Weekly Roundup

In the words of David Frost, for those old enough to remember his 1960's ground breaking satirical news programme by the same name, 'that was the week that was' Velothon Wales, Chippenham Wheelers' charity fundraiser, Wednesday evening training ride, racing at Castle Combe, the Saturday club ride and 'Everesting' at Bowden Hill. Not to mention the rides the Last of the Summer Wine brigade will have done and Thursday's lunchtime meet-up.

The much revered show, the format for which has been copied by virtually every subsequent programme of the same genre since, only ran for two series. Launched in 1962 it was taken off the air in the run-up to the 1964 General Election in order to avoid political controversy. 

Well done to Howard, Tim H, Max, Malc, Phil, Steve M and Peter B who all took part in last Sunday's Velothon Wales and thank you to those of you who kindly sent me the photographs below. The first three have captions provided by Howard.

Tim shocked at the realisation that he must soon ride his bike, whilst Steve throws a pre-ride shape.

Phil receives a last minute text with shopping list attached, Pete (aka Andy) smug in the knowledge that the ride has cost him nothing and Steve is convinced he can ride the whole 140km with his eyes closed. Tim meanwhile rocks the club jersey in style.

The grins that would soon turn to grimaces.

On Tuesday evening the Clarions (Phil, his son, George and me) had the great privilege of putting our shoulders to the wheel or should I say feet to the pedal by participating in Chippenham Wheelers' charity ride at Castle Combe.

Seeing a couple of our club jerseys, Andy Cook gave the Clarions a name-check over his microphone and said that it was good to see local clubs getting involved. Cheers Andy!

The 460 riders who took part collectively clocked up 7,465 miles; the equivalent of riding from Chippenham to Moscow and back again, twice! The money raised will be donated to Chippenham Talking Newspapers.

Disappointingly, just 3 members (Phil, Peter C and me) rode on Wednesday evening. 

George heads the pack chasing the breakaway.

Thursday evening was race night at Castle Combe. George once again held his own in the pack and did his fair share of the work at the front, but at the moment he lacks the explosive finish on the home straight to earn him a top ten place.

Towards the top of Bowden Hill

Our excursion on Saturday to the National Trust Tea Room at Lacock was well attended. Phil put together a 54 mile course using some good roads well suited to group riding, with very little traffic and a few challenging hills added to the mix. Eight riders undertook this ride. The ranks were swelled by a number of Phil's friends who rode as guests. This is something the club encourages and has led to people then becoming members.

Meanwhile, those looking for a less energetic ride embarked on a more direct 36 mile out and back course. Four riders took this option including our good friend Jim who was warmly welcomed back.

Having less miles to ride and a flatter route, as well as Tony suffering a puncture on his maiden voyage on his new bike, meant that the quartet arrived for coffee first. Three of the four then made two ascents of Bowden Hill in support of James Bradbury's 'Everesting.' Unfortunately we couldn't quite synchronise our climbs with his, but we did give cheery waves and words of encouragement as he sped back down the hill.

Longer route https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/9947317

Shorter route https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/9940217 

Finally, well done to Max who after a recent run of excellent form has gained enough points to move up to 2nd category.

Oh and don't forget that there's no racing at Castle Combe next Thursday. There is however the 'Come and Try It' 10 mile TT at Latton. As the reigning family champion after my success at last year's event when I bettered George's time by 3 whole seconds, I've sportingly put my crown up for grabs. Entry is just £2. See you at the Bradstone Sports Pavilion, Ashton Keynes.

Weekly Roundup

Without further ado, which always implies that there's already been some ado, whatever ado actually is, lets make a start.

Wednesday evening saw 6 members complete an entirely new course designed by Tim H. The concept is to use wider roads better suited to group riding than some of the narrow lanes previously ridden, particularly now that speed has become a key feature. Wider can sometimes mean busier, but the club is committed to developing courses which, whilst accommodating faster riding, are also still enjoyable. I'm confident that over the next few weeks the right balance can be found. This strategy only applies to the Wednesday evening training ride.

On the home straight
(Click once to enlarge the pictures)

Thursday afternoon George took part in the category 4 support race to the final of the Pearl Izumi 2015 series. Although the course is one of the shortest, it's also one of the most technically demanding with a number of tight 90 degree bends, a steep ascent and a section over cobblestones around the Royal Crescent. 

