Weekend Roundup

Despite the weekend's extremely challenging weather conditions which, led to Sunday's ride being postponed, it's still been a busy weekend for the club and its members. Our resident bloggers have been active too.

Saturday's club ride took us on a circular route with a stop for refreshments at Cafe 53 in Tetbury. We left in two groups of an equal number (both with three riders). Given the dire weather forecast this was a very respectable turnout.

Embarking on a course that was to eventually see us completing just over 40 miles, me, Steve and Mark headed off into the wind. Meanwhile, Howard, Mike and Maureen did likewise on a different course.

The rain started to fall just before Long Newnton and although never particularly heavy, it was enough to later warrant wringing our gloves out.

Turning generally eastwards out to Oaksey, we picked up a tailwind enabling us to make good progress. A change of direction though up to Cherington, took us onto higher ground and there we battled against the gusting wind and swirling rain.

With spirits at a bit of a low ebb we reached Tetbury. Our three compatriots had already settled themselves in and were waiting for their soup to be brought to the table. 

A game of musical chairs then ensued. We suggested that they moved to where we were going to park ourselves so that we could all sit together. They agreed, but the new configuration left Mike and Maureen sitting on a low leather sofa, from which it would have been impossible for them to have successfully guided their soup spoons up to their mouths without spilling soup on their laps. The subsequent reshuffle saw me and Mark become the new occupants of the comfortable sofa, which I saw as a result!

We left as we had arrived, in two separate groups. Resisting the temptation to run for home, me, Steve and Mark set off for Chavenage. Somewhere along the way (my fault as I had the Garmin) we must have missed a turning, as we got as far north as Kingscote. 

Turning for home we were blessed with a tailwind most of the way. The rain also stopped and by the time we reached Malmesbury I'd almost dried out.

The consensus was that the formula of two distinct groups allowing everyone to ride at a pace they felt comfortable with, had been a success.

Tim W

Library picture of Howard taken on a warmer & drier day 

Weather forecast for the day – clear up to 10am, rain and wind until 2pm and clear thereafter. And, for once, the forecast didn’t disappoint! It did indeed rain for the entire ride and the wind was particularly gusty too. Still, it was an important club day. Today was the first formal running of our two ride regime. Six riders in all turned out, and following a brief conflab about ‘maybe we should all ride together given the numbers’ it was quickly decided that we should stick with the plan. As luck would have it there were three riders for each group, a nice symmetry.

The two rides consisted of 29 miles or 34 miles and the 2 groups set off together. I opted for the shorter route along with Mike and Maureen and Tim W, Mark and Steve rode the longer route. The weather was really quite unpleasant but progress was made and we were first of the two groups to reach the café in Tetbury, albeit cold and wet. However, soup and coffee soon warmed us up and prepared us for the journey home. Shortly after we had arrived the other group also turned up although what the café’s owners though of 6 dripping cyclist arriving was never recorded.

Fortified, we set off home to Malmesbury and by the end had covered just under 27 wet and windy miles in 2.5 hours. A nice easy pace.

As a member of the group riding the shorter course we really did ride together and the pace was adjusted to suite, slowing down when necessary and speeding up where possible, (usually when the wind was behind us.) Hopefully, more members will be encouraged to ride with us in this group with the knowledge that the pace will not exceed what they are able to manage.

Howard 

Away from the club, on Saturday Des took part in the Tour de Bristol and rode the 75km course, which was the longest of the three available. The event was in aid of the St Peter's Hospice, Bristol's only adult hospice. Well done Des!

Ride HQ at Long Ashton

(click once to enlarge the following pictures)

Ready for the off!

On Sunday, I took part in Barry's Bash, a 116km Audax event starting from Long Ashton, just outside of Bristol. The route took me up and over the Mendip Hills, and down into Glastonbury. 

Hopefully it isn't collection day

Lunch was served at Glastonbury Town Hall. The above picture was taken at the rear entrance where bikes were being stored. I'm not sure whether the owner of the bike on top of the bin had given up and dumped it or just couldn't be bothered with the hassle of trying to extract his cycle from the tangle of machines.

On a day dominated by strong and at times dangerous crosswinds, the return leg was across the exposed Somerset Levels. 

Near Wedmore, so surprised was I to find a windmill in Somerset, I had to take this picture. The sails weren't turning. Had they been, I suspect they'd have been spinning out of control.

Mid-afternoon the sun made an appearance. The lane from Clevedon to Portbury, along which we rode in the opposite direction on Tim H's epic ride, provided some welcome shelter. By now I was thinking that the ride was virtually in the bag, but I'd failed to take into account the long haul up through Gordano.

