2013 What a Great Year Cycling!

It has been a most enjoyable year of cycling for me. I have completed 81 rides and covered 3,339 miles a little short of my 3,500 target. Maybe I'll squeeze in one more if it is not too wet.

It all started well in January when I set myself a very high standard by riding 122 miles in week two. This was largely because I took part in the Watership Down Audax accompanied by Mary. Including the ride to and from the start, that accounted for 79 miles, one of my longer rides in the year.  

Here is the summary of my rides analysed by type. About a quarter of my rides have been with three CTC groups, Winchester, Romsey Hares & Tortoises and Alton. Another quarter are rides to the Hampshire Midweek Fellowship meets, many of these accompanied by Simon. Simon also joined me on lots of the independent rides. These with the special events make up the bulk of the rest of the rides.

Without doubt the most enjoyable ride of the year was the one I lead to join the Alton CTC at their annual barbecue on 31st August. We had perfect weather and a very good turnout of 18. The Alton group welcomed us and fed us right royally. (Many thanks to them and to the other 17 riders who helped make it such a great day!) 

Winchester CTC riders at the Alton CTC barbecue.
 (Picture by Janice Montgomerie of Alton)

I did a number of special events some of which were for fun and some for charity. They were all enjoyable in different ways but all were a challenge which I couldn't resist! On three of these I had Simon to help me along by sharing the pace making, we particularly enjoyed the Hospice to Hospice ride which took us over roads we'd never ridden before, including the legendary but disappointing Box Hill. We had tackled two harder hills earlier on the same ride!

Of course my signature event was my sixth Gridiron. For the first time I rode this on my own. Well not quite as there were another 900 or so also taking part! I did it at my fastest speed ever.

Here is a chart comparing  my mileages over the last six years since I re-took up road cycling again. The 1,000 or so miles at the "Years to 2006" marker is the mileage I covered on my Nitro over the previous 9 years.

Although I covered more miles than last year, not having taken any cycling holidays during the year, I was unable to match my 2011 mileage.

Apart from the great camaraderie of cycling in a group and sharing meals and of course coffee and cake, the huge joy of cycling for me is being out in the fresh air, come rain or shine, preferably the latter, seeing the lovely countryside, spotting animals, birds and flowers, smelling the smells too, you miss those in a car! 

Taking pictures has been fun too, but not always easy to do when the group is bowling along at a good pace.

Thankfully I have survived the year without any major problems, a few of punctures and one embarrassing tumble when riding with the Alton Group and surprisingly few wettings. Mind you two of the special events made up for that. I reckon I got wet 5 times and dried out 5 times on the WintonMediate and on the Plain Challenge I got wetter than I had ever been before on a bike. Like the proverbial drowned rat!

I should like to thank all those who have ridden with me during the year and made my favourite hobby so much fun. Also thanks for the encouragement I have had from my blog followers who have commented on it. I hope any of you who have comments, good or bad, to make will do so when On My Bike 2013 becomes On My Bike 2014.

I am hoping for another good year in 2014 when I hope I will be joined by many of you out there on our bikes!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL.

Gridironman.

Two Elderly Gentlemen go for Lunch & Winchester CTC Intermediate Ride to White Hart Stockbridge

I am much happier with this week's exploits. On Thursday Simon and I went for a gentle ride to enjoy a carvery lunch at The Angel, Privett and today, unexpectedly, I led the Intermediate ride.

Thursday 12th Decemberh

Having missed last week's HCMF meet at the Angel Simon suggested we should go there for lunch just a week late! As it is only about 8 miles from Alresford we took a devious route to work up an appetite for our lunch.

Traffic was extremely light once we had left the A31 and it was a nice day for the ride, milder than I'd expected. As you can see from our route we took the lanes through Ropley and Colmore. Our highest point for the day at 766 feet was near to the Pub with No Name. We dropped down into the valley running just to the north of Privett village and returned from the East to The Angel which is situated on the A32 just where the "lap" one marker is positioned.

The pub was quite quiet so there was no danger of my repeating last week's sorry performance. We had a very good lunch from the carvery accompanied by the local Angel Ale brewed in Alton for the pub.  It was very good value at £1.99 a pint! 

Once replenished we took a much shorter route home. If you check the lap times you can see that we increased our pace considerably. Was that due to the refuelling stop? I fear it is much more likely that as the profile shows the road home was almost all downhill!

We were back in Alresford nice and early so Simon could take his car to the garage. 

Thanks Simon for a very enjoyable tete a tete.