During the 30 minute plus 3 laps race there was a very early break on the first few laps. The 7 or 8 riders who managed to go with it created a wide enough gap to ensure that they wouldn't be caught. George was in a chasing group, but the searing heat and energy-sapping climbs meant that they couldn't make any impression.

Coming up the hill

Over the cobblestones

Disaster struck when with two laps to go George's back wheel was pinched riding over a drain cover. The blowout ripped through his inner tube and peeled off the tyre. Fortunately he managed to keep control of his bike and came to rest uninjured.

Saturday's club ride was to Relish at the Cotswold Water Park. We were delighted to welcome Andy Cook on his first ride with us. We look forward to seeing him again soon together with his teenage daughter Bethany who is also interested in coming along. John from Swindon joined us too, which took our tally up to 5 riders. The wet weather and Sunday's Velothon Wales no doubt accounted for our much depleted peloton, but it was still a pleasant outing.

And finally, good luck to all those taking part in Velothon Wales tomorrow.

Oh and don't forget the recently featured charity ride at Castle Combe on Tuesday evening. The circuit is open until 9.00pm. See you on the track! 

  

Weekly Roundup

The Royal Crescent, Bath

Before we start on a review of last week, a quick reminder that this coming Thursday at Bath, is the final race in the Pearl Izumi series. The main event is at 7.30pm, but there's a host of supporting races throughout the day including the category 4 contest at 3.15pm, in which George will be representing the Malmesbury Clarions. 

We both rode to Bath on Sunday to get a look at the course. The cobblestones in the Royal Crescent, some of which are very pronounced and a bit on the wobbly side, are going to be a real challenge.

Please note that there is no racing at Castle Combe in the evening.

Another date for your diary, is Thursday 25th June 2015. Racing is again cancelled at Castle Combe, this time because of a motor cycle event. Instead, if you've ever wanted to test yourself against the clock, there's a chance to have a go at a 10 mile TT at Latton. 

The 'Come and Try It' TT is being staged by Swindon RC. Event HQ is the Bradstone Sports Pavilion in Ashton Keynes. Entry is just £2 and all riders are welcome.

This link will tell you all you need to know: 

http://coriniumcc.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/2015-Club-10-TT-Handbook-Guide-1.pdf

If anyone fancies going along, me and George will both be there. We took part in a similar TT at Latton last year when I finished a massive 3 seconds faster than him. Unfortunately he interpreted the marshal's instruction to 'carry on around' as meaning that he had to complete a second circuit of the roundabout.

I blogged the TT at the time and so if you haven't already, you can read about it here: 

http://malmesburyclarioncyclingclub.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/10-mile-time-trial-saturday-5th-april.html 

An arid Foxley Road

We can now turn to matters closer to home.

On Wednesday six members took part in the evening dash. The warm, sunny weather made a welcome change.

A highlight was a very casual looking Steve K turning up at the start. It'll be a while yet before he swaps his summer sandals for his cycling shoes, but it was good to see him all the same.

Clive performs one of his magic tricks at the Allington Farm Shop

(Photo courtesy of Howard)

Saturday saw an excellent turnout with fifteen riders setting off for Allington in two groups. Our new-found friend Paul returned to make up a trio with Howard and Clive. Meanwhile, John, an old friend of ours from Swindon, paid us a long overdue visit and joined those taking the longer route.

The car park of the Vine Tree at Norton will forever be remembered as the setting for an important milestone in the history of our club. Andy Parker brought our peloton of twelve riders to a halt and Steve M then took us through the principles of safe group riding.

Steve's input was well received and everyone was keen to put the theory into practice. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither was our chain gang, but what shone through was a willingness to learn and with more practice we will become proficient.  

After coffee, Phil's Tours steered a large group of us home via Lacock, Bowden Hill, Sandy Lane, Calne, Compton Bassett, Tockenham and Brinkworth.

Also on Saturday, Mike Greer not only rode a 100km Audax, he also cycled to and from the start in Tewkesbury. Well done Mike! 

Weekly Roundup

A cut-down version this week I'm afraid.

A windswept Foxley Road

Wednesday afternoon was fairly warm with some sunshine. However, the closer it got to 6.15pm, the darker it became and out of nowhere a vicious wind whipped up. As a result, just four of us took part in the training ride. There was an unpleasant cold edge to the wind and when we reached Alderton there were a few spots of rain to add to the misery. After leaving Badminton we picked up the tailwind and flew back to Malmesbury. I had thought of running with the tide out to Great Somerford with Phil, but the thought of then having to plough a lone furrow into the wind afterwards put me off of the idea.

