WDCF Newsletter Summer 2026

Word is getting out about the reinstated rides from Pugneys and the numbers attending are going up month by month. 

We now have two bikes there to borrow for rides so if:
a) you want to try an easy ride from Pugneys but haven’t got the confidence or energy to cycle there and complete a ride or
b) you want to see what sort of bike is suitable before committing yourself to buying one or
c) you want to take your visiting cycling grandson, grandmother and/or aunt out into the Yorkshire countryside and they haven’t brought their bike, you can now borrow one of ours. Just email rides@cycling-wakefield.org.uk before the ride and turn up 15 minutes early so the bike and helmet can be adjusted to fit. There is no charge either for the ride or the bike but parking at Pugneys is not free.

Our bike doctors have been turning up 30 minutes before the ride is due to start and putting their tools and training to good use. Here you can see them ensuring a non-cyclist and their shopping can safely remain mobile.

They can also security mark your bike, which can deter thieves or, if this doesn’t work, enable the police to return the bike to you when it is found.

Coming soon to a library near you.

After a great deal of hard work planning, negotiating, testing, clearing, mapping and drafting, remapping, redrafting, checking, rechecking, mock-ups and origami the updated map of the iconic Wonders of Wakefield (WoW) cycle route has now been produced.

First recipients of the new map were the lucky few who attended our AGM at St Giles Church Pontefract on the 30^th July 2026, followed by those who rode the route on the 2^nd August WoW. First timers who had booked ahead were also given a free WoW t-shirt.  You can see how thrilled they were from the photo. 

Copies of the map are being distributed, often by cycle courier, around local libraries, doctor’s surgeries, cafes, cycle shops etc and the WoW maps on the information boards at Anglers and other points along the route are being replaced with the new version.

Much of the WoW is through woods and along tree lined old railway lines, so it’s cooler in hot sun and somewhat sheltered in the rain. You could join us on our next guided WoW from The Hepworth Wakefield at 10 am on Sunday 6^th September or follow the map and try it with friends.

Local Labour councillor Mohammed Ayub (Yubi to his friends) is a keen cyclist and a supporter of WDCF.  He would like to see the WoW open to all cyclists, whether a standard two-wheeler, tandem, recumbent or tricycle and to wheelchair users too, an aim we support.

Holiday Wednesdays this year have produced some unusual challenges right from the start.  It began when a large branch fell from an oak tree near where we normally site our gazebo, the administration centre for our rides.  The tree and branch were soon cordoned off, however, and we set up on the opposite side of the grassy area in front of the Great Hall.  This provided some shade and a welcome breeze but meant volunteers had a longer journey to bring the bunting, bikes and other paraphernalia to set up the course. We soon had a trail of interested children, queuing up to start their ride, however.

The National Trust soon set to work clearing the debris and making the rest of the damaged oak safe.  You can get some idea of the size of the task by checking the size of the diminutive figure desperately lopping off branches whilst dangling from a rope.

This did mean that the following week we were able to revert to our usual Holiday Wednesday site near our equipment store, the pizza van and portaloos.

Apart from our skills course, we offer people the opportunity to try out different cycles, ranging from recumbent tricycles provided by Ian Watson to penny farthings. This meant that we had to explain what a penny farthing, a penny and a farthing all are, as well as how to get and stay on it. The young lad shown clearly had it mastered.

Nostell NT then transformed into ‘Costa Del Nostell by the addition of a very large sandpit.  Our course had to be curtailed to take account of this intrusion into ‘our’ space.  Luckily, a collection of small children turned up who didn’t need a lot of room.

Nostell’s lush parkland had transformed in the heat to a crunchy tract of prickly yellow stubble. With temperatures in the 30s forecast for our 12^th August event, we shortened the circuit by taking out the requirement to put the bike down and run for sections of the route.  A large, shady umbrella was found for the volunteer timing the rides and we tried to keep people out of the sun as much as possible.  By the 19^th August, temperatures were much cooler and more comfortable and nobody begrudged the short intermittent showers which had started earlier in the week.

It was nice to see volunteers who regularly turn up for holiday Wednesdays and families coming back more than once, possibly with a different set of children each time. Childminders came along with 6 or 8 children, which added to the pressure at times.  It was shocking how many parents denied being ‘responsible adults’ but as the kids were well behaved, I suspect they were joking. Like the constant calls of ‘she’s not pedalling at the back,’ such comments are sometimes best ignored.

Visitors to our penultimate ride had problems getting to Nostell as the road from Castleford to Featherstone was closed for part of the way, necessitating a detour via Pontefract.  The sandpit had gone so a longer route was devised and our rides started.  We then got a message that because the Water Authority cut off the water supply to Nostell, the house, cafes and toilets were closing.  Although NT staff went home at this point, we carried on, aided by our water bottles, homemade sandwiches and the portaloos.

The numbers attending that day were down but, as children were going round the course 3 or 4 times or wandering off for a walk and then coming back for another go, there was little respite for our volunteers.  One little chap George had problems with a balance bike so ran round the course instead.  He did get a certificate for completing the course- on foot, shaving 1 second off the time taken by his sister to cycle round it.

