Early Spring 50 (Alresford Groupetta Variation)

Sun, 16 Feb 2014 10:15 

I left home soon after 10 a.m. to follow the course of Early Spring 50,  but I started and finished in Alresford. 

There had been some overnight frost and one or two puddles were icy but the roads were fine by this time.

The official start was at the Queen's Head, Fishers' Pond at 9.30 a.m. and I thought that by 10.15 the first riders would be coming through Alresford so I would be able to ride with some of them. My plan worked. Within a few miles I had been caught and passed by about 15 riders. I rode on the wheel of one of them for a while but as soon as we got to Armsworth Hill I could not keep up. 

Twice as I climbed I heard a woodpecker drumming, from different directions. Was it one or two?
Later I heard a green woodpecker calling. Lots of other birds about enjoying the better  weather.

Many cyclists coming the other way. Two very large groups, I estimated about 20 in one and even more in another. Plenty of solo riders and couples too. Along the way there was much evidence of the recent storms with sawn up fragments of trees littering the verges as well as complete trees lying in the woods and fields. Fortunately the roads were largely clear of debris.

More riders came by and I chatted with some, others were intent on putting in a good time and sped past. At Bentworth three riders asked me where the coffee stop was. I told them there was no official stop but they could get coffee at the Lasham Gliding Club. 

From Herriard I made good progress and as I rode into Preston Candover I was caught by Jim and we had a short discussion about the flooding in the Candover Valley. He told me that the amended route had been further amended to avoid the flooding in Brown Candover, but he did not tell me what the amendment was, so when I got to the junction turning down to the village I decided to stick to Sue's first amendment. There was certainly a lot of spring water rushing across and along the road but it was only a few inches deep and by riding on the right hand side of the road I was able to miss a lot of it. A couple of other riders had also decided to follow this route.

I must say that by the time I got to the top of Mollie's Dismount I was tempted to take the short route home which was now only a couple of miles away, but I resisted. In Itchen Stoke I was even nearer only one mile but still I was determined to carry on. 

Caroline's Ford was not much deeper than normal and I rode through it.

There had been many snowdrops along the way and I paused to to admire them and take a breather by the Bush Inn before climbing Gander Down.

The surprisingly normal looking tributary of the Itchen with snowdrop decoration. 

I met up with more riders as I climbed the down. One had had a puncture and his mates were helping by standing by and not interfering, though they did comment it was taking a long time to fix!

The last few miles to the official finish were soon covered and I was greeted by a surprised Sue as I had not entered officially. I took a break, enjoyed a pint of beer and chatted to John and Madge who were recording the finishers' times. 

Eventually I tore myself away, climbed back on the bike and headed for Alresford and home. For me this was the hardest part of the ride as I was getting tired and suffered from the burn in my thighs.

Near Upham I smelt the sweet smell of pig and as I rounded the corner I was greeted by this view of Pig City with one of the residents enjoying the sunshine.

Pig City

Only a few more miles now and I was home in 5 hrs 25 mins,Hmm! Not good enough to beat the standard allowance of 5 hrs. I blame John for chatting and that tasty refreshing pint! But Hey! I did not wimp out and take the much easier way through Alresford missing the Brown Candover floods, the hills from Totford and Abbotstone and the Ford. I covered 52 miles too.

My map for the day:

Thanks Sue, for organizing such an enjoyable ride once again, and of course to your helpers, especially John and Madge who kept me entertained at the Queen's Head.

Gridironman.

HCMF Meet at Warnford

Thursday 13th February 2014.

Because of this extreme weather I had not been out on my bike since Feb 2nd, but today it was dry and sunny so I thought it was time to get some more exercise and add a few miles to my total for the year.

I set off to check out some of the likely problem areas for Sunday's Early Spring 50. First I headed towards Cheriton avoiding my usual Tichborne route as I knew this would be flooded. When I got there I found the Itchen was mainly contained within its banks except for a small area near the new bridge which replaced the one washed away in the last bad floods of 2001 Here for about 40 yards there was a stream of water about 2 ins deep crossing the road. Easily manageable!

More surface water near the junction with the A272. I noticed too that the A272 towards Petersfield was closed to through traffic, so I guess the road was flooded in Bramdean. 

A mile or so further on the Source of the Itchen was discharging copious volumes across the road to a depth of about 6 ins. Surprisingly the river itself was still within its banks.

Most of the water was beautifully clear indicating that it is from springs and not run off. The usually flooded corner in Kilmeston was dry today. I headed over Beacon Hill and down the narrow lane to Exton, taking care to avoid debris in the road. More surface spring water here but not very deep. The main road (A32) to Warnford was drier than it had been 11 days ago.

