Club Ride to Chepstow

The unmistakable Severn Bridge, gateway to Wales

Eleven riders assembled outside of the Town Hall Saturday morning at the earlier time. Whilst we waited for any latecomers, Pete B used the time wisely by quickly popping into the Co-op to buy a bunch of bananas. Once these had been distributed, we were on our way.

As a club we have always taken a relaxed view regarding the wearing of club kit on rides and left it as a matter of personal choice. There's nothing to suggest that this policy will ever change, but there's no denying that riding in close formation with a generous smattering of green, we looked pretty impressive. 

Cycling conditions were near perfect; little or no wind and enough sun to feel warm without overheating. After a lively pace on the B4040 to Sherston, we eased back on the throttle.

The grade 1 listed Severn Bridge never fails to delight. The sense of anticipation gently simmered in the peloton and gradually rose to boiling point as we rumbled onto the bridge. 

Up until the bridge was opened in 1966, unless you wanted to take the long way around through Gloucester, crossings had to be made by car ferry. For an interesting glimpse of life in a bygone age, follow the link here to British Pathe's excellent newsreel site. It only lasts a minute or so.

The Anglo-Welsh poet Harri Webb marked the occasion with this ode:

Two lands at last connected
Across the waters wide,
And all the tolls collected
On the English side.

The Phoenix Welsh male voice choir at Pye Corner
(click once to enlarge the pictures)

Pye Corner in Chepstow is a real suntrap. Over refreshments we were serenaded by the Phoenix Welsh male voice choir from Swansea who are sponsored by Specsavers. The deal means that they have to perform outside branches of Specsavers and there just happens to be one across the road out of camera shot.

'Cyclists Welcome' displayed on the chalk board

Apart from the pesky wasps attracted by our moist, gooey cakes and Phil and Peter C's savoury offerings, this was an enjoyable pit-stop. The cafe has reported the troublesome winged invaders to the Council, but it's apparently a problem afflicting lots of establishments in the area and there's not much they can do.

Peek aboo!

Riders getting ready to depart

With the choir eager to re-hydrate at the neighbouring Lion public house, we saddled up for the return journey. The only deviation being our route back to the Severn Bridge, this time through Bulwark. Of course this meant that the outward descents would now become ascents, the most notable of which being the 14% climb up to Hawkesbury Upton.

You can follow the route to Chepstow and back here.

Between Alveston and Tytherington we split into two groups of six and five riders. Later, just after the village hall at Didmarton, the smaller group were surprised to come across Howard and Paul on the day's shorter ride. Mike's insatiable appetite for more miles saw him joining the duo as they headed off towards Badminton.

With summer (not that we've really ever had one) fading fast, our attention will soon turn to our annual excursion to Marlborough. Details to follow once this has been discussed by the movers and shakers.

Last Weekend's Rides & This Saturday's

Saturday's Trip to the Folly Row Cafe, Kington St Michael

This was our maiden visit to the cafe located in the High Street at Kington St Michael.

With Tim H's ride due to take place the following day, two fairly short courses of 28 and 34 miles were devised.

Tim H was joined on the shorter route by Dave, who we were pleased to see once again on a Saturday club run. Five of us took the extended route. Meanwhile, Mike and Maureen followed a more direct path which was to incorporate a coffee stop en route at The Stables Cafe in Hullavington.

The Folly Row Cafe is light, bright and airy. There's a fresh, clean atmosphere inside with a seasonal themed window display. The staff are well presented and polite. The weather was glorious and so we chose to sit outside. My huge pot of tea for one served two decent sized mugs and was still half-full. Whilst cake prices are around the norm, I felt the portion sizes were a little on the stingy side. Perhaps that's just me being greedy.

Mike and Maureen left to continue their tour of North Wiltshire's cafes with their next port of call being at the Bell House Hotel, Sutton Benger, whilst the rest of us, in no particular hurry, rode back to Malmesbury.

Short route: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/7589930

Longer route: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/7589053

Tim H's Epic 103 Mile Ride to the Seaside on Sunday

Spot the difference

Clevedon August 2014

Clevedon August 2015

Weather wise it's difficult to think of two more contrasting days. The seven assembled members knew that it was going to be wet, but had hoped that we could somehow achieve the impossible by dodging the rain. 

We managed to stay dry until we reached the High Street at Chipping Sodbury. Like scurrying rats we dismounted and ran for cover, with most of us managing to wedge ourselves in the doorway of a public house. As soon as the
downpour had subsided, we set off again. Alas, the rain was to stay with us for quite some time and judging by the amount of surface water covering the roads, there must have been an earlier deluge.

Our first closeup view of the Bristol Channel was greeted with an exclamation of 'La Mer', which I'm sure Karine appreciated; our mastery of the French language, if not the murky vista.

Incidently, 'La Mer' is the title of a song written by the French composer Charles Trenet. Recorded by Charles Trenet in 1946 it became an unexpected hit and remains a classic today. If you listen to the song here you're bound to have heard it before.

With spirits flagging, an impromptu garage-stop was made at Avonmouth. After standing huddled together under the garage's canopy, with rain still dripping on our heads, had failed to lift our morale, we pressed on.

Having crossed the Avonmouth Bridge the prospect of some brighter weather started to take shape and the rain eased to a light drizzle. 

Two cycles in an otherwise empty beer garden at The Salthouse, Clevedon were instantly recognised as belonging to Heather and Simon who had ridden ahead of us and were already settled in the bar. 