Hot drinks, homemade soup, rolls and cake were all gratefully received back at Long Ashton.

Tim W

Club Ride Saturday 21st March 2015

South Gloucestershire's Somerset Monument

Deciding what to wear for the club ride is always a challenge and isn’t helped by the weather forecast very often being at odds with what I can see out of my own bedroom window. Do I let my eyes be the judge or the latest meteorological devices? I suppose this is where a decent sized Carradice saddlebag comes into play. You can then happily pack clothing for every eventuality and never be too hot or too cold. But of course nowadays we’re all so weight conscious and like to travel as light as possible. I recently read a review of the Cannondale Evo carbon water bottle cage. To eliminate or minimise the risk of the bottle popping out, Cannondale has introduced some rubber strips. The reviewer liked the safety element, but was concerned about the burden of the extra weight!

For better or for worse I made my apparel selections fairly certain that others would have deliberated in the same way.

It was good to welcome Andy Poolman back to the fold. We were also pleased to be joined by Tommy for his first ride with us. Hopefully we’ll get to share many a mile with him.

Having allowed plenty of time for any latecomers, eleven of us set sail for the Tortworth Estate Shop. The Estate in this case meaning part of a country estate, as opposed to an estate formed by a large collection of houses. In other words, it’s a farm shop. Actually it’s more than that because it has a café. Anyway, you get the idea.

Heading northwards up to Kingscote is always a bit of a gradual pull and wasn’t being made any easier by the headwind. Two groups took shape or three if you count the one with me and Alice in the middle.

Having reached the highest point, it was time to open up the throttle across the top and down into Wotton-under-Edge.

Routing can be a tricky business. During the planning stage even after you’ve clicked the box to stay on roads, Garmin has a nasty habit of letting you blindly plot a course along a bridleway. Added to this, roadblocks and diversions often spring up. To try and avoid any such embarrassments I rode the route on Thursday to check that all was well. Howard’s encyclopedic knowledge of the road network stops him falling into the bridleway trap, but he still physically checks for anything that might cause a problem.

One thing that troubled me about Saturday’s course was the number of lorry movements on the B4059 between Wotton-under-Edge and Charfield. If necessary, to reach a particular destination, I don’t mind taking busy A class roads, but club routing isn’t about what I find acceptable, it’s what the members feel most comfortable with. Sometimes though, it can be a necessary evil to reach hitherto unexplored areas, but that's only if we as a club want to do that.

We all arrived at the café within a five minute time span. Tommy was a bit pressed for time and so had to turn straight around. Unfortunately the rather dull weather cast a bit of a shadow over what can under a brighter sky, be a very attractive landscape.

           

            Some of the Clarions about to leave the Tortworth Estate Shop 

After hot drinks and cake we headed to Wickwar. The rural setting across the Inglestone Common was a useful counter-balance to some of the morning’s busier spots. All the while the Somerset Monument stared down at us and we knew that the hill had to be conquered.

The peloton starts to reform after the ascent

One by one heads appeared at the summit and having regrouped we rode for home across to Didmarton and down through Sherston and Shipton Moyne.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/9050589

Cheltenham New Flyer 200km Audax

At the risk of sending you all off to sleep, I've kept the overview down to the bare minimum.

Riders preparing to leave ride HQ at Andoversford, near Cheltenham
(Click once to enlarge the pictures)

With 7,142 feet of climbing over the 125 mile course, this was the most demanding 200km I've ridden so far.

Fernham Church, near Uffington

After a lumpy start the ride flattened out through Bibury, Lechlade and Faringdon. 

The first control was at Fernham where the church is also used as the village hall. The Uffington Women's Institute had baked a splendid selection of cakes and for just £3.50 you could have as much tea and cake as you wanted. Hot drinks were served in china cups and saucers.

With a moderate tailwind it was on to the next control at Burbage. However, I first had to climb the Blowingstone Hill. Once at the top and with a moderate tailwind it was a glorious descent all the way to Lambourn.

After a few more ups and downs, I arrived at the All Saints Church Centre. For £4 there was a choice of homemade soups, which came with a bread roll, hot drink and cake. I opted for the parsnip and leek, which although absolutely delicious, wasn't an obvious pairing.

After Burbage, the sun petered out and the temperature gradually dropped. The tailwind lasted as far as Bishop Cannings, but then deserted me too.

The National Trust Tea Room at Lacock was the next control. The fresh air and exertion had left me feeling ravenous and I eagerly laid siege to a pot of tea and a chunk of marmalade cake.

