HCMF Meet at Dummer. Via Bradley, Ellisfield and Hatch Warren and Chasing the Winchester CTC Riders.

Last Sunday 26th October I managed to squeeze in another short ride to King's Worthy and return via Easton, Avington and Ovington.  Too mundane to require a map and data! However what was interesting was the comparison of the two routes, to and from KW. On the B3047 my average speed was 14.1 mph whilst the hilly route back through Easton, Avington and Ovington it was only 12.1 mph.

Thursday 30th October was another very mild day and although it started rather grey it did brighten up later so I was able to enjoy another ride, mainly on my own as my pal Simon was busy working on a bike ready for his Vets Ride on Sunday next.

I decided to reverse the route we'd ridden last time we had met at Dummer and head there via The Candover Valley, Bradley and Ellisfield. When I got to the turning for Farleigh Wallop I decided to change my route and continue down the hill to Cliddesden. here I crossed the B3046 and climbed over the ridge to Hatch Warren.

Near Sainsbury's Store I followed a cycle path into Beggarwood Park before joining the A30. I rode along that to the motorway junction and after another half a mile I was at the Queen in Dummer. 

Here I found a modest number of riders. A few from Southampton, Eastleigh and Chandlers Ford, and five from Fleet. Don and Angela from Winchester and David, Richard and Laurence from the Tadley area. Many of them had a go at my "guess my mileage" competition which is now getting underway in aid of "Forever Angels Baby Home". So far £12.90 in the pool.

After a pleasant hour or so I set off for home, but not wanting to go the shortest way I rode with Charles towards Overton. Just near the Dummer Cricket Centre Charles hit a pothole and shed both his back and front lights with a mighty clatter. I was a few metres in front and feared the worse. When I turned and found Charles himself was unscathed I felt very relieved.

Charles en route for Overton.

We crossed the A30 and soon after North Waltham I left Charles and climbed to Popham Airfield where I stopped for a coffee and to watch an aeroplane take off.  Apart from that one plane the airfield was very quiet with only a handful of folk about.

The Airfield Clubroom and Control Centre.
 My bike the only one  parked by the cabin.

I headed homeward from the Airfield via Micheldever. Just outside the village I discovered two fields in full bloom with some white flowers and a small patch of yellow. I suspect the yellow was some late oil seed rape but was mystified by the white flower; perhaps some form of brassica? Any suggestions?

The Mysterious Crop.

Unfortunately it was impossible to get into the field to get a close look. 

After passing through the village I decided to be a bit more adventurous and took the fire track through Itchen Wood. This is mainly tarmac, but for about a quarter of a mile it is a muddy and stony  track. Easily passable, though the downhill section was a tad frightening as I skidded a couple of times.
Once past that section it was only a few more miles home through Itchen Abbass.

It was very quiet in the countryside with only a couple of tractors passing me and one working in a field. I did see three buzzards and heard a couple of robins singing their little wispy song; a couple of squirrels  and a pheasant or two and sadly a dead roe deer near Preston Candover..

Sorry Simon you did not join me you would have enjoyed my unusual route. Should you wish to do it you can always follow my route. Here it is:

Saturday 1st November 2014.
I  had thought I might be able to join the Winchester CTC all day easy ride in Alresford at their coffee stop. However due to domestic necessities I was unable to do so. Fortunately just before mid day I was able to get out on my bike and I set off to follow their probable route through Medstead, Four Marks and Ropley to the Flower Pots in Cheriton expecting to catch up with them at the pub.

As I would only be doing about 20 miles I saw the ride as a training ride and challenge to get to the pub as quickly as possible. I made good time to Medstead setting a new personal best on Strava for the segment from the end of the Soke to the junction at the top of the hill in Medstead.. 
I reasoned that the most likely route was via Lymington Bottom and Lyeway and through Ropley to the Petersfield Road. I kept spotting tyre marks where there were wet patches on the road and followed these. I went along Park Lane and crossed over Old Park Road onto the steep hill of Cheriton Lane. Another cyclist in Alton Colours passed me and I heard more riders behind. I thought they were probably more Alton Riders but did not stop to check. Once over the top I made super fast time to Cheriton and arrived at the pub around 1.20 p.m. to discover no sign of the Winchester Riders. They arrived a few minutes later.
 Yes. You've guessed it, the riders who had been following me were the Winchester group who I'd managed to pass in Ropley by taking a different lane from the centre of the village to the Petersfield Road. Apparently Jenny had started to try to catch me but had been called back into the group so they did not get seperated.

