Wickham Circuit

Saturday 25th October 2014, last ride in "summertime".
Did not fancy either Winchester CTC or Alton CTC rides this week as they were on very familiar roads. So I contacted Simon and we agreed to head south towards Fareham. I spent a little while on Garmin Connect plotting what I thought would be both an interesting route and a testing one too. I then loaded it into my Garmin 200.
(A note of caution, when plotting routes on Garmin Connect be aware that although one has selected the option follow the roads this results in the plotted course trying to use footpaths and or private roads as well as roads. One needs to check carefully as one plots that the route chosen is actually on public tarmac roads!)
I left home at 10 and collected Simon from his home. We took our usual route to Cheriton across the bridge by the ford and through Tichborne. My devious route then veered away from the obvious one to the top of Beacon Hill going via Hinton Ampner, and the steepest hill of the day at 8% and then up River Down to the top of Wheeley Down. 
As we descended into Exton we passed a lot of other cyclists climbing the hill, perhaps they were all straining to achieve their PBs on Strava.
The weather was mild for the time of year and I was quite warm enough with two thin layers and a long sleeve jacket.
Next we followed the Meon Valley southwards through Soberton. As we rode another cyclist from Fareham caught up with me and asked why Simon was 50 yards ahead of me. I told him "younger legs"! We then chatted as we rode and I discovered my new pal was 76 and looking good! We parted company in Soberton and dropped into a dip. I sped down the hill behind Simon and just as I was going flat out to climb the next upward slope Simon stopped to check the route and I narrowly missed running into him!
We plodded up the sharp rise and soon afterwards I managed to miss a turn. As we stopped to retrace our steps for 30 yards my earlier "pal" appeared from the road we were to ride down with another cyclist. It seems he knew the area well enough to miss that dip we'd ridden through! (Note to self to remember that next time we come this way).
This area is hillier than I had expected, those little ups and downs on the route profile don't look much and singly they are OK but we seemed to keep getting little hills to climb. Fortunately the roads were very quiet and the route through Bere Forest was very pleasant. Here lots of sweet chestnuts on the road too.
We arrived in the centre of Wickham around midday and made our way into the side entrance of the King's Head where we found a safe haven for our cycles while we popped inside to enjoy a refreshing pint and Eggs Benedict for lunch. We were almost the first customers and that was good as we got served relatively quickly. We sat in a window seat and had a good view of the activity in the square and the charming window boxes of winter pansies.

Note the CTC Badge on the top left hand side of the pub.

We sat in the window to the right of the doorway.

Eventually we decided it was time to start our return journey. More surprises in store, not only for Simon but for me too, It transpired that I had chosen a route from Wickham to Knowle Business Park along a Private Road. We chose to follow it anyway and apart from the sleeping policemen every 100 yds or so and numerous potholes it was fine!!!
After Knowle we were back on proper roads once more and discovered my Garmin route took us along some new lanes with some very nice houses dotted along the way. 
We passed through Waltham Heath and Swanmore before stopping for refreshment in Bishop's Waltham.
The sun was well out now and we found it was very pleasant sitting on a wall in the sunshine.
The final 12 miles beckoned, they were through Upham and over the Downs past Milbury's. From the crest of the hill here I did not pedal until after I'd passed through Beauworth. I had hoped to get all the way to the A272 but the flat stretch just after the village slowed me to a stop and I had to pedal just 50 yards or so. Seems I need a following wind to help.
When I got to the A272 Simon was waiting wondering why I was so slow over the last half mile.
The rest of the ride was routine and I arrived home just before 3.30 p.m.

A most pleasant day out with some new experiences and roads. Thanks Simon for your company and the beer.

A check on our climbing revealed that we had climbed 1.918 feet. Interestingly more than on the Gridiron 67 miles which only had 1,653 feet. No wonder we were both a tad tired by the end.

Here are our map and data for the day.

Map and data for the day.

