Winchester CTC join the Alton CTC for their annual BBQ.

Our Happy Band of Riders.

My week has ended on a high! I led the Winchester CTC ride to join the Alton CTC at their summer BBQ. I had been worried ever since I agreed to lead the ride that all would go wrong. In fact everything worked out almost perfectly. Mercifully the rain held off and we had some nice warm sunshine for a good part of the day, though it did cloud over and go a little cool while we were eating.

John Spiers very kindly led a group from Winchester (John, Karen, Yi Chen, Caroline & Ian, Jenny, Phil, Dave Steane and Ken) to join Sarah, Simon, Mark, Lesley, Sue, Gordon and me who gathered in the station car park. We set off soon after 10:15 via Old Alresford and Bighton to climb the hill to Medstead. Here we paused to regroup.

As we were leaving Medstead we met a group of Alton riders riding a loop in the opposite direction to get to the BBQ at Newton Valence. We exchanged greetings promising to see them later.

Next we descended to the main Basingstoke to Alton road through Wivelrod and Theddon and stopped for a coffee break at the Departure Lounge Cafe. Here to my surprise I met my son in law Steve also cycling with two of his friends.

With so many riders service took a while and we were a little late continuing and when we did Karen and Yi Chen left us to return together to Winchester. We passed through Alton testing legs on the steep but thankfully short pitch of Church Hill. On through Holybourne we went, riding away from Newton Valence! However a loop first eastwards towards Binsted and then South through Wyck took us back in the right direction. The lanes were mainly quiet but we played leapfrog with a DPD van over a couple of miles as he passed us then was re-passed when he stopped to make deliveries.

Simon was doing a good job for me, pausing at junctions to make sure all took the correct route, while John did equally sterling work as sweeper up at the back. Thanks to both for their vital part,

Once through East & West Worldham we were onto the B3006 for a short way. It was very busy but thankfully we all arrived safely in Selborne. Here we turned up Gracious Lane and climbed the steep hill to Newton Valence. (This was at least less steep than the hill we used last year).

At the village hall we found a good number of the Alton group tucking into a delicious meal. We wasted no time in joining in. There was more than enough for everyone with plenty of variety of good fare. Especially worth a mention were the fiery beans! However the sweets to follow were fantastic too!

It was great to see so many friends from both groups enjoying the food and the company. I took a number of photos which I would be happy to share with anyone who would like one.

Please note you can view these full size by clicking on them.

It was great to see so many friends from both groups that I'd not seen for a while.

About 2.20 p.m. suitably replete we resumed our travels, returning to Alresford and Winchester by the shortest route. We were in the station Car Park in Alresford by 3.30 p.m. where we bid farewell to the Winchester starters and one another
.
Whilst I greatly enjoyed the day and company I did not think it was quite as good as our similar ride last year because the weather was better that time.

Here are my data and map for the day.

Earlier in the week I had missed out on the HCMF meet at Hursley due to other commitments. This was in the end not a bad thing as the weather was not great. However later in the day the sun came out so I jumped on Posh and we set off on one of PinkPal's training routes to see how we could compare. 

I was very pleased with my performance but of course as PP is much better on the hills I could not match her overall average speed. 

Thursday's Evening Blast

Best wishes to all from a very happy Gridironman.

An unexpected turn of events.

It has been another strange week for me due to family commitments. I was too busy to ride on Thursday to the HCMF meet, so made up for that by using Posh to pop over to King's Worthy on Friday to feed the rabbit and cat. I took the country route there along the south side of the Itchen valley.
Chores done I headed  along Springvale and over the ridge to Stoke Charity. It was a fine evening so instead of heading the shortest way home I turned north from Micheldever to M. Station and then then turned along the wooded road to join the A32. In East Stratton I thought about stopping for a beer but them decided I could enjoy one when I got home.

Friday's Route.

A good run to keep my legs tuned?