For our final day, the Met Office predicted a shower at midday and torrential rain at 3pm.  The skies were clear, however, and children staring turning up 30 minutes early, so a slightly more compact course was built, containing the full range of obstacles but less spread out in case a quick decamp was required.  The rain actually turned up 24 hours late, at precisely 12 o’clock on Thursday, but our precautions did make our final clear up easier.

The National Trust had largely put away their collection of summer games so we seemed to be the only show in town in the free-to-access area of Nostell NT.

After a busy start, things tailed off a bit so David K brought out the now traditional last day boxes of a cream tea early.  The scones, cream and jam attracted children like wasps, however, so things got a bit sticky at times.  The busy afternoon rides included both new people and those who’d been round in the morning and fancied improving their times after replenishing their energy with lunch.  When the event concluded, once again we were lucky to have a family of volunteers who not only picked up the cones but also assisted in riding our bikes back to the storage container.

Visitors to our stand that day included a woman who commented, ‘I brought the grandchildren here two years ago and hoped you’d be here again this year, as they had such a good time’, as well as former Forum members who popped in to see if there was anyone they knew there and just to say hello.

None of this would have been possible without our magnificent team of volunteers.  Some stalwarts turned up every week for the whole day each time, others called in on the way to or from work to help set up or take down the circuit and gazebo.  Many gave what time they could after taking into account holidays, work, hospital appointments, dentists or family commitments.  Every contribution, whether large or small, is valuable and valued. Thank you all.

In recent years, Wakefield District Council has asked WDCF to put on a big cycling event each year, so in August 2024 we presented The Big WoW (see our Summer 2024 and Autumn 2024 Newsletters) and the Women of Wakefield WoW in September 2025 (see summer 2025 Newsletter).  This year, sadly we weren’t involved in the organisation of the event but were invited to take part in a more inclusive Try Cycling Event at Thornes Park on the 27^th May 2026. 

Everybody’s Cycling organisation turned up with various adapted bikes to try out and Harry Wood set up a circuit for youngsters along the lines of our circuits at Holiday Wednesdays at Nostell NT.  We were asked to provide some bike doctors and teams to lead three free guided rides round the park, so we duly turned up with two bike doctors, each proposed ride staffed with a leader and back marker and our Chair to deal with passing potential cyclists, the relevant paperwork and to keep an eye on the tools and equipment.

The event was held next to the bright blue running track at Thornes Park, very close to the sports centre and car park.  Sadly, there was no publicity about the event on entering Thornes Park, at the car park or even at the sports centre.  Harry did manage to persuade some children in the play park to try out his trail but no-one turned up for any of the three Forum rides and the bike doctors were limited to removing pedals on small children’s bikes to convert them to balance bikes and then putting them back on for older children to use.  The Chair did manage to give away some maps and leaflets by visiting other stalls and no tools went missing. 

Having assembled all of the committee who weren’t already on holiday or at work, the opportunity was taken to bring forward the committee meeting due to take place the following morning.  It was held al fresco in the sunshine, saving heating, lighting and fuel and giving the committee an unexpected extra day to go cycling.

In June I received an email about a One Earth Festival at Wakefield Exchange planned for 4th July 2026. WDCF was down as a stall holder and we were asked:
a) How many tables and chairs we would require
b) Any additional equipment we were bringing so it could be taken into account in the floor plan
c) How much time we would require to set up ready for 10am opening.

I sent an appropriate reply confirming that Wakefield District Cycle Forum would be publicising the event on our Facebook page and attending with an information stand on the day. In due course we were asked to help publicise the event using their poster.

This mentioned a Cycle Repair Shop and we speculated who might have been asked to provide this service.

When the 4th July arrived, the weather was chilly and threatened rain. Neville and I arrived in good time to set up our stall and asked where we had been allocated space, to discover that WDCF’s ‘repair shop’ would be outside, near some food vendors’ stalls. In the absence of a gazebo or shelter of any other kind and without any tools, we demurred and space was found for an information stand near the door.

Anyone with children visiting our stand was given a rides programme and shown where details of Holiday Wednesdays featured. People were interested in our free guided rides across the region and the fact that we will often be able to lend bikes and helmets at most of the venues. The loud music rather inhibited conversation but there were plenty of gaps.

The puppetry told a cautionary story very ingeniously and effectively.  Wandering round the stalls in a quiet moment I was able to distribute our leaflets to stall holders and to collect a couple of wild flower seed bombs and to make a ‘solitary bee’ nest. All in all it was an interesting day.

You should be aware that WDCF is more than The WoW and Holiday Wednesdays or the events featured earlier in this newsletter. Not all of our rides appear on Facebook, however, so here are some new photos:

The first picture is from the start of our Queens Mill Easy ride and the next one, from our June Hemsworth ride. The latter is interesting in that the grass is dark green and riders are shown either wearing or putting on waterproofs. The forecast had been for a 0% chance of rain, which was 100% inaccurate but probably the last rain we were going to get for some weeks!

