A Group Ride Report 11 October

A blustery day for the Freewheel competition saw a baker’s dozen A riders leave Dorking. Welcome back to Mike Morley, recovered sufficiently from his injuries to ride with us again.

At the top of Roothill it was cold and started to rain, but no matter, the wind was definitely from behind, and we are told the wet road reduces rolling resistance. Mark as a several times winner had generously stepped aside from the competition and handled the pushing off. Simon was safety marshal, and Terry, armed with mysteriously coloured sticks was the referee. Congratulations to Mike and Steve from our group as winner and runner-up. Pam and Steph swept the board for the ladies. We finished with a quick prize giving, with Ed’s meticulously hand wrought original artwork for prizes, before hurriedly leaving in increasing rain to lunch.

Our group lunched at the Plough at Leigh. I had hoped for a quick lunch, but as the rain and wind increased I was persuaded to agree that there was no hurry. We were joined by Hans who had come independently in trying weather.  

After lunch the ride consisted of a few miles to Ockley, straight into the wind, followed by a wind-assisted climb up Leith Hill and Whitedown, the latter mercifully traffic free due to the continuing water works; long may they continue. Generously the peloton agreed to an off-road track to the nearest tea stop at Polesden Lacey, where some described the track as “not as bad as they expected”.

I had reccied this route last week in sunny weather, when I could admire the autumn tints, and enjoy the views on a clear day from the tops of the climbs. But it’s autumn now so we must take the weather as it comes.

Thanks to Mark and Simon for back marking, and to the whole group for staying with the ride in far from ideal circumstances.

28miles Dorking to tea, 2028ft climbing, average temp 13deg, 11.25mph ave moving speed, 15mph headwind, 1,300 calories.

11 October - Freewheel Competion

After elevenses at Dorking, A and B groups made their separate ways to Roothill. Simon volunteered to be  bend marshal and Mark volunteered to be despatcher. Both very important jobs. Thanks.

Terry set off first and was pleased to equal his Personal Best achieved two days ago when practising checking. Pam almost equalled that distance but soon about half a dozen had gone further, but not by much. Unfortunately later competitors had to contend with two large tractors with even larger trailers travelling in the opposite direction, followed by two cars ! Precipitation held off until all had finished but made the prize givng at Brockham green a little damp. Lady runner-up and inner tube winner was Steph whilst Pam won another of Ed’s marvellous wood carvings. Similarly Steve Duffin ran up and won a tube, Mike Reynell also won one of Ed’s carvings.

The As then headed off for lunch, the Bs adjourned across the road to The Royal Oak where good lunches were speedily served. After lunch several Bs headed direct for home but Ann, Steph, John A, Tony Hooker and Terry  had a short, mostly dry ride round the lanes passing a heavily laden but just out of reach sloe tree. We went our separate ways at Denbie’s roundabout, Tony and Terry having a cuppa first.

Thanks all for supporting this fun, low mileage event.

Terry

A Group Ride 11 October

As Simon explains in the post below, Dorking in October means it’s time for the Freewheel Competition. First stop Roothill, with a couple of mini climbs to get the tyres up to optimal freewheeling temperature. Lunch at the Plough at Leigh (http://www.theploughleigh.co.uk) to cool them down again.

After lunch we will continue the freewheeling theme to explore a few of the best descents in Surrey. Weather permitting one will be on a gravel track; nothing technical. If like Simon you are bringing your special descending bike, please remember that after lunch it will also need to cope with 2000ft of climbing, and the gravel track. Tea at Polesden Lacey.

Freewheel Competition, this Wednesday

Use a custom bike

This Wednesday sees the hotly-contested annual Freewheel competition.   The rules are much too complicated to explain here, so get someone to explain them over elevenses at Dorking.   After the competition, the A and B groups will go their separate ways to lunch and their afternoon rides.    I'm sure that most people are at the last stages of their fevered preparations to turn themselves into a highly tuned downhill machine.   My own preparations are highly confidential, but here are some ideas.

fit a larger rear end (courtesy of Mark's Bicycling Science book)

buy an old aeroplane, cut the wings off, and ...