On Saturday 24th August I decided to make a real effort to join the Winchester CTC afternoon ride to Poppies.
I left home at 12.30 so I could stop off at West Winds to attend the animals and arrived at the RV in good time. A very good turnout. There were 17 of us, a large proportion being newbies.
It is great to see so many new faces, but I greatly miss some of the old ones.
We had received a message that David, our leader for the day had hurt his hand badly and had gone to A&E but would come to the start if he could. After a wait of about 5 minutes we had another message from the Winchester Hotel that David was still in the hospital and asking us to appoint a new leader.
I suggested Paul but as he was not riding the return route he declined but suggested that if I took over the leader's duties he would act as La Laterne Rouge. I agreed and after a short briefing we set off along the regular route out of town via the Bereweeke Avenue and the Old Sarum Road. Unfortunately two riders left us for mechanical and health reasons before we had gone two miles.
Here is my map of my route for the day (including my commute fromand to Alresford) from which you can see our route to Poppies took us over Farley Mount and through Kings Somborne and Mottisfont.

With so many riders we split into several small groups with the faster riders leading the way and then waiting to regroup a number of times.
At Poppies we found another Mike and Charlotte waiting to join us for tea. (We already had mike and Charlotte in the group). I'd not seen them for a long time so that was a welcome bonus for me.

Some of the group enjoying their well earned tea.

After tea we took the road through Belbins to the Braishfield/Romsey road where Margaret, Paul, one pair of Mike & Charlotte left us. Julie took over the role of back marker.
The hill between Slackstead and Merdon Castle was a test for all of us but soon we were on the last climb of the day to Oliver's Battery where we split up to find our own ways home or to the start point.
Here is one of the other riders comments on the day:

"Thank you very much for leading a most enjoyable ride yesterday afternoon with a very nice tea stop.  The route was lovely through beautiful countryside.
I am sorry I did not see you at the end of the ride to thank you in person.  The "newbie" at the back was clearly struggling a bit and collapsed with cramp at Oliver's Battery.  I sent Colin on, so hopefully you heard we were ok.  He is diabetic and fortunately I had a rice krispie bar with me and some water left, so after a sit down, snack and drink he recovered enough to cycle on.  He was heading for Wharf Hill, near Winchester College, so I decided to cycle with him through Badger Farm, Stanmore Road and St Cross to ensure that he got to his destination in one piece and then I cycled on home.  He did say he hasn't cycled 30 miles before, but hopefully will join us again. 
Julie."

I found it a rewarding day, and I am sure it was a new experience for a number of the participants some of whom clearly found it a bit tough but nevertheless had found they could achieve more than might have thought. We look forward to seeing them again!

Many thanks to Julie and Paul for their help and for the others who took part for their patience.

We all wish David a speedy and complete recovery.


Gridironman.

Posh Gets Wet and Muddy, Twice!

I am on pet minding duties for a couple of weeks, so I have tailored my rides to take advantage of this. On Tuesday 12th I rode over to Kings Worthy, I made good time along the much improved road through Itchen Abbass and Martyr Worthy. Once I'd done my chores I found an alternative way home through heading North past South Wonston to Wonston. I love that little road through Hunton always pretty with no fewer than three churches to pass in little over a mile.

My plan worked well until just after I'd passed through Micheldever and East Stratton. Then it started to rain. Shock horror, no mudguards!  It didn't rain enough to get me very wet but I ran into the area where it had been much heavier and the roads were swimming with water. I actually didn't get too much spray, I guess the smooth tyres don't pick up as much water as knobbly ones. 

I was home in just a couple of seconds over 2 hours moving time for the 26.77 miles. Bunged my wet kit into the washing machine had a shower and tucked into a beer & a late lunch. Bliss!

On Thursday 14th August the start was the same but I shaved a couple of minutes of my time from home to Westwinds.
I headed out of Winchester along the Old Sarum road and then turned down Kilham Lane to cross the Romsey road. Road works here causing major hold ups. I hopped of my bike and took to the pedestrian routes across the junction and took the Oliver's Battery Road North through the underpass and onto the Oliver's Battery Road South. There had been a shower on the slopes of Port Lane but I was able to dodge the wet patches on the road. I was aiming to join the HCMF at the Phoenix in Twyford. However, my luck did not hold as in Otterbourne it started to rain. 


I only just had time to get in the shelter of a large hedge before the rain came down in torrents. It continued for about 15 minutes. Luckily my shelter was good and I did not get too wet, but of course the roads were so wet that the spray of passing traffic and my lack of mudguards ensured that by the time I'd reached Brambridge I was getting a lot wetter. I did not fancy sitting in the Phoenix in wet clothes so instead of heading there as intended I chose instead to go home via Hensting Lane and Owslebury.

