Christmas Eve Ride & Other Festive Rides Planned

Before we get onto the Christmas Eve ride, here are the details for the next two rides over the festive period:

·       Boxing Day meet outside of the Jackdaw Café at 10.00am for a chance to work off some of the Christmas pudding. Four MCCC members have already confirmed their attendance.

·       Saturday 28^th December 2013, meet outside of the Jackdaw Café at 10.00am for the usual club ride.

Undeterred by the heavy overnight rain, a hardy group of Christmas Eve riders set off from Mission Control (outside of the Jackdaw Café) intent on traversing Foxley Road come-what-may. With the River Avon having burst its banks in a number of places, the fields had taken on an unfamiliar appearance and been transformed into lakes. Foxley Road was passable with care, but the ford at Norton was a raging torrent of water and saw us having to dismount and use the very slippery wooden footbridge to get to the other side.

We then rode into Sherston, out towards Westonbirt, before turning for home via Shipton Moyne. A short, but most enjoyable ride of around 15 miles.

With the Jackdaw Café closed and others doing a roaring trade, we convened at the Whole Hog along with MCCC members who hadn’t ridden.  

The Cycling Monk

Avon Valley Railway Cycle Ride Sunday 22nd December 2013

You’re right, this is the MCCC blog, but in the absence of a club ride on Saturday (to the best of my knowledge) I thought I’d let you know about mine and Geoge W’s ride on Sunday. The same goes for anyone else. Just forward your article and it will be a pleasure to post it on the blog.

I’d written off Saturday because of the heavy rain that was forecast. In the end the weather was nowhere near as bad and I could have gone after all. I was determined not to make the same mistake twice.  And so it was that we set off with grey clouds gathering.  Our destination was the Avon Valley Railway at Bitton on the outskirts of Bristol. I’ve always been a steam railway enthusiast. Before you ask, no, I don’t collect train numbers. When my children were small I used to enjoy the Santa Specials. I think they did too, but that wasn’t important.

A strong headwind which lasted for most of the outward journey did its best to halt our progress. Mid-way between Hullavington and Grittleton we were caught in a brief hailstorm.  Finding a roadside tree with any foliage left proved an impossible task and so we ploughed on down through Castle Combe to Ford where we joined the A420 road to Bristol.  I’m not a huge fan of cycling on main roads, but this one never gets that busy.

Having struggled against the wind on a steady incline for quite some distance, coasting down Tog Hill to Wick came as a welcome relief.

Arriving at Bitton Station we found the Santa Specials in full swing. The buffet has been a popular watering hole for cyclists using the Bristol to Bath railway cycle path for quite some time.  There was a good selection of homemade cakes, all at £2.50 per wedge. The cake portions were so big they could no longer be properly described as slices. The very reasonable cake and a hot drink offer meant you could have both for just £3.50.

We left just as the train was leaving and so decided to cycle alongside it as it made the short trip to Oldland Common. We continued on the cycle path as far as Warmley where we rejoined the road and headed north to Pucklechurch. From there we travelled further north to Westerleigh before turning east for Tormarton and up to Acton Turville.

Just when it looked as though we might manage to get home in the dry, the heavens opened shortly before Sherston.  I did think of seeking refuge in the High Street bus shelter, but by then it was too late. With my supposedly waterproof overshoes reduced to soggy sponges we persevered with the prospect of a hot bath getting ever closer.

Distance travelled: 52.8 miles

http://connect.garmin.com/course/5322327

The Cycling Monk

Weekly Chat Wednesday 18th December 2013

Just a few points of interest arising from this evening's weekly chat:

• The weather forecast for Saturday is heavy rain. Coupled with the fact that this will be the last weekend before Christmas, the number of members wishing to ride this Saturday could be limited. As a result there isn't a designated route. It would be helpful if any members still intending to ride could let others know by global email.

• There will be a short 'social' club ride of around 15 miles on Christmas Eve meeting at 10.00am outside of the Jackdaw Cafe. Refreshments will be taken in Malmesbury at the end of the ride at a venue to be confirmed. 

• Subscriptions will be due on 1st January 2014, from anyone wishing to renew their MCCC membership who hasn't paid since 1st September 2013. All paying members will be issued with a MCCC membership card, which will entitle them to some exclusive offers and discounts negotiated with local businesses.

Club Ride Saturday 14th December 2013

On 12^th October, the Daily Express reported that record-breaking snow was predicted to fall in November and that this would be the worst winter for decades. They followed this up on 17^th November with an article warning that we should prepare for 100 days of snow and the worst winter in over 60 years.

I was reminded of these scare stories, as we mustered outside of the Jackdaw Café on a very mild, bright December morning.  The only snow on display being the imitation stuff they stick in shop windows.

Grateful not to be in the grip of an artic freeze we set off for the National Trust Café at Lacock, our happy throng once again boosted by Howard who accompanied us as far as Norton.

