A Group ride 1st June

Leaving Cobham we shall head out for Plough Lane, Tythebarns Lane where the flowers may still be in bloom.

West Clandon and right towards Guildford and our first hill Tangier Road and cutting through to Chilworth and into Snowdenham Lane.

A sharp right takes us up Alldens Hill for views over the hills. There will be a few ups before we head to Godalming along the Petworth Road.  A few back lanes will get us into Godalming and lunch at Wetherspoons.

Not a long ride back for Tea at Pinnocks in Ripley

~ Geoff

B Group at Lingfield

B Group about to leave Lingfield.

B Group 25th May

On Wednesday 25th May the B group of 15 riders set out from a cool but dry Caterham. We had quite a long gradual climb to get to the top of the North Downs dip slope and then a rapid descent of the scarp slope.

We then made our way through many quiet lanes with a lot of corners that needed marking (thank you to those riders who did this important task). During the course of the day we rode along more than 50 different roads. Lunch was at the Greyhound in Lingfield and then we set off through more country lanes back towards Reigate.

Our peloton gradually decreased until there were only eight of us left to attempt the very steep scarp slope climb of Wray Lane. Finally four of us made it to Banstead for tea.

Thank you for all those who joined the ride and especial thanks to Tim G. who did the back marking.

~John A.

Frank Cubis knocked off his bike

Frank was knocked off his bike around 10am yesterday in West London. The air ambulance was called to take him to hospital where he is now in an induced coma after a 6hr operation to reduce pressure on his brain. Additionally he has several broken ribs.

Last word is that he is stable, but in a very serious condition.

More to follow when there is any news.

Lisa
---

Easy Riders May 25th

Molesey  Mole Hall,   Wych Elm Kingston,   Kings Centre Chessington.

 

11 left Mole Hall in slight drizzle and quite cold breeze to Central Avenue, Island Farm Road, Molesey Park Road and into Hampton Court, thro Bushy Park to Kingston Gate over river to towpath where we continued to Teddington Lock, turning right to Dukes Avenue, Tuder Road, Park Road and right to Kings Road and pub.

 

After we had lunch everyone decided to go straight home except Norman  ( was it something we said ) so off we went up the Portsmouth road looking at the useless cycle route they are building on the river side of the road, it is taking up over quarter of the width of the road, you start on the left on the cycle route, then it is ended and you are supposed to get over the main traffic to this state of the ark cycle route which has 2 way route, it then ends at the traffic lights and then back to the old cycle route on the left hand side again!!!!. what must it be costing?? 

 

Enough moaning but a big thanks to John Bellamy for being T.E.C. and many thanks to everyone for a pleasant day out.

 

Irene

A Group 25th May

A dozen of us left Caterham this morning, a good turn-out for the location, particularly given that a number of stalwarts are away at the moment.  A bit of Scotch Mist as we started, but it didn't come to anything - indeed, the sun put in one or two cameo appearances, but that didn't come to anything either.

Down the hill to Bletchingley, where we joined the Eastern Loop of the Tri-Vets 100 mile ride, the purpose of the day, which was to complement Dave Vine's recce of the Western Loop a couple of weeks ago.

Things went swimmingly - the route is pretty straightforward, with quite a lot of helpful 'Surrey Cycleway' signs, and it's pretty flat too - a change for the A Group, and quite a welcome one, judging from comments made. We checked Lingfield for elevenses on the Tri-Vets - there's a garage with snacks, a couple of convenience stores and a Costa, so good enough for re-fuelling.

Lunch was at the Plough and Furrow, Smallfield, briskly served and pretty good.  The pub is now part of the 'Time Well Spent' group, which has taken over a number of pubs in the area.  It has been spruced up and had some customers other than us, which is good news for a Surrey pub on a Wednesday.

Through Horley, where we were held up a bit by the traffic lights, then back into the country and on to the Cricket Pavilion in Brockham, to check that we had the route tied down.