I was surprised that In Colden Common the roads were almost dry and there was little sign of the downpour I'd experienced.

There was now intermittent sunshine and only one small shower as I covered the 14 miles home. By the time I got there I was almost dry and apart from muddy streaks up my back and on my shoes there was little sign of my experience.

I can now say that Posh has now been well and truly "christened" and I am now a member of the rooster tail club!

Saturday 16th August.
At first I was sorry I was unable to join the Winchester CTC ride to Silchester but having seen the Garmin report of it by PinkPal  and her comment of "Knackered" perhaps I was lucky to have had a less demanding ride.

I was joined by Simon for an afternoon ride to Bishop's Waltham and back.

Our route was through Kilmeston and our time over the Rooksgrove sector was 22 seconds slower than my best. Possibly due to the strong head breeze. It certainly wasn't Simon holding me back as he was first up it.

Once over Beacon Hill we enjoyed the fast descent past the Golf Club. Here is the view towards Old Winchester Hill from the slopes above Droxford with  a comparison to the picture I took in the winter. (Not quite the exact same spot).

Looking towards Old Winchester Hill, August 16th 2014.
(The crop sown in November cut and only a few bales left to collect).

Preparing for the harvest, 14th November 2013

 We carried on through Droxford hoping to see the Alpacas. They were almost out of sight at the far end of their meadow. We passed a wedding reception as we climbed the hill and then when we got to Swanmore another wedding had just taken place with the happy couple getting into the wedding car and the throng of well-wishers blocking the road temporarily.

In BW we had our treat of the day. Jean had kindly told us to enjoy our refreshment break and indulge in cake as her treat. We had delicious coffee, walnut and pecan cake with fresh cream washed down by Sumatran coffee at The Anvil.

Suitably refreshed we returned home by the nearly direct route. We particularly enjoyed the downhill from the Milbury's. I think if it was not for the A272 it would be possible to freewheel all the way to Cheriton.

A bus chased us through the village and we were soon into the favourite lanes through Tichborne making a final sprint at 18 mph to the ford. 

I have been a little bit worried about the state of the footbridge recently as the wire mesh and staples seem to be getting worn and in danger of puncturing tyres, so I walked across and so did Simon.

Another very pleasant afternoon ride with coffee and cake. I must be getting soft!

Many thanks to Simon for his company and to Jean for our treat!

Gridironman.

Dorset Hostel Break.

What a lovely week I've had cycling for a couple of days in Dorset. On Monday 4th August I drove down to Litton Cheyney with Sporty on the roof rack. Arrived there before ten o'clock, in time to ask the warden of the Youth Hostel if I could leave my car in the car park.

Fishing and pleasure boats in West Bay Harbour.

Soon afterwards I was on my way through the lush countryside towards Bridport. The weather was just perfect, sunny and warm but with a light breeze to keep me fresh. I was soon through the village of Burton Bradstock and having climbed a short hill I was rewarded with my first view of the sea. A few miles on and I was in West Bay where a lot of holiday makers were enjoying the many attractions of the beach, swimming in the sea and fishing from the harbour walls.



After a while I headed inland through Bridport to find a route to Lyme Regis avoiding the main A35. This was not easy as the only alternatives involve looping inland. However the scenery was so lovely that this was very enjoyable.  I caught up with another cyclist who was very heavily laden with camping gear. I chatted with him and discovered he was a visitor from Germany.

At Shave Cross I turned South to follow the Char valley  to Charmouth.

The Char Valley.