Apart from Stubbs Lane at Kington St Michael, the outward bound roads were mud-free and made for good, fast riding.  In what seemed like no time at all we arrived at our destination. Too cold to partake of our refreshments outside, but without our cycling locks, I abused my parental authority by tasking George W to remain with the bikes. He had a hot chocolate (pictured) to keep him company and so had no reason to complain.

Time and tide waits for no man and neither does Bowden Hill. George W set off at an electric pace intent on improving his Strava ranking for this climb. We were joined on the ascent by three riders from the Chippenham Wheelers.  At first it looked as though they were going to steam straight past us, but keen not to let ourselves and the MCCC down, we dug deep. In an exchange of friendly banter I invited them to have a crack at our lead rider, but they politely declined.  Tetbury Andy led our loose mixed pelaton up the increasingly steep hill and we managed to keep the third Chippenham Wheeler detached at the back of the pack until just before the summit. In fairness to the Wheelers they had just peeled off from a chain gang after a decent ride and were heading back home to Calne, but you have to take life's little pleasures when they present themselves.

Garmins and Bontragers were then put through their paces as we enjoyed the exhilarating ride along the Devizes to Chippenham road before turning into the village of Derry Hill. In a narrow lane on the other side of the village, Tetbury Andy sensibly shouted 'walkers.' Now as anyone who has ever watched the long running television series, The Walking Dead, will know, this can only mean one thing; the presence of zombies. Not so in this case I'm happy to report, just a bunch of ramblers.

Having scaled the tricky short hill that finishes at the Dump Post Inn, Bremhill it was all plain sailing back to Malmesbury and as we used to say in a previous life, back for tea and medals.

Mileage 36.3 miles

Garmin reference:  http://connect.garmin.com/course/2358293

The Cycling Monk

Weekly Chat Wednesday 11th December 2013

A quick update from this evening's weekly chat which saw a record 6 members in attendance:

• Two dates for your diaries; 13th to 16th February 2014, The London Bike Show at Excel, London http://www.thelondonbikeshow.co.uk/ and 11th to 13th April 2014, Bespoked 2014 - The UK Handmade Bicycle Show, at the Lee Valley Velodrome, Olympic Park, London http://www.bespoked.cc/index.html

• Saturday's ride will be to Lacock for coffee at the National Trust Tea Room.

• The order for club kit hasn't been placed yet, so there's still time. Contact Howard with your requirements.

• In addition, there was a very amiable chat about the use of winter tyres and tyres in general, as well as mastering the finer points of the Garmin.

Howard will be playing host next week. All members are welcome to attend.

Club Ride Saturday 7th December 2013

Five riders, making two groups possible, or was it 6 riders allowing 3 groups? I’m not sure, but I do know that 5 riders set off as one from the town hall at just after 10am. It had been my intention to ride part of the way to Coots (now Relish)  in the Water Park and peel of early, at Minety, on my own if necessary, and complete about 20 miles. The furthest I would have ridden since my comeback! The full ride was due to be around the 35 mile mark, to much for me at this stage.

 The peloton proceeded in fine formation in the tradition of many cycling clubs. ‘Attacks’ did happen but were soon chased down or ignored and either way the riders regrouped and rode at a pace that the slowest rider, i.e. me, could manage. However, in time honoured fashion, rises (not really hills) in the road were ridden at a pace comfortable to the individual and the pack regrouped as the road levelled out. At an average pace of between 10 – 12 mph Minety was soon reached and the group of 5 split in to two. In fact 3 elected to do the shorter distance and two, the hard men of the bunch!, pushed on to the café.

 For now I am unable to comment on the rest of the longer route due to the fact that I haven’t spoken to either of the riders, but I hope that they had better luck than did one of our riders.

 Still at a comfortable pace, we headed through Upper Minety and up and over Flisteridge and on to Eastcourt where we turned left and headed towards Hankerton. It’s funny (and not in the ha, ha sense) how these things work. All along the route there had been various mutterings about the state of the roads surface. It was damp and in places the roads were liberally splattered in mud. Not wet, sloppy mud you understand or very dry mud but gloopy, slippery mud. The sort that the professional peloton refer to as ‘Belgium Toothpaste, (see how informative these blogs can be?). It is true, the state of the mud is critical to the well being of riders. Very wet mud can pretty much be just ridden through, no problem. Dry mud likewise can be ridden over, no problem. It’s the sticky, gloopy stuff that causes the problem. And it was one such patch that was to have its way with us this day. One of the main purposes of the social ride is to swap stories and to exchange tales of woe, usually of a cycling nature. As fate would have it, one of our riders went down just as he was relating the tale of a crash in similar conditions. It has to be said that the road surface was like ice and it is a wonder that the 3 of us didn’t slide off in unison. But with consummate skill (read luck) the other two riders stopped rubber side down and hurried to the aid of the stricken rider. Luckily the damage to both rider and bike appeared minimal and we were able to proceed. No head bashed. All three of us agreed that we needed to proceed with caution and continued on foot pushing our, um, push bikes.