When I got the the RV, the George & Falcon, I found Angela in the car park in her car and we joined Charles and Frank in the pub. Later we were pleased to welcome Bob who had walked down Beacon Hill to join us. He had in fact spotted me as I rode past him at the car park at the top of the Hill but I had not noticed him. It was good to see him out and about again. Where were all the other members of HCMF?

All too soon it was time to set off for home. I accompanied Charles, circumnavigating a very large puddle, as we headed for Wheeley Down. There was quite a strong breeze in our faces and we made slow progress up the hill and along to The Milbury's. At the top of Lane End Down we parted company with Charles heading for Owslebury while I crossed the A272 and descended Gander Down to Ovington. No problems with flooding here except I noticed just west of the village a significant puddle in the dip. Fortunately I was not going that way. I did however go through the ford, again to check it for Sumday's 50. It was higher than usual but I rode through it with no problem other than getting me feet a little splashed. The footbridge was well clear of the water. 

I was home by 2.30 p.m. just in time for a slice of pizza which my wife was just taking out of the oven.

Here are my route and data for the day.

Gridironman.

Solo ride to Soberton

Only one ride last week and it's not looking good for many this week. 

On Sunday 2nd February I took advantage of the lovely sunny morning and set off for an amble on my own. I headed out of town towards Bishops Sutton as I wanted to see why that road was closed to cars, hoping it was possible to get through on bike. It was. Here is a picture of the reason why it was impassable to motor vehicles.

Road works between Alresford and Bishops Sutton

The underlying reason for the work being to lay electric cables from the electric sub station on the Alresford side of the bridge to connect with the new solar panel arrays on White Hill.

Once I'd satisfied my curiosity I headed for West Meon via Bramdean Common. Taking advantage of the greatly improved weather were many other cyclists. During my ride I must have passed around 70: one large group of around a dozen passed me going in the opposite direction. 

The roads had been clear so far with much evidence of recently cleared fallen trees in many places. On the floor of the Meon valley there was a lot of surface water in the fields, spilling out onto the roads. I took the back roads through the villages of Exton, Carhampton & Meonstoke fording a number of deep puddles before continuing past the old station at Droxford to Soberton. Here I paused for refreshment in a sheltered spot and to bask in the warm sunshine out of the cool breeze. 

My way home was via Swanmore and Bishops Waltham and I was glad of the tail wind as I was beginning to flag a little. I rode a short way behind another cyclist but couldn't hold the wheel for long. The swoop down to Beauworth is great fun and I achieved my top speed of the day here.

Cheriton was free of any surface water but Tichborne made up for that with two flooded areas. One near the entrance to Tichborne House the other just before reaching the A31 bridge over the lane. Here for about 100 metres the road was up to my bottom bracket. (I.E. about a foot deep). It was necessary to keep pedalling so of course my feet and legs were soaked, but, Hey! I was nearly home so what the heck!

Here is a car coming through that flood:

Yep! It's a road not a river.

I was home and in a warm shower within another ten minutes so did not get cold from my wetting.

For the record here is my map for the day:

Gridironman

Squall like no other and Fallen Trees.

A very exciting and scary end to my week riding back from Lasham Garden Centre on Saturday 25th January. I had been for a ride with the Alton CTC to Dummer and we had tea at the Avenue Garden Centre. As I left the wind had greatly increased in strength and was making it hard work as I pedalled back to the junction to Lasham Village, but this was nothing to what I experienced as I turned the corner. I had to pedal hard to go downhill and almost came to a stop in one gust. It was a litle more sheltered in the valley but as I climbed past the industrial estate at the edge of Lasham the strength intensified. Tremendous noise of banging and crashing coming from the yard as anything loose was blown about. I was showered with broken twigs and had to avoid some serious debris. As I passed a gap in the hedge I was almost blown off Sporty. I sheltered in the lee of a large beech hedge for a while hoping the wind would abate and took the opportunity to phone Jean to tell her I might be late home. I was quite frightened by the strength of the wind (gale force 9?) and did consider abandoning and asking my daughter to come and fetch me in the car, but decided to carry on. A large branch crashed to the road about thirty yards away. (I had taken care not to stop under large trees). I set off again and found the going a little easier in the valley between Lasham and Bentworth. At the top of the hill a car passed me and stopped to allow two men to jump out and remove a large broken branch from the road.

Good Samaritans Clearing Up.

As I rode I kept a sharp eye on the trees beside the road and noticed they were less agitated and concluded it was safe to continue. Half way between  Bentworth and Wield, riding along a road we'd ridden earlier in the day, I came up behind a reversing car. As I rode past the driver said rather crossly "Can't you see there's a fallen tree across the road!" I said "Yes!" and continued. 

