My last two rides in 2014. Solo to the Departure Lounge and to West Meon for coffee with another Pedaller, Simon.

Saturday 27th December 2014.  Solo to the Departure Lounge.

Had considered joining the Winchester CTC afternoon ride, but as no details of the ride's destination having been published and with a bright sunny morning and cloudy afternoon forecast I decided to make the most of the good weather and go for a solo ride. My thought was to go to the Departure Lounge for coffee.

First I had to get some milk and the Saturday Times for "her indoors" to enjoy whilst I was out, so I popped into town on Sporty to do that. 

I was soon on my way through the town again and through Old Alresford heading for the climb up Lower Lanham Lane to Upper Wield. As I climbed the hill I decided to take the small lane on the left which is a cul-de-sac, signposted Armsworth Hill. I wanted to see for myself what is at the top of it. There are several large residences up there and also a farm. It is a beautiful situation for a house with extensive views over the countryside and very quiet being a quarter of a mile from the country road.. I kept expecting someone to appear and ask what I wanted but no one did. 

I returned to the road and climbed once more to the top of the ridge. Passed through Upper Wield and skirted Lower Wield to get to Bentworth. I took the lane past the Sun Inn towards Shaldon. I then followed the A339 down the valley towards Alton and  the Cafe. I was ready for a cappuccino and a  mince pie. One of the other customers chatted to me for a while, it turned out he is also a cyclist but having had an accident recently was not on his bike today. We exchanged yarns about various rides and he gave me some ideas for future ones. 

Also there were two lady cyclists from Fleet. Mother and daughter out for a post Christmas Ride to get some fresh air too. We had a nice conversation and it turned out the mother who has only recently joined the Fleet CTC was at the HCMF lunch as a guest of one of the members. A small world! 

Here are details of my data and map for the day from which you can see I took the scenic route rather than the direct one back to Alresford, climbing Snode Lane, always a challenge at 8%, and through Theddon and Wivelrod to Medstead. 

Note the little spur on Armsworth Hill that was my investigation of the little lane.

The lane from the end of Lymington Bottom to the A31 in Ropley, North Street, was very mucky and flooded in a couple of places lots of pot holes too, I would recommend the alternative route through Lyeway and Ropley village centre.

A gentle ride at a modest pace, it was good to be out in the country with the many small birds that were thronging the hedgerows and the rooks and jackdaws making lots of noise in the air.

Tuesday 30th December 2014.  To West Meon for coffee with another Pedaler, Simon. Our route inspired by one of  PinkPal's training routes.

With most riders having other commitments I was only able to find one other Pedaller to join me for the last ride of the year. 

We were however somewhat cautious because of the overnight sharp frost of about 7 deg. C and the fog and agreed not to start until midday. I almost missed the time as my watch stopped at 11 a.m. and I only discovered the correct time at 11.45 a.m.

When I arrived at Simon's he was already out on his mountain bike testing it up and down the Shepherds Down.

We had no firm plan so decided to try the usual route to the South through Tichborne, through Cheriton and up the hill through Kilmeston.

The hoar-frost on the trees and hedges making a real winter wonderland. 

Hoar-Frost by the road to the ford. 

The road in New Cheriton was covered in slushy ice for a few yards. There must be a small spring there as it never seems dry. The rest of the way to Rooks Grove Farm was dry and passable without any problems. We decided to take the descent of Wheeley Down with caution as the road was wet in places and with ice on the edges of the road. As Simon commented we hardly went any faster down than we would normally do coming up!

A mile or so on the A32 to West Meon where we popped into the Springs the little coffee shop behind the village shop. (Not included on PP's route!)

We had a very interesting chat with another customer, an ex policeman, about cycling and cars whilst I devoured a piece of Christmas cake and Simon a chocolate brownie.

Once refreshed we rejoined the training route and headed for home via Brockwood Bottom. Passing Joan's Acre, Simon says it should be Jean's Acre.

The entrance to Joean's Acre.

At Hinton Ampner we took advantage of the lovely sunshine to have a photo shoot. Here are the results:

Simon says "Let me out!!"