Thursday evening George raced again at Castle Combe and although he finished in the top third of a large field, he was disappointed not to have secured a place in the first ten.

It's always difficult to predict how many riders will turn up on a Saturday morning. Sometimes there are just a handful and then there are days like Saturday when there's a veritable sea of faces waiting to get underway. We welcomed Karine's friend Alex from France and a gentleman whom I believe rode with Howard, whose name I never discovered. Hopefully I'll have a chance to rectify this on a future excursion.

Negotiating the High Street can be difficult at the best of times and it only takes one enforced stop at the zebra crossing for the peloton to be broken up and people cut adrift. For those taking the longer route, a decision was made to reassemble at Long Newnton where we could sort ourselves out into different groups. This we duly did with the first being made up of eight riders and the second of six.

Not far from Cherington disaster struck when in the larger group there was an unfortunate touching of wheels whilst lining out in the face of an oncoming vehicle. The contact led to Steve K being thrown over the top of his handlebars and into the ditch. Andy Poolman was also unseated, as was a cyclist who had somehow got mixed up with us.

Steve K was clearly in a lot of pain and unable to continue. Worried that he might have sustained some internal injuries, an ambulance was requested. The paramedic who attended the scene from Swindon carried out a thorough examination and was happy that Steve K didn't have any fractures. Andy Parker rode home to collect his car and then conveyed Steve K and his bike back to Malmesbury.

Steve K has already become a popular member of the club. We all wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back in the saddle soon.

Members begin to arrive at Cafe 53

Meanwhile, our numbers at Cafe 53 were swelled by the arrival of George who had been out riding with Performance Cycles and Mr and Mrs Dynamo. Overall Mike and Maureen clocked up a very creditable 25 miles and having used the Fosse Way on their return journey, created what they've named the Geriatric, Off-Road, Dynamic Section of the MCCC. 

Those of us left who had been with Steve K did go to the cafe afterwards, but by this time everyone else had left a long time ago.

By my calculations there were nineteen of us, but I stand to be corrected. We really are a club where everyone knows your name and judging by the phone calls, emails and texts from concerned members, Steve K being injured certainly cast a shadow over the ride.

The long route https://connect.garmin.com/modern/course/7213680

The short route https://connect.garmin.com/course/9131275 

Forthcoming Events

Please find the below events. Depending on the level of interest, we could do something as a club for the first two. The third at Bowden Hill could easily be incorporated into the Saturday club run. I'm sure James would really appreciate us joining him on an ascent on our way home, if nothing else.

This will be a regular feature now to keep members informed about what's going on locally. If you know of something that's not been posted, just send me an email and I'll make sure it appears here.

Thursday 11th June 2015

The 2015 Pearl Izumi Tour Series reaches its climax in Bath. Every lap of the city centre circuit takes in the Royal Crescent before ending in the Royal Victoria Park. Supporting races begin at 10.30am and run throughout the day. The main event starts at 7.30pm with podium ceremony and presentations rounding off the proceedings at 9.00pm.

http://www.tourseries.co.uk/venues/bath/spectator.php#.VWWfiM9Viko

Tuesday 16th June 2015

Our near-neighbours and friends at Chippenham Wheelers are holding their annual charity ride at the Castle Combe race circuit. Entry to ride is just £3 for adults and £2 for under 18's with all proceeds going to the charity Talking Newspapers. Ride as many laps as you can or want between 6.00pm and 9.00pm, and help Chippenham Wheelers exceed last year's total mileage of 6,500. Everyone is welcome. Cycology Bikes will be carrying out 'Dr Bike' checks and there might be post-ride massages available too.


http://www.chippenhamwheelers.org/news/2015-05-15/midsummer-bike-night-2015-tuesday-16-june-6-till-9pm

Saturday 20th June 2015

Through us both riding a number of the same Audax events I've had the great pleasure of meeting a local man by the name of James Bradbury. To raise money for Wheels for Wellbeing James is going to attempt to cycle up Bowden Hill 72 times. Bowden Hill of course needs no introduction - its played heavily on our minds often enough over coffee at the National Trust Tearoom to earn our respect.

It's 124 metres up and if he manages the 72 ascents that will be a staggering 8,848 metres of climbing. This is the height of Everest from sea level, so is called 'Everesting.'