My next stop was in the very unusually named village of Canonicorum Whitchurch. Not a bit like our Hampshire Whitchurch but just as attractive.  Canonicorum Whitchurch, Church. Amazingly large for such a small village. The road to Charmouth was surprisingly hilly as it seemed to follow the valley but there was a lot of high hedges and trees giving welcome shade. Charmouth was buzzing with a large number of Dutch cars about. I did not stop long and took on the challenge of  Fern Hill to Lyme Regis. It defeated me! I managed to get within 200 yards of the top before I ran out of puff. It was hard work even walking that last bit. The reward was of course a mega steep and fast descent into the town. Here I got off the bike and walked along the pavement as that was quicker than moving with the cars which were virtually gridlocked. Upwards once more out of Lyme Regis and over the hill to Uplyme. No shortage of hill climbs here. I left the main road and took a lane through the village of Yawl. As I climbed the 1 in 7 hill a lady in a car stopped to let me by and encouraged me to keep going. I made it to the top! The next few miles were relatively flat and I picked up the pace. however I was now quite peckish and looking for somewhere to have lunch . I turned off the B road to Hawkchurch where a pub was marked on my map. It was closed because it was Monday. So I sat in the Church  yard and ate a banana and an energy bar and relaxed for a while. Hawkchurch. I seemed to be border hoping for the next few miles, sometimes in Somerset, sometimes in Dorset. All very pretty. I had just been making up the route as I went and realizing I was getting near to Crewkerne I decided it was time  to turn back towards the YH. I  passed through  two more interesting villages. Drimpton and Broadwindsor   and then as I crested yet another hill I "bonked". (Lack of lunch!) For the next 15 minutes I sat on a grassy bank and ate the rest of my bars and fruit. Soon felt fit enough to continue through Stoke Abbott to Beaminster. An interesting war memorial here. An old horse trough memorial which had been removed has been replaced this year in memory of the commencement of WW1. It was late afternoon now and through the villages of Netherbury and Townway the lanes seemed to be busy with many small white vans and trucks. I surmise it was the workers heading home after a busy day. I continued through Bradpole, West Milton ant into Loders where I paused once more for refreshment and to phone home while sitting in the sunshine on a stone wall. Not far to go now, just another two or three more hilly lanes. As I climbed the one from Uploders under the A35 I noticed these terraced fields nearby. I arrived back at the YH just after six and after a refreshing cuppa and shower I had a very pleasant evening in the pub garden next door eating and drinking with a family of 4 from Midsomer Norton who where camping nearby. More craic back at the hostel with the warden and others before a well earned night's sleep. A great day out on the bike. Notice how the average speed is affected by the sightseeing and hills!

Ride number two from the Hostel on Tuesday 5th August was somewhat different. When woke at 7 a.m. it was raining. By the time I'd breakfasted and got ready at 9 a.m. it was still raining. Of course I was not going to miss a ride because of a spot of rain so off I went. this time heading east through the villages of Long Bredy and Little Bredy. My aching legs from yesterday's ride were unable to manage the first steep hill I encountered., well it was 12.5 %. At the top the wind was blowing the rain hard and I was soon pretty well wet through despite my waterproof jacket but I was sweating a lot too.

Here is my first stop of the day:

The Hardy Monument.
Note the size of the bike compared to the Monument.

As you will notice it is a very grey day!  

It was a nice long and fast downhill ride to Martinstown where I popped into the Post Office to withdraw some cash and get some nuts. (A Snickers bar.) I asked if there was anywhere nearby where I could get a coffee. Another customer told me I could get one just ten mins away. So I set off in the indicated direction. Five miles and a 500 foot climb later and after half an hour I got to the place he had told me about. I then realized that he meant ten mins by car! I was almost in Weymouth now, so I carried on until I got to the promenade. The sun had come out and I soon found a perfect spot for a coffee at one of the small kiosks. Spent the next half hour watching the world go by and chatting to a couple from Trowbridge at the next table. I had dried out nicely by now and set off for a tour round the harbour. A large Condor ferry was loading cars to go to the C.I. In the inner harbour there was a selection of fishing and leisure boats. I had to be careful here as there are tram tracks in the road used to carry away fish from the dockside.

Eventually I tore myself away and headed out into the country to find a suitable pub for lunch. On my way I passed this work of art:

More undulations before I found a nice pub (The Elm Tree) in the village of Langton Herring. Sat outside in the sunshine, completing my drying off. I had some banter from a group of ladies who had come outside the pub for a smoke. They wanted to get rid on one of their friends and asked me if I could take her away on the crossbar of my bike. I told them whilst I was willing I was afraid the YH might not let her in with me! I discovered that they were a group of Carers who had just returned from scattering the ashes of  a person they had looked after and were celebrating the life of that person.

After a most satisfying lunch I continued through Rodden to Abbotsbury. Here i encountered the sternest challenge of my holiday. The hill out of Abbotsbury. Ride with Gps indicate the steepest section as being 23%map . The O.S. only indicate a slope of more than one in seven. i would love to know more about how these grades are calculated. I suspect the Ride with GPS give the steepest whilst the O.S.  give the overall rate of climb.