It was good to see them and join them for a drink while they ate their lunch. Present in addition to Debs who was the leader for the day, were Jenny, Alex, John Spiers, Claire and Darren, Graham and new rider Robin.

Debs and her group at lunch.

As you can see from the picture we were in the marquee; having sat in the sunshine for a while we'd been driven inside by the strong cool breeze.
I left them to return home for my own lunch and got there just before 2.30. 

Map and data for the day.

Thanks Debs for a very interesting route.

Not quite the ride I'd planned last night but a very enjoyable one.

Gridironman.

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.

Two Crunchy Nut Rides

Thursday 25th Sept. began with a good omen. In Alresford whilst shopping I met Mark of recumbent fame from North Hampshire. I had not seen him for some while so we had a good old natter. He must have left home early as it was only a little after nine a.m.

Soon afterwards I too was on my bike, joining up with Simon to go to the Brushmaker's Arms at Upham for the HCMF meet.

This time we chose to do a loop to the south to work up a decent thirst before we got to the pub. Here is our route:

In places the road was littered with the autumn fruits of the fine summer. We crunched our way through  beech mast, conkers and hazel nuts in several places.

When we got to Swanmore we realised we would still be a bit early at the RV if we took the shortest route so we continued Southwards through Waltham Heath to Curdridge before turning back to Bishop's Waltham. I avoided the town centre much to Simon's surprise by taking a little lane past the Bishop's Palace.

At Upham we joined a small group in the garden making the most of the autumn sunshine whilst two more groups of riders remained inside. It was good to see Janice and Dan once more in matching Alton C.C. jerseys as well as Richard, David and Laurence. 

We were also reminded of the dangers to beware of when cycling by Alan, who had come by car, having been another of our members to have been knocked off his bike recently. (Mollie and Sue also having had similar accidents). Fortunately Alan had not had any broken bones or even a badly damaged bike, though he did look a little the worse for wear with grazes on his face and arm.

After lunch Simon and I rode with Richard and David down the steep hill from Upham through more crunchy nut before we parted company at the top of Westend Down. We took the A272 for a fast descent to Cheriton and thence home via Tichborne.

My day was made complete by the discovery that Cycling Weekly had published a letter of mine in this weeks edition. 

Saturday 27th Sept. 2014. Once more the dynamic duo were out to enjoy a social ride. This time for a change to Petersfield, rather than to Popham with the Winchester CTC, as we seem to have been there several times recently.

We left Alresford just after 10.30 and immediately started climbing, over White Hill to Bishop's Sutton. Well it is one way of warming up!

We took a nice meandering route to Petersfield, first climbing Smugglers' Lane to Monkwood then through West Tisted and Privett to High Cross. Next came Stoner Hill, which is very steep in places and with a rough surface and many bends, so is not a hill which one can ride without due care. More crunchy nuts here too. In the aptly named village of Steep we turned off the main road and took a back road through Sheet and rode into Petersfield past the Heath Pond. A nice way of entering the town.

We had a tasty snack lunch at the Cloisters Cafe. We sat with an elderly lady who kindly invited us to share her table and we had a very pleasant chat with her about Petersfield and Lichfield! 

Once suitably refreshed we headed out of town heading south to Buriton before turning towards the Meons and home. Just after Weston I was donged by a conker! 

A mile or so further on we passed this conversion of a oast house into a modern home.  It seems that they have made some progress since mid May earlier this year when I took the second picture below with windows in place and timber cladding and I suspect more progress inside.

Oast House September 27th 2014.

Oast House 11th May 2014

In East Meon we stopped for a piece of cake and for a photo shoot.

Simon with another of his veteran cycles.
This one a Claud Butler.

As usual Simon has chosen his riding clothes with care, matching the colour of the bike.

Gridironman and Posh.

The ride to West Meon was a fast one the worst part of the road having been resurfaced this summer. 
From here we chose to take  the A32 past West Meon Hut as that hill is longer and steadier but less steep than the lane over the hill past Brookwood. From here it was only 7 miles home and apart from the reverse climb over White Hill it was a doddle. From the top of the hill I freewheeled to see how far I could go. A friend of mine claims to have managed to get over the Cheriton Road and onto New farm Road but I could only manage as far as Linnets Lane. I did however have to touch my brakes as I entered Sun Lane.

Another relaxed fun day out.