On Saturday 14th December the ride was totalIy differerent. Simon & I rode into Winchester along the awfully surfaced B3047. We found a small group already gathered there including an agitated Ian, the designated leader for the day. It transpired that Caroline was unwell and Ian asked me if I could lead the ride so he could return home to care for her. Of course I agreed.
After a brief delay, while newbie Martin went to park his car where it would be free rather than paying the exorbitant charge in the car park, we set off.
In addition to Simon, Martin & me, in the group were: John Spiers, Margaret & Paul and another new (to me) rider Fiona.
I knew the route that Ian had planned which was out along the Old Sarum Road towards Farley Mount. We turned left by Crab Wood and as we zipped down to Standon we were joined by  Mary and Ken. We paused at Merdon Castle for me to recover at the top of the hill! 
The next few miles to Poppies Garden Centre & Cafe were quickly covered and we were soon tucking into coffee, tea & cakes. We had expected to be joined here by Ninya but she was not there. However John, a good Samaritan came in and told us that he had helped her with a flat tyre and that she had gone back to Stockbridge.
We were soon on our way there too. I led the group along the cycle path, not perfect, but one of the more useful ones, past the temptations of the Malt House and the Bear & Ragged Staff to the turning to Mottisfont. Here we left the main road to ride through the village and to follow the valley to  Stockbridge.

When we arrived at the White Hart we found Ninya and also Alan who had come to have lunch with us. Ninya left us before we enjoyed our bar snacks and Alan afterwards.
Prompt at 2 p.m. we resumed our ride along a recently resurfaced lane. I was lucky enough to see a Sparrow Hawk chasing a small bird as I rode to the bottom of the hill to King's Somborne. Here Ken, Margaret and Paul turned off here to return to Southampton.
Fiona "I hope I'm not holding you up", forged ahead of the group as I trailed up the through Ashley with Simon in close attendance but they all waited for me at the top and again when we climbed Farley Mount.
Mary left us here to go down the other road to Standon and thence to Chandlers Ford. John turned off soon afterwards. Martin was accompanied to near his parked car while Fiona, Simon and I continued to Kings Worthy. Here we found a surprise joker in the pack. The road under the A34 was totally closed so Simon and I had the pleasure of riding up Nation's Hill to get back onto the road home. We arrived there just after 4 p.m. and I immediately reported to Ian "Job done". Then had a well earned relaxing bath!

Here are the data and map for the ride:

 

The interactive version can be found here:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/415648717

Another couple of possible rides before  Christmas, on Thursday the HCMF meet at the Phoenix in Twyford and on Saturday my intermediate ride. Just hope the weather is favourable.

Gridironman.

A Disappointing Week

Thursday 5th December.

Simon and I rode together to Stoke Charity for the start of the Barrie's Pedalling Group Christmas Lunch special ride.

We made good time to the start and found several riders already there. (Caroline, Brenda, David, Alan Hardnett, Ian & Debs). Graham arrived soon after and we set off via Weston Colley towards Whitchurch and Alan Gwyer also joined us. I am afraid my performance was somewhat lacklustre and I was soon trailing. But I did manage to catch up with the others as we entered Whitchurch where we met Karen & Bill with their daughter Jo.

Brenda had a minor problem when her chain came off but she quickly put it back on and we continued down the Test valley, passing through Longparish to Wherwell and the White Lion our planned Christmas lunch venue.

Barrie was on hand to greet us having come by car as he had an injured wrist. 

Lunch was good with most of us sampling their delicious pies. I had venison and bacon. very tasty.

Unforuntely I began to feel very uncomfortable and quite caustrophobic and panicky with the opressive atmosphere and the high level of noise from a very crowded room. I twice went out into the fresh air which helped, but when I re-entered I realised that I just had to get out that environment and head for home. A quick farewell to the others and having settled my part of the bill I got going. Very kindly Ian insisted on coming with me to make sure I was OK. I was very appreciative of that as I still was not 100%.

Despite being under par we managed a reasonable turn of speed and were in King's Worthy by 2.40 p.m. Here, Ian left me to return home while I popped up Church Lane to my daughter's hoping for tea and symptahy. Unfortunately there was no one home so I continued alone to Alresford. Here I did get a nice cuppa and a warming & refreshing shower.

Here is my map and data for the day, actually not too bad an average speed!

Jean tells me I have been trying to do too much and should take it easier!

On Saturday I had planned on going to Gunwharf Quays to hear the Rock Choir perform but with the thought of heavy traffic and almost certain crowds I decided that this was probably not a good idea and did not go to avoid any possible repetition.

I decided to take it easy today, have a nice quiet lunch and to watch some rugby on the telly. However, I am looking forward to riding again on Thursday and/or next Saturday if the weather is favourable. I shall however avoid any crowded pubs!