It was early, and we hadn't done that many miles, but a short referendum concluded that we should Remain in Denbies and eat cake.  So that's what we did.

35.8 easy miles from elevenses to tea, rolling average 13.4 mph.  If we can keep that up on the 15th then our badges are safe.

My thanks to Geoff for back marking, and to the corner markers for keeping us moving.  And a particular welcome back to Pete Betts, after a long absence due to injury.

Mark

John Gould's funeral arrangements

It seems that there will be a bit over a dozen of us attending John's funeral, 12.20 on Tuesday 31st. Cycling gear welcome: several of us will be wearing Sou'westers tops. Optional meet at the Kingston Bradbury Centre at 11am beforehand: it's less than a mile from there to the crematorium.  Lynda is organising a ride from North Cheam to Kingston.    More details here.

A Group Wednesday

An easy ride Wednesday, but a useful one.  Down the hill from Caterham to do a recce of part of the Eastern loop of the Tri-Vets 100 miler.

There are a couple of easy-to-miss corners on this loop, so a bit of practice will be handy.

Lunch at the Plough and Furrow, Smallfield, tea depending on pace.  We may do part of the 50m kms route to take our tea at Tanhouse Farm, or we may head straight to Denbies or Pilgrim Cycles.

20 miles to lunch, forty-ish all told.

See how we go.

Mark

Easy Riders - 18th May

We were only a handful from North Cheam to The King s Centre. Once there, we saw Ron,  Pat Mathews and Beatie.  Then we were joined by Brian, Fuzz, Frank and John B.  Once we got our coffee Ron and Doreen came in. A very leisurely break due to the rain. But as it looked set in we decided to get to lunch. I suggested The Adelaide on the Ewell Road.  So we went the back of Chessington to Ruxley Lane, onto Danetree Road and through Ewell Court park and over the carriageway.  It was a carvery here once when I came; now an Ember Inn.  We had a round table for 6. A dry ride home.

Lynda

Tri-Vets ride June 15th: briefing for riders

We are looking forward to welcoming you on June 15th.  This post should give you the information you need for an enjoyable and safe ride.   There are still a few places available but entries will close on May 27th.   And if you have a few hours free in the afternoon, we would welcome a few more volunteers to welcome people back and serve tea and cake.

The Base: Brockham Cricket Pavilion, RH3 7JT

The pavilion is the base for signing on, where you will receive an audax-style brevet card which will be stamped as proof of passage. It is a 3 mile ride from Dorking station. Limited parking is available at the pavilion, otherwise please park considerately on the side streets, leaving Middle Street clear. The pavilion is ¼ mile south of Brockham village centre, opposite 29 Middle Street, Brockham. You can find it here on Google Maps.

The pavilion will be open from 7.30am serving tea and coffee until 11am; sandwich lunches will be available from 11-3pm, and cake and finisher's certificates will be served until 8pm. If necessary the base will then re-locate to The Grumpy Mole in Brockham.

The Ride

You should have been advised of your group and start time – please arrive 20 mins early to allow time to sign in and for a cup of tea. Most of you are be experienced at riding in groups, but please take a minute or two to read our Group Ride Guidelines, which cover not just the safety of those in the group, but what to bring on the ride.

You are welcome to do a self-guided ride, but please inform the leader or back-marker if you don’t plan to ride with the group, or decide to leave the group. If you are worried about keeping up with the group, then we suggest you bring the ride card and a map, in case the group has to press on and you need to complete the ride independently. Leaders will try to avoid this but need to bear in mind the time limit for the 100 mile ride.

And please do check in at the base when you finish, or inform control if you decide to abandon the ride.

Links to route cards and gpx files are below.

Refreshments

Your entry fee covers tea/coffee at the start, a sandwich lunch, and more tea/coffee with cake at the finish. The 100 mile and 100k group rides will stop at a café half-way round each loop where you can purchase extra refreshments.

