Weekly Roundup

After almost 3 years of nearly continuous weekly service (sometimes twice weekly), 184 posts and well over 16,000 page-views, it's time for the blog to put its feet up and take a bit of a rest.

There will still be periodic bulletins to keep you informed. If anyone has anything they'd like circulated via the blog or perhaps a regular or occasional article published, then please email me and I will post it up.

The calendar page on the website has the destinations for all of the club rides up to and including Monday 29th August 2016. Courses will appear in good time for viewing and downloading.

There's plenty of room inside and out on the sun deck at AV8

We always strive to come up with something new or a little bit different, to make the rides as interesting as possible. Sometimes they're a hit and sometimes they're not. 

Saturday's ride is to the AV8 Cafe at the Cotswold Airport. Older members will no doubt remember it as RAF Kemble. The base was home to the Red Arrows from 1966 to 1983. Military flights ended in 1993. It's only 3 miles from Aston Down airfield, which over the years, has caused some confusion for visiting pilots.

If you decide to make your own way there, please note that access can only be gained off of the Cirencester to Tetbury road. With the increase in air traffic, you can no longer reach the cafe from the A429. At one time you could drive across the runway unless the warning lights were flashing, but understandably, that's now considered too dangerous.

Peter C reminded me of its existence a month or so ago. I'd been there twice before, the last occasion being when Mrs W had a flight in a microlight, paid for by me for her birthday. Cruelly, the idea was to frighten her witless, but she ended up enjoying the experience. I'm currently looking at a one day high wire flying trapeze course, naturally without a harness or safety net, for this year's celebration.

The Sporting Group's course is 39.1 miles and has 1,577 feet of climbing. You can view and download it here. 

Meanwhile, the Social Group's course is 33.3 miles and has 1,395 feet of elevation. It's available to view and download here.

Both include a couple of inclines, but nothing that would qualify as a proper hill.

Whilst the sun couldn't find its way through the thick cloud cover on Wednesday evening, it was still warm and dry.


Simon Hillman not only returned for his second ride, he also came with a completed membership form. Simon joins James Horler and Gary Walker,
as our third new member to have joined as a direct result of the Knight Riders sessions. 

Other riders were: Chris, Des D, James, Jonathan, Peter C, Phil, Simon S, Steve M and me, Tim W.

The rides have a loyal following, but it would be great to see some members who haven't ridden with the Knight Riders in a while.

Refreshments were taken at the end of the ride at The Red Bull, where we had the pleasure of meeting up with Mike G.

Plenty to choose from at the Sweetapples Tearoom

Saturday's club ride to the Sweetapples Tearoom at Marshfield attracted 6 riders: Jonathan, Lyndon, Malc, Mike G, Peter C and me, Tim W.

The energy spent climbing from Ford up to the village of Colerne, was well rewarded, with some glorious views across to Box and beyond. Our visit brought back happy memories for Lyndon, who at one time lived in Colerne. We took a few minutes out to soak up the scenery, and Lyndon told us how he and his children had enjoyed descending through the fields on their toboggan in the snow.

Staff at Sweetapples Tearoom looked after us well. Our orders were quickly dispatched. The cakes looked tempting, but out of those who chose to eat, most opted for something savoury, with scrambled egg on toast proving a popular choice. My two slices of toast and marmalade, plus a large pot of tea shared with Malc, came in at under £3.00.

Meanwhile, Atherton, Howard and Paul rode to Cafe 53 at Tetbury.

Raglan Castle, Monmouthshire

Just two of us made the trip to Raglan Castle on Sunday. Peter C and me were joined by Phil, as far as the Welsh side of the Severn Bridge, but with an important examination coming up, and some much needed revision requiring his attention, Phil had to get back home. We appreciated the effort made by him and were naturally disappointed that he couldn't come all of the way with us.

Welsh cakes made the perfect accompaniment to my pot of tea

We made fairly good time getting to Raglan Castle, and were even applauded in Raglan by some roadside spectators who mistook us for participants in a TT.

