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.