorrow, I look forward to conquering Corker Hill once again.”
Day Two will see the riders travel from Gainsborough to Uppingham, Rutland with the group heading south from Gainsborough at 8am. They will pass to the east of Newark and Grantham before turning south west in the Stamford area and finishing at their second hotel. The distance will be in the region of 70 miles after today’s trip of just over 60.
To donate to the great charity cause; visit https://www.justgiving.com/ridetonorthampton2/
or text ‘YCFC56 £(amount)’ to 70070
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Day One – York to Corringham Stats
Distance covered: 61.2 miles
Hours spent in the saddle: 6 hours
Falls: 1
Punctures: 1
The Waterworth v Corker ‘Mug-Off’ Challenge
– Challenge 1: ‘3 Doughnuts Challenge’ – Waterworth Wins
– Challenge 2: ‘Upside down YCFC Quiz’ – Corker 5/5, Waterworth 1/5
End of Day Score: Corker 1-1 Waterworth
The group are due at Sixfields on Saturday around 12:45 and will be presented to the crowd before kick-off at around 14:45.
To follow their progress tomorrow and on Saturday, visit the twitter @ycfc_2_ntfc.
ride to northampton 2 