Sportives

Click on the picture once to see Tim H's curious tattoo of a pedal on his left calf.

Five MCCC members joined by Jim's son Andrew and Ted's wife Alice took part in Easter Monday's Cotswold Spring Classic based at Cirencester College. 

Riding out of Bibury three of us who were wearing club jerseys were overtaken by a group of Chippenham Wheelers and as they cycled past, one of them was heard to remark, 'I didn't even know they had a club in Malmesbury.'

There are a few local sportives which might be of interest to some. 

The first is the Cotswold Sportive on Sunday 15th June 2014, where ride HQ is at Didmarton Village Hall. This event is organised by Evans Cycles and has a difficulty rating of just 2 out of 5. You can choose to ride 15, 30, 60 or 90 miles. According to Evans Cycles other than one tough climb this is a faster flatter ride with some great stretches of smooth and level roads. Pre-booked entry is just £17.50 and includes a High5 pack worth £10.

With Tim H's August 100 fast approaching the 90 mile course, which is in fact 86.03 miles, could be a decent shout to help prepare.

The Garmin routes are already up on their website and if there's anyone left, other than me, who doesn't already own one, you can book a free demo Garmin to take with you on the ride.

www.evanscycles.com/pages/rideit-cotswolds-sportive-ride-15th-june-2014 

Next up is the Old Sodbury Sportive on Sunday 17th August 2014 and comes with a personal recommendation from Jim. 

www.sodburysportive.co.uk/

Finally, there's the Severn Bridge Sportive starting from Castle Combe on Sunday 24th August 2014.

www.andycookcycling.com/andy-cook-events/andy-cook-sportives/severn-bridge-sportive/


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Club Ride Saturday 26th April 2014

Jamie points the way to the 'W' after coffee. (Apologies to Howard and Heather who were out of camera shot).

Saturday morning we took great pleasure in welcoming Peter to our growing merry band of riders for his first outing with us.  Watches synchronized, we left in two groups, both with the aim of arriving at the café stop in Nailsworth at 11.45am.

Those taking the longer and hillier course wasted no time in setting out their stall as we quickly settled into a brisk pace. Reaching Sherston via Foxley Road, we then headed northwards towards Leighterton. Having dissected the A433 and A46, we enjoyed the steep descent towards Wotton under Edge.

Our route so far was similar to the last Sunday ride. I knew from that experience that some serious climbing would be required to gain enough height for us to be able to join the Nailsworth road.

At Wortley we turned right and began to gently gain elevation. The scenery to our offside, down in the valley, was magnificent. This was a new road to us and with the sun shining brightly it was difficult to imagine a more idyllic scene. Noticing that we seemed to be rising without much effort, I began to wonder whether we were simply going to cruise to the summit. A sharp left turn soon brought me back to earth, as the hill revealed some of the agony that awaited us. This was one of those hills where the higher you went, the steeper it became until we reached a point where our tyres started to slip on the road surface. If you’re out on a club run and you see Andy Parker stopped on a hill ahead of you, start worrying! It was something I’d never seen before.

After a quick squirt from our water bottles, it was high gears and heads down as we powered our way along the B4058 towards Nailsworth. Our progress was only impeded by an annoying set of temporary traffic lights, typically on red when we reached them, but fortunately positioned just far enough around the bend to prevent them from being a danger to us.

We arrived promptly at the café and with the sun just about still out, we opted to go al fresco. Having parked myself on an old wooden deck chair it started to rain. We upped-sticks and went inside only to find that there was no room at the inn, and so had to settle for sitting under a large umbrella.

The sun’s return coincided with the arrival of Howard and the others. Socialising as a club together is good fun, even if Howard was less than impressed with his sugar-free cake.

With leg muscles beginning to stiffen, it was time to head for home. Some of us, who clearly hadn’t already suffered enough, chose to tackle the ’W’ bend. Once at the top we threaded our way through the road closure barriers in Minchinhampton and down into Avening. Here, we took a sharp left up Star Lane, which I’m convinced acquired its name as at night it takes you nearer to the stars.

Star Lane certainly sorted the wheat from the chaff and saw Andy Parker, George W and Jamie break free. With some legs reduced to jelly, me, Tim H and Peter were happy to join Howard and Heather whom we met on the climb.

With a strong headwind to contend with and darkening clouds brewing overhead, we made our way back to Malmesbury where I found George W and Jamie waiting outside of the Town Hall looking as though they were ready for a second lap. 

24 miles: http://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/6363058
20 miles: http://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/6363245

Bits & Pieces and Club Ride Saturday 19th April 2014

For anyone who might have missed the email, these one size fits all cycling caps are being sold by Stockport Clarion for £10 each including postage. Three MCCC members have already bought one. Orders can be placed through Tim W.

