News Roundup

                 The Clarions, always on-trend where fashion is concerned

Saturday's outing to the National Trust Tea Room at Lacock was another well attended ride. Unless I've not included anyone, I made it thirteen riders. Unlucky for some maybe, but not for us, as we were blessed with brilliant sunny weather. 

                            John and George relaxing at the tea room

We were delighted to see John Luckett, home from university, and also his younger brother George, who came along for his first ride with us. 

Six of us took the 28 mile route there and five the shorter one, whilst Ted and Alice made up a third group and arrived first. Had it not been for the flagrant disregard of the no entry sign at one end of the village by those on the longer course, the social group would have breezed in next and wouldn't have found themselves at the back of a slow moving queue. 

                                 Steve K helps to get the orders out

I often chuckle at the plethora of signs and notices that various establishments display. The tea room had one apologising for the delay in serving customers during what they recognised was a busy period. An extra pair of hands behind the counter might have been more useful.

                                         Tea and pumpkin cake

Slow service aside, this is always an enjoyable stop. With plenty of cakes to choose from and a waitress wearing a bat in her hair, I stuck with the Halloween theme and opted for a slice of moist pumpkin cake topped with icing. 

Clarions on the way home, line up to cross the A350

Suitably refreshed, ten of us left as one group, but as we entered Corsham, five of us pushed on, or so we thought, because on reaching Foxley, we found ourselves riding behind them. Reunited, we rode back into Malmesbury together.

Cycling for the King

I thought it appropriate this week to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice and the part played by fellow cyclists. Before the horrors of war were fully understood, had we been of service age back in 1914, the opportunity to serve King and country as a cyclist, might have been very appealing.

Prior to the outbreak of the First World War there were 14 cyclist battalions. In 1915 the British Army Cycling Corps was formed encompassing all of the battalions. A further 12 battalions were later added raised from second-line yeomanry regiments, which had been converted to cyclists.

British cyclist troops advancing through Brie, Somme 1917

Once the war started, the cyclists were initially employed on Coastal Defences around Great Britain. Most units served out their time on home soil, but some did see active service, such as the Kent Cyclists on the North-West Frontier and the 2/10th Royal Scots in northern Russia. Other cyclists were relieved of their cycling duties and reverted to infantrymen .

From the little research that I've carried out, I haven't discovered how many cyclists were killed, but next time you take to the road, please spare a thought for those brave young men, who like us, were keen cyclists, but sadly for them and their loved ones, never came home again to ride their bikes.   

The Corps was disbanded in 1920.

The Knight Riders on patrol

Tim H has filed the following report:

We have now had 4 successful rides with an average of 6 club members taking part each time, which is fantastic!

The new earlier start of 6.30pm is proving popular and there seems to be no obvious increase in rush hour traffic, but we will continue to monitor this.

The format is a ride of approximately 20 miles at a steady pace. Surprisingly, given we are riding in the dark, the number of lights illuminating the road (some of which would light up a small caravan park) make the road pretty visible. One interesting thing to note is that approaching cars don’t know what to make of the looming peloton and slow right down!

It would be great to see more members on a Wednesday evening. It is a very social and enjoyable ride.

A special mention for Simon Sparks who regularly comes over from Stroud to join the ride. Well done Simon!

Being away on holiday, having a chest infection and Audax commitments, have all conspired to prevent me from joining quite a few club rides recently. The Blog's primary aim has always been to keep members informed, but of late, most of the readership have probably had a much better idea of what's going on than I did.

With no more holidays planned for a while and the infection almost gone, the situation should improve, but the Blog desperately needs a fresh injection of ideas. If anyone fancies doing a bit of blogging either on a regular or occasional basis, then all contributions will be greatly received.

Now that the 2015 Audax season has ended, the AUK Club Championship table has been finalised. Individual points are awarded to riders participating in an Audax event as follows: 100km - 0 points, 200km - 2 points, 300km - 3 points and so on.

The good news is that Malmesbury Clarion CC finished in 139th place out of 307 participating cycling clubs, with 30 points. In order to put this into some perspective, it's worth mentioning that the top performing Clarion branch was Calder Clarion with 85 points. Our neighbours, Chippenham Wheelers gained 312 points, finishing in 9th place. Meanwhile, winners Audax Club Bristol amassed a staggering 1,981 points. Whilst they are a big club, their top rider managed to attain a highly commendable 278 points. 

You can see the full table here.

We could do with a few more 200km riders to join Mike, George and me during the 2016 season and then maybe have a serious crack at being the highest placed Clarion section. Please speak to either Mike or me if you think you might be interested. 

The answer to the question posed in the global email is that Lichfield City CC and Pedal Power RT both reached the same number of points as us.

Roundup & Bits and Pieces

Allington Farm Shop Cafe

Last Saturday saw 8 riders cycle as one group to the Allington Farm Shop on the outskirts of Chippenham.

It's a long, but not necessarily winding road

Also on Saturday, Mike G rode the 206km Mr Pickwick's Autumnal Outing Audax starting from Tewkesbury at 7.30am. Needless to say, in true Audax tradition, Mike cycled from home to the start, which probably meant a 4.00am departure or earlier.

