Club Ride Saturday 30th August 2014

The relevance of this picture will become clear later

For a fledgling club we’re still very big on tradition.  It was just over a year ago that the MCCC made its last visit to Marlborough. I can remember it quite well even though I didn’t actually take part in the ride. It was the reason I postponed my first club outing.  Back then, cycling 62 miles sounded like a return trip to the moon.

There were no astronauts waiting outside of the Jackdaw Café Saturday morning, but there was Jim making a very welcome return.

A peloton of nine eased its way along the Common Road and up to Rodbourne. Here, there was a parting of the waves when six of us set off after Heather and Simon who had left half an hour earlier.

The climb up Trow Lane at Grittenham was an early taste of things to come.  Next up was an assault of the hill at Clyffe Pypard, not the one I was expecting which runs through Broad Town, but a more fiendish beast which saw some riders employing the zig-zag technique to reach the summit.

With barely any time to catch our breath, we then had to attack Hackpen Hill. Our reward was a glorious descent, which with the wind behind us, saw our speedometers going off the scale. Passing Rockley, we came across Heather and Simon.

Marlborough High Street was as busy as ever and after narrowly missing a collision with a carelessly opened car door, we arrived at the Food Gallery. The chance of a coffee refill for a £1 was too good to miss and so for some there was a second round of hot drinks.

The mystery object on the left of the saucer pictured below was a complimentary almond flavoured (miniature) biscuit. This was a clear case of discrimination against tea drinkers, as my pot arrived minus the biscuit and any offer of a discounted top-up.

Spot the biscuit!

An old grocery bike outside of the café prompted Phil, aka Granville, to reminisce about his days as a young lad when he rode a similar bike around the outskirts of Salisbury delivering meat for a butcher, which involved a 5.00am start.

A text received from Howard, who had never intended riding all the way to Marlborough, informed us that he was at Toomers Garden Centre at Lydiard Millicent.

Some of the Clarions preparing to leave the Food Gallery 

Leaving Marlborough on the A4 we passed Marlborough College.  This great seat of learning boasts many famous old boys and girls ranging from John Betjeman to Chris de Burgh.

With two big hills already in the bag I’d mistakenly thought that we were in for an easy ride home. Turning off the A4 and now riding into a headwind, there was an energy-sapping climb up towards the Pewsey Downs, before descending to Woodborough.

Rising out of Bishop Cannings up to the A361, my legs were beginning to tire. Meanwhile, Andy Poolman and George were doing a pretty good impersonation of a pair of Duracell Bunny Rabbits; still going strong whilst those using inferior batteries were gradually winding down.

Fortunately, there was still enough charge left for the short, but taxing ascent up to Bremhill and then finally the hill after leaving Startley.

I don’t know if anyone else was counting them, but the course took us past five white horses; Broad Town, Hackpen, Alton Barnes, Devizes and Cherhill, although only two, Hackpen and Alton Barnes, could actually be seen.

Garmin reference: http://connect.garmin.com/course/4554696

Ken's Carnival Ride

Clarions lending their support, as riders start to gather (Photo courtesy of Andy Poolman)

As advertised, Ken's Carnival Ride took place on Sunday 24th August 2014. Despite the wet weather, a healthy crowd of cyclists, including a number of Clarions, assembled outside of the Old Bell Hotel for the 10.00am start.

Riders were rewarded at the mid-way point in Badminton with hot drinks and cake brought out to them by Andy Poolman's wife, Sue.

Ken generously invited participants back to his house afterwards for post-ride refreshments, by which time everyone had been treated to a thorough soaking in the rain.

Forthcoming Diary Dates

Malmesbury Road Race

First, a reminder that Max will be racing in our club colours this Sunday, 31st August 2014, in the Malmesbury Road Race hosted by Bristol RC. The event is based at Charlton Village Hall and starts at 11.00am. I know that Max would appreciate seeing a few friendly faces out on the course. 

http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/details/106136/Malmesbury-Road-Race

Evans Cycles Sportive

Evans Cycles are staging a sportive at Lackham College, Chippenham on Sunday 26th October 2014. There's a choice of four distances; 15, 30, 60 and 85 miles. Pre-booked entry costs £17.50 for the three longer rides, which includes a free box of High5 products worth £10. 