 As luck would have it the mud slick soon petered out and bikes could be remounted. I’m pleased to report that the rest of the ride was completed without incident.

 In total 20 miles was covered and hospitality provided courtesy of Ken, Thanks.

 The existence of a third group was made evident via a Strava report. In it Simon reports that he did in fact make Coots and completed 55 kilometres. Whether or not he met the ‘hard man’ group remains a mystery.

 Mention should also be made of John, our associate Clarion from Swindon. He set out from Swindon with the intention of intersecting the route and, hopefully, joining the others along the way. Was he successful, I don’t know, but hopefully he was. Please let us know, John. If not I hope you enjoyed the ride and that we will see you again.

Howiecycles

Performance Cycles Sportive Sunday 8th December 2013

I didn’t make the club ride on Saturday and so for a change I thought I’d tell you about the sportive that Ken, George W and me did on Sunday instead.

The event was organised by Performance Cycles and based at the Cotswold Water Park. This was the third in a series of six stripped-back winter sportives. The remaining ones are due to take place on 12^th January, 16^th February and 16^th March. There’s no electronic timing or feed stations and that’s not surprising given that entry is just £7. However, there are some freebies when you sign-in and having completed the ride there’s free hot drinks, biscuits, cake and bacon rolls. They’ll even slide in a fried egg to keep your bacon company if that takes your fancy.  There’s a choice of 45 or 65 miles. Entries for this ride officially closed on 4^th December, by which time 100 people had entered, but you could still register on the day.

Okay, that’s the administration covered, so let’s get onto the actual event.

Ken had already said at the Wednesday evening meet-up that he was planning to tackle the 65 mile route.  I lamely mentioned that I would be doing the 45 miles and somehow felt the need to tag an excuse on the end, but couldn’t think of one. I was well and truly on the ropes, the knock-out punch was on its way, I just didn’t know it yet. How was I getting there, Ken enquired. By car of course, was there any other way. I should have guessed.  Ken was cycling over adding another 20 miles.

All of this has everything to do with my inferiority complex as a recent returnee to cycling, as Ken is an extremely modest man and not at all boastful.

My only saving grace in all of this is that I didn’t see Ken on the day. Recognising people in their cycling helmets can be tricky, so perhaps I missed him.

Any lingering doubts as to whether I should have a crack at the 65 miles were quickly dispelled when during the pre-ride briefing we were informed that although it was just an extra 20 miles, it was best suited to accomplished riders.  I made a quick mental note of this one for any future conversations with Ken.

My fatally flawed plan was to average 15 mph and so finish in around 3 hours.  What I completely failed to take account of was that we would be cycling in the Cotswolds, which as every small child knows, can be hilly. Performance Cycles’ website had said that there wouldn’t be any of the gut-busting routes you’d expect at the height of summer. All I can say is that there must be different levels of gut-busting.  We scaled three consecutive category 4 hills, plus the never-ending one up to Rendcomb College and beyond which according to Strava doesn’t even merit a category. I did manage to drop a couple of poor souls who were pushing their bikes up this particular hill though, so it wasn’t all bad.

Average speeds were also severely hampered by the often treacherous muddy lanes. We were told at the pre-ride briefing to restrict our speed to 20 mph on the descents, which was good advice and certainly heeded by the riders I saw.

Salvation arrived as we headed south and back to the start. Even I know that it’s pretty flat around Cirencester and so it was time to open up the throttle.

I can’t remember a cup of tea tasting so good, as the one I had at the finish.

Overall this was a great event and represented excellent value for money. The route was well signed. Staff and helpers were very friendly. It’s right on our doorstep too.  No one said it was going to be easy and if it was there’d be no sense of achievement.

Just for the record George W finished in 3 hours 2 minutes (some riders it would seem were less affected by the road conditions and gradients than others) and my time was 3 hours 24 minutes.

The Cycling Monk

Weekly Chat Wednesday 4th December 2013

Just to keep MCCC members up to speed with what was discussed this evening.

• Next week when Ken plays host to the weekly chat, there will be a wide selection of MCCC clothing for members to try on. The clothing in medium and large sizes belongs to Tim H and Howard. The idea being that anyone who is unsure as to what size they require can come along and get a better idea.

• Saturday's ride will be to the cafe at the Cotswold Water Park. With some members taking part in Performance Cycles' sportive on Sunday and Howard not yet up to full speed, this promises to be a fairly relaxed ride, but with the option of mashing things up with Tim H on the return leg.

• Next year the Saturday ride will be designated as a social ride. There will be a faster paced Sunday ride and starting in January, a monthly reliability ride held on a Sunday. During the summer months there will be mid-week faster paced evening rides. Participation will be key to making the club activities a success.

Club Clothing

To assist you in choosing your MCCC clothing, please find the images below in the new design. The original design is also still available.

If you click on the images they will increase in size.