Needless to say it meant more walking. this time for about 250 yards after I'd climbed the lower slopes.

At the top it was quite misty with the sea breeze causing the formation of sea mist as it climbed the hill.

It was only a few miles now back to the YH mainly downhill.

A much gentler and shorter  ride than yesterday but another  good one.

Back home after my brief break I managed to fit in another ride on Thursday 7th August I just had to go out again to get my week's mileage to over 100 miles. It was merely a quick run around the local area on Posh to keep my legs in shape!

Glad to be inside today and not riding in this stormy weather.

(Don't forget if you wish to see the pictures full screen just click on one and then you can view them).

GRIDIRONMAN

HCMF Meet at The Cricketers, Easton and Another Fast Training Ride

Thursday 31st July 2014

Another lovely summer's day, too good to miss a chance to join the HCMF meet at Easton. Bit close to home for a decent direct ride there so found an alternative route, then came home the short way.

Near West Stratton I caught up with a tractor trimming the hedge, he pulled in to let me by. Fortunately he was not spreading the cuttings all over the road.

I found the A30 to be very quiet so instead of turning down the lane to Hunton where there appeared to be fresh gravelling  I continued on towards Sutton Scotney and took the turn to Wonston. I noticed that most of the  trees which had  fallen earlier in the year across the river Dever had be removed and I could see large piles of logs in the field beyond.

In Stoke charity I stopped and chatted with two cyclists from Kings Worthy. Then I continued along the "road we love to hate" to KW. It certainly seemed easier on Posh, so maybe it's not so bad after all. 

It was just a touch cooler than it has been of late round about 20 deg C.so it was good to sit outside the pub and soak up the rays. A good crowd there including Richard and David from Tadley and about 8 riders from the Fleet CTC most of them resplendent in their new strip.The usual regulars from  Southampton, Winchester and Chandler's Ford were also there.

After a chat and a cool drink  I rode directly home for a late lunch.

Map and details for the day.

Saturday 2nd August 2014.

I had hoped to join Barrie's ride with the Winchester CTC but fortunately other commitments conspired to thwart that and so I did not get wet riding to Winchester as the rain came in just as I would have been on my way. It rained several more times during the morning and a cloud burst around lunch time. I hope Barrie & co were not caught in it.

Then the  sun came out and by 3.30 p.m. the roads were dry and i was free to ride once more so I set out on a training ride with Posh. I have really enjoyed this kind of ride on my new bike and this was another good one. I headed East through Ropley, past the burnt out church and up the steep hill to Lyeway. (One of two at 9%.)

I joined the A32 just South of East Tisted and made good time into Alton with the breeze behind me. The town centre there was busy and I had a short walk through the pedestrian area before turning for home.

My return route was higher than my outward one climbing the second steep hill through Beech. This is easier than it was having been re-tarmaced. However there are still a number of drain covers to avoid especially when descending. This climb is much longer than the Ropley one and so was a tad harder.

Data for Saturday 2nd Aug.

In Medstead I paused awhile to watch the cricket. Timely as one player was applauded, I think he had just scored 50, he was then out caught next ball! I continued along the ridge through Hattingley and just before I reached the top of Armsworth Hill my phone rang. It was only a family call so it did not delay me for long.




When I arrived home and downloaded my Garmin data i was pleased to see that even my .elapsed time for the 25.6 miles was under two hours. It was a very satisfying ride and great fun.

Map and profile of the route. Note the interesting  Gradient  line.

My split time for the outward and homeward leg show what how the strong breeze and hilly nature of the route affect speed.






I am off to Dorset tomorrow to spend 3 days cycling there. I am staying for two nights at Litton Cheyney Youth Hostel. I am a little apprehensive about the weather forecast which is not good for Tuesday and Wednesday, but hey ho must make the most of it like those riders in Glasgow today. Well done Lizzie, Emma, Geraint and Scott for their performances in the road races.

Sorry! No photos again too busy zipping along!

The next few days I will be riding at a more sedate pace on Sporty, enjoying the lovely Dorset countryside so hopefully there will be some photos to share next time.

All the best, whether cycling or not.

GRIDIRONMAN.