The Offending Fallen Tree.

I was able to scramble over the base of it and lug my bike over. I met two more cars shortly after and told them to turn back. The wind had dropped now to a fairly modest breeze but the power of the earlier squall was made evident between Lower and Upper Wield where I had to negotiate another 5 large fallen trees and many smaller ones which had blown down across the road. 

Three of the many fallen trees.

As you can see it was getting dark by now but thankfully the worst was over and I only had a few more partial road blockages to deal with. Near Armsworth I paused to consult with a farmer driving a Land Rover coming the other way and we exchanged details of the blockages ahead. Eventually I arrived home in the dark around 5.30 p.m. Good job I'd taken my lights!

Earlier we had met in sunshine in Alton and 19 of us had set off in two groups. Eight in the fast group led by Frank and eleven in the slower one led by Malcolm.

The Riders at the Start.

 Naturally I was in the latter. Malcolm took us out of the town through a park and along a way I'd not been before. We then rode along the main road towards Odiham for about a mile before turning up a very steep hill towards Shalden. I ran out of puff and had to walk for about 100 yards. 

Here is my map for the day from which you can see we had a very interesting if somewhat tortuous route to Dummer.

Map and Data for the Day.

 We encountered this large puddle near Lower Wield.

Puddle near Lower Wield

As we neared Dummer Malcolm suggested an alternative off road route into the village which several riders took. I said I would prefer to stick to the road and we split into two groups. We arrived in the village near the church almost at the same time, but soon afterwards Richard had a flat tyre. (Was it a puncture picked up on the off road route?)

Malcolm suggested that instead of us all waiting while the puncture was fixed some should continue to the the Garden centre for tea. Three of us did but the others were not far behind.

Many thanks malcolm for a very enjoyable if rather hilly ride and also to Janice for the pictures of the riders at the CC and en route.

Earlier in the week on Thursday 23rd January, I had had a much gentler ride to the HCMF meet at the Hoddington Arms in Upton Grey.

When I got there at 12.20 p.m. much to my surprise there was not a single bike outside. Had I made a mistake? Was the meet elsewhere? Just as I was trying to phone home to find out Roger appeared, shortly followed by seven riders from Fleet. 

Inside we found Angela who had come to join us by car. So in the end a merry little band somewhat smaller than usual with no one from Alton, or South Hampshire apart from Angela and me.

Looking back it was all somewhat mundane compared with Saturday's day out!

For the record here is my map and data:

Gridironman.

HCMF Meet at The Sun, Bentworth and The Departure Lounge with Steve & Co.

Summary of my ride on:

Thu, 16 Jan 2014 10:17 Western European Time By gridironmanbmActivity Type: Cycling | Event Type: Uncategorized | Course: --Sunshine and showers, some heavy but I managed to dodge those. Strong southerly breeze.

Despite the forecast of heavy showers I decided to take my chances and ride to the meet at Bentworth. As usual for a nearby rendez-vous I opted for an indirect route, heading over the hill past Abbotstone Common and along the Candover Valley. For once I was mounted on Tiny my Giant Hybrid.

It was raining in several places and I saw a couple of rainbows but I only felt a couple of spots of rain. The Candover brook was very full and the roads were puddled in places but the riding was easy as I had a strong tail breeze.

At Axford I turned East to Herriard enjoying a spot of shortlived sunshine. Lots of finches in one area and robins singing in many places. As always plenty of rooks and jackdaws. I spotted a small bird of prey sitting on an electric pole but each time I got close it flew from one electric pole to the next, so I never got really close enough to identify it, it seemed too small to be a kestrel and I have never before seen a kestrel do this. Perhaps it was a male as they are smaller than the female.(Suggestions welcome!)

I was tempted to stop for coffee at the Gliding Club but resisted and continued past the Avenue Garden Centre to Shalden. The very rough lane into the village.and the headwind made progress a little harder but soon I was across the A339 and climbing the hill to the pub.

Janice arrived just as I was locking my bike and we discovered that there were only a modest number of other riders present. including Charles who I'd passed earlier on my ride going in the opposite direction! No doubt he had also ridden an indirect route.

It was great to chat with Janice who I'd not seen for some time and catch up with her news. However, all too soon it was time to get moving again and as we were leaving several more riders arrived from Fleet, also Don the only other rider from South Hampshire.

Wanting to visit Owen's bike shop I headed for Four Marks arriving there at a good time to shelter from the heaviest shower of rain of the day. I popped into M&S too.

Once the rain had ceased I set off for home, choosing another indirect route via Lyeway, Monkwood, West Tisted and Woodlands. I arrived home around 3 o'clock completely dry!