Three MCCC members cycled over to Castle Combe on Good Friday for the cycle racing. Bonking is definitely best avoided, but this Bristol rider certainly wasn't taking any chances with a whole Soreen fruit loaf tucked in his jersey pocket.

It's official and thanks to Andy who was able to find someone willing to take our picture, it's been recorded for posterity. Saturday's ride to Toomers Garden Centre on the outskirts of Swindon attracted a record 12 riders. 

We even had to leave Toomers in two waves to avoid traffic building up too much behind us.

Given that this is the Easter weekend I've kept things short and sweet, as I'm sure you'll all have busy schedules. Normal service will resume next week.

Garmin reference for the outward journey: http://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/6278192

Club Ride Saturday 12th April 2014

Click once on the pictures to enlarge.

I arrived at our usual assembly point to find Dave fully immersed in Malmesbury’s café culture enjoying a natter over a pre-ride coffee.  Could this be the start of a new trend I wondered? Dave’s coffee-companion turned out to be Jamie, who together with his fixed gear bike, we welcomed for his first ride with us.

Four of us accepted Howard’s challenge of a 28 mile ride to the National Trust tea room at Lacock, with an identical number opting to take the more direct route covering 20 miles.

We left as one with Howard having the honour of leading us out of the town. Any thoughts of a sedate start were soon put to bed as Howard set a blistering pace along the A429 before turning off on the Startley road.

With the first hill looming, those going the long way around, including me, took the opportunity to press on as the plan was for both groups to arrive at about 12pm.

By the time we approached the junction with Spirthill, near Hilmarton, George W and Jamie had built up a considerable lead over me and Gary. A split seemed the only sensible option. 

Minutes later I had to stop to repair a puncture to my front tyre, aided by Gary.

With Howard having billed us as the ‘elite group’, Gary and I tried to make up for lost time, as best we could, to avoid being the last to arrive. Despite our best efforts we later pulled up outside of the tea room to find a full complement of Clarions tucking into their cake and in one case, two slices!

The tea room was doing a roaring trade and Gary and I spent a good 15 minutes or so waiting to be served, by which time the early-birds were ready to start saddling up. No matter, as I had to be back in Malmesbury by 1.45pm and so was pressed for time.

Me and Gary race to see who can finish their cake first whilst Tim H watches to ensure fair play.

My solitary ride home took me up to Thingley where annoyingly I found the road closed at the bridge. This forced me to dice with death by riding on the busy A350 up to and around Chippenham before gratefully turning off through Kington St Michael.

20 mile route: http://connect.garmin.com/course/6199040

28 mile route: http://connect.garmin.com/course/6193046

Sunday Series Club Ride 6th April 2014

As the bell in the church tower chimed for the ninth and final time, George W and I arrived outside of the Jackdaw Café where four other Clarions were waiting. With no one else in sight or expected we wasted no time in setting off.

Before too long a light drizzle quickly turned into full blown rain. With all but one rider having no mudguards, we had to suffer mud-splattered jackets and wet backsides.

Reliability proved to be very much at the heart of our ride. Tim H was under the weather, but said that he’d give it a go and see how he felt when we reached Wootton under Edge. Andy Parker developed a mechanical problem with his cassette near Hawkesbury Upton, but not that you’d have noticed, as he carried on regardless, his pace and power undiminished.

With three decent climbs to tackle we steadied ourselves for the first; the ascent out of Wootton under Edge.  Having reached the summit and with no sign of Tim H, I began to think that he might  have fallen on his sword and turned for home, but with dogged determination, he soon came into view.

High drama was to follow. Dropping down the steep descent towards Dursley, John over-cooked a tight right hand bend and ran up the embankment. Having traveled some distance his wheels eventually ground to a halt submerged in the forest mulch, but not before he’d been thrown from his bike narrowly missing a large tree stump and a road sign. Apart from being stung by some stinging nettles, John was otherwise uninjured. Unfortunately his bike didn't fare quiet so well and he was left without the use of his top set of gears.

With the aptly named, seemingly never ending, Crawley Hill at Uley, under our belts, Andy Poolman, who had to be elsewhere, peeled off back to Malmesbury.

The suggestion of coffee in Nailsworth got the seal of approval from the remaining riders and we forged on. At the cafe I enjoyed a strong cup of tea and a slice of chocolate and beetroot cake.  A new one on me, but at £3 for a thin slice it was likely to be my last too.

Back on our bikes there was just the small matter of attacking the hill up onto Minchinhampton Common.  A kite-filled sky greeted us at the top; the blustery weather ideally suited to kite flying, but with barely a second glance we pressed on to Avening.