MCCC Club Kit Order

From Howard:

It has been decided to try and put in an order for club kit before Christmas. However, if enough people want to wait until the New Year, the order can be delayed. Please let me know if you want to delay the order.

I have recently circulated pictures of the new kit and, hopefully, you are familiar with the original. You can order either design, or both!

 In order to make this as pain free as possible please follow the steps:

1)      Decide on which design you want.

2)    Check the sizing here  http://www.forcegb.com/size-guide.html  It is vital that you go by their sizing and not be led by the sizing of garments you already have but from different manufactures. Items ordered cannot be returned just because you have ordered the incorrect size.

 3)     Check prices here  http://www.forcegb.com/price-list.html there will be a small addition for P&P.

 4)      For the jerseys there is a choice of short or long zip, please say which you want.

 5)      The prices page also lists the items available to us although I’m not sure about leg and arm warmers. All the tops, shorts and longs can be purchased.

6)      Finally, email me your requirement and I will place a block order. Don’t worry about paying me at this time.

 It would be good if I could get this order in by the end of the week, so let me know asap.

Also, I have a new large, short sleeve, short zip, original design for sale or to try on for sizing purposes.

Club Ride Saturday 30th November 2013

Planes, Trains and Ice Skates

Blessed with perfect cycling weather we set off down the High Street, our ranks swelled with the much awaited return from injury of Howard our illustrious leader. Even his puzzling choice of legwear couldn’t tarnish our delight at seeing him back on two wheels. (Perhaps rolled up denim jeans are the new look for 2014). We were soon joined by Alison who had sensibly waited outside of the Rose and Crown for us. (There’s no point in cycling up a hill that you’re only going to have to ride back down a few minutes later).  All too soon though it was time to wish them both bon voyage, as they turned for home at Dauntsey and we steadied ourselves for our assault of Lyneham Bank.

There’s an eerie silence these days in the skies around the Dauntsey Vale now that the Hercules planes have moved from RAF Lyneham to Brize Norton.

Lyneham Bank has something of a chequered history. It caused Brunel no end of problems with land slippages when he brought his railway through. In more recent times subsidence has resulted in road closures and in order to alleviate the pressure on the Council to carry out immediate repairs, it has been downgraded to a B class road.

Having conquered the hill we cranked up the gears and made good progress over to Royal Wootton Bassett via Bushton.

Flexibility is very often the key to success and this was certainly the case where our coffee stop was concerned. After a couple of enforced switches, we visited the café at Lydiard Park. A temporary construction had been erected to house an indoor skating rink for Christmas, but fortunately for us, it looked as though it was having a quiet start. A pre-packed slice of moist fruit cake, a latte and a hot chocolate weighed in at a very reasonable £5.20. For those not familiar with Lydiard Park there’s also a tea room on the other side.

Andy’s suggested return route quickly won universal approval and suitably refreshed we made our way to Purton turning into Pavenhill and then following the quiet, well surfaced rural road that leads all the way to Garsdon and beyond.

I understand from MCCC HQ (Howard's house) that he and his wife Alison managed to rack up 13 miles without so much as a sniff of a cup of coffee. A very promising start given that this was Howard's first ride for nearly 3 months and Alison's in over a year.

Mileage: 38.6 miles

Garmin reference: http://connect.garmin.com/course/5226121

The Cycling Monk

Weekly Chat Wednesday 27th November 2013

I thought it would be a good idea to try and keep everyone in the loop by letting you know what's just been discussed at the weekly chat. These are very informal affairs over a cuppa lasting around an hour and are open to everyone.

• Saturday's ride will include a coffee stop at Riffs Bar, Greatfield, near Wootton Bassett, which incorporates an independent coffee shop.

• How best to manage two groups on the Saturday morning rides. (A formula which meets everyone's individual requirements must be found).

• Tim H is keen to organise a 100 mile MCCC cycle ride for next Summer. The trip will include the Avonmouth Bridge and refreshments at Tim's Mother's house in Portishead. It might be possible to incorporate parts of the Avon Cycleway which follows a similar route. http://avoncycleway.info/

• The possibility of holding one or more closed MCCC time trials in 2014. This would of course depend very much on the level of interest from members. (Although we're only a small club, my personal feeling is that establishing our own records is an important step in the long term development of the club).

• MCCC membership cards. There are plans to negotiate discount for members with local cycling/fitness related businesses. These will require the production of a membership card. The design now needs to be printed.

Please feel free to leave your thoughts by commenting below.

The Cycling Monk

Club Ride Saturday 23rd November 2013

Sadly, following my tumbles last week, this was one I had to sit out. . . . . . . . . blah, blah, blah, blah. I’m only joking. Of course I went on the ride. Rule 81 and all that, but as to my rapid recovery, if there are any children reading this please don’t try it at home. I discovered a strip of tablets I’d been given some years ago for a bad back hiding at the bottom of the medicine cabinet. A couple at bedtime found me waking Saturday morning feeling like a new man (please, no mention of this to my wife, the new man that is, she already knows about the misuse of prescribed medication).