For those who like to see the route here it is:

Gridironman.

Winchester CTC Intermediate Ride to Hannington

Saturday September 20th 2014.
I had missed a ride on Thursday as I had felt unwell and had stayed in bed till nearly 11 a.m. so I was keen to make the most of the opportunity for an all day ride. Simon joined me at 10 o'clock and we rode to Popham Airfield where we joined the Winchester CTC intermediate riders. Ten had ridden from Winchester and Ian and Caroline had come directly from Whitchurch. 

The day was grey and dull but not cold. The high humidity meant that all the country smells were greatly enhanced. For some smells this was welcome but one or two were distinctly "off". A dead animal in the hedgerow?

Not many flowers out now but here is one I could not identify:

Rose Mallow.

Coffee stop over Barrie chose to return to Winchester with an escort of two lady riders, Lynne and Jocelyn. I was a little disappointed not to have longer to ask Barrie about the Pedalers TdF. 

David led us the most direct route to Hannington along a very gravelly lane and through Ashe. The hill to the village is quite a drag, but at least it is not very steep, the gradient being about 6%.

Four of us had opted to have a picnic on the green whilst the other 7 enjoyed a pub lunch. When we arrived at the green we found Alex who had ridden from Winchester on his own bypassing us at the coffee stop. It was a lovely surprise as Alex has not been able to ride much recently.

Whilst we ate our sandwiches Ian and Caroline told us more about the TdF Pedalers' ride, answering a lot of our questions. It seems that it had been a great success and I for one was quite envious of their experience.

We popped into the pub for coffee and to link up with the others before starting our return journey. David chose a good route and I actually found myself on at least one lane I'd not ridden before.

We passed through Oakley and when we got to North Waltham Ian and Caroline left us to return to Whitchurch.

The descent from Dummer to Axford was a relaxed one and we paused there to regroup. Next we rode along the Candover Valley to Swarraton and over Abbotstone Common Hill. 

I have recently joined the Winchester CTC Strava Group and am having a lot of fun from it. I have set up an auto synchronise  link from my Garmin Connect so I am able to see how well I've done compared to previous rides and compared to other members of the group and the wider cycling fraternity. Being paced by QOM Karen up the mile long hill from Swarraton I achieved a personal best in 6 mins 37 secs (9.3 m.p.h.). Mind you I'm only no 1716 out of 1865!

Final Conference before we went our separate ways home.

We paused in Old Alresford by the church to say our farewells as we began to split up. Several riders opting to have tea at Tiffins whilst others were heading home independently. Karen must have clocked up well over 60 miles by the time she got home.

Alex called into my home to pick up Cycling Weekly and we had a chat and a cuppa before he headed off home with a pot of frozen ratatouille in his bottle rack!.

A most enjoyable day out despite the grey weather.

Map and Data for the day..

Many thanks David for such a good ride and to all who took part for their friendship.

Gridironman.

Fun & games once more!

On Thursday I was joined by Simon and Andrew Wilcox for a sociable ride to meet the HCMF at the King's Head, King's Somborne. Simon had repaired his Yellow Peril Bates and was trying it out again. I am pleased to report it went well.

The weather was distinctly autumnal but it was fine and dry and still warm enough to sit in the garden when we got to the pub.

We started by taking the obvious route over Three Maids Hill and through Crawley but as we approached Little Somborne I realised that we would be at the meet far too early, so I suggested a loop round through Stockbridge and Houghton. Much to Simon's dismay this included one of my nice little hills to test his gears. We did take advantage after the climb of whizzing down into Stockbridge clocking my fastest time of the day at 34 m.p.h.

We enjoyed the quiet lanes through Houghton and past the John O'Gaunt pub before arriving at the RV at about 12.20 p.m. We found a good group of riders there including the long distance riders Richard and David from Tadley. We were also joined by Dan and Janice from Alton.

We seemed to have plenty to talk about so it was nearly 2 hours before we set out on our return uneventful journey.

Another pleasant day and 39 more miles towards my target.

Saturday 13th September Alton CTC Pace Judging and Freewheeling Competition.

I rode directly from home to the location of the competition arriving there at 10 to 2 to find some riders already there for the 2 p.m. start. We were soon joined by others. Ten of us actually took part .

Part one was the pace judging. The  riders ride a three mile circuit at one minute intervals and their times recorded. Then they ride the same circuit and try to match the time taken for the first circuit.