A big plus point for me was a number of PBs on Strava.

GRIDIRONMAN.

After the Sublime the Cor Blimey! HCMF ride to The Sun, Bentworth & A Circuit of Four Marks & Candover Valley

Thursday 16th October 2014.

Busy messing about early on so was not ready when Simon called to join me for the ride to the HCMF meet. I had forgotten to reinforce Sporty's damaged tyre from the puncture last week . Of course Simon was very helpful finishing putting the tyre back on while I got changed into cycle gear.

We took a loop through the Candover Valley and past Bradley to the Sun Inn in Bentworth. A nice gentle ride compared to our manic dash last Sunday. 

At the pub we found many of the usual riders including David, Richard and groups from both Fleet and Alton. It was good to hear about the experiences of Janice, Dan and others on the Gridiron. It seems that they must have been tracking just behind us all day.

We had a bad experience with the beer which tasted sour but the bar maid replaced our pints with a different brand which tasted much better. The food was very tasty I'm pleased to say.

With rain threatening we did not linger long and as we set off for home we did encounter some very light showers. This influenced our homeward route, hence the relatively low mileage for the day.

The worst thing that happened was when I got home I discovered my Garmin record had been corrupted and I had to re-plot the route by hand. Fortunately the overall mileage and time recorded were correct.

Map and Data for the Day.

Sunday 19th October 2014.
Simon and I had planned to ride together on Saturday but with other matters intervening together with the wet start to the day we changed our minds.

Fortunately I was able to fit in a ride on Sunday instead.
Jean's little House Elf had been busy in the morning with a little light shopping and cooking lunch so had some free time in the afternoon.
I planned to ride to Bishop's Waltham and had just reached Beauworth when my phone rang. It was a minor emergency at home so I returned to sort out the problem. Once done I decided to take a different route and headed out to the East via Ropley to Four Marks.
From here I climbed to Medstead, the highest point of the day, and thence through Lower Wield and Bradley to the Candover valley.
The weather was absolutely beautiful and it was so warm I was wearing less than I'd done on many days in the summer.
Here is a view from Lower Wield, not much sign of autumn  looks more like high summer!

View looking northwards from Lower Wield,  

I was amused by this sign spotted in Bradley.

No Comment!

It was such a lovely day I had to take a few more pictures including a selfie. (a first for me).

The lovely Spire of Preston Candover Church.

Me!

One for Isabel.

The wind was quite strong and as I paused to take the sheep picture I was passed by another cyclist from North Waltham. I upped my pace to catch up with him and followed in his wind shadow for a mile or so before coming alongside to chat with him. He was riding a very smart mountain bike but was pedaling at about twice my rate to keep the heavy tyres turning. So glad I have now got Posh!

He left me at the Woolpack in Totford to climb the hill whilst I continued to Swarraton where I attacked that hill to Abbotstone Common with gusto determined to set a new PB. I managed to do so. Only 17 secs quicker but still a good result!

My route and data for the day

Just 55 miles covered in the week, but a different kind of enjoyment to last week's.


Best Wishes to you all,

Gridironman.

Gridiron 2014 & Thursday warm up.

Thursday 9th October 2014 Simon and I braved the strong wind and threat of heavy showers and set off for a training warm up for the big event of my year THE GRIDIRON, my "nom de velo" inspiration. 
I first rode it in 2008 with my friend PinkPal. We were admittedly 4 days late as the weather was so poor on the day we postponed our ride until the following Thursday. A good decision as the weather was glorious and we sat outside for lunch in the sunshine at the White Hart in Cadnam. 
Since then I have ridden it most years with various friends and last year on my own. Here are the details:

Gridiron over the years:
Year	Miles	Overall time	Moving time	Av Mov Speed	Av Elap Speed
2008	60.25	7:00:00	5:05:05	11.9	8.6
2009	60.40	7:09:00	5:27:30	11.6	8.4
2010	61.00	5:30:00	4:40:58	13.0	11.1
2011	63.15	5:50:00	5:01:59	12.5	10.8
2012	62.70	6:30:00	4:58:15	12.8	9.6
2013	63.53	5:25:36	4:51:47	13.1	11.7
2014	66.34	5:34:16	4:43:35	14.2	11.9

As you can see there has been some variation in the distance due to changes in the route. This year a very different course, officially 66.6 miles long. 