July’s photo is of a motley collection of cyclists on the Queen’s Mill ride wandering around the Green House café. The lady in the wheelchair wasn’t part of the group but we were asked if this was a U3A event. I assured the questioner that, despite the white hair and numerous electric assist cycles, it was an event open to people of any age.

The photo of most of the team on our Hemsworth ride in August shows Devon’s first ride as a back marker and the photographer’s half of a rather nice electric assist tandem.

It was great to see Warren ‘Dusty’ Miller at our Holiday Wednesday event at Nostell Priory on 19 August. Dusty, who’s now 83, was a regular ride leader in the early days of the cycle forum and still back-marking at Nostell and Anglers rides until 2020 when a health condition affecting his balance meant he was no longer able to ride his beloved bike.

Dusty always loved supporting Holiday Wednesdays and couldn’t resist giving it a go on the skills course on his mobility scooter!

Dusty commented that ‘it was great to catch up with old friends and fantastic to see lots of children queuing up for a go around the course. So good to see it’s still going strong’.

And keeping things in the family, we are pleased to welcome Dusty’s son Gary as our newest Ride Leader. Gary, who has been riding with the cycle forum for the past 20 years, has recently retired from full-time employment and will soon be available to support with ride leading and back marking on a regular basis.

 Hi everyone, I’m Gary Miller, a new ride leader with the Wakefield District Cycle Forum. Regular forum riders may well recognise me as I’ve been attending forum rides for many years. I’m the one who’s always bouncing around looking for things to jump over or pulling the odd cheeky wheelie!

I’ve been an avid mountain biker since 1992 and enjoy all aspects of our amazing sport. From down-hilling to cross-country, enduro riding and even a bit of trials, I’ve given everything a go over the years. I just love getting out there and enjoying the variety of terrain and trails that the Wakefield District and the north of England have to offer.

I recently got chance to train as a Mountain Bike Leader with Harry Wood from The Right Track Outdoors. Harry offers a wider variety of outdoor activities for groups as well as leadership training and I’ve just completed his 2-day Mountain Bike Instructors Award Scheme – Level 2 MTB Leader training. This was a fantastic learning opportunity for me and gave me the chance to take my existing riding experience and develop this into group ride leadership, trail guidance and rider skills coaching. I’m really excited to bring what I learned from Harry to the cycle forum and am looking forward to leading some of your local rides in the near future.

I recently attended a 3 day cycle maintenance course – MIAS Level 1/2/3, run by Harry Wood of ‘The Right Track Outdoors’ and hosted at J’s Cycles, Pugneys Country Park.

There were only 4 people on the course, me and three enthusiastic teenagers with an abundance of energy.  The workshop is still in the process of being set up but Harry had enough tools to enable everyone to carry out the tasks assigned.

Some people had brought their own bikes to work on but I was fortunate to have access to a couple of the Forum bikes which are stored there.

It’s been a while since my last technician’s course and I was pleased to be able to get some hands on experience as well as being able to fill gaps in my knowledge.  All my questions were answered by Harry and even sometimes by the other participants who seemed to know a lot about bikes, in particular how to go very fast along mountain trails without breaking any bones.  Long may they continue to do so.

The two tasks that I enjoyed most and that stick in my mind were servicing a bottom bracket and bleeding a rear brake.  The latter was slightly embarrassing as I had attached the fluid reservoir to the front brake lever while I was trying to bleed the back brake.  It even took Harry a couple of seconds to work out the problem!  The next photo shows Harry determined to seal a tubeless tyre with a slight dint in the rim.

For the technically minded, the list of topics covered, some in more detail than others, was: –

Day 1: Bike Parts identification, Adjusting Controls, Assessing a Bike, Gear Cables Replacement, Gear Adjustment, Indexing, Setting Limits, Front & Rear Derailleur Adjustment, Derailleur Hangar Alignment, Mechanical Brake Adjust & Pad Replace, Puncture Repair, Bike Setup, Torque.

Day 2: Hub Service, Headset Service, Pedal Replacement, Bottom Bracket Replacement, Wheel Truing, Cassette Replacement, Freehub Service, Chain Replacement.

Day 3: Fork Service, Shock Service, Brake Bleeds (Dot & Mineral), Tubeless Setup, Frame Bearings, Frame Alignment, Internal Cabling, Pre Delivery Inspection.

All in all, a very interesting and informative experience.

This year Malcolm and I have run a monthly Bike Doctor session at Pugneys to coincide with the Forum Easy ride on the 3^rd Sunday.  Unfortunately, Malcolm now has many more demands on his time and is no longer available for these sessions.  If there is anyone reading this who feels they could help out, please get in touch at:

bikes@cycling-wakefield.org.uk

I appreciate that quite a few of our Forum members will have the necessary technical skills but as we are dealing with bikes owned by the general public, I think you should also to be able to produce a recognised bike maintenance qualification.

Neville Andrews