Why am I waiting?

We exchanged banter about bicycling with two ladies and a gent who came out of the church before continuing with the route through Cheriton and across the Battlefield Site to the A31 roundabout near Ropley. Once again we were very cautious riding down the steep hill by the farm. In all these downhill sections I took the sensible precaution of  letting Simon go well ahead so I could stop if he fell off!! Well he did have nice fat tyres on his mountain bike.

Not content with just riding the shortest way home I joined my mate climbing over White Hill. This descent was fine and I achieved my top speed of the day here 27 m.p.h

Here is a different style of map to my usual one, using RidewithGPs and a variant of the OS mapping. 

 

OS Map.

How does it compare with the usual one:

Garmin Map and Data.

I was home just after 3 p.m. Perfect timing as it was starting to get colder with the threat of more frost. A warm bath and a good cooked dinner and I am almost ready to go again. On second thoughts, perhaps not.

My Challenge for Forever Angels.

I had pledged to ride at least 3,000 miles in aid of Forever Angels and I am pleased to say I have done well over that. My final mileage is 3,464 (97 miles more than last year) and the winner of the sweepstake is.......................

Wait for it..................

Les Frewin one of the HCMF riders. He wins £6.60

Second and third are : Ian Douglas well known to most of you as that witty Scottish git and Eddy a lady who works in the Save the Children shop in Eastleigh. They each win  £3.30.

The grand total so far raised for Forever Angels is £347 with still one or two promised donations to come.

MY FINAL STATISTICS FOR THE YEAR.

Summary	Miles	No. of Rides	Average Length
Winchester Easy Rides	448	11	41
Hares & Tortoises	0	0	0
Midweek Fellowship	906	28	32
Barrie's Padalling	279	7	40
Independent	1344	44	31
Special Events *	287	5	57
Alton	200	5	40
Total	3464	100	35

* Special Events.		Miles
Early Season 50		51.95
Naomi House		59.6
WintonMediate		69.88
Plain Cycle Challenge		38.61
Gridiron		67.34
		287.38

A great year of cycling with my various friends. Especially memorable were the BBQ with the Alton Group

Winchester CTC at the Alton CTC BBQ.

and the Gridiron which I rode with my friends Sarah and Simon on my lovely birthday bike Posh.

At the end of a record breaking Gridiron. (My seventh)

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND GREAT CYCLING IN 2015.

GRIDIRONMAN

Pedallers' ABCD, HCMF last meeting of the year & Daren's ride to the Flower Pots via Bishop's Sutton

Tuesday 16th December 2014.

Woke to find a very foggy day dawning, wondered if it would be OK to ride. By 9 o'clock it was much thinner so I set off with both front and rear lights flashing. Visibility about 200 metres. As I got to Itchen Abbass my phone bleeped, an incoming message. I stopped to see what it was and discovered the start had been delayed to 10.30 because of the fog. Not wanting to hang around for half an hour I diverted when I reached Kings Worthy to my daughter's home to have a chat and a cuppa to kill some time. 

When I eventually arrived at CP I found Chris and Dave already there and soon afterwards we were joined by Alan.

We decided to ride to Poppies for our coffee stop but not wishing to take the usual route via Mottisfont we diverted through Up Somborne and Ashley to Farley Mount. Thence down hill to Standon. this of course meant we had to climb Merdon Castle Hill the steepest hill of the day at 8.2%. Not satisfied with that we took the high road up Dores Lane to near Farley Church and thence along Farley Lane to Braishfield.

Farley Church.

We were at Poppies soon after 12 noon. We enjoyed a variety of cakes and coffees and soon after I discovered that Dave and I had a common interest, having both served in the Royal Navy. This led to a very interesting conversation about frigates, submarines, aircraft carriers. and the suitability of modern aircraft for the Fleet Air Arm.

All too soon I manage to persuade the others that we really ought to consider our return route so I could get home in daylight. 

We chose the quietest lane over the hill through the hamlet of Eldon to King's Somborne. Here Alan left us to return to Stockbridge.