Have just taken this picture of the sunset:

Gridironman.

Grey Thursday and Sunny Saturday.

This week two rides very different in nature. On Thursday 28th Nov I rode solo to the HCMF meet at the Three Horseshoes, East Worldham and on Saturday 30th Debs led us on a very innovative route to lunch at the Black Swan in Monxton.

Thursday 28th November 2013.

A very grey day but at least largely dry and not too cold. 

Simon was unable to join me, so I chose a roundabout way of getting to the RV that suited me.

I headed first to Medstead but instead of the obvious way through Bighton I climbed Armsworth hill and then followed the ridge through Hattingly. Next I descended to Alton through Wivelrod and Theddon. Much nicer than the hill through Beech which has lots of metal covers and potholes.

I next took the much travelled route of Alton CTC through Holybourne, passing Treloars School and College. (So that's where they are now having left Upper Froyle!)

When I reached the turn to East Worldham through Wick I decided it was too early for lunch and carried on to Binsted. Here I paused to visit the grave of "Monty". The famous WW2 Field Marshall, Viscount Montgomery of Alemain.

Binsted Church.

Monty's Grave.

From the Church I descended to Kingsley. Bad move, I now had to reclimb the ridge to reach the pub. Oh well, it's only 14%! Still the trip down the lane was also one down memory lane as we had ridden this way on my BBQ ride at the end of August, rather nicer weather then!

A decent number of members present, but I was, the only representative from South Hampshire.

After lunch I took the line of least resistence and headed for home via Farringdon. Brightstone Lane, Four Marks and Ropley.

Here is the map and data of my ride:

Saturday 30th November.

Drove to Kings Worthy with Sporty on the rack. Left my car at my Daughter's and joined Jenny outside the Goodlife where we waited for Debs and the group. Soon after 9.30 they arrived, in the peleton were Karen, Mary, Margaret & Paul, Graham, Simon and Sheelagh.

We made good time through Stoke Charity and Hunton and were soon across the A30. Shortly after passing under the A303 a couple in a car stopped to ask the way to Popham Airfield. While I gave them what I thought were clear instructions on how to get there, (four times!) the others rode on. This turned out to be lucky for me for as I rode through the woods a deer crossed the road about 30 yards in front of me. It was followed by a second one with a limp. It stopped right in the middle of the road. Looked at me and thought "Oh no, a crazy cyclist, I'd better high tail it" and vanished into the undergrowth.

As I  neared the last little hill I could see some of the others climbing it about half a  mile ahead. I eventually caught up with them just as they arrived at H's for coffee. Here we were joined by David Foster.

After delicious cake and coffee Sheelagh left us. Maybe she only came for that!

Debs led us through St. Mary Bourne and westward through Little London and over Charlton Down along lanes many of the group had not ridden before. The last time I'd been this way was in August 2011 when I rode the Twinings Charity Event for Save the Children and Naomi House.

The northerly breeze reminded us that we are now in early winter but the sun continued to shine and light up the remaining autumnal colours.

We passed through Penton Mewsey and Weyhill before turning southward near Thruxton Village. 

We arrived at the Black Swan in Monxton around 1.10 p.m. only ten minutes behind schedule. We were joined here by John Spiers.

The pub was very busy which meant a long wait for lunch, but when it was eventually served it was very good. Much better value than some of the other pubs we have visited.

The Black Swan, Monxton.

We were well behind schedule as we headed for home, but we all agreed that, as it was a bright day, we should stick to Debs's original planned route and not take any shortcuts. David left us near Red Rice to return to Barton Stacey.

Once again the route was a good variation of well ridden route via Leckford and Crawley but taking a loop through Longstock.

By the time we got to the Leckford Hut the sun was setting so we all switched on our lights. As we neared Littleton it was getting a tad gloomy. Here we split with the majority continuing into Winchester while Debs, Jenny and I branched off over Three Maids Hill to Kings Worthy.

Many thanks Debs for a very enjoyable day out. Thanks also to all my fellow riders for the chat and banter that enliven such rides.
Thanks also to Simon for passing on his Garmin Data which I needed as I had forgotten to take my own Garmin. I have since traced my route and here is my map. 

Anyone wishing to follow the route can find it at:

http://connect.garmin.com/course/5227790

Gridironman.

A Gentle Meander around the Local Lanes

Saturday 23rd November 2013. I feel a bit like Billy no Mates at present. None of my CTC Alresford Groupetta pals was able to join me on my ride this morning.They missed a most interesting ride in the warm winter sunshine. Pity about the North wind which made it feel a little chilly. However, I was well layered up and wore my winter gloves for the first time.