When I rode the Evans Cycles sportive at Didmarton earlier this year, they also threw in their own box of High5 energy drinks and gels. Add the value of the boxes to that of the free gels available at the well-stocked feed stations and I was virtually riding for nothing! 

http://www.evanscycles.com/pages/rideit-wiltshire-sportive-ride-26th-october-2014

Audax Ride 100km Chippenham

If you've ever wondered what Audax UK rides are all about, there's a chance to take part in the extremely popular Chippenham Flapjack on Sunday 8th February 2015. Entry for non-members is just £8.50 and includes hot drinks and cake at Brinkworth Village Hall, beans on toast at Kemble Village Hall, hot drinks and cake at Sherston Village Hall and if you've still got room, soup and rolls at the finish.

http://www.aukweb.net/events/detail/15-36/

Ted and Alice's Tour of Waterford

Tour of Waterford 

From our special all Ireland corespondent (Ted) 

On August 23rd our club was represented at this event by Ted and Alice who travelled across the Irish Sea specially to take part. This event has 3 distances; 50,100 and 150km options available. We opted for the middle ground. 

The forecast was for rain in the afternoon so we were keen to get going, at the start was to be the legendary Sean Kelly himself so we were a bit disappointed that he was late and we were all held for 10 minutes, apparently he had been out with the longer ride group and struggled to get a lift back to give us the big GO.

Once underway we had a great ride out through the town of Dungarvon on closed roads. Over the 3 distances there were 5000 riders plus 1500 on Saturday for he 12k fun ride. The whole of this pretty little town was overwhelmed by cyclists.

Somewhere between 10 and 20 k the rain arrived so obviously no one had told the weather gods the time they were supposed to arrive. That was it then for the rest of the day. Rain on and off, mostly on, high winds and a great course. The hilly sections were not too hard and the training we had done up in the North Cotswolds paid off. 

There was a lunch stop but the queue was epic so rather than get cold we skipped it. Not before, however, Alice hit Sean Kelly with her helmet which she had in her hand and said " we were waiting for you". The man who had won the Giro 3 times apologised profusely and I made a sharp exit before the police we're called to deal with the mad Englishwoman who had assaulted an Irish sporting hero.

The run home included some terrible weather, a couple of hills and a great finish. This was a fantastically well organised event with a friendly atmosphere and some great scenery. Hopefully I will have some Strava segments that George won't already have.

Oh and Alice stayed on all the way round!

Club Ride Wednesday 20th August 2014

Wednesday's club ride with riders curiously occupying the disabled bay in The Triangle

I don't usually blog the Wednesday evening ride, but with Howard and Andy Poolman on hand to take some photographs, I thought I'd write a few words to accompany the picture.

The Wednesday evening excursion is very often a bit of a dash around some of our favourite routes, but Tim H certainly rung the changes with this one, when he led us on a very scenic route over a course of around 23 miles, which encompassed some glorious unspoiled countryside north of Malmesbury. There were one or two hills thrown into the mix, which had the bottom gears grinding, but we finished with a flourish and managed to 'up' the mph a couple of notches.

With only a few lights spread among six riders, there was some concern that we might get caught out, but we needn't have worried, as we all arrived back in the light.

Club Ride Saturday 16th August 2014

Preparing to leave the Wickwar Coffee Shop (Click on pictures once to enlarge)

This morning we welcomed Colin from Corston for his first ride with us.  We’re always pleased to see new faces, particularly when they come back a second time, as was the case with Mark (from Malmesbury).  Eight other riders completed our peloton.

With a couple of routes on offer, just three people opted to tackle the longer one to the Wickwar Coffee Shop, which went via Wotton under Edge.  The trio wasted no time in creating some distance from the rest of us, but seizing an opportunity to bridge the gap, Howard led the attack and by the time we’d reached Shipton Moyne, we were all back together. However, a natural order was soon restored.

The road through Tresham had recently been resurfaced. The surplus grit had gathered in piles in some places and care was required, especially on the bends.

We arrived unscathed at the café and just a few minutes ahead of the other group. A raiding party was quickly formed and we assembled a collection of chairs taken from inside, around two tables on the pavement.

Breakfast for me had consisted of a banana and a gel. With some climbing ahead on the return journey, I ordered scrambled egg on toast. The staff member serving said that I was just in time. Given that scrambled egg on toast can be eaten at pretty much any time of the day, I hadn’t considered the possibility of there being a cut-off time, after which, it would no longer be available.

Final preparations are made before leaving Wickwar

Fortified, we headed for home, with just the small matter of a couple of hills demanding our attention. The first wasn’t as painful as it could have been, as we took a left turn about half-way up Horton Hill. The scenery along this quiet lane past the Church of St James the Elder is very pleasant. 