In time honoured tradition we assembled outside of the Jackdaws Café where we found early-bird Mike basking in the strong winter sunlight. Among the regulars was guest-rider John who is hoping to set up a Clarion section in Swindon. We wish him every success in his venture and look forward to a time when we’ll be able to meet up with them for the occasional joint-ride.

Setting off down the side of Jackdaws towards Oxford Street, I felt my bike veering violently to the left. Like a disobedient dog I quickly brought it to heel. At first I feared a mechanical defect until I quickly realised that it was just the bike trying to reach the Foxley Road. Sorry, not this week old friend, the Organic Farm Shop Café just outside of Cirencester was awaiting our arrival.

The initial plan was to stay as one group, but with an early brisk pace being set, splitting into two seemed sensible.

A genuine highlight of the outward journey and a first for me was having to wait at the Minety rail crossing for a train to pass. Please see the picture above showing a rather dejected group of Clarions disappointed that no one had bothered to wave at them.

An interesting feature of the route was the suicide mission which saw us having to dismount and walk (run) across the A419 to reach the other side. (Very creative Howard. Thank goodness I’ve just renewed my life assurance policy).

The café is reached at the end of a long lane. Our al fresco days are a long way behind us now and the chance of any warmth is never wasted. Making ourselves comfortable in the easy chairs, the banana and sultana loaf scored very highly with me and George W, but our drinks could have been a lot hotter.

The return journey saw the advance party embarking on an impromptu quest to find Performance Cycles. Being so close to Poulton it was too good an opportunity to miss. By more luck than judgement we found them just as we’d almost abandoned all hope.

The cycle shop was one of those where you feel very comfortable lingering with no particular purpose in mind. Just being around bikes and other cyclists felt good. Tim H did buy some spares which at least lent our over-stay a bit of credibility.

A golden comic moment well worth mentioning, but definitely one of those where you had  to be there to appreciate the full humour of the situation, was spending some considerable time watching the failed attempts of the proprietor to load up a program on his computer which, was linked to a demo bike on a high-tech stand. Dave was very much to the fore and we incorrectly assumed that he was waiting to try out the bike, which wasn't the case at all, he was just politely waiting for us.

With some distance to cover we set off with a vengeance riding south through Down Ampney, the village sign informing us that it is the birthplace of the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, before heading west across to Cerney Wick and back home.

Mileage: 46.2 miles for the route described, but with some variations depending on the return journey.

Garmin reference:   http://connect.garmin.com/course/5192941

The Cycling Monk

Club Ride Saturday 16th November 2013

Back in August, as part of Malmesbury’s carnival programme, the Carrivick Sisters, a bluegrass and folk sibling combo, wowed a sell-out audience at St Mary’s Hall. Their finale piece, Today is a Good Day, is a very jolly number and proved to be a real crowd-pleaser.

I was lucky to wake on Saturday morning with the tune playing in my head. The record player arm (remember those?) was soon violently jolted when I was pumping up one of my tyres and the valve bent over and snapped off.

I managed to change the inner tube in record time and sped off down Bremilham Road having sent my son George W ahead to let the others know I was on my way. Turning left into Bristol Street, a horse lorry overtook me, suddenly pulled to the nearside and stopped abruptly. With little or no time to extract one foot from my SPD’s, I toppled over onto the pavement. Ouch, that hurt.

I arrived outside of the Jackdaws Cafe just a few minutes late to find a large gathering of riders eager to set off.

The High Street was as busy as ever and George A had to react quickly when a (female) driver opened her door without looking and nearly sent him flying.

As our impressive single-file line of cyclists streamed along Bristol Street, for reasons best known to himself, a pedestrian was strangely compelled to shout  ‘convoy’ at us.

Highway 61 (Foxley Road) safely reached, we settled into a comfortable pace, but soon found our progress hampered by the local hunt. Whilst those on horseback were extremely courteous, some of the hunt supporters insisted on tearing along the narrow lanes and had we not stood our ground, they would have forced us completely off of the road.

Note to the Route Master (Howard):  I assume this must be the hunting season, as just lately we seem to run into the hunt most weeks. Here’s a link to the Duke of Beaufort’s website, http://www.beauforthunt.com/  It might be an idea to factor in their meets.

North of Pinkney we split into two groups with some electing to warm up the seats at our intended destination, the tea shop in the High Street at Dursley. Conquering some very muddy tracks (I’m convinced they’d ceased to qualify as roads) we were rewarded with an exhilarating descent into Dursley.

Arriving at the tea shop, we found ourselves the subject of much attention from the purple rinse brigade taking a break from their Saturday morning shopping.  One lady took a particular shine to Tim H, despite him giving his feet an airing in a vain attempt to warm them up, only to drop him the moment Dave arrived. A special mention must go to the stollen cake, which was the best I have ever tasted.

