Christmas boxes

Whilst in Cobham this morning I called on Thelma, one of the BL ladies, and gave her four boxes of chocolates with strict instructions to share them with her other Wednesday helpers (see A group blog on Sep 1). She was very pleased and wished us a Happy Christmas.

Terry

Dorking tomorrow (2)

For those heading to Dorking tomorrow - the cycle track from Givon's Grove rdbt to Dorking is mostly clear, there are a few icy patches, mostly avoidable but I strongly recommend walking over the railway bridge at Dorking.

I checked out a very short route today, just a few avoidable icy spots on the lanes to Brockham. The return trip will have to be on the A25. I recorded just over eight miles D to D.

Hope to see some of you there.

Terry

Dorking Tomorrow

Dear All

Conditions are still rather treacherous, but I anticipate that a number of skaters will turn up at the St Martin's Christian Centre tomorrow. My road is still unridable, but I hope that I shall get down in one piece. I have recce'd the roads today (by car) and some are definitely 'no go areas'. Let's see what conditions are like tomorrow.

If we do have the stomach for a ride, I suspect it will be main roads only. For the A Group I had in mind a visit to the Gate at Ifield, near Rusper. Afternoon tea is, I think, impractical as the roads home too soon become icy and I don't want a 4 mile walk on cleats, or a 5 mile ride in the back of an ambulance. We may need to be less ambitious. Let's see!

Jeff

Hurray Hurray 1st December 2010

Snow has come early this year. Well done John B, Ray & Terry for making it to Cobham. It was a grave situation walking through the church yard in Walton on the Hill.

Rumour had got out that Mark G would ski to the Chequers in Walton so I walked via the frozen pond below and met up with Jeff and he for a pint (or 2 or 3 or was it 4?). More like a Bob Starey Monday off-road ride. Mark I may say only had one pint and a coffee. He had to navigate back home when picked up by Maggie in her Panda 4x4 with winter tyres. Just the job - Italian Job! The open roaring fire in the pub was very welcome.

The ducks are having a hard time at the moment even less exited about the weather than we cyclists. Keep safe everyone!

Cobham Dec 1st

I got there about 10 past 11 (I started after half past 10, so was not delayed much by the snow) by main Portsmouth road from Surbiton, and met Ray for a coffee. One more turned up after 20 minutes or so. We enjoyed our coffees, chatted for some time and returned home around 12:30.
See you, weather permitting, in Dorking next week.
John B

Weather Warning

To Ride or not to Ride

Dear All

I contacted the Royal British Legion today, but unfortunately was not able to confirm what the position will be tomorrow. However, Terry has been told that the RBL Hall will definitely be closed. The alternative is therefore Sainsburys in Cobham.

I have spoken to Mike Withers on the 'phone and he has confirmed that, because of the conditions, he will definitely not be leading a ride for the Easy Riders.

The main thing will be what the roads are like. Frank has said he will endeavour to lead a short ride but give tea a miss. We shall see how many turn up. We shall each have to decide in the light of local conditions. At present, I am pretty well snowed in, but don't know what the main roads are like. I may be a dns. If the roads are icy, don't take unnecessary risks. Better to miss a day than spend Xmas in hospital.

Have an ice day,

Jeff

Ford at Pennypot Lane, Chobham

From Terry

From John Hammond

Just to let you know I am still alive (I think!) tho I shall be 94 Oct 25th (along with my twin brother in Seaton Devon – a non cycling life member of the CTC. I cycled to the end of ’08 to complete 80 years cycling but wish I was still able to ride. I hope the wayfarers are still flourishing despite all the strong winds and heavy rain in your area. Tell the guest Editor I fully concure with his views on the vote about the future of CTC. Kevin Mayne is trying to improve his own views and doesn’t want opposition! Best wishes to all the members I enclose a donation for everybody at Cobham to have a drink on me on November 3rd – Merry Christmas From John Hammond

Random Rides

Yesterday I tried the Waterlink Way as a route up to London. It's not bad - rather like some of the better bits of the Wandle Trail. It's part of NCN 21 and I picked it up at South Norwood Park, about a mile from East Croydon Station. The surface is pretty good - some tarmac and some gravel - and it's continuous and traffic free from Croydon to Greenwich. There's even an interesting cycle bridge over the railway at Lewisham, where you ride up a spiral, cross over and then spiral down again. Not many of those about ...

From Greenwich you've got plenty of choice: there's the Thames Path East or West, the Foot Tunnel under the Thames to Canary Wharf, the Thames Clipper commuter boats will take four bikes and go up and down the river every twenty minutes or so and the Overground will whisk you back to Croydon in about twenty minutes. It takes bikes between ten and four and at weekends.