This one is not recommended by doctors

 Good luck!

Easy Riders - 4th October

From Cobham, eight of us went to Leatherhead, passing Stoke d'Abernon. We turned left for Leatherhead station, on the cycle path to the roundabout. Continued to the next roundabout, taking a left turn to Ashtead. Made our way over the Common and out at Stamford Green.  We had lunch at The Jolly Coopers, a new pub for us, suggested by Helen. I was very impressed with food, decor and ambience. And next week they start brewing their own beer (for those interested).

Lynda

B Group - 4th October

A large group of thirty, yes thirty, made our way from ‘elevenses’ in Cobham through Ockham and East Clandon before the first real climb of the day at Staple Lane. That accomplished, after the decent on Combe Lane we turned right and along to the turn for Albury.  Passing through there, and on to Chilworth where we turned at the station, waiting at the level crossing for a train to pass and began the second ascent, up Sampleoak Lane to Blackheath. At the ‘somewhere else’ signpost we stopped to re-group and take a few photos. Blackheath Lane to Wonersh, then along the B2128 to the Bricklayers Arm in Shamley Green for lunch, arriving at a very respectable five minutes past one o’clock.

We had pre-ordered our food so after we had sat down with our drinks the orders came along quite promptly, enabling us to eat up and be ready to leave the pub at ten minutes past two. The pub is big enough to accommodate a large group, service was good as was the food. I would recommend it to anyone.

A group decided they would rather return to Guildford and go home from there, so leaving twenty riders to tackle the undulating route back, one short rise was 17%.

We did go along Smithwood Common Road and on to Ewhurst, then Forest Green, Ockley and Capel following a route familiar to many riders.

Some preferred to go straight back towards Dorking whilst 14 of us enjoyed a well-deserved cup of tea in the Shop at Strood Green, just over 19 miles from lunch to tea.

Well done to everybody that came on the ride, I hope they enjoyed the challenges and the good company, I certainly did.

Thanks to those that marked corners that enabled the ride to keep moving along, and also to David J for back marking.

Looking forward to leading my next ride.

Ride safe

Jennie

Helmets- yes or no?

On the subject of wearing a cycle helmet, I am an avowed libertarian. As with all subjects, there are arguments 'for' and 'against'. Let us all make up our own minds on the basis of authoritative evidence, not political expediency or unthinking prejudice, and act accordingly.

Our eminent past Chairman and evergreen cycling sage, Colin Quemby, has passed on a few words of wisdom to consider in our musings about the value of wearing cycle helmets. The words in quotes are not his:

"Thanks to a development programme lasting at least 4 million years the average healthy human has a protective hard shell for their brain which can flex (due to its construction from linked bone plates), and is at just 30% of its impact strength in a 20mph flat impact, unlike a styrene cover which is past 250% of its impact strength.

This of course does fail to take account of the major damage that can occur when the brain moves within the cranial cavity or a bruised blood vessel delivers a clot and pressure build-up, and the equally dangerous forces exerted on the upper spine (C1-C5 vertebra) when the head is forced round or back against the weight of the body. In some ways nature has taken account of this as the bare head has a useful self repairing covering which can shear against any surface that might snatch and put a severe force on the neck, or a severe acceleration on the brain within the skull.

As the work of Ben Hamilton Baillie and others shows, human mobility has an unassisted design speed of around 18-20mph - essentially equivalent to falling over when running, and very clearly a few million years ago those sub 20mph versions which broke when they ran into trees or rock faces, became a discontinued model. What better reason to promote an operating environment in which the forces resulting from any collisions are generally within the capacity of the human body and the speeds are such that the information processing system requires no special aids such as lane markings, traffic signals etc, to manage the relationship with other moving traffic."