At CP Dave rejoined his car and Chris and I took the Littleton Road. Chris soon left me behind, heading for Chandler's Ford while I carried on into Harestock and thence to Headbourne Worthy and eventually home. 

As I rode the last few miles I could here a strange clicking coming from the rear wheel and thought that sounds like a loose or broken spoke. After I got home investigation revealed I'd got a cracked rim causing one spoke to be lose. Well it has covered around 12,700 miles over the last 4 years.

Simon has kindly offered to have a look at the damage for me with the possibility of replacing the rim.

Map and Data for my ride.

A very good ride with three interesting pals. Thanks Guys!

P.S. Has anyone worked out why the title is "Pedallers' ABCD"?

Wednesday 17th December 2014.

Once more Simon has worked his magic. I took my damaged wheel round to him to see if the rim could be replaced. Later in the day he called me to collect my wheels. (Yes plural).  It transpired that as he had no suitable rim he had contacted Owen at Owen's Cycles and had done a deal swapping some parts that Owen needed for a customer for a wheel suitable for my Sporty. So not only had a a new wheel but Simon had swapped the rear cluster but then he fitted it into Sporty. Next he spotted I had a broken rail on my saddle and he replaced the saddle with a Sella Italia Anatomic leather saddle that he just happened to have knocking around.

What a friend! I guess I owe him a few pints now! The damaged wheel is hanging in my garage in case the hub and or spokes can be reused.

Thursday 18th December 2014.

Only a modest ride today to the HCMF meet at The Milbury's Beauworth, but a good one to test my new wheel and saddle. After the good but long ride on Tuesday I was quite happy with a pleasurable jaunt via Cheriton and Kilmeston to the top of the hill at Rooks Grove. Then as I rode along the ridge the sun was trying to break through the heavy cloud cover illuminating Hinton Ampner House. Of course by the time I'd got the camera out the bright spot had moved eastwards and the moment was gone.

At the pub I found a good number of members there enjoying the day. Here are some pictures - how many riders can you identify?

I discovered that Simon had pulled a flanker on me and had come by car! 

I was pleased to see that Jane who had just joined the group had come to enjoy her first meet. 

As befitted the last meet before Christmas there was a lively and convivial atmoshphere.

Nice Cosy Fire!

Gridironman!

One sad matter we had to discuss was the news that long time CTC member and good friend to many of us, John Fairbrother had died.

As always remember these pictures can be viewed full screen by 

clicking on one.

My ride home was shared with Charles as far as Jacklyn's Lane in Alresford. He was heading north to Preston Candover where he had left his car.

I tried to beat my freewheeling record down the hill to Beauworth village, reaching a top speed of 34 mph and then coming to a stop in the same place as I'd managed on Posh earlier this year. Not bad of Sporty!

Another few miles in the bag. I'm now at 3,379 miles and have raised £347 for Forever Angels so far.

Not much of a map this ride but for the record here it is!

Saturday 20th December 2014.

Simon (1) arrived outside my front door bang on time but we were delayed in starting off because I'd forgotten to get the Times so had to pop to our local Mini mart to get one. It only took a few minutes and we managed to get to the start of Daren's ride in Winchester with plenty of time to spare. (The 8+ miles, including the visit to the shop, taking only 37 and a quarter minutes.)

Daren, Karen, Simon (2), David were already there and Eddy and Yi-Chun joined us just as we were about to set off. Our route out of Winchester via the park and the cycle way to Hockley was blocked by a delivery van obstructing the cycle path by Winchester Mill. Enjoy the irony:-

Yodel Direct Love Cycling.

Our route from the Hockley lights was through Twyford and up Hazeley Road and Mere Lane to Owslebury Bottom to tackle one of the nice little hills Daren had planned for us. (Much better than the traffic filled flatter main roads).
As we headed towards Baybridge we passed a BT engineer working at the top of a pole. He shouted a greeting to us. I believe it was one of our CTC Members "Big Dave", I guess he would rather have been on his bike with us.
More ups and downs which we all found hard work especially Eddy who is relatively new to cycling. 

Eddy crests the hill on Peak Lane near Ashton.