Tri-Vets Badges

Badges are available to ‘veterans’ (over 50) who complete the 100 mile course in 12 hours, evidenced by a brevet card which will be provided on the day. These cost £4 for the badge, or £2 for a ‘year bar’ if you already have a badge. You can order badges at the finish.

The Routes, and group start times

100 miles: route book and gpx
100k: route book and gpx
50k: route book and gpx

For maps and some additional information, see the original announcement here.
Rider lists with start times are here.

B Group 18th May

No picture outside the pub today but here's one I took earlier

 
 



No, we didn't catch the train.  This is today's group photo.

Francoise....

....has had a fall whilst waiting for the Picos party in Spain, and broken a leg in two places. We hope for a speedy recovery.

Mini B Group 18th May

It was a case of 'None but the Brave' as Carolyn, David, Ed, Terry, Tony (Hooker), Vic and I (Gill) set off out into the rain at New Haw at about 11.20 a.m., having waited in vain for any other brave souls who might have ventured this way from Cheam!   As luck would have it, however, the rain had virtually stopped by the time we had reached the Old Woking Road and turned off  into White Rose Lane.  In fact there was a positive brightness in the sky as we crossed Woking Park and found our way on to Hook Heath Road with its huge houses and glimpses of Woking Golf Course.  This took us all the way across to the Bagshot Road, the Brookwood Cemetery Pales and so to The Cricketers at Pirbright for lunch by 12.30 p.m..  When doing the recce and having only a very small kitchen, the pub owners, faced with the possibility of 20 + cyclists, asked me to collect people's requests for lunch at elevenses.  Even though our numbers were somewhat down on that number, I did phone through our choices and it didn't take too long after our arrival for seven baguettes with salad and chips to be delivered to our table.  While we ate, the weather continued to brighten.

Our return route in the afternoon began with a short ride through the tranquil grounds of the Brookwood Cemetery before heading down to the Basingstoke Canal.  With not a ripple on the water and everything washed clean after the rain, it was a lovely ride beside the canal with occasional bursts of sunshine.  We even saw two boats going through a lock - the first time some of us had ever seen a boat moving on the canal!  David had left us at Brookwood and, at West Byfleet, Terry departed for home - thank you for being back-marker.  The remaining five of us left the canal here as well, coming out on to the road into New Haw and followed this all the way to the Garden Centre at Addlestone where we had tea.  Despite it's unpromising start, the day had turned out well in the end.  Thanks to 'the Brave' for your company!  (Gill Finlay)

A group ride 18 May: New Haw-Puttenham-West Horsley

What a gorgeous day for a ride! The sun sparkled off the leafy lanes...   Oh, wait: that was Monday.   In fact, it was every other day this week, except today.   Today's weather forecast improved from dire to merely awful and so seven of us braved the steady rain, taking a fairly direct route from New Haw via Old Woking, Jacobs Well, Worplesdon and Normandy to Puttenham.   It wasn't the prettiest of routes, but we were keeping our heads down to avoid the rain, which did ease up around noon but never completely stopped.

The magnificent Eight outside the Good Intent
(Mark taking photograph and John still fettling his bike)

The Good Intent at Puttenham was busy and food took a while to arrive, but we didn't mind.  Mark had taken his own route and joined us for lunch and the afternoon's ride, where a menu of short/medium/long routes was offered.  As it was still raining a bit, we compromised on medium, heading south to Shackleford and Hurtmore, skirting Godalming and then up Littleton Lane, where John's tyre lost an encounter with a staple.   After a short delay, when the rain briefly paused, we were off into Guildford, up the High Street, which is being relaid, and along the usual route to West Horsley for tea.  In the end the rain was pretty light in the afternoon, not too bad.  Thank you to the select few who joined me for today's ride.   Only 30 miles from 11s to tea.