I had no clear plan other than to be home in time for lunch. The bike was pointing west when I junped on, but not wanting to go towards Winchester, I dived down Drovers' Lane and tested myself by taking on Mollie's Dismount. (7.9% gradient). This warmed me up nicely. There had been almost no traffic but near East Stratton I met three cars and was passed by four others. This was the busiest time all day.

The trees vary a lot at the moment. Some leafless, some displaying lovely autumn colours and others still quite green as you will be able to see from this group in Stratton Park.

Ash bare, Beech coloured, Oak still green.

The sun was also making lovely patterns with the light and shade in the woods.

Paterns of light and shade.

I was passed by a truck carrying a load of Christmas trees near the Calvert Centre. They must have just been cut in the plantation near Woodmancott. Arriving in Brown Candover with only just over ten miles covered I decided to loop around through Preston Candover and Wield before heading for home. 

I thought the Shard was in London but I took this picture in Brown Candover!

Hampshire's Shard?

The hill to Upper Wield seemed quite easy, thanks North Wind!

I passed the vinyard on Chalk Hill and turned towards Bighton and here I took the small lane which loops around the farm instead of following the usual road. I rejoined the  normal route at the edge of the village. From here it was an easy ride home where I arrived just in time for lunch and to watch the very exciting Rugby League Semi Final which England lost in the last minutes of the game. 20 - 18. Real rugby to watch later this evening!

Here is the link to my route and data for the day:-

Gentle Lanes

Gridironman.

The Brushmakers Upham Meet of the HCMF

Bad news this week. My good friend Alex has had a spill whilst riding with the WER on Saturday and has fractured his hip. I was not riding myself, as I have been having fun with my two grandsons instead, so know little of the details. I am sure you will all join with me in wishing him a speedy recovery.

My only ride this week was on Thursday when I joined the HCMF meet at the Brushmakers' Arms in Upham. I chose a favourite route  from Alresford through Tichborne, Cheriton and Kilmeston to the top of Beacon Hill, with that nice decent to Corhampton Golf Club to follow. This time I carried on down to Droxford.

In the field on my left a farmer was tilling the land with a cloud of seagulls following him to pick up the worms etc uncovered by the activity.

The scene looking towards Winchester Hill.

From Droxford I headed towards Swanmore past the Alpacca Farm. At the top of the hill I spotted this fantastic display of roses. Not bad for mid November!

November Roses.

The road between Swanmore and Bishop's Waltham was closed for major roadworks but hoping that at least the footpath would be open I took it. My optimism was justified and I was able to get through OK.

As I entered the main street, quite by chance, I encountered Karen and her daughter Jo out for a ride together. I rode with them for a little while up Beeches Hill to Ashton. Soon after I left them to cross the valley to Upham. The NW breeze seemed particularly strong here as I headed directly into it.

Another good turn out of members here. I managed to find a vacant corner and chatted with David while we ate lunch. I then moved to join Janice and Dan who were the sole representatives from North Hants. Don arrived next and the four of us had a very good chat before I decided it was time to get moving again, having been at the pub for over 90 mins.

Outside I found Les feverishly searching his pockets for the key to the lock holding his and Jenny's bikes. I hope he was able to resolve his problem.

The weather had been fine until now but I did feel a few drops of rain as I rode through Longwood Dean. Fortunately the sun was soon out again.

I was home soon after 3 p.m. but already the light was beginning to fade.

For my route map and data go to:

Ride to Upham

Don't believe the average moving speed, I can't understand how Mr Garmin has calculated 4 m.p.h.. I make it a little over 11.1 m.p.h.! 

Another gentle social ride!

Gridironman.

Who's Playing in Whose Backyard!

 Thursday 7th November 

Simon and I decide that a ride to the Tichborne Arms would not test us very much so we decided to go and play in North Hants's backyard. Simon is getting better at plottting courses on Garmin Connect and he had done a good job on this one with only one booboo. More about that later.

We headed up the valley towards Medstead enjoying the relatively mild day and soon after Bighton I stopped to remove my winter jacket. A  number of all terrain vehicles passed us in the lane. looked like transport for the marksmen on a shoot. 

As we passed through the village we met Ray and Diana and shortly afterwards Lesley and Mike, heading towards Tichborne.

We took it steadily down the hill into Beech as the road was wet and there are a lot of manhole covers and other imperfections in the road. As we entered Alton I missed the turn over the hill towards Chawton and we made a minor detour through a housing estate. We popped under the A31 to Jane Austen's House so Simon could check out a route he is planning for the Veteran's Cycling Club.