The following group’s journey hadn’t been incident free. Simon’s black rubber stained hands bore the tell-tale signs of a puncture.

Happily re-united, there was a choice of routes by which to return by, with most, if not all, taking the Uley Road out of Dursley on the B4066 and then tackling the energy sapping Crawley Hill.

Disaster struck near Nympsfield when George W took a tumble cornering on a very greasy road surface. As I looked back to see what had happened, I became the next casualty, crashing to the ground as my bike slid from underneath me.

Undeterred we pressed on down into Nailsworth, but later whilst I was wincing in pain from my bruised hip, elbow and ribs, as we assaulted the hill up to Minchinhampton,  I was rather unsympathetically reminded of rule 81: Crashes may only be discussed and recounted when the rider or spectator has ended up requiring hospitalisation. Otherwise revert to Rule #5.

With the worst hills well and truly behind us, it was plain sailing back into Malmesbury for a hot bath whilst listening to my Carrivick Sisters CD. With the spills aside, today had still been a good day.

Official mileage: 40.86 miles, with some variations depending on the return route taken.

Garmin reference: http://connect.garmin.com/course/5157973 

The Cycling Monk

Club Ride Saturday 9th November 2013

The reassuring click of cycle shoes being locked and in one case pedal straps being tightened (probably accomplished in perfect silence) heralded the departure of the intrepid Malmesbury Clarions from the Cross Hayes car park. As we snaked through the High Street the sudden drop in temperature, as compared with the recent mild weather, was immediately noticeable and not helped by the persistent rain.

Whilst all roads might not lead to Foxley Road, quite a few routes certainly start from there. (No criticism intended). With bikes safely on autopilot members were able to chat freely. It soon became clear that the heavy rain experienced during the week had taken its toll on the meandering lanes with one section at Luckington transformed into a muddy swamp.

The Garmin, in my view always a poor second as a navigational aid against one of Tim H’s legendary pieces of paper, was being particularly troublesome. A series of about-turns were all taken with good humour though.

The cosy Sweetapples Teashop in the High Street at Marshfield was a very welcome sight. Hot drinks and cake ordered we took our seats after following John’s sensible suggestion of removing the cushions from the chairs, as by now we were shedding more water than a melting snowman. Hot chocolate was a popular choice with the Junior riders and was served with a mountain of whipped cream, topped with a generous sprinkling of marsh mallows and a chocolate flake on the side. With an electric log fire blazing away Tim H entered unchartered territory with a second Americano. Unable to delay our farewells any longer, we donned our soggy headgear, jackets and gloves, and headed north.

Happily the rain soon stopped and with more than a hint of sunshine breaking through the clouds, we were able to enjoy some of South Gloucestershire’s very pleasant countryside. With spirits well and truly lifted we sped through an almost deserted Castle Combe and made easy work of the hill out of the village. (Well it looked easy from where I was riding some way back).

With one of the best preserved small villages (Sevington), sadly spoilt by having the M4 Motorway as an all too close neighbour, behind us, we breezed through Hullavington and back to more familiar surroundings. I say familiar, but it was here that one rider (George W) over-shot the turning and ended up in Corston. Meanwhile, back with the pack, at the Vine Tree we picked up the tempo for the last push home whilst looking forward to the prospect of a hot bath and a chance to thaw out frozen toes and fingers.

Distance covered: 33.72 miles (excluding add-ons).

The Cycling Monk

Club Ride Saturday 19th May 2012

Sub title: Of Sportives, Hair Do’s and Good Coffee.

 I sometimes believe that the coffee is taking over, or at least the quest for a good coffee seems to be. In the day, rides would be 2 or 3 hours without stopping and straight home and on to other business. Now, whatever the length of the ride, either time or distance, it (to me at least) is incomplete without some sort of break and so the quest for the perfect coffee. Coffee - cycling they go together like other things that go together. So it was with little expectation on my part that the club ride set off on Saturday. The plan was good enough. Cycle out in the direction of Long Newnton and meet two members there, one new, welcome Siobhan. Following a loop to include Ashley and Crudwell and so back home. Not much chance of a stop on that route then. Ashley is a tiny village, it does have a red telephone box but not much else and Crudwell was likely to be closed at the time we would be there. (Remember Sherston?).

But Crudwell was not about to disappoint.  Once there a unanimous decision was taken to see if any of the pubs were open, and indeed they were. There was even a choice and we chose the nearest, the Mayfield House Hotel. And very accommodating the staff were too. We were offered the opportunity to sit at the bar, in the lounge or outside. A split vote took us into the bar, I think, but the real star was the coffee and, perhaps, the best en route cup we have had to date. Orders were taken and we were served from silver trays (were they silver or did I make that bit up?). We were even offered separate bills!! Very welcoming and lovely coffee and hopefully another visit soon.