To make the pain a little more bearable, James would welcome the support of well-wishers and the company of others who might feel inclined to join him on an ascent or two.


http://thinks.jamesbradbury.co.uk/climbing-a-hill-for-charity/

Weekly Roundup

Without further ado, hold onto your cycling caps as we take a quick breeze through recent events.

Badminton House

The Wednesday evening training ride again offered an opportunity to put the top gears through their paces. For those that are still keeping the wheels of industry turning, it's the perfect stress-buster after a busy day and for those that aren't, it's a chance to wind down after a hectic session of dodging chores and anything that might vaguely resemble work.

While I think of it, in answer to Karine's question posed to me a few weeks ago, whilst the game of badminton appears to have been named after the Duke of Beaufort's Badminton House, it's unclear when and why the name was adopted.

(Click once to enlarge the pictures)

Thursday was race night at Castle Combe. Max continued his excellent run of form by finishing in second place in the cat 3/4 race, whilst George finished outside of the top ten, but in the first thirty or so out of a field of around a hundred.

For Malmesbury Clarions the chickens finally come home to roost

On Saturday we were very pleased to welcome back Clive. Five of us took the longer route to Toomer's Garden Centre and worked well as an efficient unit. Four others made the trip and under a bright sky it was good to relax together over hot drinks and cake. Whilst Toomer's cafe might lack the sophistication sometimes found elsewhere,  their homemade cakes at around £1.75 a slice are very reasonably priced and the staff always take good care of us. With barely a crumb left over, the two chickens hovering around us as we ate, were left pecking thin air.

Des gets in some practice changing inner tubes

We returned to Malmesbury via Pavenhill at Purton which rounded off a pleasant excursion.

https://connect.garmin.com/course/6278192

Near perfect symmetry as we approach Allington, near Chippenham.

For some, myself included, Sunday just couldn't come fast enough. The prospect of a full day's ride into uncharted territory meant that no alarm clock was necessary.

Howard led our peloton of nine riders out onto the Foxley Road. The route through Broughton Gifford brought back happy memories of our trip last year to watch the Tour of Britain at Bradford on Avon. However, this time we skirted Trowbridge, rode across to Steeple Ashton and then underneath the Westbury White Horse, where beyond the cement works, there were some spectacular views of the surrounding countryside.

Further proof of Steve's celebrity status, as this time he's recognised by a scarecrow.

The loosely assembled plan was for a coffee stop at Westbury, which was roughly the mid-way point. My internet research had identified a possible venue. I'll save the blushes of the establishment concerned by not naming them, but lets just say that in the flesh, it wasn't the sort of place we normally frequent. The general consensus was to push on to Bradford on Avon and so we did.

We rode through Rode (sorry I just had to work that one in somewhere) and found Bradford on Avon in the grip of a Bank Holiday frenzy. Some sanctuary from the hustle and bustle came at the cafe. A queue of nine hungry cyclists did cause the two members of staff some consternation though and during the interminable wait one of them was spotted exiting the nearby Budgens supermarket laden with provisions. Given the cafe's organic credentials, I trust they came from Budgens' organic range.

Malc checks his Garmin - 'Are we there yet?'

The climb out of Bradford on Avon was as challenging as it was scenic. Having emerged at the top we headed for Great Chalfield Manor unaware that one of us was about to suffer a near death experience. Unbelievably, a motorist who had clearly watched us approaching the junction he was waiting to turn out of, decided to do so at the very last minute. Quick thinking (and braking) on Steve M's part meant that he narrowly avoided being struck.

Nerves steadied, we enjoyed an incident-free journey back to Malmesbury. The epilogue to what had been a fantastic club run, is that a few members added on some extra miles at the end. George rounded his tally up to a 100 whilst me and Mike embarked on a re-run of Saturday's club ride. Before setting off we both agreed that after a spirited last leg back to Malmesbury, we'd drop the pace a notch or two. For some reason we did nothing of the sort and carried on as we had before. I think it was a combination of us both wanting to demonstrate to the other that we were actually capable of adding to the mileage and at the same time not wanting to hold the other up.

In Purton I suggested to Mike that we could take a left at the mini-roundabout and go down Pavenhill. Mike said he was 'easy' on which way we went, but I thought I detected a glint in his eye which meant he wasn't done yet and so we carried on towards Cricklade still with no let-up in the pace. 