Back in Alton Simon's Garmin kept telling him to go the wrong way. We soon discovered that Simon had got the 'return home' option enabled and once he had turned this off the instructions were less confusing.

As we neared the crossing over the river Wey we passed Mark Heal who was heading to play in our backyard too.

In Upper Froyle work appears to be in full swing developing the former Treloars School for new homes.

Our wriggly route was also quite hilly and we made slow progress. Simon picked up a flint and had to change a tube and then we had a problem with the course which wanted to take us across fields! It seems for some reason the 'follow roads' option was not working here. We improvised and were soon in Farnham. Here, many drivers seemed to think that cyclists only need a foot or so of road, so we had a number of "Peter Moments".

We found a pub, The Nelson Arms, and we were soon enjoying a pint of Hob Goblin to wash down our delicious Prawn sandwhiches. 

Time was marching on so with the shortening day in mind we soon made tracks over the border into Surrey. We climbed another hill to Rowledge then headed south towards Frensham. We turned for home through Kingsley and Oakhammer and thence to Selborne, (more hills!) Simon suggested a stop for tea, but mindful of the setting sun we agreed it would be better to press on. Between Selborne and Farringdon we saw pheasant shooting going on, looked like the same group we'd seen earlier in the day near Bighton

Just after we had crossed the A32 we met Mark again at the bottom of Brightstone Lane so we paused to exchange experiences of the day. 

Eventually we made it over the hill, through Four Marks. As I descended Swelling Hill I hit a pothole or other obstruction quite hard and I fear that it may have caused a puncture for as I rode the last few miles through Ropley and into Bishop's Sutton my rear tyre felt a bit soft. However thankfully I made it home with a reasonable amount of air in the tyre just before  5 o'clock. 

As we rode into Bishop's Sutton the sky in the west was beautiful, a very deep red with trees outlined against it, however it was so transient that it had gone before I had time to stop and take a picture.

This morning my rear tyre was flat. I have repaired the tube. The puncture seems to have been caused by something with a sharp point, not the bump. We did pass hedge trimming in several places so perhaps I picked up a thorn.

Our Route and Data for the day's Away Play.

Sunday 10th November.
Made the most of the sunshine taking a roundabout route to West Tisted to try and find the hidden church.

I was anxious about my back tyre as I had not found the cause of my flat on Thursday so I opted not to go too far from home. In the end the tyre was fine!

When passing through West Tisted on previous rides I had never seen the Saxon church and decided to find it. It is tucked away behind some trees and bushes with only footpath access. 

This is the view of it from just inside the churchyard.

St Mary Magdalene Church, West Tisted 

A very interesting little recepticle in the wall just as you enter the church. Is it for holy water?

There is also a massive yew tree nearby, another one vying to be the biggest in Hampshire?

It was a lovely day to be out on the bike, warm in the sun but cool in the shade with a small breeze in my face as I rode home.

To see my route for the day go to:

 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/402384856

 Happy Cycling.

Gridironman.

Banishing Monday Morning Blues!

Monday 4th November 2013. 

Took advantage of a lovely sunny morning and headed out towards Swanmore. It was quite cold despite the sun but I soon warmed up climbing up to the top of Beacon Hill & through the village of Kilmeston. The next mile is great fun, a gentle downhill to Corhampton Golf Club where the smell of bacon wafted through the air! Tell me Bill, is that what gets you golfers going?

The road down to Swanmore was a bit tricky. In the sunlight and shadows it was hard to see the rough patches, potholes and leaf litter, so I kept my speed down. 

I still had plenty of time to get home before lunch so I decided to visit the Waltham Chase Bike Shop. A dangerous thing to do when there are sales on. The owner has reduced his 2013 models to try and clear space for the 2014 models. So go and have a look if you are thinking of a new bike. I was very much taken with a Giant Rapid! Perhaps I should put it on my list for Santa. (Note to self: "Beware of the slippery slope of mutiple bikes!")

My route home was the shortest through Bishop's Waltham and up the Beeches Hill past the White Horse which seems to be under major refurbishment.

Near home I rode through Tichborne to the ford to see how the improvement work was progressing. It seems it is just about finished. The entry and exit ramps have been reconcreted and more importantly the footpath/bridge has been greatly improved. Here are a couple of snaps of the ford.

Looking East. Note the wider bridge and tarmacced access.

Looking West.

Barrie's Pedallers/HCMF meet at the Swan, Barton Stacey

What has happened? My weekly mileage has suddenly taken a dip! Only 45  miles  this week after none last week. But I did have a nasty cold and the weather has not been very friendly. Here is my graph of weekly miles todate :-

Notes:

After a slow start where I was constantly behind my target I managed to get ahead a few weeks ago.