I rode West and picked up the CS7 Superhighway at Southwark and then the Wandle Trail from Colliers Wood - an easy and pleasant Autumn ride.

Mark

AGM - 13 October, 2010

AGM at Hersham

Chairman Pete and Secretary Terry in firm control of proceedings.
Protective shields just in case things get out of hand.

Not sure what he's doing here!

Brian Starey

Rob and I took Brian for lunch on Friday 8 Oct to the Woodman at Woodmanstern and very enjoyable it was too sitting in the sunshine. I invited Ken Preece but he was otherwise engaged. Ken continues to recover but still has a persistent problem with the healing process of the skin graft which is delaying the fitting of his hearing aid a new ear.

Watch this Space!

Cycling back from Cobham today, they are erecting two huge black gates at the entrance to Blackhills Road, Cobham end. Steph

Weybridge Incident - 22 september, 2010

Dear All,

Please see below a copy of the letter of apology that I have sent to the Manager of the Weybridge Centre for Retired People, following the incident on 22 September. It is most unfortunate that we do not know who was involved in this incident. Until we do, we shall not be able to consider arrangements to ensure that it does not happen again.

Jeff

Weybridge Day Centre - Complaint

Complaint Number 2

The behaviour of the Wayfarers has been the subject of a second complaint from Weybridge Day Centre.

On my arrival this morning, I was told by the Centre Manager that one of our number had tried to secure his bicycle in a car parking space. The manager had asked the cyclist to move it, only to be the subject of verbal abuse and offensive language. There were two cyclists. The offender then rode off. Neither was identified. The incident caused great offence and the manager was visibly upset.

I apologised as best I could on behalf of the Wayfarers, but this behaviour is unacceptable. It is the second incident involving foul language; the first addressed to a receptionist, the second to the Centre Manager. The Midweek Wayfarers now have an unenviable reputation at this Centre. I do not know if we shall receive a written complaint from the Manager or from the Council. What is clear is that any further incident may well result in our being asked not to return.

I do not know who was involved. Whatever his version of events, our reputation has been damaged and it does seem that we are now in a position of 'three strikes and you are out'. Do the Wayfarers really wish to be associated with this loutish behaviour?

We cannot afford to let this happen again.

Jeff

Mystery Ride 15 September

St Paul's and Swain's Lane, Highgate

Mystery Ride 15th September

A good turn-out at North Cheam on a fine sunny morning, with some speculation as to where the ride might go and who would be leading. Jeff gave a brief description and the Wayfarers, in general, managed to conceal their delight when they learned that I would be leading it.

Despite this bad news, assurances that the ride would be more-or-less flat and an interesting day out meant that twenty-three of us set out down London Road towards Morden Hall Park and the Wandle Trail. Pleasantly under the chestnuts to Colliers Wood, where we joined the new Cycle Superhighway. This worked well, and many spoke well of it. Our only real problem was the size of the group - you can't get twenty-three cyclists through a set of traffic lights before they change, no matter how competent they are. So we had three or four stops to re-group, which was no problem, and in about forty minutes we crossed Southwark Bridge and turned West along Cannon Street to St Pauls.

Here we took a break of half an hour or so, with people taking their elevenses at one of the various cafes or just having a look around. Then it was back on the road, with the benefits of the Superhighway being immediately apparent as we fought our way down Ludgate Hill through a maelstrom of traffic. There was a bike lane, but it didn't help much. However, a right turn at Ludgate Circus and things were much better, and we began to follow a series of pretty good bike-paths that led us to Regent's Canal.

We had a frisson of excitement in Eckford Street, when the breeze blew a set of plastic barriers across the road, cutting the group in half. But we soon re-joined head to body, to general amusement, and then we cut across some of the busiest parts of London having the towpath largely to ourselves. The signs said that considerate cyclists were welcome, and we thought we'd pass muster.

Away from the canal at Camden Lock, up past Gospel Oak and right into Swain's Lane - which most didn't know was one of the few Hill-Climb courses within the boundaries of a major city. But everyone soon got the hang of it, and with cheery waves to Karl Marx in Highgate Cemetery (he didn't look well ...) we were soon at the Gatehouse, the only Wetherspoons with a Theatre.

I had arranged for us to be allowed to put the bikes in a little yard at the back of the pub, which meant wheeling them through the bar. The lady behind the bar knew nothing of it, but was quite happy with the arrangement, but another lady grew quite fractious when about half of them had gone through. I suppose that twenty three bikes is quite a lot to wheel through a pub, but it all passed off well enough and, with our bikes safely stored, we all enjoyed JD's finest.

