I drove to Poppies in Timsbury to join a group to ride to the Alice Lisle Pub, near Moyles Court. Our leader had chosen a picturesque route but one which was challenging with West Dean Hill being the toughest climb of the day.
The weather was grey and misty at first but gradually brightened up with sunshine later on.
We made steady progress until we came to "that hill". Here Simon showed his fitness zooming up the hill on his Holdsworth. He says he had to keep going fast because of the high gearing!
For us lesser mortals it was more of a struggle. I thought I'd run out of breath but I just managed to keep going and was not last up the hill! After a suitable pause to get our breathe back we descended to Whiteparish. The road to the village was pretty rough and caution needed to be exercised. We continued to Downton before turning south towards Woodgreen. We took a loop along a small lane which turned out to have an even worse surface than the earlier one. It also had a couple of very steep little humps to contend with.
Another climb to Godshill and then an easier section along the valley through Stuckton, Frogham and the Gorleys, Past Moyles Court to the pub.The biggest hazard along this road was the numerous local inhabitants dotted all over the place. Here is one waiting for her daily pint!
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| A regular at the Alice Lisle! |
We were in plenty of time for lunch and as the pub was very quiet we were soon served and enjoyed a very tasty lunch.
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| Outside the Alice Lisle. Simon with his 1965 Holdsworth, identical to the one he rode as a teenager some years ago.
Our return journey to Poppies was along more familiar roads. Near The Red Shoot Inn I heard a spotted woodpecker drumming a couple of times.
We climbed out of the valley onto the open part of the Forest across the WW2 airfield of Stoney Cross. The breeze was in our faces now but relishing the challenge I took the lead for a mile or two. I was spurred on by those behind who were sheltering on my back wheel. Of course I paid for it later when we neared Romsey and had to climb back over the ridge to Poppies.
It was a most enjoyable day's ride once more with good friends.
A big thanks to all especially our leader for the day on such a challenging route.
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Thursday 19th March 2015. HCMF Meet at the Brushmakers', Upham.
After Tuesday's ride I was content to have a relatively short one to Upham. I was joined by Simon, whose own description of the day was as follows:
"Bryce and I rode to the Brushmakers Arms in Upham today to meet up with the Cycling Fellowship group - only my second time this year! Only about 25 miles, but we are both saving ourselves for the Phil Hampton Memorial ride this Saturday which with cycling to the start and back should be approaching 70 miles. Then on Sunday I'm riding a VCC event starting in Fishbourne which should add another 35 miles on my recently acquired fixed gear 1946 Hetchins Super Special, which thanks to Bob Damper and a gift of a 19 tooth sprocket has bought the gear ratio down to a manageable 68 inch. Knowing the ride would be short today I took out my 1947 Pemberton Arrow, which represents the ultimate in steel lightweight equipment which peaked in the late 40's as alloy components became the trend. It has many rare and very delicate components the whole bike weighs about 22lbs. But with that comes the risk of breakages so I did wear my helmet for most of the ride - thankfully nothing broke but a few adjustments were made on route. It was a pleasant surprise to meet John Heath on route also to the meeting and between Bryce and John they selected some rather steep hills to test me and the bikes Durax cranks (which are about the diameter of my little finger) as I 'honked' off saddle using my bottom 60 inch gear of just 4!!"
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| Some action shots of the day. Saturday 21st March 2015. The Phil Hampton Memorial Ride. |
After seeing the forecast on Friday evening I was expecting to ride Sporty. However when I woke on Saturday morning I found it was bright and sunny with a modified forecast which gave no promise of rain; so once more Posh was the choice for the day.
Simon joined me at 9 o'clock to ride to Medstead and the start point for the event. Unfortunately after 3 miles, in Bighton village, Simon's rear tyre blew out with a big bang. He phoned his wife asking her to bring a replacement rear wheel but unfortunately the one she brought was not suitable so Simon decided to abandon. I had meanwhile ridden on and was at the village hall in plenty of time to sign in and have a coffee and a chat with the other riders. Some sixty or so where taking part, over 40 on the 50 mile route.
After a photo shoot we set off just after 10. I managed to keep up with the leaders for the first mile or so but at the first little hill I was dropped. I rode alone through Bentworth and Burkham and then on the hill up to Herriard I was passed by 5 riders. Namely, Frank, Mark A., Mike and two others I did not recognise. I managed to tuck in behind them and we were soon in Upton Gray. Once more I was left behind on the hill out of the village but when I reached Tunworth Mike, who had also been dropped, was waiting for me at the junction into the village. We rode together for the rest of the day. (Thanks Mike for you company and kindness.)
Once we had passed over the M3 and crossed the A30 I was on unfamiliar roads so it was fortunate that Mike had ridden the route before and had the details on his bar top. He guided me through the labyrinthine lanes and roads, including for a while a dedicated cycle route. We were joined by a rider from Guildford who was having problems with following the route as it was recorded on his Garmin unit in the reverse direction. We were making excellent time here on the flatter part of the course averaging nearly 14 mph for the day so far. I commented that it was unlikely we would be able to keep that up.
I recognised one or two roads here having ridden to Silchester on a previous ride, but it was good to ride others I'd never been on before. A short break for drinks and a banana for me before we passed through Ramsdell. Then we were on the hill to Ibworth which was a good test for our legs. Once through the village it was a speedy descent to Deane, then across the Whitchurch to Basingstoke road and into Oakley. Shortly after we met Mark A. who was coming the other way. He had decided to rejoin us having been separated from the other three who had left us behind earlier in the day.
After we'd crossed the A30 I stopped to eat and drink again and was passed by the three riders who had been with Mark. they must have stopped for a coffee or other refreshments somewhere.
The little old legs were getting tired now after some 40+ miles and I took it easy as I rode down the hill the Axford. Here I discovered Mike, who once more had waited for me. I was glad of his company as we rode those last ten miles. In the lane between Old Alresford and Bighton we were caught by Frank who had diverted to Jolly Ollie's in Oakley for a coffee. The three of us found those last miles quite tough as apart from the hill to Lyeway there was a strong northerly breeze in our faces as we returned to Medstead.
It was a great relief to be finally at the finish and I was delighted to discover that my time was well inside the 4.5 hours I'd aimed for at just under 4 hrs 20 mins with an average speed of 12.3 mph.
Nature Notes:
1. Heard a spotted woodpecker drumming.
2. Lots of noise from the rooks and jackdaws as they were about their business of nest building in many places.
3. Celandines, primroses and daffodils brightening up the verges, the snowdrops almost completely finished.
4. Some flowering fruit trees beginning to show their colours but the hedgerows still showing little signs of greening.
5. Sadly a dead badger.
Back at the hall there was a excellent choice of rolls & cakes to enjoy while we recounted tales of derring do and gave my tired legs a chance to recover for the last 6 or so miles home.
A fantastic day, I enjoyed the challenge of a special event and was pleased I'd achieved my aims. Very sorry that Simon had not been able to share it with me.
A very big thanks to the Alton CTC and especially Janice and Dan for their hard work in organising the day and providing those delicious refreshments.
For those interested in record keeping here is one of my graphs:-
It was another over the "ton" week for me. Simon has been out today on a veterans' ride. Has he done enough to wrest the coveted Ton Up Kid badge from me?
Best wishes to all,
For those interested in record keeping here is one of my graphs:-
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| Chart of my cumulative mileage. Compared to last year and my 3,000 mile target.I can't quite believe I will manage to keep it up! |
Best wishes to all,
GRIDIRONMAN.
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