1. I have been consistently ahead of last year's actual.
2. I am practically spot on my target line for 3,500 miles in the year but that is assuming I don't continue to slack!

On Thursday 31st Simon and I decided to join the sociable group of Barrie's Pedallers led by David Foster. We left home just on the stroke of 9 and made it to the Stoke Charity Rendezvous in plenty of time. There we joined Caroline, Karen & Bill, Sue Tull, Alan Gwyer and Brenda, a rider I'd not met before. 

David suggested riding to  John Lewis's Farm Shop on the Leckford Estate but he had found out that Sue Reeves was planning taking the Saturday easy ride there. However we all agreed that we did not mind that, so off we set in that direction. 

We headed towards Longparish and the Test Valley but unfortunately David had a flat rear tyre just as we were crossing the bridge over the A303. Simon and Alan both stayed to help him replace the tube while the rest of us carried on. The remainder of the ride to the cafe was uneventful.

The Farm Shop and Cafe are beautifully situated in a very rural area and is very spacious, there are tables and chairs outside too, but the weather was too cold and grey to sit there. 

We enjoyed coffee or tea with a good choice of cakes and scones, not cheap, but very much in line with many other similar cafes.

The other three joined us after about half an hour, it transpired that David had a second flat, possibly due to a faulty valve.

Our journey back towards Stoke Charity which was slightly shorter than our outward one, was via Chilbolton and Newton Stacey. Caroline left us at Fullerton to return home to Whitchurch. 

Simon and I left the group in Barton Stacey, attracted by the Siren Call of the nearby Swan Inn together with the HCMF group who were meeting there. David dropped off near his home too leaving the other five to return to Stoke Charity.

In the Swan we found the usual hardcore of riders together with Alan Burr and his family, others having already departed.

Suitably refreshed we headed home where we arrived at about 4 p.m. having had a most enjoyable social ride. I had particularly enjoyed seeing friends who I'd not seen for a while and making friends with Brenda too.

Thanks David for leading the ride and to all those who took part in making it a very enjoyable day.

Gridironman.

HCMF Meet at Shawford & The Plain Challenge for Naomi House.

Thursday 17th October.

Another fine day for a bike ride. Thought I'd combine a ride to The Bridge at Shawford with a little exploration in preparation for an intermediate ride I'm leading in December. Headed over Gander Down to Owslebury and Marwell. This often seems to be a quite busy route for country roads and Thursday was no exception. I'm pleased to say all the car drivers I encountered were well behaved!

From Marwell I rode to Lower Upham then took Alma Lane towards Durley. There are a lot of small farms along this lane. Does anyone know the history of this area?

I did a circuit of the village and just near the Farmer's Home pub I found Alan Sharpen mending a puncture. I offered help but he told me that he was fine and to carry on my way.

I thought it was time to turn back towards Shawford and took a route Karen had shown me some time ago through Horton Heath, Fir Tree Lane and then a cycle path behind some houses into the centre of Bishopstoke. I didn't quite get it right but did manage to end up where I intended. 

I next climbed the hill past the church and bombed down the other side into Colden Common. From here it was a short way to the pub where I found the usual regulars plus a strong contingent of five from Winchester. I had lunch, very tasty fish and chips, with Mary and Mollie who I'd not seen for some time. It was good to catch up with their news. I also had a long chat with Diana Burr about voluntary charity work and Forever Angels.i 

As I left the pub Alan was mending a puncture, again! Seems he'd not made a good job of it the first time.

The River Itchen in Shawford.

I rode back to Winchester with a small group, pausing to admire the lovely river scene near Shawford Park Farm where my brother worked in the late 40s.

The Winchester Groupetta crossing the busy Hockley Junction.

The Day's Data.

Once in Winchester I continued my way home via East Hill, which I found not as steep as I'd expected, and then via the Alresford Road to Easton. Next I crossed the river by the foot bridge at Chilland and completed the day's ride home along the B road.

A most enjoyable day out at a much more liesurely pace than of late. (My RiTMO score only 25.6 compared to my best of 19.8)

Sunday 20th October 2013.

When I tumbled out of bed at 6.30 in response to the alarm the first sound I heard was the drumming of the rain on the tiles. Forever the optimist I fired up the computer and had a look at the rain radar map. I was reassured that the rain would pass and we would be able to ride the Plain Challenge. 

I left home at 7.40, it was still pouring, however the sky did seem to lighten as I drove towards Tidworth and by the time I got there the rain had stopped. Formalities completed, bacon buttie and coffee duly despatched, Simon briefed us on the route and possible hazards and we were away at 9 with the sun shining.

