MTB ride Berkshire 6th June.

Could those of you possibly planning to attend my MTB ride on 6th June let me know by email.
It will help to know the possible numbers ahead for the lunch stop at one of my local pubs.

Cheers

Paul.

Ghent Randonnée 20 May 2010

Mick Ayliffe, Barry Gregory, Norman Luhr and Trevor Hughes went to Ghent, by car and ferry to Dunkirk, for three days to ride the annual fire brigade randonnée. They stayed in the Capanile Motel with some old friends of the club, Dave Twiddle, Dave Betts and Terry O'Brian. Trevor, Dave B and Terry rode the long circular route from the new fire station, which had motorbike escort riders and a leading car. They operated a rolling road closure, so there was no stopping! There were some seventy riders, the distance was approximately 85 miles with a lunch stop half way round ons a beautiful sunny day. There were sections of cobbles through the towns and villages. These were ridden at full speed. The first section Trevor's drinking bottle flew off, left behind but was miraculously reunited with its owner at the lunch stop. His pump clattered to the ground on another section but this was retrieved followed by a fast pursuit, TDF style to rejoin the riders.

Mick, Norman, Barry and Dave T with an old friend of the club for many years, Charles van de Steen (retired fireman) road the shorter canal ride. In the evening there was a pleasant meal in Ghent and the seven met Charles for a drink by the canal. The next day the journey home was via Oudenaarde to visit the cycle museum where famous riders' bikes are on display and films of historical classic races can be seen.

Last part of the exciting trip was to arrive at Dunkirk and find Barry's passport was missing! Barry had been looking after the passports and and stored them in the car glove compartment. We checked in with Norfolkline, no problem, four people and three passports but at the UK border check the chap noticed a discrepancy! Barry was going to be issued with a lost passport form to enable him to return. The chap checked Barry's identity whilst we set about dismantling the car. At the last moment, as the form was about to be issued the glove compartment was removed and the passport was found. It was coincidental that Barry was looking after the passports and it was his that was lost. Poor Barry so much stress for him because he needed is passport in two days to travel to Rob Potters in France. We missed the ferry and waved goodbye to the others. No rush, no problem, we had no plans for the rest of the day. On the next ferry two hours later and to Normans where Chris gave us some lovely tea and cake. As Barry is always such an organized chap we said we would not mention anything of this to tarnish his reputation, but!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday Club Run to Lingfield 17 May 2010

Five brave souls set off from a sunny Swan & Sugar Loaf in South Croydon heading out through Selsdon, Featherbed Lane and Beddlestead Lane to the top of Titsey. Descending to Westerham Mick Ayliffe turned West on the Pilgrims Way and proceeded to Lingfield via Clackets Lane, Pains Hill and Haxted whilst Paul White, Paul Martin, Trevor Hughes and I went East on the Pilgrims Way to Sundridge and proceeded to climb Ide Hill. Descending the hill we made our way to Edenbridge via Four Elms, then Haxted and Lingfield where Mick was waiting.

Having been refreshed we made our way back via Tandridge and the Convent where the young ladies were playing tennis.......

The weather held out for us which made this a really enjoyable ride.

The picture is of the enterance to the Convent road at Woldingham taken a few years ago!

Bathwick Hill Stores

All of you who have ridden the Kennet & Avon canal over the last ten years or so will be familiar with the Bathwick Hill Stores, as we used to stop there on every trip for no real reason other than it was an old-fashioned type shop with a real character of an owner, Ken Smith. It was really too early in the ride for a stop but we always enjoyed going in there for the banter.

I do believe that Paul White and I stopped there for the first time when we rode a really horrible version of the ride from Reading to Bristol around 2002. I had a sore arse and Paul was feeling knackered. Ever since then we stopped there on every trip from Bristol to Reading.

There used to be a Jaguar showroom a few doors up which closed. Tesco applied to turn it into a metro and Ken managed to hold them off, with the support of the Bathwick community, for a number of years, but eventually Tesco succeeded and Ken, like so many other small traders up against the big boys, had to close down last year. Sadly he he passed away last September. This is the newpaper write-up:

http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/news/Bathwick-mourns-shopkeeper-Ken/article-1321239-detail/article.html

MTB Kennet and Avon Canal 5th-8th May

Paul Martin, Paul White and Ev Quistorff successfully completed the three day 100 or so miles from Bristol to Reading along the Kennet and Avon Canal.

They braved the odd shower of rain, a north easterly wind and the ever increasing use of the path by bad dog owners as a toilet for their pets!

Full report to be posted on Clarencourt's new website asap.

Isambard.

Vintage Saturday morning