Audax is a French word, which in English translates to audacious. The definition of audacious being bold, daring or fearless. Three words which aptly describe Mike's approach to cycling.

The course traversed the Evesham Vale to Daventry, before returning through the Cotswolds, and involved 2350 metres of climbing.

Meanwhile, on Sunday Peter C participated in the first 2015/16 Performance Cycles Winter Mini-Sportive, opting for the shorter 45 mile route, which cost just £8.50 in advance or £10 on the day. 

The course, which included an ascent of the W out of Nailsworth onto Minchinhampton Common, enjoyed some great scenery, especially around Miserden and ended with a lovely descent back to Cirencester.

You can see the course here.

A bacon roll, cuppa and cake awaited finishers on their return to the Cotswold Water Park, representing great value for Peter's tenner. 

The next in the series is on Sunday 15th November.

Padlocks on bridges, was it just me?

Was I the only person not up to speed with this current craze? On holiday last week I noticed a small collection of padlocks secured to the railings on a bridge. I assumed this was the work of cyclists who had sensibly left their padlocks in situ ready for the next time they were needed. I said as much to Mrs W who fell about laughing. Apparently they're known as love locks or love padlocks and are meant to symbolise the unbreakable love between two people, as once fastened, the keys are thrown away.

The Pont des Arts bridge, Paris buckles under the strain

It sounds harmless, but it seems to have got out of control at some locations.

The rides for the rest of October and all of November, are now posted up on the website on the calendar page. You can see where we're going by following the link here. In the event of bad weather, the destination on a Saturday might be changed at short notice to somewhere closer.

If you haven't visited the website for a while, we now have a live Strava feed on the home page showing the most recent rides undertaken by members of our Strava club, which has recently risen to an impressive 21 members.

Weekly Roundup, What's On & Bits and Pieces

Evans Cycles, Cheltenham, start of the ride

On Sunday 4th October 2015, Peter C and Karen took part in the Evans Cycles Ride It Cheltenham Sportive.

They opted for the medium route and with the ride to and from the event, clocked up 70 miles and 3,500 feet of climbing. This involved ascents of Cleeve Hill, as they left the town and Sudeley Hill out of Winchcombe, past Sudeley Castle.

Peter suspects that Sudeley Hill was one which Mike G would enjoy.

Highlights were the glorious views on such a lovely day and riding through the heather fields at Snowshill. 

There were two feed stations with High 5 products, bananas, flapjacks, cake, peanuts and jelly beans, with no limit as to how much you could take.

The level of difficulty for this ride was scored by Evans Cycles as 4/5, and so definitely at the tougher end of the scale. Well done both of you!

Peter C has also reminded me that Evans Cycles Ride It series comes to Wiltshire on Sunday 25th October 2015.

Starting at Lackham College, Lacock this one merits 3/5 and according to the organisers, is predominantly undulating countryside with a few hills along the way. It promises to take in some of the best landmarks in the area, including the famous Wiltshire White Horses and Hackpen Hill. The Vale of Pewsey and the Marlborough Downs will provide an array of classic Southern English scenery. How tempting does that sound?

Entry for the 34, 62 and 80 mile courses is £18.50 in advance or £20 on the day.

Further details can be found here.

The control at the Anchor Inn, Epney, Gloucestershire

Switching from sportives to audax, the 2016 Jack and Grace Cotton Memorial 100km will take place on Saturday 23rd January. Starting from Aztec West, Bristol it's an easy one to reach whether you're cycling or driving to the start.

Entries open on 14th November 2014. It's a very popular event, so be ready if you want to take part. Three members; Des M, George and me did last year. I reviewed the ride on the blog.

The link to enter is here.

I've always been wary of advertising what might be deemed as rival attractions to club rides and in particular the Saturday club run for fear of diluting them. After discussion with Howard, who rightly pointed out that participation in events away from MCCC such as sportives and audaxes, is very much a normal part of a cycling club's life, I now do so with a clear conscience. It's also a measure of how much we've grown, now that the absence of a few members has little or no impact.

The deadline for submission for the next edition of Boots & Spurs is 30th November 2015. Inclusion in the Section News means that we do our bit. It's just a shame that more of the branches don't contribute. I've got a fair idea of the notable events that individual members have taken part in, as well as our club activities, but there's bound to be some that I've missed. Please can you let me know via email by 14th November if there's something that you've done which you think is worthy of inclusion and just as important, anything that someone else has done. We're limited to 250 words, but we can still pack plenty in.

The Chippenham Pit Stop, Draycot Cerne

And finally, my top tip cafe this week, which makes it a sort of 'top tip pit stop' is just off of junction 17 of the M4 Motorway, on the opposite side of the road to the Recycling Centre.

Actually, it's another of my wife's. I wasn't going to mention that. People might talk if they knew she was hanging out at a transport cafe.

If you're still reading this after a less than glamorous introduction, I promise you won't be disappointed.