Our route was the same as last year and the route was well marked so the route on my Garmin was somewhat superfluous, just as well because for some reason I kept getting "off the route" messages. Did Simon omit to tick the "follow roads" option when he plotted the route?

Once warmed up, near Appleshaw, I stopped to remove my jacket.

There is a steady climb from here to Conholt where we joined the Chute Causeway, but it is not steep, so it was not hard, but most of the other riders seemed to have melted into the distance.

As I neared the Western end of the Causeway it started to rain so I popped the jacket on again.  The hill  down to Oxenwood needed to be ridden with care because of the potholes and debris from the overnight rain.

The sun came out again soon afterwards and for a while I headed East and I kept thinking that this can't be right the Plain is West from here. However it was and I was joined by a small group of other riders who had started after me. We rode together for a while but they left me on the climb from Hungerford.

There is a real touch of Autumn colours now in the trees, as evidenced by this snap taken between Hungerford and Little Bedwyn.

Autumn Colours.

This section to Great Bedwyn was harder than expected because although it was very flat there was a strong head wind.
To reach Burbage and the refreshment stop the route looped into the edge of the Savernake Forest where I found this sign, a little premature?

The road was a little slippy but not from ice!

Pam welcomed me at the feed stop where I caught up with the little group from earlier. We had a nice chat while we enjoyed delicious flapjack and jelly babies. I discovered that the one lady rider with them was the unfortunate person who broke a spoke on White Horse Hill out of Pewsey. They set off before me but I was relieved to find that I was by no means the last rider.

Well over halfway round at the refreshment stop.
Note the sunshine!

The ride to Pewsey was uneventfull and I was soon tackling the steepest hill of the day. I could see the tiny dot of another rider near the top as I started the climb and halfway up I nearly caught up with another rider who had stopped for a breather.
Whoever he/she was was too fast for me and I soon lost sight of him/her. 

The sun had disappeared now and ominous black clouds were moving in from the west. Near Eversleigh I caught up with the lady rider who had stopped to don her jacket and I indulged in a little wheel sucking for the next couple of miles as the rain started to chuck it down. I took the lead to give her a little respite but she dropped back and by the time I got near to Netheravon airfield I had lost sight of her.

The rain was now approaching monsoon proportions and I paused under a large tree to eat a banana. It was no help, the rain was so hard the tree merely dripped extra large drops down my neck! The lady missed the turn nearby and did not hear me when I shouted to her she had gone wrong. I was too wet and tired to attempt to chase her, it would have probably taken miles to catch her anyway.

Unbelievably the  rain now came down even harder and roads were inches deep in water with huge puddles appearing everywhere. In several places the road was almost totally blocked and in Tidworth it was. I had to ride through pedalling to maintain momentum so any tiny part of my feet that were not already wet were now completely saturated. I reckon I must have been weighed down by a few extra kilos of water by now!

I eventually arrived back at the finish just before 3 p.m. My Garmin recorded my elapsed time as 5 hr 56 min and 20 secs,

The Finish!

I was extremely pleased that Mr Gramin had kept functioning despite the almost submarine experince. As Pam said when i checked in "Did you need flippers?" I replied that I had thought as I rode those last few miles that they were the one omission from my kit list! An outboard motor would have been useful too.

It was still raining quite hard but fortunately I had had the foresight to bring some dry clothes to change into. I even had the presence of mind to load the bike on the car before changing into my dry clothes.

Of course by the time I'd driven home the sun had come out again.

Once there I discovered that absolutely everything was soaked including the contents of my rack bag despite having a waterproof cover, for the splashing from the road and traffic had penetrated underneath. I don't remember ever having been so comprehensively soaked on a bike ride before.

What an experience. I don't regret for a moment having taken part, it will remain in my memory for a long time as a special day to help those poorly children who are less fortunate than me.

Here are my map and data for the day.

Gridironman.

Crunchy Nut Autumn! & The Gridiron 2013

No Goupetta friends to join me on Thursday 10th October. They were all too busy working or going on holiday!

I left home just before 10 with a book shoved up my winter training jacket. It helped keep the wind off my chest but the real reason I had it was to take it to the PO to post it to an Amazon customer in aid of Save The Children.

It was a very chilly morning and there was a very strong Northerly wind, but I soon warmed up climbing the slope to Bighton.

Here I discovered the pub has had a makeover and is no longer the Three Horseshoes but is now the very smart looking English Partidge. Must visit it to test out the facilities!

