A date for the calendar - Wayfarers artist in action

Liz Bernard is opening her studio to the public during this event and welcomes you to come along and visit.  Her studio is at 49, Palace Road, East Molesey, KT8 9DN.  Please feel free to bring a friend/s.  Liz's studio will be open on Thursday 12th June to Monday 16th June from 11am - 5pm, and Thursday evening from 6.00- 8.30pm. Plenty of space to park bikes!!  And there will be refreshments!

Nev Dable

Nev just rang me to explain why we haven't seen him recently - he has eye problems and has been told not to drive or cycle. He hopes to attend 11s at Kingston Bradbury Centre but if you'd like to speak to him he'd welcome your call - his no is on the Contact List.

Terry

North Cheam to New Haw?

Do we have a knowledgable volunteer to lead from N Cheam to New Haw on Weds? If not then if someone will lead to Esher, I am prepared to meet the group there to continue to NH. Will firm up details depending on the response.

Brian

FT London Sportive

FT LONDON SPORTIVE

This is to add to Mark’s great write up of last Sunday’s ride.  I share his comments re the pre-ride organisation, the marshalling and signage – all excellent.

For the record I should point out that I started after Mark and finished way ahead of him.  I expect he will be along shortly to say that I took short cuts that saved a mere 62k from the Long Route that the Gladwyns,  père et fils, rode.  Well, that is a lack of guile that you might expect from younger people who insist on using Imperial measurements.

Seriously the Medium route was a mere 104k and with only one hill in Surrey, BH, we had only 1200m or so of ascent.  This is not dissimilar to an MWW ride after including the home to 11’s leg.

I was best in class for my age group – there was no one else over 70.  Amongst the over 60s I was in the top half having sauntered after Coulsdon so as to better appreciate the architecture and other features of SE London.  At Herne Hill the steep sides to the velodrome were a little intimidating so I continued the afternoon saunter  along at the bottom of the track and let the fast boys (and girls) flash by.

I am pleased to have done it – particularly since at 06.30 the weather forecast was such that a day at home seemed the best option.

Geoffrey Shields

Missing cleat anyone?

Did anyone lose an SH56 cleat at the RBL this morning? This is the type most commonly fitted to Touring or MTB shoes.

Terry reports:
"I have the cleat - it was found by Margaret Squirrell.
All would-be claimants can contact me - I'll draw the winner out of a hat and post it to the lucky individual."

I don't believe that the screws were found.

It looks like this:

David Ward awarded

Today I managed to track down David Ward and present him with his SWLDA trophy for the highest annual mileage for the 2013 season, 9313 miles. David mentioned that if all goes well he will retire in a couple of year's time when he intends to ride with the Wayfarers and other groups in the DA. I can't imagine how many miles he might clock up when he gains his freedom from the world of work.

Isle of Wight Randonnee

May Bank Holiday, so off to the Isle of Wight, as usual, to ride the Randonnee.  This year's ride was the best for a long time in terms of weather, and attracted a record number of entrants - over 2000.  The route was clockwise, as is now standard, to avoid bike jams at the Chain Ferry.  However, this year it didn't matter, as the Chain Ferry was out of service.  The fall-back route along the River Medina was well signposted and marshalled by the IoW Wayfarers.

A very enjoyable ride, and not all that easy.  We did just over 69 miles at a rolling average of 12.3mph.

Mark

May/June rides schedule

For anyone who can't find the May/June rides list it is at
this address.

A Group 30 April
Dorking-Sandersfoot-Banstead

A total of 20 riders for the promised ride to two halves.

Lovely rolling 25 miles to lunch at an average of 14.4mph - very respectable and easily achieved with 20mph on the lovely long flat stretches. Some consternation on the way as the route chosen was on a selection of roads not familiar to many, and an almost mutiny at one point where half the group thought the leader had lost his marbles!

Great lunch at a great pub - The Royal Oak at Sandersfoot. a regular CAMRA winner - with 30p a pint discount to card carrying CAMRA members.

Then a testing 15 with 3 interesting hills after lunch to Banstead and a new Cafe whose name I forget, but opposite the turn to the park cafe - which was shut! En route we rode down the valley through Woldingham School which tops my list as the nicest riding in Surrey

In recent weeks there have been reports of locals in the New Forest taking exception to cyclists and spreading drawing pins on the road, but I thought it a bit much when, shortly after lunch, a rifle shot rang out and there was a yelp from a rider behind. Closer investigation revealed an impressively blown rear tyre on Rob's bike. With no prospect of repair the rest of us rode on with Rob heading off on foot to Hurst Green. He reports that the Best efforts of Mr Harvey at the Diamond and the gallant efforts of the Domestic Taxi and Bike Recovery service saved the day! I think he slashed his own tyre to avoid the hills!

Cracking day out if glorious cycling weather on roads less well travelled by the Wayfarers, good pub and great company.

Paul Kelly

John Gould - some good news

John came home last night after a stretch in Kingston Hospital where he was being treated with antibiotics for a heart infection. While in hospital he was able to keep fit by going for walks every day, especially in Richmond Park which is just down the road. Although he will have to check in to St George's in a few weeks time for an operation he is feeling good and expects to be out riding again very soon. He is hoping to ride down to Dorking for elevenses on Wednesday.

- Tim

A Group 30 April: Go East Young Man!