After lunch it was down Highgate Hill, across Parliament Hill Fields and Hampstead Heath, with some of the ladies expressing interest at the Mens' Bathing Pond, while others averted their eyes. Down again past Regent's Park, Wigmore Street to Edgware Road and then into Hyde Park. Sliding smoothly through Belgravia we were soon on the Embankment, where a rough but practical dual-use pavement took us safely to Chelsea Harbour. Generally traffic-free riding to Putney Bridge, which was jammed, and then more pleasant riding along the river once we had crossed the bridge.

We were now on the home straight, and briskly crossing Barnes Common we were soon passing though Roehampton Gate for tea at the cafe in Richmond Park.

We had almost a full crew at tea - a couple of people had turned off for home as we approached the Park - but this is a record for me and a testament to the riding skill of the group. It was a complicated route, with some heavy traffic in places, but we maintained a steady pace throughout. Special thanks are due to Jeff, Brian and Terry, each of whom took a turn as back marker which was invaluable in holding us all together.

The raw stats are 37.5 miles at a very creditable 10 mph, a modest 42 watts and 1,678 calories. But the bigger story was a grand day out in one of the world's great cities.

Mark

V-CC Camp 2010

Another great week at the V-CC camp, great fun and entertainment- and some very fine cycling! This year we gathered at St Martins College, Ampleforth, North Yorkshire. Our breakfasts and evening meals were eaten in the beautiful dining hall of the college - with an ample supply of food!
The theme for the afternoon sports this year was medieval - hence my appearance in the photograph!! You should have seen the others!!!!!
Upon our arrival we were given route sheets for each days ride and any other information deemed necessary like phone numbers if one should need help - for what ever reason!. One of our ladies came off her bike at about 4 miles an hour on a bridleway. She was most unfortunate for her brake lever went through her thigh!!! So she was a hospital case but was hobbling on crutches by the end of camp AND still smiling!
Our rides took us to Helmsley, Pickering, Castle Howard, Kirbymoorside and Malton etc. Only got wet one afternoon, and the rain was quite heavy when we started off on Friday, but I felt we should go for folks had set up a tea wagon for the riders and we had to make it worth their while for turning out........seven riders used them (120 at camp)!! Most people used their cars to get to Malton that day! One must remember that the bicycles used are really quite old, two chaps used their ordinaries ('pennies') all week - up hill and down dale and there were others riding very old bicycles, I mean turn of the century! Mine is a 1947 Hills Special ladies tourer - fixed!
There were visits to museums in Pickering and Malton, and a sort of garden centre called Yorkshire Lavender - where one can buy some marvelous gifts and there is lavender for miles and miles (well, sort of)!
Friday evening came all too soon for most but for some it was time for the nerves to be put to the test! It was time to 'break a leg' and to 'get on with the show'!!! A pantomime (for the want of any other explanation) written by a V-CC member was about to commence! What a laugh! I understand that it was enjoyed by all ??!! I certainly enjoyed it!
Yet another V-CC camp that has left me with lot's of happy memories - roll on next year!
From Pam

Two Up - Again

Maggie and I have been back to the Alps - the Alpes de Haute Provence, this time. We went on a CTC Tour led by Sheila Simpson, which was based on the Relais de Mont Ventoux, at Aurel in the Vaucluse. It is a very pleasant little hotel that deals well with cyclists.

Some of the participants drove - we did - the majority came on the Bike Bus, which worked well enough, but there is no doubt that a number found the 70k from Orange a bit of a slog. Last year, Chris Ellison met the group at the bus with a van and carried their luggage for them. That's the way to go, if you've got a choice.

The format was the choice of an easy ride or a hard ride on most days, or the option of independent touring. Most people did some and some - there were very few takers for the harder rides.

We ended up doing Ventoux twice. The first was the group ride on the Monday, with a screaming Mistral blowing and very violent winds. Having seen people blown down we walked from the Tommy Simpson memorial to the top, struggling to hold the tandem down. A lot of people gave up - it was very hard to stand on the top, bike or no bike. By contrast, we rode up on Thursday with another tandem and it couldn't have been nicer - warm, calm and easy riding.

All in all, a good trip - the Vaucluse is an excellent area for cycling with good weather, good roads and very little traffic. The food's good, too...

Mark

Nottinghill Carnival

An amazing day out. See also more photo's on the KPRC Blog.

Something different to Whasps Green!

Les Johnston

On Sunday was the 75 Annversary of the Dulwch Paragon. Les rode the 75 km with Michael and it took 4h50m he was the fastest in his age class and the slowest. It was a lovely day with his old friends and the club members Barbara