Whilst orders were placed for teas and coffees, Mike hurried off to the toilets. When I went to make use of the 'facilities' I found him busily trying to dry off his socks underneath the hand dryer.

A barefooted Mike at The Salthouse, Clevedon, but where's his socks?

Steve readies himself to leave The Salthouse

Our departure from The Salthouse coincided with yet another shower. With lunch waiting for us at Tim H's mum's house at Portishead, we tackled the rolling coast road.

Once again we were treated to a fine spread. The sea air had clearly given us an appetite, as we eagerly set about clearing the table whilst enjoying a near constant flow of hot drinks.

Other than a light shower before the ascent of the hill at Horton, we remained dry on the return leg and arrived back in Malmesbury to find the town bathed in warm sunshine.

Anyone can ride with the sun on their backs, but it takes courage and determination when the elements are against you. The task was undertaken with good humour and never a serious grumble. Those who took part are to be congratulated. Also, well done Mark and Karine for completing their first ever 100 mile rides.

The day was rounded off with a meal at the Europa Italian Restaurant.

Our very grateful thanks go to Tim H for organising the day and of course his mum for looking after us so well. 

Here's to Clevedon 2016!

Forthcoming Club Ride Saturday 29th August 2015

Please note that the forthcoming ride to Chepstow on Saturday 29th August 2015, will leave from the Cross Hayes at the earlier time of 8.45am. We aim to be back in Malmesbury by 3.00pm.

A number of people (Mike G, Mark, Peter C, Tim W and Simon) have already committed to making the excursion and so the ride will definitely be going ahead.

Andy Poolman on a previous visit

Refreshments will be taken at the excellent Pye Corner cafe in the centre of Chepstow, which we've used before. 

The course will be posted over the next few days and kept to around 60 miles.

At the moment Howard is unsure of his plans. If he decides to ride to Chepstow, then the trip will be the club ride and might well split into two groups. If he chooses not to, then there may well be an alternative shorter ride to another destination. Please look out for the next bulletin. 

Chez Fred's Fish and Chips Run to Bournemouth

Mike G recently overheard a conversation I was having in the peloton with Andy Parker about the Stargazy Fish Bar at Tetbury. This prompted a recommendation from Mike for Chez Fred at Westbourne near Bournemouth. One thing led to another and in no time at all Mike had conjured up a course to get us there and back in a day. You can see it here.

We've penciled in Saturday 12th September 2015 in case any other Clarions would like to join us. If there aren't any takers, then we'll probably go mid-week instead. Please speak to either Mike or me if you think you might be interested.

Weekly Roundup

I like a good conspiracy theory particularly if I can see that it might just be true. This one recently caught my attention and it goes like this: The government is desperate to meet its Co2 emission targets, but everything indicates that it's going to miss them by a country mile. The Met Office is owned by the government. In order to reduce the number of car journeys, the Met Office, under government instructions, consistently forecasts a misleading outlook, predicting the weather will be much worse than it knows to be the case. 

Before you dismiss this out of hand, take a minute to reflect on the number of times you've enjoyed some excellent cycling weather despite being told to expect rain. Of course it could be that even in the 21st century the art of correctly predicting the weather isn't quite the exact science we thought it might be.

I recently spotted this beauty on ebay. It's apparently a Hercules around 60 years old. The bike has emerged from a long period of hibernation. As you can see, it's desperately in need of restoration or should that be destruction. Anyway, if you're looking for a project to fill those long winter evenings, there's six days of the auction left and at a starting price of £14.99, a chance to pick up a bargain. Collection will be from Tytherington, South Gloucestershire, so not too far away.

Meanwhile, those of us who take an interest in what other members are up to on Strava, will have noticed the extraordinary exploits of our very own Mike Greer. Not only did Mike cycle all the way to Barrow in Furness, after resting up for a few days, he then cut across country and carried on into Scotland. Mike was last recorded as being at Rosyth. Lesser mortals might at this stage be considering a relaxing train ride home, but this is Mike we're talking about and so expect to see a wiggly red line heading southwards anytime soon.

After an early season lull, the Wednesday evening ride is once again proving as popular as ever. There were two groups last Wednesday. If you haven't been before, please come along and give the ride a try.

Eight riders set off from the Cross Hayes on Saturday for our run to the Sweetapples Tea Room at Marshfield. We rode as one group. Howard's clever routing took us along some unfamiliar lanes. We were met there by Phil. On the return leg Malc identified a couple of Strava segments and just for fun, some of us did our best to improve our rankings. 

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/6585923

George (back row, first on the left) on the camp with riders from fourteen different countries

George has spent the last five days in Athens, USA on the Team Novo Nordisk Talent ID Camp.

Novo Nordisk is a major pharmaceutical company. One of its key products is medication and devices used in the care of diabetes. They have their own professional cycling team, all of whom are type 1 diabetics, which will again be taking part in this year's Tour of Britain.

The purpose of the camp is to try and identify those riders who have the potential to eventually break through into the professional team.

Pye Corner, Chepstow

The success of our Sunday Series ride to Chepstow, gave rise to the suggestion that we should make it a destination for a Saturday club ride. The plan is to take a direct route there and back, which should keep the total mileage down to about 60. We've a tried and tested lunch stop in the centre of Chepstow which has a good selection of reasonably priced snacks and cake. The main objective will be to get everyone to Chepstow and home again afterwards. No one will be dropped. If anyone is interested, but not convinced that the complete trip is for them, there are plenty of places to stop and wait at until rejoining the group on its way back.

A date has now been fixed in the calendar for the ride to take place on Saturday 29th August 2015.