We all did surprisingly well with the nearest time difference, posted by Tony, being only 6 secs and the worst 46 secs.

Tony our Pace Judging Champion. 

In the past we have had minutes of difference. We must be getting better.

For the free wheeling each rider in turn descends a hill without pedaling and tries to see how far up the next hill he or she can ride before coming to a halt.

Mark Heal won this. the theory for this win is that he was sporting a Union Flag. Judge for yourselves:

A determined and patriotic Mark Heal.

When all the excitemetn had died down we repaired to the Gliding Club Cafe at Lasham for a recuperative cup of tea. Here the final placings were announced with Mark Beaumont the overall winner.

Dan presenting Mark with his prize.

Here is the table of times and points.

My own participation evidenced by these pictures.:

Gridironman on the Pace Judging Course.

Urging Posh ever upward!

It was a great day of fun with some of my good riding mates.

The little loop  between Upton Grey and South Warnborough is the Pace Judging Circuit.

A big thank you to Dan and Janice for organizing the event and congratulations to all who took part, In the end it doesn't matter who won!!!!

(All action photos taken by Janice, reproduced here by her kind permission).

GRIDIRONMAN.

Bighton with the HCMF and West Meon with the Alton CTC.

With family matters requiring more of my time I am still managing to get in some good rides. This week a total of over 60 miles in two rides. The first was on Thursday with Simon. We decided to join the HCMF at the English Partridge at Bighton. As this is only 3 miles from home I had sussed out a route which was not too demanding for Simon riding one of his vintage bikes.

We went over the hill from Old Alresford into the Candover valley at Swaraton, then through the Candovers to Axford then turned East towards Herriard. As we crossed the A339 a loud noise emanated from Simon's bike, (His Bates with curly front forks c1952). 

Simon's beautifully restored Bates .

Investigation revealed that the cable to the hub gears was hanging down, the toggle having pulled out of the hub. Simon was unable to fix the problem but fortunately was able to continue in top gear. Luckily this was much lower than my top gear of about 120 and the route back was mainly downhill.

We popped into the Lasham Gliding Club Cafe for a restorative coffee, having been suitably refreshed we continued. As we rode along the perimeter of the airfield a passenger in a passing car hurled abuse at us because we were riding quite legally and safely two abreast. The car was displaying an L plate, so presumably the passenger was the qualified driver instructing the learner how to abuse cyclists!

In Lasham village we paused to admire this lovely garden:

After the test for Simon of climbing the hill to Bentworth we took a loop to Medstead via Wield thus eliminating the climb of Trinity Hill.

We arrived at the pub to find a number of riders sitting in the sunshine whilst a smaller group were inside. As usual Simon was soon into deep conversation about his bike and the technical details. I popped inside to get the beer. (Is this a ploy of Simon's to ensure I get the drinks? I think not he is far to generous for that!)

I had a good chat with Don and others, mainly about racing in Belgium where Don competed in his youth. Meanwhile the technical discussions continued until well after 2 p.m. and then just as we were about to leave for home Mark arrived also seeking technical advice so by the time we had ridden the last three miles I sat down to a late lunch at 3 p.m.!

Our Route for Thursday.

Saturday 6th September 2014.

Simon being otherwise occupied and my being unable to join the Winchester CTC all day ride as I was busy during the morning, I decided to leave home around noon and ride to Alton to join their afternoon ride. I took a musette with a sandwich, banana and cake to eat in the park while I waited for the start of the ride.

I am not certain how many riders there were as we split into two groups, the faster group of 5 (?) led by Dan set off a few minutes before the slower group of 9 led by Richard.

Richard had planned a very interesting route to the tea stop at West Meon. He managed to convince us that the climb of Brightstone Lane was an essential part of the ride. From the top of the hill Richard led us a very winding route through many small lanes I'd ridden before but never in Richard's clever combinations. 

Here is the map for my ride for the day. Note the wriggly route between Farringdon and Privett.

We had a good tea break at the little tea room behind the village shop in West Meon and afterwards I left the Alton riders to return to Alresford via Warnford and Wheeley Down. 

Once through Cheriton I discovered the lane through Tichborne was busy with a two long streams of cars leaving the Alresford Show. Being on a cycle i was easily able to slip past the cars heading towards Cheriton and once through the village I overtook a long line of cars before crossing the ford and thence home.

A very enjoyable day with my Alton friends. Thanks to them all especially Richard for leading our group.

Gridironman.