Hilly 50kms pics

Loxwood: Wey & Arun Canal

Work is in progress at the Onslow Arms pub to reconnect the two severed sections of the canal. The road level will not change. The lock on the west side of the A281 has been built to lock the boats down to a water level to pass through a tunnel under the existing level of the road surface.

Isambard has joined the blog

Latest pictures of the Loxwood area used in the 4 up. The road by the Onslow Arms was closed the first week on Jan to allow a tunnel for the Wey & Arun Canal to be dug underneath.

Isambard

New cyclo-sportive secretary Caroline congratulates Jim at the end of a successful Cheddar Challenge

Denbo finds the excitement at the Ghent 6 just too much

Caroline in Vietnam

Just reporting in from the Vietnam branch of the Thursday Ride. Weather excellent about 27 and sunny. pollution appalling and dust is still trying to settle from October 1st!

Meanwhile the advertised 70 K cycle ride turned out to be more like let's look at 4 Pagodas and do a bus transfer. We soon sorted that out and got off the bus and rode the distance. Even still it was a fairly short ride in comparison. Interesting set of negotiations as the driving is based on what ever you do don't stop even if you want to turn left. Having establised this and negotiated our way past other bikes carrying live pigs, wicker baskets and bails of hay plus the odd cattle along the way plus several unmentionables things improved in the afternoon as the roads got quieter but our guide was struggling after a while so we had to take a few breaks.

However the day ended well at a spring being caked in mud and then sitting in individual bath tubs of hot Spring water. Not the usual cafe stop but maybe weatherspoons can think about it for our sunday rides.

Looking forward to some British country side soon

C.xxxx

November MTB comment from the designer Michael Edward O'Brien

Dear Lads,

Glad you enjoyed the Nov. MTB ride,sorry I couldn’t be with you for the crack. It might have been less enjoyable had it not been such a dry Autumn, a bit gloopy to say the least.

Since my recent purchase of a new laptop,the “beautiful Copper-plate writing” is, alas, no longer available within the ludicrous number of Fonts offered by this new Vista thing,a bit different from Windows 98!

As for the antics of Mr. Ayliffe Esq. he always was an attention-seeker.

Hope to see you all sometime.

Meob

Barry takes no chances on MTB ride to Old Woking

China Bulletin 8

Hi Kids!

Or is it 7, I've lost count? Well it's 11 o'clock at night here and I'm sitting in Hong Kong Airport waiting for the BA flight 28 back to Blighty. My nose is streaming from the end of hols cold that started with a sore throat last night. Remember chaps, it is the germs that get you in the end.
Our last day has gone very well. We had a lie-in until 0830 to let the bloody tourists clear the dining room. It's all these trvellers, you know. They should ban them. Then we strolled around the shops for most of the morning returning to the hotel at 1130 for S,S,S & S and to pack before checking out at 12.29. We had to be out by 1230. Danny had bought us each a big two handled zip-topped plastic shopping bag like they deliver sand in from the builders merchants. Great, they took both panniers, various products of the retail therapy in which we have indulged, crash hats, wet socks etc. So we only checked in one bag and one bike.

Then we had an excellent last lunch of local specialities and a stroll round a local park before I sprinted (well, walked fast) to get a last few photos of the bronze horses on the other side of the bridge from our hotel. Then it was back to load the van with bikes, bags and bodies for the 50 minute drive to Guilin airport where we clashed with a big home-bound group of Brazilian ladies who had got up our noses by behaving piggyly in a tea-house earlier in the day. There were about 30 of them. All women, no men; I think they'd eaten them all.

We bade farewell to our excellent guide and companion of the last fortnight, Danny. I gave him the Areostia Ceramica (Moreno Argentin, do you remember him? The mould they made Bettini from) jersey as a keep sake since it was in Chinese colours, red and yellow. Sorry about that Barry. There was a delay of an hour in departure but we had plenty of time and our bags and bikes have been booked striaght through from Guilin to LHR via HK. So here we are in the VIP lounge stuffing our faces and writing the last China bulletin to you and my nose is sore and I hope we've got some anti-congestant in the cupboard in the kitchen at home. I chatted to a lovely couple from Seville on the plane from Guilin. Boasted about Donana and Cazorla, (remember Nancy & Sheila?), and El Entierro del Conde d'Orgaz de El Greco in Toledo and my mate Federico Bahamontes of the same town - I think they were impressed. Well, I think they were impressed!

All in all a great trip to remember - invest in China!

Love, Michael John. xxx

China Bulletin 7

Hi Kids!

"It's all over now, Baby Blue." Or almost. Our final night has been spent here in Guilin and we fly out from here 7pm tomorrow evening. We've had a really good end to the trip. Quite apart from the fact that I've just bought a pair of "Gucci" shoes for 23 quid.

We left here on Wednesday morning to ride 90kms to the village of Pingan at Longji, a famous heritage sight at 2000ft consisting of mountain sides terraced with rice paddy fields and home to two different minority ethnic groups (each vying with each other to sell stuff to tourists and to have their picture taken for money- but all in very good humour and taste.) The ride out of this big town was full of eccentric road behaviour; you just have to accept that there are no rules and ride defensively. The road was mainly flat and well surfaced and we stopped about half way for lunch. After lunch the climbing started but I rode better than the day before. The surface was better, the temperature cooler, the gradients less severe and we had left one pannier behind in the hotel in Guilin. It all helps. We climbed for about 23kms in three bites with descents in between until we reached the turn off into the valley at the end of which was our destination. It was like the Wye around Symonds Yat. Finally we arrived at a Checkpoint Charlie beyond which you are not allowed to ride or drive. Here we dumped the bikesand took our bags onto a local bus that sped up from the river to the mountain top. The climb was very impressive,it would make a good stage finish in one of the major tours. When we disgorged from the bus two porter ladies loaded our bags into two baskets, swung them effortlessly onto their backs and carried them up to our hotel an extra 300 feet up stone flagged steps. The hotel was wooden like a tryrolean chalet and the views from our windows were spectacular. We ate in the hotel with more European people than we have seen all trip. It was a bit noisy due to the construction of the building and the bloody foreigners.

This morning we had breakfast and then made a 2 hour walk around the terraces above the village. It was beautiful and very interesting and we were accosted by elderly damsels in traditional dress selling their wares and telling us that they had "Nomoney, nomoney" and were "Hungerly,hungerly" whilst rubbing their tummies with a grin. After lunch we descended to our bikes, packed them in a van and were driven back here to pack them for the flight home.

Must end now as Internet time is running out and I'll be seeing you soon anyway. I forgot to tell you about the fabulous butterflies they have out here, some black ones are as big as crows - well almost.

I wish you well,

Michael John