The view from the terrace at the cafe

Peter and me enjoyed our beans on toast, which we ate under the watchful eye of a brave sparrow waiting for any crumbs to fall.

Budgens, Chepstow

With plenty of work still to do, we headed for Usk, and before crossing the Severn Bridge, made a pit stop at Budgens in Chepstow. Helped by a slight tailwind, we arrived back in Malmesbury shortly after 4.00pm. 

Below are the current positions on the leader board. Phil, who had been joint top with Peter C, has now dropped to third place, and I've moved up to second. Only Peter C has completed all 6 rides.

Rider	Number of Rides	Total Mileage	Points
Peter C	6	419.3	30
Tim W	5	378.8	25
Phil	5	322.5	25
Andy Poolman	4	282.0	20
Steve K	4	246.0	20
Tim H	3	191.8	15
Colin	1	76.5	5
Howard	1	40.5	5
Mike G	1	40.5	5
Steve M	1	40.5	5

A reminder of the dates for the last two rides in the 2016 Sunday Series:

Sunday 31st July 2016 - Approximately 105 miles, 3rd annual trip to the seaside at Clevedon.

Monday 29th August 2016 -122.9 miles Tour de Wiltshire with 6,171 feet of climbing. The provisional route can be viewed here.

The MCCC Members' Code of Conduct, and an additional one for our Ride Leaders, are now both on the website. It's important that you read the code(s) applicable to you and fully understand your responsibilities. You can follow the links below:

Members' Code of Conduct.

Ride Leaders' Code of Conduct.

One of the CTC (Cycling UK) recommendations for Ride Leaders, is that they have emergency contact details and essential medical information, for those riders in their care. This makes good sense for very obvious reasons. 

The committee is presently looking at how this can best be achieved. The Ride Leader could store some of this information on their mobile telephone, but it would mean that all of the Ride Leaders would need all of the members' information.

My personal view is that members need to accept some responsibility where this is concerned, as after all, it is in their best interests.

Bespoke silicone bands, broader than the ones worn in support of various charities, are available from a number of companies. The ID Band Company is one such example. The bands pictured above are priced at £12.45.

Less expensive, would be a simple laminated card, which can be produced for about 50 pence, although rummaging through an injured cyclist's wallet or jersey pockets looking for it, can waste valuable time and might be misinterpreted by any onlookers.

If you have any observations or smart ideas, please make them known to a member of the committee, as we need to progress this without too much delay.

Weekly Roundup

Inside at Sweetapples Teashop

Saturday's ride is to Sweetapples Teashop, located in the High Street at Marshfield. We were due to pay them a visit on 14th May, until we discovered that we weren't the only cycling club in town that day. This time I've checked, and Chippenham Wheelers' Social Group are stopping elsewhere. 

There's plenty of storage for your bikes at the back where the seating area is. There's no rear entrance to the teashop, so you'll need to walk around to the front to place your orders, which will then be served at your table.

The Sporting Group's 42 mile course is ready to be viewed and downloaded.You can take your pick between the two formats below.

There's only 1,800 feet of climbing, a chunk of which, is the ascent from Ford up to Colerne. It's a good road. The elevation is gradual, but it does last for about 1.5 miles. If it's clear, there are glorious far reaching views.

We could bypass Colerne, but as it's somewhere we don't normally cycle through, it would be a shame to miss the attractive High Street, with its war memorial, public houses, post office and shops.

Garmin

Ride With GPS 

For the Social Group, Howard has come up with the following course:

Garmin.

Clarions gathered at the top of Horsley Hill

The photograph shows members at Horsley Hill on Wednesday 10th September 2014, to watch the Tour of Britain.

On Wednesday we welcomed Simon Hillman for his first ride with us. The course involved a steep technical descent of the 'W' off of Minchinhampton Common, not made any easier by the wet road surface, quickly followed by an ascent of Horsley Hill. We failed to break Simon, so hopefully he'll be back to see us again soon. 