John Gould - funeral details: Tuesday 31 May

I've received the following information from John's family.   I know quite a few will wish to attend, so perhaps you could let me know by email at simon.lambourn@gmail.com by this weekend 22 May, so I can advise numbers to the family.  We will probably ride as a group to the funeral, details to follow, and the family would be happy if we attend wearing cycling gear "as John would have done the same".

We would like to invite family, friends, congregants and ‘Wayfarers’ to John’s funeral to celebrate his life. In honour of John’s love for cycling, please feel welcome to cycle (but biking is not required!). There may be a communal ride so let us know if you would like details.

The funeral will be held at the Kingston Crematorium (Bonner Hill Road, KT1 3EZ) on Tuesday, May 31 at 12.20pm.

The funeral will be followed by a reception with a light lunch at Kingston Liberal Synagogue (Rushett Road, Surrey KT7 0UX) from 1.15pm onwards.
The family request that people do not send flowers. However, if you would like to make a donation, memorial donations in John’s name can be made to one of the following charities that have relevance to John’s life and experiences. We will also have envelopes for people to use for this purpose at the reception if they would prefer.

1. Cyclists Fighting Cancer: – bikes including specially adapted tandems and trikes for children fighting cancer and their families http://www.cyclistsfc.org.uk/

2. Re-cycle: Bikes to Africa – working through local social enterprises to increase long-term popularity, sustainability and desirability of bicycle ownership and use in Africa. http://www.re-cycle.org/

3. Refugee Action: – standing up for people who've fled persecution, violence and harassment. Helping refugees who've lost everything to live again. http://www.refugee-action.org.uk/

We would be grateful if you could send stories, memories or photos about John for the family to make a memorial book. Please email them to Daniella_gould@hotmail.com by May 25, if possible, whether or not you are able to attend the funeral.

Any written condolences to Irene should be mailed in the name of Steve Massey to 48 Cottenham Drive, London SW20 0ND. (If you address the mail to Irene it will get forwarded by Royal Mail to her daughter Sunita in Brighton!).

We look forward to seeing you.
Irene and daughters Sunita, Daniella and Mel

A group 18 May

I'm leading instead of Ged on Wednesday, but we seem to have got Neil's weather, so I plan a shortish ride to The Good Intent at Puttenham, about 15 miles, all on road.   In the afternoon we have options for shorter or longer ways to tea at West Horsley.

A Group from Dorking on 11 May

Some 13 riders left Dorking, hoping that the weather would improve as forecast, and undaunted by a huge clap of thunder shortly after. The inevitable rain duly followed. “Luckily” one of us was mending a puncture at the time, enabling the rest of us to take shelter from the worst of the storm.

The route we followed was part of second half the TriVets 100mile route, taking us as far as Dunsfold Aerodrome before taking a short cut north to Cranleigh to join the last part of the return route to Brockham. Several riders remarked what a nice route it was; for me the highlight was two passes of Weare St.

Lunch was at the Three Compasses, just south of Dunsfold, where service was friendly though rather slow.

The weather did improve during the day, enabling us to sit outside in sunshine for tea at Pilgrim Cycles. However the roads were wet throughout, with plenty of gravel, and no shortage of potholes.

We lost Ken to a puncture before lunch, following which he decided to return home.

Many thanks to Mike Barrett for back marking so efficiently, Simon for the map, and to everyone for riding so professionally in far from ideal conditions.

47 miles Dorking to tea, 12.9 moving mph, 2,300ft climbing.

Message from John Gould's family

Dear friends,

I am sorry to tell you that John died at 4 am yesterday morning 11th May 2016. He was fairly comfortable in his last few days, with plenty of care managed by our daughters.

The funeral date has not yet been confirmed and we will keep you updated later on.

If you wish to post a card or letter, then please address the envelope to :

Steve Massey
48 Cottenham Drive
London SW20 0ND

Please do NOT address the envelope to Irene, because anything addressed to Irene or John is being re-directed by Royal Mail to our daughter Sunita in Brighton.