The lane leading to Medstead was covered in many places by masses of beech mast and acorns which crunched under my tyres. I kept hoping they were causing no damage but it was impossible to avoid them. I struggled up the hill for the wind was so strong, often one is under the wind in such situations but it was not so in this case. Near the top I was pinged by an acorn dropping onto my helmet!

I had chosen a devious route to get to Upton Gray, not wanting to take the well travelled obvious one. From Medstead I went to Bentworth and then through the village of Shalden. I paused here awhile to have a look at the charming church.

SS Peter & Paul Church, Shalden.

As I neared the Golden Pot I met Janice going in the opposite direction. We had a chat then decided we would both stick to our original routes. 

Soon afterwards I met Lesley and Mike also following Janice's route.

I crossed the main road and about a mile east of it I turned down a very small lane, also heavily covered in beech mast. More crunching!

I eventually came out onto the Odiham road near to the hamlet of Blounce. Next I took a road marked Private which I had ridden before with Ray and the Alton Group. It is a very narrow lane through farmland with good views across the fields and the only other user I saw was Postman Pat. A tractor was working in the fieds and there was good shelter from the wind so I really enjoyed it. 

I arrived at the Hoddington Arms at the same time as Lesley and Mike. Janice arrived soon afterwards having stopped for a break.

A very good turnout of riders including some from Southampton and Chandler's Ford and one new member from Fleet.

After lunch I headed home via Herriard, Burkham and Bentworth flying along at a much faster rate with the wind behind me.

Here is my map and data for the day:

Question for readers to answer:

Where is this very ancient garage? Must be one of the earliest!

Sunday 13th October, The Gridiron Audax. 
Forecast Rain! Unlucky for some?
I just had to ride the Gridiron whatever the weather. First rode it in 2008 with PinkPal and have ridden it every year since, so this was my sixth time. 
Got to the new starting place in Lymington in good time and was on the road by 8.15. A few of us had jumped the gun to make the most of the drier weather. It was grey and misty but there were a couple of short lived blue patches. I passed a few other riders who'd started early too but was soon being passed by others. There was a little mizzle on the high ground so I was glad I had on my rain jacket. 
There was a change in the route soon after Burley because of a road closure between there and Moortown. This added a little to the mileage. 
As we headed north a mini peleton formed and about 20 of us rode together until most of the group took the old route from South Gorley, relying on memory rather than the printed route  I shouted to tell them they'd gone wrong but it was a couple of miles further on before some of them caught up with me, the rest must have continued on the old route. 
We enjoyed the usual break with coffee and biscuits at the Hyde Village Hall. One third of the route completed.
The early mizzle had lifted as we rode along the Roger Penny Way towards Nomansland. I was almost on my own now having stopped only briefly at Hyde but a rider who passed me on this stretch missed the turn to Nomansland. When I called out he turned back and we rode together for a while. He was Cornelius, from Southampton, not a member of a club so I told him about the CTC. After a few miles he rode away from me on some of the hillier parts and I descended towards Cadnam on my own once more. I stopped to take this picture of some small ponies, not the usual New Forest ones.

Ponies on Cadnam Lane.

As I neared Winsor some of the riders I'd ridden with earlier caught up with me and we rode together again. It had started to rain a little now and by the time we got to the second check point at Colbury it had set in for the day.
The scene here in the past has been  one of riders sitting in the sunshine enjoying their break with tea and biscuits. Here is the scene from yesterday.

Only 20 miles to go now so not wishing to delay I filled one of my bottles with hot sweet tea and got cracking once more.
As I neared Beaulieu I passed a number of other cyclists who were taking part in a charity event. One of them turned out to be AJ a friend of mine raising money for McMillan Cancer Support.

Alex Coates.

I rode a short way with Alex before climbing the last hard hill towards Bucklers Hard. I had kept warm despite the rain except for my hands which were now covered in soaking wet mitts. I had forgotten to put my spare gloves into my rack bag at the start, fortunately only another 5 miles to go. 

Once at the finish I signed in, got my brevet card stamped and acquired my commerative 21st anniversary medal and Gridiron Cap. 

Once the formalities were complete I loaded my bike onto the car and headed for home and a nice refreshing shower and to enjoy tea with Jean, Sarah and her two boys, Hugo and Archie.

A memorable day, great fun and companionship despite the wet weather. I was pleased to have completed my sixth Gridiron in my best time ever at a moving speed of a shade over 13 m.p.h. and an overall average 0f 11.7 m.p.h. Top speed for the day down the hill into Nomansland  34 m.p.h.

For those of you who are interested my Garmin record for the day is here:- 
                http://connect.garmin.com/activity/389821289

Gridironman.