At the edge of Bishop's Waltham some of the group had not had enough of hills and took the hilly way into town whilst the rest of us took the flat way.

We had a cosy break in the corner of the busy cafe before heading north towards our lunch stop at the Flower Pots in Cheriton. 

Daren had chosen another good quiet route through Dundridge to the top of Beacon Hill. Whilst this is largely uphill it is a more gentle and steady climb rather than the more up and down route to the Milbury's. 

Riders at the top of Beacon Hill.

Once over the top of the hill at just over 600 feet we sped down the hill through Kilmeston in record time arriving at a very full Flower Pots to discover a large group of cyclists already there enjoying themsleves as well as a lot of others.
After a beer Simon, Eddy and I hleft the group and aeded home to Alresford. Well we had done the |Alresford to Winchester leg already!

Here is my chart of the route together with my data for the day.

Thanks Daren for a good route and thanks also to to my other companions who made it a really enjoyable day out.

Another good week of cycling with three different types of ride shared with some friends new and old. I covered just 99 miles in the week. Should have done an extra mile round the block!

Gridironman.

Pedallers Christmas Lunch Ride - The Elite Section! and Dan's ride to Country Market near Kingsley

Tuesday 9th December 2014
Exercising my new found freedom for Tuesdays I rode over to Stoke Charity to join one group of Pedallers for a ride to The White Lion, Wherwell for Christmas Lunch.
As I rode down Lovedon Lane I spotted Sara and Debs ahead of me. Fortunately the were not going too fast and I was able to catch them on the hill out of the village. I had not seen Sara for ages and Debs only a couple of brief times so it was great to catch up with their news.
We were soon at SC where we were joined by Martyn. I had not ridden with Martyn before although we had met a few times. So that was good too.
We received a message from Sarah telling us that she and Graham were going to CP to join the other group, so we set off via Hunton for Whitchurch and H's for coffee. 
I popped in to Caroline's as we passed her home to see if she and Ian would like to join us at H's and ride with us to Wherwell. They duly did so.
As we left the town a lone cyclist from North Waltham came alongside me as I was riding Lantern Rouge. I chatted with him for a while. Poor Sara who was just in front thought I'd gone dolally as the other 4 were in front so she thought I was talking to myself. She was relieved when he rode past and greeted them all.
We were ahead of the other group at the pub, good move as we got served at the bar very quickly!
The other much larger group consisting of :-
Karen, Bill, Brenda, Barrie, Alan  M, Barbara, Dave, Carole, Chris, Sarah, Graham M, Graham S, and Alan G,arrived soon afterwards & Yi-Chun a few minutes later, having come by car from work.
Some with healthy appetites had opted for a starter and these soon arrived and promptly disappeared. 
Pies and other fare came next. There was a very lively and convivial conversation that was only muted as we got stuck into our pies etc.
My pie, lamb with mash and garden peas, was delicious and very filling. I only just managed to eat it all.

Here are a few pictures of the group.

To view them as full screen slideshow click on any picture.

All too soon it was time to head for home so that I arrived there before it was dark. My original three companions joined me and we set off just before 2.30. 
Our route was via Newton and Barton Staceys. Martyn left us near S. Wonston and the ladies were soon at home in Lovedon Lane. I just failed to make it home by 4 p.m.

A great way to celebrate my new found Tuesday freedom 

Saturday 13th December 2014.
I  felt it was time to enjoy another ride with my Alton CTC friends and to wish them a Happy Christmas so I arranged with Simon to join them. They only do afternoon rides but have moved their starting time to 12 noon. Which suits both Simon and me. 
To avoid the possibility of riding home from Alton in the dark Simon took us in his car. It is spacious enough for us to pop both his Boardman and Posh in the back.
We parked in the Old Winchester Road and rode to the usual RV by the civic centre arriving just in time to slot into the group as they rode away.
There were 21 of us altogether and our leader Dan had decided to change the route and tea stop to a more suitable one for such a large group.

The Bunch Departing from the Civic Centre.
 That's me in the middle with my South Hants Jacket and Simon in the red on the right.

Here is a map of our route from which you can see that Dan found a very interesting circuit. (Looks a bit like Cyprus).