On this ride both time and distance were limited due to various activities planned by different members. A massive sportive the next day for two 'hard men' and a hair appoint that day for one of our guests. And I noted that there was some discussion as to whether the next appointment should be made for before rather than after the ride. An idea was mooted that it should actually be arranged for during the ride and we could all ride over to Sherston together, wait whilst the job is done and then continue on our way after. Not sure what the outcome of this discussion was, any one any idea?

In total 5 members and two guests (welcome Simon and Heather) completed the ride. The weather was dry and not particularly windy, so ideal cycling conditions. A good effort by all. Below is a link to our ride.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/179727102

Howiecycles

Club Ride Saturday 21st April 2012

The boys make their way, slowly, south west.

Some unnamed members enjoying the lull before the storm

There are many excuses for not 'doing' a ride - too tired, inclement weather, already done enough miles, mechanical problems, can't find my favourite shorts - I could go on. But the excuses offered to get out of this latest ride, well! I have to work, on a ride day? I'm cleaning a swimming pool; hang on, this is a cycling club not a swimming club! And perhaps the best of all, I'm dining at Harrods, what's wrong with greasy Joe's at the end of a ride?

Never-the-less, some Malmesbury CCC members are made of sterner stuff and 3 representatives set off to fulfil the obligations of a weekly club ride. (Since when did it become weekly?)

Like the rest of the week, the weather was forecast to be showery/sunny intervals and we at least set off from the Jackdaw Cafe in the dry. In fact it was so dry, possibly sun was in evidence too, that, for some at least, shorts were the order of the day. First time this year I think. No names given but I sure as you get older it becomes harder to keep your legs warm so, for the more senior members, tights stay on well in to May.

So far the club rides have not really ventured to far north and it seemed like a good idea to remedy that now. Via Charlton, Hankerton, Oaksey and Ewen the half-way point was reached at Cirencester with its wide choice of, probably, suitable coffee stops. But stop we did not and we raced (well, cycled sedately) on. It did make a change actually cycling through a largish town though and handling the traffic as a group was kind of interesting considering we usually do everything to avoid it. So straight on and back in to the country side. I think we headed out on the Gloucester Road and left to Daglingworth. From there it is roughly south west all the back via Cherrington to Tetbury. The main point being that it is also quite a bit downhill, which, as a cyclist, is generally thought of as being good. And it was good!

So to Tetbury. It was here that the real business of the club ride took shape, the coffee stop. Stops can be a bit of a drag. You have to sit down, chat, enjoy a coffee and watch the world go by. All the time muscles are cooling and the longer the stay the harder it is to get going again. Especially if you have cake, we didn't. In fact we limited our stay just long enough to leave at the exact time the weather turned. We set off in the rain. Some of us would have quite happily waited for the all clear, it was a shower after all. Others were eager to be off, the weather being no obstacle at all. So off we set. It has to be said that, in fact, the rain did stop after only a few minutes but it coincided with cycling along the busiest road of the day. Not pleasant. Home via Shipton Moyne and finish in Cross Hayes, a total of 34 miles.


http://connect.garmin.com/activity/170209076#

Howiecycles

Club Ride Saturday 14th April 2012

Dave's Cherrington - Avening - Tetbury - Shipton Moyne run

Just under 19 miles but with many pub stop opportunities!

Sue’s Blog:

The second time out with the Malmesbury Clarion Cycle Club; this time not the only woman. Glad I dragged myself out of bed for a fairly easy 15 miles around lovely quiet and not very hilly country lanes to the west of Malmesbury. Nasty drizzle to start, the optimist in me was rewarded in the later stage with dry sunny weather. Finished up with a cup of real coffee at the Jackdaw Café, adjacent to Malmesbury Town Hall, mobbed by cyclists from further afield.

Club Ride Saturday 31st March 2012

Three riders set off from the usual start point, Jackdaw Cafe, at 10.30am. No concession was given to late comers as we speed off into the Malmesbury traffic at about naught mph. Taking about 5 minutes to clear the town we headed towards Shipton Moyne and, following the first directional surprise of the day, on to Tetbury. There was some thought of stopping for coffee, but I was out voted, it was too soon apparently. We continued past Chavenage, and why oh why is this road always so difficult? Once over the A46 we cycled through Kingscote and stopped, finally, for coffee at the Hunter's Hall pub. For one of us at least, the last few miles across the Hazelcote Valley was a first time experience and mention was made of it beauty. Don't be fooled though, the scenery may be great, it is, but the road surface is rubbish and there's a hill!!

An historic decision was made during coffee. For those that care anyway. A club jersey design was agreed. Slightly retro, it will be green with a white band wrapping the chest and similar white bands around the sleeve. The words 'Malmesbury Clarion CC' will be emblazoned on the white banding on the front of the jersey and, probably, running down either sleeve. Tim came up with the idea of our logo, a flying monk! His idea, but agreed by all present. I have found a company that will make as few jerseys as we like and I will contact them for prices soon. I'll let you know what I find out and people can choose whether to have one or not. So the club colours will be green, black and white.