A very satisfying day out despite the showers.

Sunday 19th January I rode to the Departure Lounge Cafe just outside Alton to meet my Son in Law Steve with his two pals, Keith & Pete. 

It was a very good day for riding despite the bright sunshine reflecting from the road making it hard to see the puddles in places. 

Here is my route and data for the day.

Steve and Co. rode from Winchester whilst I rode a different route from Alresford. We managed to arrive at the cafe at almost the same time. 

After toasted tea cakes and tea or coffee we split and made our own ways home.

One of the joys at this time of year on sunny days is the way trees are silhouetted against the bright sky as in this picture taken near Hilltingley. 

Gridironman.

To Leckford Estate with Barrie & Co. and a Solo Ride to Popham

Two enjoyable rides this past week. The first on Thursday with Barrie & Co. I rode to join them at the start at Stoke Charity. I left home just before nine o'clock and was there in plenty of time. Ninya was already there and soon we were joined by Barrie, Graham, Karen & Jo and Ian. Then just as we were about to set off Brenda appeared.

We decided to keep to the larger road to Sutton Scotney as the lanes were very muddy with a lot of debris. We were soon somewhat spread out as some of us wanted a slower pace, with Ninya and I bringing up the rear. This was fine and as we knew where we were going and when we got to the cafe we discovered that Karen and Jo who had been in the lead had gone the wrong way and decided to continue homweward.

After the break I decided not to return to Stoke Charity with the others but to continue into Longstock and then return to Kings Worthy via Leckford and Crawley. Climbing the hill after the Leckford Hut I paused to take this picture of the Old Man's Beard and was joined by Graham who had also decided to take this route.

Old Man's Beard Adorning the Hedgerows.

As I descended to Headbourne Worthy I took this picture of my daughter's house peeping through the trees, using the telephoto setting. It is nearly a mile away.

An Unusual View of "Westwinds"

.

.

The Maternity Ward.

As I had plenty of time I decided to take the picturesque way home through Avingdon where I saw this field with about 200 ewes in it, waiting for their lambs to be born.

My Map for the Day.

Saturday 11th January I had planned to join Darren and his merry band but I did an "Alex", failed to get up in time! It sounds as though I missed a great ride. I'm told that 18 took part. 

Of course I couldn't not go out on such a lovely day so I started late (11.30) and went to Popham Airfield for an all day breakfasr.

There was a lot of activity. Several of the planes flying had open cockpits!

This is one which I watched start up taxi and then take off.

I later had two very interesting chats with the local postman who had stopped for his breakfast too, and with one of the pilots.

Preparing for Take Off.
(Spot the other plane just landing)

On my way home I went under the  A303 just managing to keep my feet dry by walking along the side of this huge puddle!

Under the A303 near Popham Airfield.

It was the best weather we've had for cycling for ages! Sunny and not too cold

Saturday's Map.

 HAPPY CYCLING !

GRIDIRONMAN

Lasham Circuit.

Welcome to my 2014 blog! 

I did manage one more ride in 2013 on Saturday, December 28th.

This brought my total miles for the year to 3,367.

My route was south to Bishop's Waltham. I choose to use the back lane from Beauworth Village to The Milbury's. This is much quieter and is less steep than the main road. 

One of several fallen trees encountered on my ride.

As I descended Beeches hill through the village of Ashton, on impulse, I decided to investigate Little Ahton Lane. The lane was almost blocked by a fallen tree but I managed to squeeze past it and was soon into the hamlet of Dean. I turned back towards B.W. and enjoyed a very different view of Ashton on the hill above me. 

From B.W. I headed east to Swanmore  and then north through Upper Swanmore towards Beacon Hill. I caught up with another cyclist and we rode together for a couple of miles before he turned of to return to B.W.

Once over Beacon Hill I made good speed home arriving there almost on the dot of one. Perfect timing for lunch and then to sit and watch sport.

Anyone interested can see my Garmin record for the day here:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/420659842

Today, January 2nd, I enjoyed my first ride of the year in bright sunshine. I needed my peaked cap under my helmet to shade my eyes from the low sun.

The other members of the Alresford Groupetta were all busy with other matters, like work! So, I rode on my own over very familiar roads. 

The rooks and jackdaws were very active and I saw a red kite near Preston Candover. A  few robins singing too. Apart from a few delivery vans the country roads were very quiet and I only saw about 15 other cyclists. 

I called at the Lasham Gliding Club for a coffee and chatted with a motorcyclist before returning home via Bentworth, Medstead, Four Marks and Ropley.

Here are my map and data for the day:

A very pleasant ride to kick off the new year, not too demanding.

Gridironman.

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.