As another rider put it as I prepared to leave, the rest of the ride back to Andoversford had nothing to frighten the horses, it would just be a case of keeping it going. And that's exactly how it was. 

Club Ride Saturday 14th March 2015

It was a much depleted field that took to the road this weekend, what with OGL declaring himself unfit to ride, Tim courting his new mistress the much renowned Audax, and still other members defecting to watch (not even take part in ) rugby. One member claimed that she had a 10km run race on Sunday morning and that she would sit this week’s club ride out in order to save herself for the glory of competition and the rarefied atmosphere of Minchinhampton. From the massed ranks of, I believe, 22 on the birthday ride we struggled to get three together. But what was lacking in quantity was more than compensated for in quality and in Karine and Phil’s case youth.

An eclectic route was made up on the hoof (can bikes be said to have hoof’s? More of which later.) which took our 3 amigo’s up and down minor lanes as well as on more well-known thoroughfares. Shortly after leaving we were met by Dynamo Mike on Blicks Hill, as we approached he yelled something about having Howarditis so he wouldn’t be joining us which was a shame. A roundabout route to Hankerton, onward to upper Minety then a left towards Eastcourt , Oaksey and the Spine road. More lane work brought us down to Callow Hill then onto Dauntsey, then Great Somerford where we dropped Phil at his door. This left just your humble writer and Karine to do the hard miles home.  A happy and friendly 32 miles, however those eagle eyed among you will have already noted no coffee stop was made in deference to Phil’s need to get in some studying prior to the rugby this afternoon. Let’s hope this does not become a regular omission.

In answer to my earlier question regarding bikes with hoof’s you can, apparently attach this device to your front wheel to make a clip clop sound, which, let’s face it, better than not sounding like a horse. A bulk club order perhaps? We would sound like the charge of the light brigade on a good day.

Ted

News Roundup

This week's belated offering is more of roundup than a review of Saturday's club excursion.

Looking out across Bowden Hill

Saturday's Club Ride

It was good to see one half of our Melksham sub-section back in Clarion colours. Jamie brought our contingent of riders up to an impressive 11 , but unfortunately we lost Ewan and his dad at Hullavington after Ewan's gear cable broke leaving him stuck in top gear, forcing them to turn back. We did however welcome Simon Locke into our flock around the same time.

The hill-free course to Lacock on a very mild, sunny March morning, made for a pleasant outing.

After refreshments at the National Trust Tea Room, Jamie left to complete his ride home. Of the remainder, most opted to return home via Bowden Hill where Tim H gave us all a masterclass in hill climbing. Always a bit of a slog to get up, but it does mean that once conquered it's pretty much downhill all the way to Stanley and then flat until Rodbourne Hill. 

Boots and Spurs

Those members who joined in time to be able to receive the latest edition of the National Clarion's Boots and Spurs magazine, will have seen that we once again featured in the Section News pages.

Entries submitted for inclusion are limited to 250 words and with so many members busy riding in all sorts of events, it can be a bit of a squeeze, but we don't want to miss anyone out.

The deadline for the next edition is 1st May 2015. Through conversations in the peloton I manage to get an idea of who has done what, but please feel free to bring anything to my attention that I might not be aware of before 14th April 2015.

If there's anyone who would like a copy to read, I happen to have one spare. If you email me I'll pop it in the post or bring it along to a club ride.

Membership Cards & Benefits

Last year we issued our own Malmesbury Clarion membership cards. National Clarion then sent out theirs. This year we've waited for National Clarion to avoid any unnecessary duplication, but as they still haven't arrived, we're going to make our own again.

No doubt just like buses, when you've waited ages for one to appear, two will come along together. 

Just a reminder that membership of the Clarions allows you to receive a 10% discount at C.H White & Son with no minimum spend. 

On a recent visit to the sports shop in Malmesbury, I noticed that they stock a range of the highly rated SealSkinz cycling gloves. (Don't worry, they're not actually made from seals, just as in the same way moleskin trousers are made from moles). If there's a demand, I'm more than happy to try and negotiate a similar discount.

Members ready to set off on one of last summer's Wednesday rides

Wednesday Evening Club Rides

A number of members have recently asked when they are likely to resume. With the clocks going forward on Sunday 29th March 2015, they'll begin again on Wednesday 1st April 2015. Sunset is officially at 7.41pm and so if we start at 6.15pm, we should comfortably fit in an hour's worth of cycling. Carrying lights is still advisable in case it gets dark earlier or we are delayed returning by punctures etc.

Please note that this year the rides will be starting and ending outside of the Jackdaw Cafe and NOT The Triangle.