With the mid day start the frost and ice had nearly all gone and our main hazards were minor flooding and mud.  
Dan led us out of Alton via Holybourne and under the A31 via the underpass near Neatham Mill. 

By Neatham Mill.

I had tried to guess what route Dan would take and this was the first section I'd not foreseen. Soon we were through Binstead and down the hill to Blacknest.  A lot of water in some of the lanes to Frensham and a couple of very muddy ones too. I wondered if I should have come on Sporty.
As we turned South and West the sun was right in our eyes and we were a little worried about cars coming from behind not seeing us.

Our tea stop was at the Country Market near Kingsley. Some of the group went in by the back door, some by the front! Fortunately we did not lose anyone. The cafe had an efficient system working to ensure we got served quickly (Unlike the Andover Garden Centre which took ages on a recent ride). 
After the stop some riders left us to ride home having come from places other than Alton. 
Dan led the rest through Oakhanger. Unfortunately Mark had a puncture just afterwards and urged the rest of us to carry on. Several riders decided that we could not abandon him and stayed behind while the main group continued to Selborne. 

Posh and I climbing the hill near Selborne.

Our route was up Gracious Street and Northfield Hill to Newton Valence and to the A32. More riders left us here as we climbed the steepest  hill of the day (8.2%), Mary Lane, to Four Marks. 
Our numbers had dwindled even more by the time we reached the edge of Boyneswood. Dan suggested that we took the gravel road through the wood but Posh was not happy with that idea so we continued through Medstead, Wivelrod & Theddon to the edge of Alton. Simon and I found ourselves alone by now as Dan had turned back to look for a missing rider. We waited until Janice appeared and said our good byes thanking both her and Dan for a good ride only spoilt by a few idiots in cars who hurled abuse at us as they drove past in the opposite direction. (Why?, Just because we were  cycling it seems).

We were soon back at the car and were home in the daylight, just in time to pass Paddy on The Avenue  returning from a solo ride. We had time for a chat with him as we unloaded a rather muddy Posh.

I, for one, thought that although it was not my longest ride or my fastest ride it had been an exceptionally good one.

Thanks Dan and Janice!

P.S. I rounded of the day at 11 p.m. by spotting 8 Geminid meteorites in about ten minutes, it was too chilly to stay outside in the scary dark any longer. If you haven't done so give spotting some a try tonight if it is clear.
The sky was beautifully clear last night with many stars visible, Orion taking centre stage and a planet, maybe Jupiter, low in the East.

Gridironman.

Four Pedallers Go Forth and Keep Fit Circuit via Ropley, Medstead & the Candovers.

Thursday 4th December.

Simon and I had opted to join the Pedallers at Stoke Charity as there was no HCMF pub meeting. 

We rode there and purely by chance as we rode past the King Charles in Kings Worthy we were joined by Alex. When we got to the RV we found Brenda waiting. She too had ridden to the meet.

We had a short wait while we waited till ten in case anyone else showed up and had a warm drink while we waited.  I was the only one who had not brought one so Simon kindly shared his coffee with me.

After a short discussion we decided to head for H's in Whitchurch and we set off via Micheldever and past Micheldever Station.

It was a very damp, cold and misty morning and my glasses kept fogging up. We had a nice warm break at H's and Simon treated us all to coffee and cake. What a gent!

All too soon it was time to move on. We headed out of Whitchurch towards Longparish at a fair lick with me leading, well I didn't want to risk getting cold again! 

In the village Brenda left us to carry on down the Test Valley while we took the road over the A303 to Barton Stacey. Next through Sutton Scotney to Wonston to the lane to South Wonston avoiding a stretch of the busy road. At Three Maids Hill Alex left us to head home via Littleton while Simon led me via Headbourne Worthy to Monk's Road in Winchester where we visited his daughter Rachel and grandson Alexander. Our third coffee stop of the day! (Proper cycling?).

We were soon on our way again and when I arrived home just before 2.30 I discovered we had covered about 43 miles. Here is are map and data for the day.

