Clarions at Lacock October 2015
A reminder that this Saturday's club ride is to the National Trust Tearoom at Lacock. The weather forecast at the moment is warm and dry with sunny intervals and a moderate wind, which all sounds very promising.
Tim H and Peter C head our peloton out of Yate
(click once to enlarge the pictures)
Sunday 31st July 2016, saw 5 members (Peter C, Phil, Steve K, Tim H and me, Tim W) take part in the club's 3rd annual trip to the seaside.
In glorious sunshine, and in no particular hurry, we left Malmesbury just after 8.00am. With only 18 miles under our belts, we arrived at Chipping Sodbury. In a relaxed mood, and keen to enjoy the outing to the full, we made an unscheduled stop at Coffee#1 in the High Street. Over tea, coffees and pastries, we all agreed that the cafe would make a splendid venue for a Saturday club ride.
Phil, Peter C and Steve K crossing the Avonmouth Bridge
Our passage through Avonmouth this year was notable for its absence of unwarranted abuse hurled at us by drivers and their passengers. Perhaps the current craze of hunting for Pokemon characters is now demanding their attention.
This year we broke with tradition and visited a cafe on the seafront at Clevedon. With lunch at Portishead planned, and not wishing to spoil our appetites, we confined ourselves to hot drinks.
As time and tide waits for no man, we headed for the coast road to Portishead. Note the wording on the chalk board to the left of Steve K.
Reaching Portishead, we skirted the boating lake and lido, and threaded our way through to the plush new marina.
We fitted in seamlessly with the sophisticated types who haunt such places and dined alfresco.
A portion of triple cooked chips, two thick slices of ham, two perfectly cooked fried eggs and a dollop of tangy tomato relish, certainly hit the spot for me.
We spent a while watching some boats leave the marina through the deep lock gates.
There was just time for a quick team photograph, minus me, before we set off.
Peter C waiting at the traffic lights in Avonmouth
Disaster struck as we were leaving the marina when Peter C's carbon seat post fractured, possibly as a result of a heavy fall into a deep pothole earlier in the day. Peter C was able to remove the seat post, snap off a length from the bottom where it had split and then insert the shortened seat post back in the frame. Whilst this allowed Peter C to ride home, it did mean that his pedal stroke was restricted.
Do my eyes deceive me or is that an oily chain mark on Steve K's right calf?
Helped by a perky tailwind, and rejuvenated by a quick stop for ice creams, we arrived back in Malmesbury at about 6.00pm, which gave those dining at the Spice Merchant enough time for a quick spruce up. They were joined by Heather and Simon to round off another fantastic seaside adventure. Our thanks go to Tim H for organising and leading the ride, and also for reserving the table at the restaurant.
Position wise, the only change to the table is that Steve K and Andy Poolman have swapped places.
Rider
|
Rides
|
Total Mileage
|
Points
|
Peter C
|
7
|
519.3
|
35
|
Tim W
|
6
|
478.8
|
30
|
Phil
|
6
|
422.5
|
30
|
Steve K
| 5 | 346.0 | 25 |
Andy Poolman
| 4 | 282.0 | 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
|
This just leaves one ride to complete the 2016 series. Our final ride, the Tour of Wiltshire, of around 120 miles, was scheduled to take place on Monday 29th August 2016, but for a number of reasons, this might be changed. The situation will be clarified as soon as possible.
I'm very grateful to Andy Poolman for sending me these two pictures of members clearly enjoying the sun at Relish, Cotswold Water Park on Saturday 23rd July 2016 .
Considering we've now entered the summer holiday season, numbers on club rides are holding up very well.
This time my gratitude is extended to Sue Poolman, who thoughtfully sent me a link to an interesting article which appeared in The Guardian newspaper regarding Adam Yates, winner of this year's coveted white jersey in the Tour de France.
Adam and his twin brother Simon both rode as young lads with Bury Clarions and despite their meteoric rise to fame, they're still members today. Through our mutual membership of the National Clarion, that makes them club mates.
A number of members have expressed an interest in the 2016 Tour of Britain. There are two opportunities locally to watch the Tour:
Thursday 8th September, stage 5 is from Aberdare to Bath. The route passes through Stroud and Dursley. Estimated arrival times at various points along the course are not yet available.
Saturday 10th September, stage 7 takes place at Bristol with an individual time trial and a circuit race. Both events start from the Bristol Downs. Precise timings haven't been announced yet.
The time trial will start around 10.00am and last for just over 2 hours.
The circuit race will begin about 2.30pm and end at approximately 5.00pm. The 15.3km circuit will take in some of Bristol's most iconic sites. Each of the 6 laps will include the 9%, 600 metre climb of Bridge Valley Road, which also features once in the time trial.
Further details of the club rides to see the Tour will be published nearer the time.
You will no doubt recall that in a recent blog post I raised the matter of Ride Leaders needing to have emergency contact numbers etc for the riders in their care. I said then that my own view was that members needed to take some personal responsibility where this is concerned.
I'm very grateful to Peter C for sending me this link for OneLifeiD. The advantage this company has over those who simply manufacture and then personalise a silicon wristband, is that it comes with an online facility where web pages with more detailed information can be completed by the wearer. You can also add links to important documents such as travel insurance.
If you don't like the idea of wearing a wristband, there's always OneLifeiD's less expensive option of an identification card.
Please give this some thought. Peter C has purchased a wristband from OneLifeiD, which I'm sure he'd be pleased to show you.
Saturday 30th July 2016, saw the official opening of a new bicycle shop imaginatively called Wheelers Retreat, in Gloucester Street, Malmesbury. The owner is Gary Walker, who is a member of our club. Some of you will already have met him, as he's ridden with us a number of times on Wednesday evening.
We wish him every success in his new business venture. Gary has very kindly offered all club members 10% discount.
The link to his website, which is still under construction, is here.
Opening times are as follows:
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 0830 - 1630
Wednesday: 0830 - 1800
Thursday: 0830 - 1630
Friday: 0830 - 1630
Saturday: 0900 - 1630
Sunday: 0900 -1500 (Summer only)
Cheers, though I've been reminded that I haven't actually joined yet! To say I've been quite busy with shop-related stuff is a huge understatement, so remembering to print off a form and cough up some cash fell off my to do list....I'll rectify that! I want to promote the club through the shop by adopting the Wed evening ride (hence the later opening on a Wed). I would also like to come up with some kind of beginner friendly leisure ride for all abilities too, any ideas or advice from the more experienced ride leaders will be gratefully received! Cheers Gary
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