Tim H walking around the tractor and trailer

Further on, we found the road blocked by a tractor and its trailer loaded with wood. Riders had to dismount and walk around one side. Struggling for material, I decided to stop and take a picture of the obstruction. Farmer Giles arrived from nowhere and wanted to know why I was taking the photograph. I tried to explain my purpose to him, but it came over as sounding faintly ridiculous and I wished that I’d just said that I was going to report him for what looked like an over-loaded trailer, instead.

The second one, from Hawkesbury to Hawkesbury Upton, was already well signed for Sunday’s Sodbury Sportive. Amusingly, they’d named this section the ‘Hawkesbury Howler.’

Having reached the top, we regrouped and headed for the Badminton Estate. At the junction with the A46, we realised that we’d lost Ted. Andy Poolman set off to investigate and said that he’d report back. When he didn’t, Tim H went off on the same mission. I volunteered to be the next person to go if Tim H failed to reappear. Fortunately Tim H returned with news of Ted’s puncture and said that Andy was helping him. I don’t know if this was intended to reassure us, but after Andy’s previous heavy-handed pumping, I couldn’t help wondering if Ted had enough spare inner tubes to complete the job.

To fill in the time whilst we waited, Tim H showed us one of his gas canisters, which to my horror, I initially mistook as a crack pipe. The fact that he’d again chosen (and who can blame him) not to give a practical demonstration with one of them, didn’t go unnoticed by some. 

Ted and Andy soon re-joined us and our peloton was complete once again when we met Howard in Sherston. I forgot to mention that Howard, assuming that we’d catch him up later anyway, had left us whilst enquiries into Ted’s disappearance were still at an early stage.

A fast paced ride along the Foxley Road, when all of the conditions were in our favour, rounded off an enjoyable and entertaining outing.

Club Ride Saturday 9th August 2014

Where's Howard, Dave and Linda?

I’ve had a new set of pedals for ages and could have fitted them at any time, but for some unknown reason I chose to do it at 5.15pm on a Wednesday evening, just an hour before the start of the mid-week ride.  The old pedals weren’t giving up without a fight. By the time I’d removed them, the immortal words of Corporal Jones were ringing in my ear, ‘Don’t panic, don’t panic.’ Too late, I was already in full panic mode. I then proceeded to cross-thread both of the new pedals leaving them sticking out at a jaunty angle. I decided to take them off and put the old ones back on. The old pedals had obviously taken umbrage and were having none of it. They eventually conceded defeat around 7.00pm. The relevance of my pedals will become clear later.

Nine riders assembled, which considering we’re now in the middle of the peak holiday period, was very good. As promised, Linda made a welcome return and we were joined by Mark for his first outing with us.

Equipped with rope and grappling hooks, six of us set off to tackle the longer route to the Sweetapples Tea Room in Marshfield, whilst Howard conjured up something on his Garmin slightly less arduous.

It’s only fair that I mention that Howard had in fact test-ridden the hillier route by himself earlier in the week and had given it a cautious thumbs-up.

With a lively headwind and some dark clouds gathering we wove a path through the road works in Bristol Street and out into the countryside.

Having left Hullavington, we were passed by a couple of packs of Chippenham Wheelers riding in the opposite direction. This has occurred on a few occasions at more or less the same spot and as per usual we were labouring up the incline against the wind as they flew past.

The arrival of the rain coincided with our reaching the Salutation Inn at The Gibb. Fortunately the thick canopy provided by the trees along the Fosse Way kept us dry and by the time we had emerged at the top, the rain had stopped and the sun was out again. The lumps and bumps along this section had tested our ability to change quickly from top to bottom gears, but weren’t so severe as to necessitate the deployment of the rope and grappling hooks.

Crossing the Bristol Road at The Shoe we then undertook the toughest climb of the ride up to Colerne. Here, we deemed the rope and hooks to be unnecessary baggage and instead chose to use a winch. Howard had earlier said that when he reached this point, it had flashed up on his Garmin as being a site of ‘Special Interest.’ As we edged our way up the hill I wondered what could be so special about a road passing through a wood.

After a short breather at the summit we turned to our right and rode along a very pleasant lane that eventually brought us out into the High Street in Marshfield.

At the back of the Sweetapples Tea Room were three bikes, but not as I’d first assumed, those belonging to Howard, Dave and Linda. A text from Howard revealed that in view of the rain, they’d taken refuge in Sherston and so wouldn’t be joining us.