With the excitement of that decision made, it was on with the ride. Brilliantly, we were able to exit the pub car park directly on to a little side road via the car park thus avoiding a 10 foot ride along a busy main road. Cycling continues to amaze and, on occasions, seems to go against the very laws of physics. What comes down, must go up! And yet another valley to cross, this time Newington Bagpath. Actually a rather stunning hill to be honest and one that I am sure the club will return too with the other members sometime soon. Once at the top the road is more or less downhill all the way home and we sped along like speedy along things. Home in no time.

In all we covered about 25 miles in slightly under 2 hours not including the stop.

Full route details can be found here: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/163308435

Howiecycles

New Members 31st March 2012

I have two completed application forms ready to be sent to Clarion HQ. Welcome Sue and Siobhan. We now have 7 members in total. I feel the club is about to take off and am braced for the rush.

Howiecycles

Club Ride Saturday 17th March 2012

This is in fact the second ride of Malmesbury Clarion CC (I didn't get around to writing up the historic first outing.)

We met, as I hope becomes usual practice for the club, outside the Jackdaw Cafe at 10.20am for the 10.30am 'Grand Depart'. Apparently I was late by about 3 minutes, so sorry about that. Nevertheless, a group of 5 assembled, one more than on the first ride (welcome Sue) and set off on a ride designed by Mike. Initially 21 miles with a cafe stop, but with a few well chosen deviations from the original plan we completed the ride with over 27 miles on the clock and finished with an excellent cuppa. Again we have Mike to thank for that.

The full course can be found here 

http://connect.garmin.com/course/819236 .

The route had many 'enjoyable' features including an assent, early on, of Malmesbury most spectacular Blicks Hill! We continued through Milbourne and Garsdon and by-passed Brinkworth to the north and climbed the hill known locally (at least to Dave and me) as L'Alpe. A rapid decent of Callow Hill followed and we continued on to what turned out to be the hardest climb of the day up to the A3102. Eleven miles completed and the Cafe stop in Lyneham was within sniffing distance, well a mile away.

The main road was voted too busy and we agreed a deviation via Tockenham. This added about 3 miles to the route but included a section between Tockenham and Lyneham that I had not ridden before, a rare treat for me. Piggy's Cafe in Lyneham was reached after about 15 miles and the Peloton was treated by Mike to drinks and snacks. Thanks, much appreciated, my round next maybe. Even the weather was good to us and the break was enjoyed sitting outside.

All good things come to an end and we continued on our way. Another slight adjustment to the original plan found us sweeping down Dauntsey Bank and on to Great Somerford. Here the excitement mounted as we were led through the largely unexplored (by me) outer reaches of the village. At Little Somerford the last hill. Once Clay Street was conquered the route followed Cresswell Lane via Cleverton to Mike's house in Lea. This was really the end of the ride although for those of us that do not live in Mike's house, there was the small matter of the 3 miles to Malmesbury, already cycled by our host earlier that day.

For the record there were no breakdowns - mechanical, physical or emotional.

Howiecycles

Inaugural Ride

The weather for Saturday looks OK, at the moment! So, I reckon it is a good opportunity for our first ride out. The route I have in mind can be found at the following link -

We can meet outside the Jackdaw cafe in Cross Hayes at 10.25 and try to be off by 10.30ish, we are a laid back club after all.

The route heads out on the Foxley Road and passes the Vine Tree pub. It continues over the ford and heads in to Sherston. A break here perhaps, for a chat and to make a few decisions re how we want things to develop, opening a bank account and anything else we can think of. From there we head back to Malmesbury via Shipton Moyne. Total distance about 15 miles. However, distance can be shortened or lengthened as required.

See you Saturday.

Howiecycles

Dodgy Conditions Saturday 11th February 2012

Early Days February 2012

Malmesbury Clarion Cycling Club is now officially a section of the Nation Clarion Cycling Club. A minimum of 3 members is required and we have five. We exist as a club with our own identity and, at the moment, how we carry on is up to us.

I believe that there are a number of things we need to do. Probably the most boring is to open a bank account. We already have a surplus of £45 but a small amount of expenditure needs to be made; stationary and stamps to send letters to the national body and to print letters onto. I suppose that I may need printing ink at some stage.

Most importantly though, we need to arrange to meet as a club and go for a ride. I hope that in the near future we will meet regularly, even weekly for a Saturday or Sunday ride and how these meetings develop only time will tell. To begin with I have in mind a journey of some 15 miles with a coffee/cake stop at half way where we can have a chat and decide on a few things. This ride could start at 10am or 10.30am, either Saturday or Sunday and expect to be back by lunch time. The ride will take place at the pace of the slowest rider and the course can be extended or shortened as required or as necessary. I am not crazy about cycling in bad weather so I suggest also that we wait until the weather has settled down a bit and it is warmer.

Details of the proposed route will be published at a later date.

All bikes and all riders welcome.

Howiecycles