The other riders who took part were: Chris, James, John (Steve K's friend), Jonathan, Peter C, Steve K and me, Tim W.

On our way back to Malmesbury, after a couple of postponements due to the weather, we finally got to stop at the Cat and Custard Pot in Shipton Moyne. There we met up with Malc and Mike G. Malc had been riding with the Flying Monk Tri Club and Mike G was keen to see his cycling chums again following his recent operation. The good news is that Mike was able to ride over. The not so good news is that his recovery has been set back by a secondary infection.

A tasty looking ploughman's lunch served at the Raglan Castle Cafe

The full itinerary is now available for our Sunday Series ride to Raglan Castle, Monmouthshire, on Sunday 26th June 2016.

The 96.8 mile course has 5,925 feet of elevation. It can be viewed and downloaded here.
  
Departure will be at 8.00am. The ride will be going ahead as scheduled, regardless of numbers, but if you are intending to ride, it would be useful if you could send me a quick email. The only reason I ask, is that if for any reason you're running a few minutes late, and I know you're coming, we won't leave without you.

Flexibility is the key, and we can always tweak things on the day to meet members' needs, but initially, please have sufficient food and water to last until we reach the cafe at Raglan Castle (45 miles).

There are convenience stores at Raglan and Usk, and we pass a small Budgens supermarket on the edge of Chepstow twice, but there isn't much in between, so do stock up when the opportunities arise.

The real climbing begins on the way home after Usk. The scenery is stunning though and there's a great descent into Chepstow.

A fairly economic lunch break at Raglan Castle, a couple of roadside stops to refuel in the saddle, plus some fine weather, could see us back in Malmesbury around 4.00pm. 

Weekly Roundup

Clarions enjoying the sun at Allington on 29th March 2014
(Click once to enlarge the pictures)

Next Saturday we return to an old club favourite, the Allington Farm Shop Cafe, just outside of Chippenham. 

The Social Group's course is 34.9 miles and has just 1,282 feet of elevation. It can be viewed and downloaded here.

Meanwhile, the Sporting Group's course is 42.9 miles, with 1,562 feet of elevation. The outward leg is one of Howard's cunning creations. It can be viewed and downloaded here.

Followers of the Royal Family might be interested to know that Bolehyde Manor, a 17th century Grade 2 listed manor house, can be found at Allington. Andrew and Camilla Parker Bowles moved there in 1973. Its vegetable garden, was reputed, incorrectly, to be the location of Prince Charles' proposal of marriage to Lady Diana Spencer.
  

A happy looking Ian lays siege to Callow Hill, Brinkworth

There are rides, and there are rides, and then there's Wednesday's. The warm weather worked its magic and managed to conjure up 12 members:

Andy Parker, Des D, Ian, James, Jonathan, Malc, Peter C, Phil, Simon S, Steve K, Tim H and me, Tim W.

Peter C's course included an ascent of Lyneham Banks. I stand to be corrected by Tim H, our club statistician, but I believe this is another first for the Wednesday evening Knight Riders.

Clarions gathered on Callow Hill railway bridge

Our second climb was up Callow Hill, where we joined the growing throng waiting to see the Flying Scotsman steam train. Those in the know informed us that she was due in 10 minutes, and as it's not every day you get to see the Flying Scotsman, we decided to stop. The train was travelling from Chester to London.

The Flying Scotsman thunders towards the bridge 

(Picture courtesy of Peter C)

Anticipation grew as word spread that she'd passed through Hullavington and was on her way. The train soon came into view and then almost in the blink of an eye, she'd roared past us at what looked like full throttle.

You can follow the link to a super recording Ian made, together with an amusing soundtrack, here.

The evening was rounded off with refreshments at the Rose and Crown at Lea, by which time a light shower had settled in. In the best tradition of a British summer, we sat under umbrellas in the garden, and apart from Malc, regretted not having packed our rain jackets.