Sunday 7th Dec 2014.
I had planned to join the Winchester CTC ride with Simon at the coffee stop at Popham on Saturday but a combination of icy roads and other commitments caused us to change our plans. (Code for "Wimped out"?).
To make up for missing the Saturday Ride I had an early lunch and did a local training loop of my own. It was jolly cold because of a strong NW breeze despite the temperature being a little higher.

Nothing spectacular and only a modest pace but I did enjoy the opportunity to stop and take a couple of photos.

There was fantastic light at times due to the quickly changing cloud formations, making interesting muted colours. The setting sun also made some great silhouettes, sadly I failed to capture them.

Ropley Church undergoing repairs.

A lovely Green field near Burkham. (Winter barley?)

 

A bandit I met on the way!
Note the rosy cheeks from the exertion!

 Here is my route and data for the day:

 A fairly decent pace despite riding my old faithful Sporty. Posh is cowering in the garage. He doesn't like this cold damp weather, no mudguards !

Thanks to Simon, Brenda and Alex for their company on Thursday, and thanks again Simon for the regular supply of warming coffee!

Gridironman.

A "Test" Ride with the Pedallers and a Late Breakfast with Simon.

Thursday 27th November.
I made good my promise to be more active in the Pedallers Group.
Simon joined me to ride to Crawley Pond to join the group. Surprise, Surprise! We arrived 15 mins early and were the first there. Other groupies soon arrived. Unfortunately Graham had a problem with a mudguard stay fracturing so our start was delayed while repairs were attempted by our resident expert Simon. Eventually the mudguard was removed and stowed in the back of Alan's car.

I was very impressed by Jo's lovely Boardman cyclo-cross bike. Great knobbly tyres for the winter roads! Later I discovered that Jo is also a Strava member so was able to link with her and compare our performances.

Alan led us over the ridge past Leckford Hut into the Test valley. The lane is much better now it has been resurfaced. Our route continued through Longstock towards Stockbridge before we turned northwards past Danebury Hill to Abbots Ann. I was finding the pace a little high on Sporty, perhaps i should have ridden Posh. However the others in the group kindly waited for me to catch up as we crossed the A343.

We turned to the East and arrived at the very large Andover Garden Centre. It has lots of ouitlets in their own units on the site including Cotton Traders and Bon Marche. (Not the Bon Marche I remember from my youth in the centre of Gloucester).

These colourful & interesting characters were also for sale:-

After some confusion as to where we could safely leave our bikes we queued for what seemed ages to get served with coffee and cake. When we got it it was  very good.

Our route home was via the Anna Valley and the Clatfords and over the hill to Wherwell. Shortly after leaving that village Simon and I left the group to ride home to Alresford. Simon chose a very good route through Barton Stacey, Stoke Charity and Micheldever. By the time we got home we had done over 50 miles.

It was an extremely enjoyable day out with some of my best cycling buddies including Karen & Bill, Brenda and Ian.

Thanks to all who took part for a good ride.

Saturday 29th November 2014.
As I rode to Simon's house I passed about 30 cyclists in New farm Road, Some event taking place by the look of it.

Simon and I had once more decided to do our own thing due to time constraints. Simon suggested we went towards Odiham, So we set off up the valley to Medstead. our highest point for the day at about 700 feet. As we started to climb the hill we passed a group af beaters in one field and in the next were half a dozen guns popping away at the pheasants that had been flushed by the beaters.

We were taking it gently as I had had a slight problem with my left leg. However it did not cause me any distress on the ride.

When we got to through Lasham Village  I suggested that we headed past Golden Pot and down the B3349 to South Warnborough. Here we stopped for an all day breakfast in the village shop. Extremely good value at £5.00 including a mug of coffee.

A couple riding a Tandem were also in the shop and we had a nice chat with them before they left.

Afterwards we headed home via Upton Grey. On the way I pointed out to Simon where the Alton CTC hold their Pace Judging and Freewheeling competition.. We had a go at the freewheeling, Simon beat me by some 5 yards. We were both in the range of the recent competition though I was some way short of where I'd reached on Posh.