The Pit Stop might have started life as a trucker's stop and whilst it has become a firm favourite with passing lorry drivers, it's doors are well and truly open to all. If you're thinking greasy spoon, then you'd be wrong. The atmosphere inside is clean and fresh. Bread, rolls and teacakes are supplied by the renowned Hobbs House Bakery and desserts come accompanied by Marshfield Ice Cream.  They serve everything from breakfasts, lighter bites, mains and desserts. The prices are very reasonable too. For example, locally reared sausage of the day, mash and fresh seasonal vegetables is only £6.95. Homemade cake costs £1.50 a slice.

Restaurant opening hours are Monday to Friday 6.00am to 9.30pm, Saturday 8.00am to 2.30pm and Sunday 9.00am to 12.00pm.

Last, but by no means least, a few words from Mike, on the club's first Sunday lunch family ride:

" Anita and I duly applied ourselves and rode to Malmesbury Town Hall for 11am! However being the only ones to show . It was mutually decided on a longer ride. So despite my immediate route mismanagement, we set off for Oaksey and Somerford Keynes ( coffee and cake break) at the Sculpture Park.
Not as it transpired a good choice.

However our route home again via Oaksey was enhanced albeit briefly with the company of Simon and Des on a sneaky miles outing!

Still it all turned out well.

Ta Anita for the company!


Mad MikeG "

Weekend Rides

Whilst the great and the good were assembling for our Saturday ride to the Organic Café, MCCC welcomed back two riders for their second ride with the club. Atherton, who rode with us for the first time last week and Anita, back with us having let work get in the way for the last several months. Hopefully both will now feature regularly in our weekly peloton.

About 14 riders in all set off in the usual 2 groups, our group comprising 5 riders. The longer ride was 23 miles to the cafe and the shorter group’s distance to cover was 17 miles. For once the longer distance group pulled their finger out and did actually reach the café first, most of them did anyway. We arrived shortly after and the club ‘enjoyed’ hot drinks and cake together.

It’s easy to sit in a café for far longer than we should and with a chill in the air and riders beginning to get cold, we set off for the return journey. The homeward route was the same for both groups and as always we set off together. Together, however, does not always last for very long and we settled in to the pace we were most comfortable with and once again two groups formed.

As with the journey out, the ride home was uneventful. What with the weather being fine and the route relatively easy, it made for a great morning awheel.

Howard

The car park at Create, Bristol, start of the 101km Tasty Cheddar Audax

Picture courtesy of Joe Prosser

Two members (me and Mark) rode the Tasty Cheddar on Saturday. This is always a popular curtain raiser to the new Audax season, which starts on 1st October. (The old one ends on 30th September!)

There aren't any toilets at the depart, but there is a cafe nearby which does have some. Naturally, they're for their customers and trying to sneak in to use them without making a purchase, is unforgivable, but I was bursting. I slipped in unnoticed through the back door (a stunt I'm ashamed to say I also pulled last year), but Mark was spotted and felt obliged to place an order. He'd left his money in his saddlebag, which left me to pick up the tab; an extortionate £4.50 for two teas neither of us really wanted. That'll teach me!

At the stroke of 9.00am, a field of over 200 made the short dash to the first control at the Lakeside Cafe, Portishead.  Although there is a route to follow between controls, this is only ever a guide and riders are at liberty to go any way they choose. 

The suggested route for safety reasons was along the Pill Path to Portbury, but like many others, we opted for the Portway on the opposite side of the river and then crossed the Avonmouth Bridge.

Charge!

Operation Invasion Portishead moved very swiftly and with no resistance, we flooded into the town and easily overran the boating lake. Even Captain Mainwaring's most heavily fortified position; the Novelty Rock Emporium on the seafront at Walmington-on-Sea, couldn't have stopped us.

Audaxers rarely waste an opportunity to fuel-up, but coming after just 16km, for all but a few, it was far too early to think of refreshments.

The morning fog meant that we were denied our sea views, as we followed the coast road out of Portishead and down into Clevedon.

Turning inland, we rode through Yatton to Congresbury. At Winscombe we joined the Strawberry Line cycle path to Axbridge. It was then a short hop to Cheddar and the control at the Fortes Ice-cream Parlour.

Brevet cards stamped, we joined the short queue inside. This is a great cafe. The staff work as a team and are easily able to cope with large numbers. Unfortunately for Mark, who has a nut allergy, the two cakes on offer; carrot topped with walnut sprinklings (a bargain at £1.75), and lime and pistachio (a new one on me), were both out of bounds.

Over my carrot cake, Mark's caramel shortbread and a shared pot of tea, we contemplated the impending climb up The Gorge, which really isn't that bad. In terms of difficulty, I'd rate Bowden Hill, Naish Hill and Crawley Hill, all as being much harder.

The Cheddar Gorge

Somewhere between the top of The Gorge and the next control at Hinton Blewett on the edge of the Mendip Hills, a wrong turn saw us adding some extra lumpy miles.

Cold drinks and savoury snacks at the Ring O'Bells fortified us for the last leg back to Bristol. This included the climb up Dundry and a meander through the Ashton Court Estate.

The final control and journey's end was at the waterside Nova Scotia public house.

You can see the full course here.