Back to Thursday. The HCMF meet we were aiming to join was at the Globe in Alresford so we had chosen to follow PinkPal's Warnford training route, quite a hilly one so a good test.

Here is my record of our slightly different route together with our times. 

PinkPal has set us a very high standard. Our time was about 30 mins more than hers. 

Excuses :

1. Very strong gusty winds.

2. I was riding Sporty rather than Posh (a 1 mph handicap?)

3. I had a puncture! (Simon as always a true friend fixing it for me)

4. We were saving ourselves for Sunday!

Pathetic isn't it.

We both enjoyed the ride despite the very blustery conditions and puncture and had a very pleasant meeting in The Globe with our other cycling friends. (This and the puncture account for the major difference between the Moving Time and the Elapsed Time).

The only rain we encountered was just as we arrived at The Globe and whilst we were inside it poured!

Sunday October 12th. The Gridiron.

Woke at 6.20 and was at Simon's in plenty of time for our 7.30 start. Sarah arrived soon afterwards and we loaded the bikes on the car and set off for Lymington. Most of the traffic on the way seemed to have bicycles strapped onto the back or an the roof or stuffed inside.

It seems that a large part of our route was the same as a Wiggle ride.  
Having parked the car and signed in we set off at 8.46 a.m.
We were joined by two friends of Sarah's who had not entered for the Audax. After few miles we left them behind as the threat of rain in the afternoon meant we were anxious to press on.
We made exceptional time to the first check point at the village hall in Boldre. Just over an hour and three minutes for the 15.7 miles. Well it was fairly flat and we were fresh.
Now the harder work started as we continued north through Brockenhurst. There were masses of other riders about some going slower some going faster, a right mixture of Gridiron and Wiggle riders.
The gentle rise through the ornamental drive lulled us into a false sense of security which was soon dashed as we climbed Bolderwood. This included our steepest slope of the day at 9%. Sarah and Simon were mostly leading, with yours truly just about managing to keep in contact, though the elastic did stretch a bit at times.
The hardest part of the ride for me was the almost flat mile or so across the old airfield into a strong headwind. I really struggled to keep the others in sight. When we turned west along the road towards Godshill matters were different. With a spell on the drops and a tail wind Simon and I were travelling at over 20 mph for a spell and Sarah had disappeared into the distance as she enjoyed herself.
We seemed to be passing or to be passed by a large group from Bognor Regis it was enjoyable chatting to some of them.
We arrived at the second check point soon afterwards and having registered we sat outside the very crowded hall to enjoy a coffee and some other refreshments. 

My Two Pals enjoying the welcome break.

Now was my turn to lead, (Downhill and along the flat of course.) We were soon past Ringwood and climbing the hills again. The wind was against us and it had gone colder. The forecast rain approaching?

We circumnavigated Burley and were out into the open part of the forest with some ups and downs before we were once again in Brockenhurst. A different route back to Lymington beckoned and we crossed our outward route near Boldre. From here only a few more miles with the steep hill in the town centre to negotiate before we were back at the final check in.

The reward for our good speed was we beat the rain which reached Alresford whilst I was enjoying a relaxing bath and a celebratory glass of red wine.

We three!.
Don't look too bad considering we'd just ridden over 66 miles.

 A fantastically enjoyable day out. Thanks Sarah and Simon for riding with me and inspiring me to set a new PB for the Gridiron and for the ride to and from the start.