After hot drinks and in some cases, a slice of cake, we headed northwards.  By now, my left foot felt as though it was sliding around on the pedal. Misdiagnosing the problem I concluded that the metal cleat must have worn at the edges. Some miles later I realised that the pedal was actually coming off.

At Alderton, a decision unrelated to my pedal problems, was made to cut short the ride and to return to Malmesbury by the shortest route. Sensing an opportunity to gain a few valuable miles on the Strava Leaderboard,  George  rode alone to complete the full course.

Shortly after Norton my pedal dropped off leaving a hole the size of a small telescope. Someone more resourceful  than me (Ken) would no doubt have been able to rig up a makeshift pedal from some twigs and a length of bale twine, but I had to contend with cycling one-legged.  Amazingly my average speed picked up, but that had more to do with the tailwind than the strength in my right leg.

Garmin reference http://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/7340580

Tim H's 103 Mile Ride

A stray bull calf in the road near Alderton brings our peloton to a halt.

Portishead - The Fall and Rise

They say that self-praise, is no praise at all, but I couldn’t help letting slip a small smile of satisfaction when the sub-title to Sunday’s epic 103 mile ride came to me.

For those unfamiliar with Portishead, our intended destination, it sits on the Bristol Channel at the mouth of the Severn Estuary. The River Severn boasts the second highest tide in the world.

The 19^thcentury saw a rapid expansion around Portishead’s dockyard. This continued into the 20^th century when a power station and a chemical works were added. The town’s fortunes then slumped during the 1970’s, but today there’s a smart new marina and exclusive apartments. Things are once again very much on the ‘up.’

It was on a bleak winter’s evening at one of the weekly Wednesday get-togethers, that Tim H first mentioned his intention to organise a 100 mile ride, with lunch provided, at his mother’s house in Portishead. True to his word, and much to his credit, he did exactly that and months later, there we were on a sunny August morning, 10 of us riding out of the Cross Hayes car park.

A few special mentions are in order. Max, for driving from South Wales to join us and the usual Clarion welcome goes out to Steve, who was riding with us for the second time. (I’d forgotten his name the first time)

The earlier start of 8.30am had a good feel and being a Sunday, the roads were relatively quiet. This allowed us to comfortably ride two abreast and meant that the pack was frequently being shuffled as riders circulated up and down the line.

Somewhere west of Chipping Sodbury, at the approach to a roundabout, there was an unfortunate touching of wheels, which resulted in two riders getting better acquainted than perhaps their respective partners would have preferred. Once untangled from their embrace, we were soon on our way.

It was around this time that I detected the first unmistakable whiff of a smell that always evokes happy memories of childhood holidays spent at Weston super Mare. No, not the sweet smell of candyfloss sold on the pier. It was the faintly sulphuric odour of wet mud being carried on the brisk headwind.

Not too far from Severn Beach there was further drama when one of the participants in the earlier incident had to take avoiding action. This involved mounting the grass verge, which then resulted in them disappearing down a deep ditch, the bottom of which was filled with water.

A motionless body with its head and limbs arranged in an unnatural fashion immediately filled me with dread. It was a huge relief when I heard them answer my call. Unbelievably, once their bike had been lifted off of them and the vegetation cleared from their face, they were able to stand up.

This particular rider was proving to be indestructible and although in some discomfort, was still eager to saddle-up and complete the ride, if possible.

Leaving the industrial sprawl behind us, we crossed the Avonmouth Bridge over the River Avon. Looking down into the gardens 80 feet below, I spared a thought for the four poor brave souls who plunged to their death in 1999 when a gantry they were using collapsed.

Having reached the other side and worked our way through a housing estate, we broke out into the countryside and enjoyed the pleasant views around Easton in Gordano. A narrow lane along one side of the shallow valley allowed us to make good progress.

Riding through Clevedon’s town centre we passed the Curzon Community Cinema, which is one of the oldest continually running purpose-built cinemas in the world.

A scheduled stop was made at the Salthouse Public House, just off of the seafront.  Perched in an elevated position, with the bay spread out before us, we relaxed in the sun whilst quenching our thirsts with a variety of non-alcoholic drinks.

All smiles at the Salthouse as we relax over drinks.

The time was also used wisely to repair a puncture. This took two attempts after some over-enthusiastic pumping resulted in the valve of the first replacement inner tube being snapped off. The old saying about things happening in threes had proved correct, as the unlucky recipient of the puncture just happened to be the member who had already suffered two falls.