What a wonderful thing it is to be able to make decisions for ourselves about our self-preservation. If we make the wrong decisions we die out. If we make the right ones, we pass on our genes to our offspring.

That is liberty, democracy, free will and Darwin's mind blowing 'Origin of the Species'. All about the cycling helmet

Jeff

Reasons for wearing a helmet

We have all heard the arguments on both sides for and against wearing a cycle helmet, after my latest accident, I can see no reason for not wearing one, this is the second time a helmet has averted an accident from being more than it was.
On my way home yesterday a driver turned across my path a collision was unavoidable.

Hitting the car and tumbling on to the tarmac resulted in a trip to the hospital and having stitches between nose and lip and a couple inside my top lip. But there you go could happen at any time to anybody,
Hope to see you all soon.
Geoff

A Group 4th October

Autumn's here, and we took advantage of a bright day to ride around the Surrey Hills, taking in the sights and the autumn tints.  It worked out very well.

A minor mishap at first, crossing Bookham Common, where a touch of wheels gave Pete a scratched knee.  Happily, no harm done, so on to Bagden Lane and over the top, heading for Denbies.  The grape harvest is in full swing, and you could smell the grape juice as we turned on to the bridleway that leads to the top of the hill.  This is a good way up to Ranmore Common, well surfaced and traffic free, winding through the vineyard.

One of the virtues of this route is that, like Box Hill, it has some fine open views, which are rare enough in Surrey.  I particularly like the view of Dorking from here.

A little surprise at the top - a short steep bit, with everyone in the wrong gear, but it's all part of the fun and we were soon on our way.

Photo Credit - Geoff Gregory

Over Ranmore Common, down Crocknorth and up Green Dene before swooping down that old favourite Coombe Bottom and in to Shere. Up again to Peaslake, Hoe Lane and we were in the pub just after one - not bad for twenty two hilly miles.

The Royal Oak is a nice pub, now part of the Time Well Spent group, and they have done a lot of refurbishment.  We had good tables in the upstairs room, where, to provide the right kind of ambience, little candles had been set about in all sorts of seemly places.  We liked these, particularly when one of them set John's jacket on fire while he was away ordering his lunch.  Dave B spotted it first, but the surprise deprived him of the power of speech, so the rest of us took a couple of seconds to understand what he was pointing at with such urgency.  But we soon put it out, and no-one seemed too bothered, except perhaps John, who is now in the market for either a new jacket or for a very large badge to cover the hole.

Photo Credit - Geoff Gregory

Back on the road just after two, climbing again, past the Mullard Space Research lab and over the top to Peaslake.  A steep bit out of here, called Walking Bottom - can't think why, though no-one did - and then on to Pitch Hill.  Here we had one of the referenda that have so enlivened political life, and concluded that we didn't want to do any extra hills and that we would rather turn our wheels towards tea.  'Have cake and eat it', as Mr Johnson put it, admittedly in another context.

A big swoop down to Shere, a tiny climb of Coombe Bottom, then swooping again down Staple Lane and then down again, Hungry Hill this time, entering Pinnocks just after three thirty.  Not bad.

My thanks to Mike for his back marking, to the corner makers for keeping us rolling, and to all of you for your cheerful company on an Autumn day in Surrey.

Mark

Advice for B Group - 4th October

We shall be heading into the Surrey Hills on Wednesday’s ride, lunch at the Bricklayers Arms in Shamley Green, afternoon tea at The Shop on Strood Green, near Brockham.

They would like us to pre-order our food, so if you could look at ‘The Brickies Summer Menu’ on their web-site, www.bricklayersarmspub.co.uk and let us know, otherwise please make sure you see me at ‘Elevenses.”  

There are a couple of hills in the morning, including Staple Lane, the afternoon has no big climbs but still ‘undulating.’

Look forward to seeing you all.

Jennie