Opinions are divided as to whether Star Lane out of Avening actually constitutes a hill, but the sharp turn after a quick descent, poor road surface and short, stiff incline, all combine to make it a bit of a tricky so and so either way.

With Malmesbury now just a short hop away, it was time to rinse what energy we had left from our legs to produce as strong a finish as possible. 

We now look forward to Howard’s next course for the fourth Sunday ride in May and hope that we are equal to the challenge. If you can, please come along. Given that we travel that much further than on a normal Saturday ride, we all help each other and would never leave anyone stranded.

  

10 Mile Time Trial Saturday 5th April 2014

My steel Raleigh Clubman is supposed to be a sporty touring bike. It just about does the job on our Saturday club rides and has proved quite handy on sportives and Audax UK events, but using it for a time trial, surely that would be too big an ask.

This was the conversation I had with myself when I first discovered that the Swindon RC would be hosting a 'Come & Try It' 10 mile time trial on Saturday 5th April 2014.

Given that I only own one serviceable bike, it would have to do. The Clubman weighs a hefty 11kg and so I’d have to strip it down as much as possible to try and shed some weight. The plastic bell, front light bracket, spoke reflectors (front and rear) and water bottle cage collectively didn’t trouble the scales. The metal mudguards did a little better, but once they were removed, I was left scratching my head wondering what else I could do without.  I toyed with the idea of ditching the bracket which secures my mini-pump, but decided against it. I know the pump really belongs in my jersey pocket, but being accident-prone, it was bound to fall out and knowing my luck, would probably be the cause of some horrific accident.

And so it was that me and George W found ourselves cycling out of Malmesbury at 8 o’clock on a very overcast Saturday morning bound for the Bradstone Sports Pavilion in Ashton Keynes. Looking to take the quickest route there, we opted to use the main Cirencester road, only to find that the top surface of tarmac had been lifted all the way to Crudwell.  As a result, it was a bit like riding over cobbles.

Signs had been thoughtfully placed out directing riders to the pavilion. We arrived just before 9.00am, registered for free and were given our numbers. I then proceeded to make a complete hash of pinning George’s number on his back, placing it far too high up between his shoulder blades and not at the very bottom of his jersey.  A seasoned hand soon put me right on this one. (Whoops, ‘school boy’ error).

Raising his voice above the excited chatter, one of the organisers announced that he was on his way over to the start and that riders were welcome to join him. I was fairly confident that I knew where I was going and with my number being in the low 30’s, I was in no particular hurry.

With the room having thinned somewhat, I was suddenly thrown into full panic mode when someone else shouted out that our individual numbers represented the minutes after 9 o’clock that we would be starting at. It was now 9.20am and I was supposed to be off at 9.34am. George W had the absolute luxury of starting at 9.36am.

We raced off to the starting point on the far side of the A419 and with 9.32am now showing on my watch, I could see the marshals gathered about 200 metres ahead. With just seconds to spare, we pulled up. I ripped off my rain jacket and went to stuff it inside my jersey pocket completely forgetting that my number was covering the opening.  George W tried to sort out the mangle of bent safety pins, but it needed the steadier hands of one of the marshals to rescue me.

Held in position whilst I was counted down, I tried to focus on the ride. 3 . . 2 . . 1 and I was off. Head down, I piled it on to get my speed above 20mph as quickly as possible and then did my best to keep it there. Travelling south towards Latton there was a brisk breeze to contend with. Having negotiated the first roundabout there was then almost two laps of the second section to complete.

As a first-ever TT I was hoping for a finishing time which would relate to an average speed of 20mph, but fell just short with an unconfirmed average of 19.6mph. George W was a fraction behind me with an unconfirmed average of 19.3mph, not helped when he missed the exit off a roundabout and had to ride around again.

Afterwards, it was back to the pavilion where tea and cake were waiting for us. One of the Swindon RC members I spoke to had noticed George’s MCCC jersey, which he said had aroused some interest, as they hadn’t heard of us before.

Swindon RC and Corinium CC host a TT series over the same course every Thursday evening throughout the summer. Understandably, priority is given to their club members, but other riders are welcome.

http://www.swindon-rc.co.uk/index.php/time-trialing/club-10-tt-series

Give it a few weeks and we’ll definitely be up for another go. Thanks Swindon RC for your help and encouragement, and giving us the opportunity to try a TT.

Riding back home through Ashton Keynes we acknowledged a group of cyclists travelling in the opposite direction and then realised it was our club ride on their way to the Coots café. We had no hesitation in tagging along, which rounded off an enjoyable morning.