Gridironman's Lee on Solent Giro & CTC ride to West Thytherley..

Wednesday 28th October 2015.

It looked like it would be wet on Thursday, so decided that as I'd missed yesterday's group ride I'd go my own again. Just after I set off I was inspired by a friendly wave from one of my pals to head for the coast. Here is my map and data from which you can see I managed to get down to Lee on Solent.

Sunshine filtering through the trees.
Near Shedfield.

It was another lovely day with bright sunshine showing up the autumn colours. 

With no clear plan I headed towards Titchfield Haven. (Hoping to see our friend Ann taking a dip?)

At the top of Beacon Hill I was disappointed that I was slower than my PB set in July 2014 on the climb from Cheriton.

Keeping largely to the lanes through Swanmore and Shedfield I paused to pop into the bike shop in Waltham Heath for a chat with the owner who I have known for 8 years.

I had to take a busier road from there to Titchfield. At one point a large queue of cars was held up behind a dust cart. I was able to keep moving faster than the cars!

Sea front Cafe at Lee on Solent.

Next I crossed the busy A27 using the pedestrian crossing and rode through the village. As I had plenty of time I continued through Stubbington to enjoy the sea views in Lee on Solent.

Fawley on the far side of the Solent.

After zooming up and down the waterfront my plan was next to ride back along the coast to Titchfield Haven via Hill Head. I was now looking for somewhere to get a sandwich but didn't spot anywhere. 

Travelling Lady in her home.
Note the wood burner on the right.

By the Haven I met this very interesting lady who was enjoying the views from her motor caravan home which even had a solid fuel stove. We had a good natter about the joys of travelling by van and bike. 

Titchfield Haven. (Not a mermaid in sight!)

Back to Titchfield and then started the journey home through Locks Heath and Park Gate to Botley.

Mark's Shop.20 High Street, Botley.

Here I discovered a new bike shop. Mark Alexander who used to run Hansford's shop in Oliver's Battery has set up a very different type of shop in Botley. He told me he is organizing bespoke bikes and doing bike fits. I sat on a bench outside his shop in the sun eating my lunch which I had got from the Co-op. Delicious sandwich of Smoked Salmon with cream cheese on brown bread with chocolate brownie and a soft drink all for £3.25. Excellent value and better scran than I've had in some pubs for more than twice the price. I am quite converted to this type of lunch break, provided it is fine.

Time was now marching on and I had about 2 hours to get home before the sun set so I took the main roads through Horton Heath and Fair Oak. Once again I was able to queue jump at a set of temporary traffic lights with a line of about 50 cars waiting!

My last challenge of the day was to climb the 14% hill to Owslebury. I did manage it without walking!

I was home about 4.30 having had a really good day riding.

Saturday 31st October 2015.

Ride of a different nature. I was joined by two of  the Alresford Groupetta, PinkPal and Cycmon to ride to join the Winchester CTC intermediate ride to West Tytherley. There were 11 of us so we split into two groups to lessen the impact on traffic. I led the first group to the end of Dean Lane where we paused to let the second group led by Graham to catch up. It was dull, but quite warm and I had already shed one layer. We were soon through Dean and Sparsholt and on our descent to Standon we met Ken coming up the hill to join us. 

St. John's Church,
Farley Chamberlayne.

Over the hill past Mardon Castle, to the surprise of the riders, Graham led us to the right, taking us up another hill to pass near to St. John's Church, Farley Chamberlayne.

This is along a very quiet lane leading to Braishfield.

Daren and Claire with the new trike.

We were soon at Poppies for a coffee and cake. Here another five riders joined us including Daren who was riding (? driving) his newly acquired machine. A recumbent streamlined tricycle. Daren assures me it is very good for carrying baguettes!

On our way once more with Gridironman leading the first group to the foot of the hill to Awbridge. Reunited once more we sped down into Dunbridge. Along the Dun valley to Lockerley where four of us took the wrong route and had to be reined in by Graham who had to have a breather after chasing us down.

The Black Horse, West Tytherley.

We continued through East Dean to West Dean before turning north to our lunch stop at The Black Horse. A couple of the group had left us along this stretch, I am not sure where.
As we enjoyed a refreshing drink and waited for our meals we were surprised to be joined by Alan and Barbara who had come by car. A very pleasant surprise. It was lovely to see and chat with Barbara as I had not seen her for some time. Paul left us here to head for home and the World Cup Rugby.
After lunch we headed back through E. Tytherley and along the Roman Road to Bossington. Several more riders peeled off here as we headed up the Test Valley via Houghton and Longstock to Leckford. The Groupetta and Steve continued up the valley while Graham and the others turned up the hill to cross the ridge to Little Somborne.
The four of us were now heading a chosen shorter way home (and the World Cup). Steve left us in Sutton Scotney while we continued through Stoke Charity and "that road" to Kings Worthy. PinkPal streaking off into the distance on Ruby 2 while I struggled to climb the humps encouraged by Cycmon. Of course PP waited for us at the crest of the ridge and we rode most of the way home with Gridironman leading at a reasonable pace. 
As we passed over the M3 we saw Alan and his son Robert on their way home from a ride. For those who need inspiration be aware Alan is 86!
I was home in time to have a shower and  see the The Allblacks beat the Wallabies using ITV+1.

What a great day!