Dorking – Staffhurst Wood – Banstead

40 Miles

A few weeks ago Simon wrote of flagrantly flouting Dr Kelly’s Rule, on this ride I am not only flouting it I am inverting it. The morning, after the little tester of Punchbowl Lane, is a gently undulating 25 miles to lunch at the Royal Oak @ Staffhurst Wood. ( http://www.theroyaloakoxted.co.uk/ )The afternoon is a tad on the hilly side – a 15 mile romp to Banstead taking in Tandridge Hill Lane, Burntwood Lane and Park Lane up to Banstead.

Given the distance to lunch, it would be good to get a prompt start from Dorking soon after 11 so that we can keep the pace modest.

Paul Kelly 

A Group - St George's Day

 Waltham St Lawrence

 The sun did shine

on St George's Day

Parish Church of Waltham St Lawrence (locked)
 

  The Bell Inn (unlocked)

Let's not forget camera shy Neil

The Bell at Waltham St Lawrence - 23 April

A Group – 23 April

I find Shepperton a challenging place from which to start a cycle ride. The obvious destinations are to the west, but Berkshire offers little scenic country, few hills and is hedged about with motorways and cycle-unfriendly towns such as Bracknell and Maidenhead.

However the Greeno Centre offers a friendly welcome, Easter buns, and yesterday a sunny start. A group of some 19 left, heading west through Laleham, Staines, Tite Hill (at 10% the only challenging climb of the day) and Windsor Great Park, blessed with a tailwind, and destined for Waltham St Lawrence, a picture postcard village. While Berkshire lacks scenery, it seems to compensate with good pubs, and The Bell, a tiny 14^th century place is a gem.

I was concerned that the pub might struggle with 19 hungry cyclists, but my worries were unfounded. They had reserved a separate dining room for us, and even JDW could not have bettered the speedy and friendly service. The food was good (I recommended the Bambi Burger from a recce visit but there were no takers) and the beer was all from local independent breweries.

For the return the weather took a turn for the worse, with drizzle and a brisk headwind. We took a direct route, crossing the Thames “offroad” at Bray, then via Dorney, Eton, Wraysbury and Staines to tea at Squires Upper Halliford, arriving just a s the B’s were departing, thankfully without finishing all the cake.

22 miles at a good 14.3 mph to lunch, though speed dropped to a wind-challenged 12.5mph for the 24 miles to tea. Only 500ft of climbing though this seemed to be welcomed by some. Thankfully a clear ride, no punctures, no mechanicals, and nobody lost.

Many thanks for your company to all who rode with me, and especially to Tony Hopkins for being such a dedicated back marker.

Dave

Virgin Solved?

Without getting too deeply into the technicalities...

After another two hour telephone conversation and nearly four weeks, Virgin have finally accepted that my problem is their fault. At their prompting I was switched from landline to cable at the end of March. What they now admit that the older websites such as SWL can only be updated by landline (ADSL) users! I imagine changing that would be a very low priority and might take months (years or even never).

The quickest solution is to use new software, a new email address and a new website. But and there are always buts - I'm only allowed one website so any website can only be created from what's held on my PC. These files may/may not be complete or accurate.

For users the current website will disappear but (hopefully) only for an hour or two whilst I test the new website. The blogs are not affected and I'll update them before and after any changeover. This should be in the next few days. When I'm fully satisfied I'll ask Lisa to update the cyclingswlondon.org.uk link.

May/June Rides

Due to the continuing incompetence of Virgin Media, I'm unable to update the website so this will have to do!

A Group 23rd April

Dave made a silk purse out of a sow's ear today, giving us an enjoyable ride in what is normally an unpromising part of the country.  45 miles from elevenses at the Greeno Centre via lunch at the excellent Bell in Waltham St Lawrence to tea at Squires, Shepperton.  Rolling average 13.3 mph, but not much in the way of hills.

Pace and mileage are well up this Spring.

Mark

Easy Riders - 16th April 2014

Blue skies and sunshine, but still a bit chilly, and a new elevenses venue for the Easy Riders - the Bike Beans cycle café in Ashtead.  I have visited the café  several times before so I was pleased to be leading a run from there.

Arriving just before eleven I found several Easy Riders already there enjoying refreshments, and more arrived in ones and twos, including Mark on his electric bike. By the time I thought we should be moving off,  just before 11.30 there there were about a dozen of us.  We headed off for the level crossing at Ashtead station and then on to Ashtead Common.  Our route took us through the woods and across the common to The Wells, then via Epsom Common to Stamford Green and The Cricketers Inn, a short but pleasant ride.  Here a number of our group bade us farewell to to hurry home, leaving  four of us to take food and drink in the pub and the three sandwich eaters to find a bench in the sun and watch the ducklings on the pond.   Ron kindly offered to lead the now small group back towards Ewell by a “pretty way”,  for tea or home as they wished.  Yours truly headed across the south side of the common and home via Leatherhead, Fetcham and Bookham.  I clocked up only 16 miles door to door,  no doubt the rest of the group will have recorded many more miles,  I expect Ron’s usual map will show just how many.

Mike Withers

B Ride Wednesday 16 April 2014

Our leader ...

... decided that we needed more edification, so look where he took us!

B Group - 16th April (maps)

Maps of Peter Tiller's sunny ride to Rusper