We will not be wanting contributions of flowers at the funeral but will welcome donations to support chosen charities. More information on this to come with the funeral details.

Many thanks to everyone for all the support we have had over the past, difficult year.

Hugs and love

Irene (and daughters Sunita, Daniella and Mel)

John Gould

We have received the sad news that John died yesterday (Wednesday) morning. For over a year John has been ill with a brain tumour. We have known him well as a regular rider with the Wayfarers B Group for several years and remember him for his good company and his enjoyment of conversation.

John has lived in Wimbledon with his wife Irene for many years and is survived by three daughters, Daniella, Sunita, and Melanie. Our thoughts are with them.

We will advise the details of his funeral when we receive them.

~ Tim

Easy Riders - 11th May

Only 6 of us at North Cheam, probably due to weather forecast.  Once we got to Hersham a few more joined us.  It was a dry ride to 11s and again to lunch, dismissing a very light shower that didn't count.  We went from Hersham to Hampton Court, through Bushy Park to Teddington;  down the high street to the Studio road and round to Hampton Wick, where we had lunch at The White Hart.  They arranged a table for us and a little later Fuzz came.   It rained while we were in the pub, so we waited a while for it to stop.  Once out, I got to Kingston Market Place, and then it became a bit heavy, so put my cape and overshoes on.  Once I got to Worcester Park, the sun came out, so I took them off and arrived home dry. 

Lynda

B Group - 11th May

Twelve of us started out in sun/cloud, promising conditions, but within 10 minutes there was a clap of thunder and the heavens opened.

Being my first ride I asked if the group wanted to turn back, and with enthusiasm they said no, continue, made of hardy stuff these Wayfarers.
 
We rode to lunch through torrential rain, being splashed by other road users, and standing water at times to arrive at the Plough and Farrow at 12.50, where some started to ring out wet items, others went to the toilets to warm under the hot air dryers.
 
Lunch was served swiftly and we all took the opportunity to dry off a little.
 
Fortunately the ride back to Denbies was dry so the remaining 9 enjoyed a well needed hot beverage.
 
Thanks to all the corner markers, David for back marking and everyone for making it so enjoyable.
 
Jennie
 

This map shows Jennie's excellent route down to Smallfield (17.7 miles) and back to Denbies (15.1 miles):



Our lunch venue:

Eleven of the best

Prudential Ride London 100ml 31 July 2016

St. Raphael's Hospice Cheam have informed me that they still have some places left for signing on by end of May. Follow the link below or contact Emily. Concessionary entry fee St. Raphs is £50 with a commitment to try and raise £400 minimum.

Hi Mike,

I hope you’re well. I just thought I would touch base with you to see if you were still interested in cycling the RideLondon 100 again for St Raphael’s on the 31^st July? The deadline to sign up is the end of May and we actually have an offer running over this weekend which gives 50% off the entry fee if you sign up through this link and quote MAYMADNESS2: https://ridelondon100.eventbrite.co.uk.

I’ll look forward to hearing from you soon.

Kindest regards

Emily

Emily Nicholls

Community Fundraising Manager

Tel:  020 8254 2450 (main office)

        020 8254 2463 (direct line)

B Group ride - tomorrow, 10th May

The ride tomorrow will be led by Jennie rather than David as posted on the blog.

The plan is to ride from Dorking to lunch at the Plough & Farrow pub in Smallfield, about 17 miles, then return to Denbies for tea, about 16 miles.
 
No major hills but a few up and downs, nearly all on tarmac, a short section is on track.

Cheers

David and Jennie

A Ride from Dorking on 11 May

This week’s A ride from Dorking will explore part of the 100 mile TriVets route. Delightful lanes. No big climbs. Lunch at the Three Compasses, Laker’s Green near Dunsfold (www.threecompassesalfold.com) very close to last week’s pub, but by a very different route. About 50 miles from Dorking to tea at Pilgrim Cycles. Hopefully coolish but dry.