News Roundup

Saturday Club Ride

Four members rode to The Canteen at Nailsworth on Saturday. I understand the return leg involved a bit of a loop out through Kemble, which took the mileage up to around the 50 mark.

My riding plans for the weekend were to watch Max racing at Odd Down, Bath on Saturday afternoon and then to complete the 65 mile course on Sunday morning as part of Performance Cycles' winter mini-sportive series. A poorly behaved starting motor, which the garage couldn't replace until Monday, meant a quick rethink. So as not to completely waste my £8.50 entry fee, I did the ride with George on Saturday instead. 

The route comes through Malmesbury and so was easily joined. Over mostly flat terrain, it was an absolute pleasure to ride, apart from the last hour or so when with the sun sinking, the temperature plummeted and I lost all feeling in my fingers and toes. I had hoped to thaw out at the cafe attached to the Bell Hotel at Sutton Benger. It looked inviting inside, but the dreaded closed sign was on the door. The next opportunity arose when we reached Sherston, but with just 5 miles of the ride left, it didn't seem worth stopping.

Short route: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/3859755
Long route: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/3881143

Wednesday Evening Training Ride

If anyone fancies an evening mid-week training ride in a safe environment, then this could be for you. Up until the end of February 2015, you can ride on closed roads around a 800m circuit at Hoburne, South Cerney for just £3. The sessions run from 6.00 to 8.00pm. No new registrations after 7.00pm. There is street lighting, but all riders must have lights. Turn up, register and do your own thing or with a few of us, we could ride as a group, but we don't have to.

Holiday Snaps

I'm going to set up a holiday snaps section in the gallery featuring members wearing their club kit. Simon Barnes has kindly sent us this recent picture of him outside a temple near Chiang Mai in Thailand. It doesn't matter whether you're at Bognor or Bombay, we'd like to see you proudly wearing our club colours.

The Unbeatable Record

In 1939 Tommy Godwin set what has become known as the 'unbeatable record' by cycling 75,065 miles in a year. On 1st January 2015, Steve Abraham will start his attempt to beat Tommy's record. To do so, he will have to ride an average of more than 205 miles every day for a whole year. Steve is taking a year off work and has committed £6,000 of his own money, but needs a lot more to fund the project. A donation of £10 will buy him two feeds out on the road and £70 will cover his expenses for a day. Steve also needs people to put him up for the night.

Raleigh, who also sponsored Tommy, are providing Steve's bike. Schwalbe are equipping Steve with his tubeless tyres and sealant. There are other sponsors to accurately record his mileage and provide his jerseys, but there's no huge injection of cash, as yet, from big businesses. This means that Steve will have to rely on cash from cycling enthusiasts like us. This might change when the record starts to look as though it could be within Steve's grasp, but there's no way of knowing.

It's not every day that you get a chance to play a part in cycling history. Below is a link to Steve's website with details of how you can help financially or by being a host.

http://oneyeartimetrial.org.uk/