I've just checked Winchester Strava Group and find I'm 4th out of 13 for the number of miles in the week. I also set a good Ritmo rating of 19.5. (I'm normally 23 to 24)

Here are the map and details for the ride.

It was nice to see Alton CTC represented by Janice and Dan Montgomerie, Mark and another rider (Andy?). Didn't see anyone else from Winchester, though I expect there were some taking part.

Gridironman!

Naomi House Plains Challenge.

Last ride before the main event of the week was with Simon to the HCMF meet at the White Lion, Wherwell on Thursday 2nd October 2014. 

We had a good start to the ride as I set a new Personal Best for the segment from the eastern end of Drove Lane to the top of Mollie's Dismount. 

Simon's Raleigh.

Simon was riding his Raleigh which he has owned since he bought it as new many years ago. It is quite heavy and he found it hard work climbing the hill. But, he still led me!
Here are his comments about it.


The basic bike starts off at about 30 lbs - Raleigh frames are built with heavy gauge Reynolds tubing - probably the forerunner to 531ST or Tourist. Adding a Brooks saddle ups the weight as well, the triple chainset - even the block with its 34 large sprocket must be well over half a kilo, and yes the bag was full of wet weather gear as this is the CTC Winter bike. What many folks don't realise when they buy very lightweight bikes is that a Litre bottle filled with water weighs a Kilo or 2.2 lbs!

We had a very good ride both to the pub and back home afterwards riding some familiar routes and managing a couple of minor variations.

About two dozen members at the pub enjoying some very good food and to make the day perfect Alan Sharpen treated us all to a drink as it was a major birthday for him.

The most exciting event on the way home was when a squirrel ran across the road in front of me. He was so close that he flipped his tail over his back to avoid having it run over. Much to the relief of both of us he succeeded.

Thanks Simon for your good company on the ride.

Sunday 5th October 2014.

Drove to The Wellington Academy at Ludgershall to take part in the Naomi House Plain Cycle Challenge.

As I arrived I spotted Sarah M. who had just unloaded her bike and joined her for a coffee while we waited for the start of the 60 km route. We had a good chat about her recent holiday in Scotland before we set off at the head of the group. We almost made it to Perham Down before the faster guys started to come past. I told Sarah to carry on at her own pace and not to wait for me if I lagged.  I did manage to tag along with Sarah and a small group for about the first five miles but they gradually pulled away and by the time I got to Chute Causeway I was on my own. As I rode along the Causeway I chatted with some other riders on off road bikes who were on a different ride complete with numbers. I also rode for a short way with an elderly gentleman who was just doing his own thing.

A fast descent on the north side of the downs took us close to the Windmill at Wilton before we had to pay for the favourable gradient.  Wexcombe hill a category 4 hill of about 10%. challenged us and I managed to ride it. Near the top I stopped to take a picture of an unusual building. What is it?

Kathy Purkiss has identified this as a reservoir. 

I have tried to read the inscription over the door but can't make it out.

I was soon at the feed station and half way check point to meet Sarah just leaving. We had a brief word and then she was on her way again while I topped up my fluids and had a delicious chocolate muffin. (Thanks Elaine!) I had the opportunity to chat with other riders before I was soon underway again enjoying the much drier weather than last year when I nearly drowned! 

The rest of the ride was something of a doddle after the hills we had encountered earlier until there were two very short but very sharp hills one just before  Netheravon the other just after. I hate those hills they are worse than the one from the cantre of Tidworth to Perham Down.

Back at the Academy I just missed being able to say cheerio to Sarah as she drove away as i was emerging from the final check point. 

Sarah at the Finish .
(Well that's a much better picture than one of me!)

A great day out with a number of roads ridden I'd never ever been on before.

The route and data:

 When I checked Sarah's Garmin record i found she had completed the course in 12 mins 30 secs less than me and consequently had averaged just 1 mph faster..

Well done Sarah!

Thanks to Simon and his team for a very well run event and for his permission to include one of his pictures in my blog.