If you can't make the full ride, there's always the option of meeting up with us later at our watering hole of choice. Look out for Peter C's emails to see where we're going.

There was no need for waterproof clothing on Thursday at the weekly lunch gathering. The 9 cycling connoisseurs of cafe culture, as you can see, dined al fresco, and a good time was had by all.

The view from the rear of the Raglan Castle Cafe

Also on Thursday, with Mike recovering from a very painful operation on his nose, I rode up to Raglan Castle by myself to check the route for the next Sunday Series ride on 26th June 2016.

My pot of tea and two thick slices of granary toast smothered in baked beans, came in at a very reasonable £4.95. I joked previously about it probably being too hot for cawl, but the Welsh lamb stew was on the menu. At any other time it would make a very filling meal, but with the climbing that soon follows after Usk, I wouldn't recommend it.

The full itinerary will be published next week, but in the meantime, the course can be seen and downloaded here.

The Social Group outside of the Bread Basket, Stonehouse

A total of 9 members made the trip on Saturday to Stonehouse.

The Social Group, comprised of Atherton, Chris, Dave, Lyndon, Steve C and me, Tim W, rode a straight out and back which, incorporated two cycle paths and a tow path alongside the Thames and Severn Canal.

The weather wasn't quite what we had envisaged when Mike and me designed the course, but the spirit of adventure shone through, even if the sun didn't.

Tim and Peter C out on the road

(Picture courtesy of Karine)

Meanwhile, the Sporting Group consisted of Karine, Peter C and Tim H.

                                 

And finally, last, but by no means least, a huge well done goes out to our members who recently, have successfully completed various Sportives.

Peter B, Lyndon and our good friend Alan Rowles, from the Malmesbury Peloton, who rode with us earlier in the year to Monmouth, all took part in the Velothon Wales event on 22nd May 2016. Peter B was sponsored, with donations going to the Stroke Association.

Phil and Steve K  tackled the very challenging Dragon Ride Gran Fondo on   Sunday 5th June 2016, and in doing so, raised money for Macmillan Cancer Support. Alan Rowles did the shorter 100km ride.

Malc cycled a charity Sportive on Monday 6th June 2016.Riding to and from the start, he clocked up an impressive 114 miles.

Weekly Roundup

Next Saturday's rides to Stonehouse will definitely be something a little different. Hopefully members will enter into the spirit of adventure needed to gain maximum fulfillment. 

Firstly, the Bread Basket is a baker's shop and not a cafe. However, they do serve hot drinks and have a fantastic selection of cakes and savouries, all at the sort of prices which, will leave you wondering whether it's practical to take some home with you. They sell a whole lemon drizzle cake for just £1.75!

Immediately opposite the shop is a pleasant grassed area, on which sits the town's war memorial. It's also home to plenty of sturdy benches. If you like, think of it as a picnic.

The Social Group's course is just 34.4 miles and has only 1,617 feet of elevation. It's a straight out and back which, makes use of well maintained cycle paths and a tow path. From Nailsworth it's nearly all traffic-free cycling until just before the coffee stop. There is one shortish, but fairly steep, hill on the way back, out of Avening, up Star Lane.

You can view and download the course here.

The Sporting Group's course is 44.3 miles with 2,102 feet of elevation. The outward leg uses some unfamiliar lanes and passes through a delightful picturesque valley. The return leg, also uses the tow path, followed by the same cycle path which, runs parallel with the A419. I would urge riders to use this cycle path and avoid the A419, which is an extremely busy road. The cycle path continues at the side of the A46, all the way back to Nailsworth. The A46 is much quieter than the A419, and so there is the option of returning to the road.

I've used the cycle paths on a number of occasions. Providing it's dry, they're easily ridden on 25mm or 28mm tyres, but you'll probably want to leave your best carbon bike at home, as there are some lumps and bumps.

You can view and download the course here.