With empty stomachs beginning to rumble and the promise of lunch not too far away, our peloton threaded its way along the promenade, past the Victorian pier and out of Clevedon on the coast road.

Clevedon's bay.

The coast road was a little lumpy in parts, but the sea views more than compensated for this and we were rewarded with a long, fast running descent into Portishead. 

Tim’s mum had a very welcome selection of cycling food waiting for us. We eagerly devoured the bananas, fruitcake, flapjacks etc on offer. Fed and watered, the idea of a quick nap was an attractive one to some of the older riders, but with a table booked for 7.30pm at the Europa Italian Restaurant, we had to press on. A big thank you to Tim's mum for looking after us so well. 

   

Gary attacking the curve of the Avonmouth Bridge. It's not as flat as you might think.

We headed back to the Avonmouth Bridge and retraced our steps along some of the morning’s course until we changed tack and rode through a swathe of countryside that reminded me a little of the Somerset levels. 

The wind, now behind us and the distraction of unfamiliar surroundings, made cycling easy.

Inevitably, we had to gain height if we were ever going to see Malmesbury again. After a particularly punishing climb, we regrouped at the top and with 83 miles under our belts we split into two groups of 5.

Having conquered at least one more ascent we reached ‘Clarion Country’ in the form of the Badminton Estate. There was by now a real feeling of being homeward bound. Glancing at our watches we realised that we needed to get our skates on if we were going to get back in time for our meal.

Presumably someone had forgotten to put out the podium, the brass band couldn’t make it and the Mayor was otherwise engaged, as all were missing from outside of the Town Hall to celebrate our triumphant return. 

Later, 7 riders ate heartily whilst longing for their beds, accompanied by three wives and a husband - providing a perfect end to the day.

The makings of an annual summer 100 mile ride? I certainly hope so.

Club Ride Saturday 2nd August 2014

Thank you Howard for your account of today's ride:

Arrrgh! Double, double arrrgh!  It’s the first Saturday of August! It’s summer! It’s MCCC’s club ride day! It’s raining! How dare it? Why, why, why does it always rain on a Saturday? Back to bed then? Wait a minute. May be, just maybe, people will turn up. Thinking about last week’s effort where the club managed to field a bunch of 17 riders, I thought, well, at least half of that group will turn up. And, moreover, with tomorrows important 100 mile ride scheduled, those expecting to participate will almost certainly want a last minute ride to ensure that everything between person and machine is in perfect harmony and working to perfection. Won’t they?

Given this motivation, I was up and having breakfast at the extremely early time of 9.15am anticipating the morning’s ride ahead. With peaked cap beneath my helmet to help prevent rain getting on to my glasses and rain cape fastened (and tyres pumped up at the last minute) I set off to the start. Mudgarded and water proofed. Hadn’t needed to do that since, oh let me see, the last time I had to do it.

Given that my home is one of the closest to the start, I have to admit that, on occasions, I do turn up at the last minute for our Saturday rides. (It seems rude not to, really)Today was no exception and although I could definitely see the start at 10 o’clock and was there by a minute past, imagine my surprise when I realised that I was, in fact, on my own. What? It was inconceivable that no one else had turned up, how could that possibly have happened to our club? Then I understood. It was raining! Of course, why would the group hang around getting wet when they could get just as wet riding their bikes? Clearly I had missed the start so keen where they to get going!

Nothing for it and as I was already damp, I may just as well go for a bit of a ride on my own. Nevertheless, I did hang around for another 5 minutes just in case. No one else did, so I set off.

Nothing particular to report, really. I just completed a reverse circuit, 15 miles at a very sedate pace. Quite enjoyed it really, but it would have been better in company. (Note to self, always, always, always turn up in plenty of time to make sure you don’t miss the group start again!)

Epilogue.

I have taken a sort of selfie (is that how you spell it?) to point out the ‘puddle of the day’. Any guesses as to where it is? Answer via the blog comments at the bottom of this page. There may be prizes for correct answers, probably won’t be actually, but there may be.

P.S. More bicycle related music.

How about – The Icicle Works ‘The Small Price of a Bicycle’ (An album, I know. But it still has the word ‘bicycle’ in it.)

Daisy, Daisy (Bicycle Built for Two)

A couple of bands clearly dedicated to the bike!

   

      Bombay Bicycle Club

      Small Brown Bike

Any others?