We pootled along enjoying the lovely sunny day and enjoying more chat as we  headed down the Candover Valley to Chilton Candover. Here we turned off over the hill via Spiers Lane which I much prefer to Bugmore Lane as that has a number of undulations.

I was home just in time to enjoy England beating Australia in the rugby match. Great stuff!

A different type of ride entirely to Thursday's.

Thanks Simon once more for your company

Route and Data for Saturday 29th November.

By the way my "Guess my Miles" competition is now closed. A total of 56 entries. So the first prize is £5.60 and second and third £2.80 each. Now we have to wait another month to see who are the lucky winners. So far I have covered 3,167 miles.

So far I have raised £314 for Forever Angels thanks to the very generous donations received so far. I have been promised more! Not bad considering my original target was £100, updated to £200 after my birthday.

Gridironman.

Pamber Heath to Chieveley and back with Richard and David.

An unusual start to the week. On Tuesday 18th a group of my friends had a good ride in the New Forest from Poppies, Timsbury to the Alice Lisle pub in Rockford near Ringwood. It was a lovely day and I was really very sad that I was working while they were having fun. When I thought more about it I decided that I was not going to cut off myself any more from the opportunities of riding with the Pedallers Group and that I would pack in my role as volunteer in the Save the Children Shop to increase my choice of rides each week. I have worked at the shop for about 5 years so it is now time for someone else to have a go. I shall however continue with my role as treasurer for Save the Children, Alresford Group.

Thursday 20th November was a very grey day to start with fog in some places..

Simon and I had planned to join Richard and David for a ride from Pamber Heath into Berkshire. Unfortunately Simon had to opt out at the last moment due to other commitments, so I drove alone to join them at Richard's home. I got there a few minutes before 10.30 and soon the three of us set off through Silchester and headed north through Mortimer West End towards the Avon and Kennet river and canal. I was riding Posh so was a little dismayed that despite the last few days having been dry, in places the lanes were wet and muddy. (Should I have ridden Sporty?)  I managed to avoid the worst and so did not get too muddy.

We crossed the river and canal and shortly afterwards the A4, Not so busy as it was before the M4 was built but still busy enough.

Next came my nemesis a short but steep climb up Lambdens Hill. It was more than one in seven. I just had to stop and get off and walk for about 100 metres. Richard & David waited for me at the top.

A lot of the lanes in Berkshire were very rough and it was good when we came to a smoother stretch. We rode through Bradfield and Bucklebury and shortly afterwards crossed the river Pang on the footbridge beside the ford. A number of interesting birds in this area, three kites, a buzzard or two and a couple of large black birds which Richard thought might be ravens and a kestrel.

We also met this monster and felt it was wise to give way to him.

We passed under the M4 and continued northwards until we came to Hampstead Norreys. From here we turned westward over the A34. Next we turned south to the village of Chieveley where we enjoyed a nice glass of beer and some tasty bar snacks.

We had covered about 22 milesat an average speed of 11.2 mph. It had been a decent pace whilst enabling us to enjoy the countryside with its autumn colours and wildlife.

We had enjoyed a fair amount of sunshine despite the gloomy forecast but we had found the air was quite cold, about 9 to 10 deg C. It seemed to be colder after lunch but maybe that was because we'd cooled in the pub.

Now what was that lock combination?

Ah! Remembered it!

Whatever the reason I set off at a strong pace just to get warm and led for a few miles. We came to some more climbs and I was soon once more at the back, but after Hermitage and onto the ridge towards Cold Ash David set a very good pace with me on his wheel and Richard behind me.

We dropped down into the valley to Woolhampton where we crossed the A4 Bath Road again.  Next we came to the railway crossing by Midgham Station and had a break while we watched two trains pass.

Soon afterwards David left us to return to Baughurst and Richard & I continued through Aldermaston and up the hill past the AWE and back to Pamber Heath.

A very good day out with Richard and David looking after me really well with their route directions, comments on road conditions and the surrounding countryside. Thanks Guys!

Before I returned home Richard showed me his workshop complete with all kinds of lathes, drills and other equipment.I wouldn't have the faintest idea on how to use most of them! 