For those members who record their rides and load them onto Strava, this is an open invitation to join the Malmesbury Clarion CC Strava Club. There are currently 17 members participating, but there's plenty of room for more. It's a great way of seeing what your club mates have been up to and can sometimes provide just the incentive you need to get your own bike out. Joining also means that Mike G only has to look in one place when he's collecting the data he needs for the trophies to be presented at the end of the year.

Don't let your efforts go unnoticed and potentially unrewarded. You can follow the link here.

The blog is in danger of becoming a bit predictable. Viewing figures still remain reasonably high, particularly for a small club, but it definitely needs refreshing. Articles from members would be very gratefully received. You can write about anything cycling related. It could be a complete one-off about something specific, an occasional column or even a regular feature. Perhaps you have the necessary skills to revamp the blog. The floor is completely open. 

Please send your thoughts or contributions to me by email.

Also, the website has been running now for nearly 3 years. It's functional and easy to navigate, but I'd be the first to admit that it's not particularly dynamic. Weebly provide the site free of charge, but it definitely has it's limitations and seems to be loaded with weird glitches which, can lead to the most simple of tasks taking forever. The calendar page is proving almost impossible to work on.

According to Weebly, following an upgrade to their editor, the site has become unstable and their technical staff have no idea how to rectify the problem. 

If website design is your thing, and you believe that there are improvements you could make or assistance that could be given in finding and switching to a better site, again please don't hesitate to contact me.

Des D conquers Horsley Hill

Wednesday's weather wasn't exactly what you might expect of a summer evening, but the luxury of riding in the daylight without the need for thermal underwear, wasn't lost on those who had persevered during the long, dark winter months. 

Peter C's course broke new ground for the Knight Riders by dropping down to Nailsworth and then making an ascent of Horsley Hill. For some of us, myself included, making the climb was a first.

Needless to say, the planned stop at the Cat and Custard Pot, was again postponed for another day.

Returning to Malmesbury, there was a definite feeling of 'having been somewhere', which is always good. 

Those who took part were: Des D, James, Phil, Peter C, Simon S and me, Tim W.

There were no Christmas trees for sale this time

Saturday's outing to the Quackers Farm Shop, near Pucklechurch, our first since December 2015, saw 10 riders take to the starting line.

Social Group: Atherton, Chris (Jonathan's Dad), Paul and me, Tim W.

Sporting Group: Des D, Jonathan, Lyndon, Malc, Peter C and Simon S.

Chris has now become our latest member, and we're very pleased that he has decided to join us. It was also good to see Paul back in the saddle after he was seriously injured by the motorist.

Both groups arrived at Quackers within 5 minutes or so of each other. Unfortunately service was a little haphazard. Fed and watered, the Social Group left just as 3 Sporting Group riders were belatedly being presented with their cooked orders. Portion sizes were definitely on the generous side and there were no complaints quality wise. 

Here are the current tables for the club's various trophies, up to and including Monday 30th May 2016. The table for the Grimpeur Challenge will be published next week.

The top seven positions are shown for the Chairman's Trophy.

Rider	Points
Peter C	19
Tim W	16
Phil	13
Howard	11
Tim H	11
Steve K	10
Andy Poolman	10

As for the Sunday Series, after Monday's ride, the league table positions remain unchanged with Peter C and Phil tied in first place.

Rider	Number of Rides	Total Mileage	Points
Peter C	5	322.5	25
Phil	5	322.5	25
Andy Poolman	4	282.0	20
Tim W	4	282.0	20
Steve K	4	246.0	20
Tim H	3	191.8	15
Colin	1	76.5	5
Howard	1	40.5	5
Mike	1	40.5	5
Steve M	1	40.5	5

At the moment the Club Ambassador Trophy is a four horse race, but there's still plenty of time left. If you ride a Sportive or an Audax, don't forget to wear your club jersey and to send Mike G a picture of yourself.

Rider	Points
Tim W	20
Mike G	15
Peter C	5
Steve K	5