Having cut off a small corner we joined the B4040 near Leigh and took this road all the way back to Malmesbury. Parting company at the top of Tetbury Hill, the thought did occur to me that perhaps I should accompany Mike to Tetbury, but I quickly dismissed the notion having secretly longed for an opportunity to ease off on the pedals, as probably Mike had too.

http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php

Weekly Roundup

Fred Whitton Challenge

First on the agenda is a review of the Fred Whitton Challenge, which took place on Sunday 10th May 2015, by our roving sportive correspondent and thrill seeker, Jamie.

The Fred Whitton is well worth the trip to Grasmere where the organisation looks more like a professional one day classic than a sportive. Over two thousand people took part this year and we were clapped, encouraged, cowbelled and even pushed around the 112 mile route at some points.

Setting out after a large bowl of porridge and a decent night’s sleep in the YHA at Langdale the weather was a bit wet, the forecast having been dry, drizzle, rain, lovely sunshine and apocalyptic wind depending on the location I entered in to the BBC weather site. Well, it’s the lakes after all. At quarter to seven I was ushered through the starting gate on to the road to Ambleside, where the rolling grace period lasts about thirty minutes before the first of the list of giants appears.

Kirkstone, Newlands, Honister (or the gates of doom – a seriously grim place) Whinlatter, Cold fell, Hardknott, Wrynose. I walked up bits of two and I even walked down bits of a couple of them when my nerve went totally after I started sliding down the back of the mountain.

I mentioned the encouragement and at almost every mile there were supporters waving union jacks and giving you the will to keep your legs spinning. Half way up Whinlatter especially, where the road was lined for about two hundred metres with cheering families and my friend Brian who was spending the day driving around trying to find places to tinkle his cowbell at me, his ACL injury forcing him to spend the day driving instead of being windbreak.

I don’t consider a sportive a real test unless I have a dark moment – mine came on the way to the top of Cold Fell where a bonk and a small kink in my chain combined to usher an hour of existential crisis. Ultimately this was seen off with four SIS gels one after another and a wiggle of the chain which popped the link back in and stopped it jumping sprockets.

As my spirits rose I descended in to Calderbridge and the second feedstation at 86 miles in where I emptied the millionaire shortbread supply and contemplated the last two obstacles before my free pie back at the finish.

Hardknott

Hardknott is not over rated. It looms like a wall at 98 miles in to the circuit and I managed two hundred metres before my legs stopped working.  It was hard enough walking up the thing – there is no respite from the valley floor, just up and up and around, and up again and I have huge respect for everyone that overtook me in the saddle. Down the other side via a very very steep road disguised as a potted track and then the Wrynose bucks up, the gate to Elterwater and Ambleside and dry clothes.

My legs again failed me at the bottom although I did manage around half of the climb and I topped the summit, belched out in a cloud of clutch smoke from the three cars that had broken down just before the top.

I got back to Grasmere after eight and a half hours, tired and sore but keen to do the ride again next year. It really is an amazing event – friendly, very well organised and uniquely challenging.

Anyone fancy coming?

Picture of the Hardknott:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/activityandadventure/9411799/Britains-greatest-cycling-climbs.html?image=5

Honnister Pass - Mount Doom:

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g186327-i31991322-Keswick_Lake_District_Cumbria_England.html

None of me I'm afraid.

Jamie

Wednesday Evening Training Ride

Seven of us rode a course through Badminton Park on what was a warm, sunny evening. Everyone recorded an average of at least 17mph, which shows just how far we as a club have come over the last three years.

Thursday Racing at Castle Combe

Max and George lead the way

As most, if not all of you, will already be aware, Max won the cat 3/4 race. Both he and George led either at the front or just off the front for long periods and after the bell both were well placed. On the home straight Max powered through to come home first.

If you haven't been before to the Thursday evening series at Castle Combe, there's plenty of parking, entry is free and you can get up close to the action on the track. Three races; Cats 3/4, Ladies, Elite and cats 1/2 run simultaneously starting at 7.30pm. If it sounds confusing, don't worry, it isn't. They set off two minutes apart. The three groups all ride at very different speeds and if one overtakes another, you can't grab a wheel and switch groups. 

Saturday's Club Ride

Tim's notorious Three Peaks Challenge had its first airing of the year. Well deserved refreshments were taken at The Canteen in Nailsworth. 

Commiserations go to Mark who had to retire after some mechanical issues and was collected by his brother in law.