He also gave me a set of wheels and some other bike bits to take to Simon which i duly delivered on Friday.

Here is my map and data for the day:

 Note that thanks to David's pace setting the homeward bound sector was done at an average of 12.5 mph.

  

Gridironman.

North Waltham HCMF meet and Winchester CTC ride to Woodfalls..

THE GOOD NEWS IS I HAVE PASSED MY TARGET OF £200 FOR FOREVER ANGELS.

THE TOTAL IS NOW £274. MAYBE WE CAN GET TO £300?

Simon and I managed to avoid most of the rain on Thursday 13th November when we rode to the HCMF meet at The Fox, North Waltham. 
We set off at ten o'clock and headed north up the Candover Valley. When we got to Axford we had a discussion about the route and I led us towards Ellisfield with Simon querying my intended destination. I was convinced this was North Warnborough!
Suspecting that Simon was correct we paused at Ellisfield and I phoned home to ask Jean to check the diary. Of course Simon was right and we had to retrace our route to Axford. Still that did add 4 miles to my total miles for the year!

Simon with his newly restored Gillott Spearpoint in Ellisfield Village.

Simon usually relies on me for route finding so he was delighted to post the following sketch on FaceBook making it clear what he thought about this effort!.

When we got to The Fox, (North Waltham), we discovered that although we were early Charles had beaten us to it. 
We were soon joined by a number of other members, some of whom had got a little wet in rain showers. 
As always on these Thursday rides we were able to catch up with some folk we'd not seen for a while. It was especially nice to see Audrey and chat with her about David's new Zealand tour.

We were lucky with our return ride only getting a few spots of rain but having to fight a very strong southerly wind as we descended into Micheldever.

The Map of our ride. Notice the little spur from Axford to Point 2.

For Saturday 15th November the weather forecast was not too favourable but when I checked the rain radar it seemed likely that Karen's route would be taking us into an area that was not so likely to have showers.
Due to other commitments I was unable to make the 9.30 start in Winchester so by arrangement with Karen I drove to Kings Somborne and joined the group there at 10.30. This worked well except for John making a little circuit of the streets to find me as I'd left my car in Old Vicarage Lane before riding round to the church.
There were six in the group including Alex who like me was only doing a portion of the ride. He left us soon after Houghton to return home via Mottisfont.
It was quite foggy in places with the sun trying to break through and we rode with lights on.
Karen's route was a good if rather hilly one, including Dean Hill which has a climb of about 12.5%. Steep and long enough to test us all.
The reward was that it was in bright sunshine at the top and it remained so until just before we got to Woodfalls. Where it was foggy once more.
The conversation and drinks were good but the quality of the food was variable. Karen, John and Lee were all happy with theirs but that of Simon D. and Graham was not mixed evenly and my chili beef was far too salty and I only ate about half of it. When I told the bar lady we did get three free coffees to compensate.
Shortly after we'd left the pub we had a short shower as we entered the village of Lover but it was soon over. 
Only a little further on we had a setback when graham had a flat tyre. Lee was leading and didn't hear the cries to stop so I tried to catch him but he was going too fast for me. I went back to the group and five minutes later Lee reappeared.
It took about 20 mins to replace the tube. John as always being a great help whilst the rest of us tried hard to help, me by keeping out of the way and taking pictures!
Here is one:

Lee searches for the hole while John helps Graham to replace the tyre and Simon stands ready if needed.
Karen inspecting my "Sporty"?

Karen did a great job of navigating the lanes through Landford and Sherfield English to Awbridge. there are so many little lanes in this area that it is easy to take the wrong one. We were all sporting flashing lights now as the light was beginning to fade.
Simon D. left us here and soon after Lee did too.
I rode with the other 3 until we reached Braishfield where I turned off over the hill to Kings Somborne and my car.
It was already 4 o'clock when I got there so I think Karen's decision to omit a coffee stop was a good one as that would have meant another half an hour elapsed time.

Here is my map for my part of the ride:

Many thanks Karen for such a good ride and also thanks to my fellow riders for their company, especially John who nursed me along when I was struggling to keep up at times.

Gridironman.