Here is my route. Although I struggled to keep up at times, especially on the hills I was surprised to see that my average riding speed, riding the heavier of my two bikes, Sporty, was a credible 12.5 mph.

Thanks once again to my Groupetta pals for urging me along and to the group who made it a really fun day. 

Also a big thanks to Graham for a well planned route. Sorry we didn't always stick to the plan!

GRIDIRONMAN.

Gridironman's Gentle Giro & Explorations in Wiltshire and Dorset.

Lovely Autumn Colours.

Alresford Groupetta Leader Board.

With only three of our group riding this week Andrew was the clear TUK Medal winner with a mileage of 158, Gridironman also covered over the ton with 121. Cycmon managed 53.

Tuesday 20th October 2015.

I had opted out of the Tuesday Group ride as I was uncertain about my right thigh muscles after the problems I had on Saturday. I decided to do a short gentle ride through Ropley to Four Marks for coffee and then home. A circuit of about 16 miles. However had no problems and decided to carry on from Four Marks to Lasham Gliding Club for coffee instead. It was a lovely autumn day and I sat in the sun enjoying my latte and a large chocolate muffin while I watched gliders taking off. One launched using the winch the other behind a tug light aircraft. There was very little wind and the visibility was very good so ideal for a spot of gliding.

When I got to Herriard Village I perversely took a right turn down the fast hill into Weston Patrick. At the edge of the village I took a little lane through Weston Corbett over the hill to Tunworth.

I followed the lane through the village before rejoining the larger road between Upton Grey and Basingstoke. 

Basingstoke from near Tunworth

However not wanting to go into the Town I turned northwards once more and was soon in Old Basing, crossing the A30 and heading towards Fleet. (Going East!) Not quite the way I had intended but never mind it was a ride of exploration! 

I paused to take some pictures of a Red Kite which settled in the field near the road, before I turned north once more through Tylney and Rotherwick and then edging my way westward to Sherfield on Loddon. 

Here I went into a pub and then a coffee shop in search of some lunch but neither had anything to offer at a reasonable price of the type of meal I wanted. A few miles west in Bramley I popped into a One Stop village store and got a meal deal for £3.00. It consisted of a very good Tuna and Sweetcorn on brown bread sandwich with a bag of crisps and a bottle of orange juice. Just what I wanted. Time to turn South once more past The Vyne National Trust Property to Sherborne St. John. This time I did not make the mistake of heading along the main A340 but continued to Monk Sherborne and Ramsdell, pausing near a war memorial to eat my picnic.

I crossed the A339 and climbed the steepest hill of the day into Ibworth. Spotted another red kite as I descended the hill to North Oakley. 

Just a few more gentle climbs to master now. I crossed the B3400 into Oakley and was soon in North Waltham where I rewarded myself a large chocolate coated ice cream whilst sitting by the duck pond soaking up the rays!

Once I was over the A30 and under the bridge of the M3 I was onto my big ring all the way to Totford. Another red kite in the sky here. Then just one more hill, over Abbotstone Down and I was home having covered rather more miles than I'd set out to do. In fact I had covered over 100 km. Does that put me in line for the TUK medal?

In addition to the three kites I saw a lot of pheasants and partridge, many rooks and jackdaws and the flash of blue jay as well as quite few buzzards. The trees are really showing plenty of colour now and with light winds and sunshine it was a perfect day for cycling.

Saturday 25th October 2015.

It was a perfect day for a Groupetta ride of Exploration. Simon had plotted a ride from Wilton to Shaftesbury and back. We met at Andrew's house to load all three bikes into his car to drive to Wilton. We left Wilton following Simon's prepared route in reverse, but soon abandonned that plan as once again his Garmin unit did not co-operate! We made good time along the valley to Wylye, following the railway line and the river, hence fairly flat. However when we got to Wylye we turned up a long and in places steep hill. I had to walk a small stretch of it. A series of hills tested our legs and lungs and we descended a very steep hill into Dinton. we were almost back onto the A30 now, so we turned towards Tisbury. Here we found a nice coffee shop and enjoyed a welcome break. 

We continued westward into the village of Semley where we found a number of vintage cars outside the Benett Arms. Naturally Simon needed a break to examine them more closely. 

Simon with his vintage Sunbeam bicycle alongside
 a Sunbeam car of about the same vintage.

 Andrew was doing a sterling job navigating from experience of the area together with CycleMaps on his mobile phone. He led us into Dorset and through Gillingham where we turned back eastwards towards Shaftesbury. After a couple of frustrating attempts searching for somewhere for lunch we found a very pleasant garden centre near the edge of the town for a nice snack. 
Time was marching on so we sped along the B road towards Shaftesbury, turning up a small lane which led us into the town at the top of another very steep hill which both Simon and I walked.
We admired the views before visiting Gold Hill, famous in part for the Hovis advert. 
We then hightailed it back to Wilton via Berwick St. John and Broadchalke. The shadows we cast on the road growing longer,  as the miles ticked by, until they finally disappeared and we needed our lights on for the last five miles. I managed a top speed of not quite 40 mph on my descent into Wilton in the dark. Scary stuff! But I do have a good front light.

Simon climbs Gold Hill in Shaftesbury

Here is Simon's own report of the day:-

Inspired by a Facebook post of 'Hovis Hill' or Gold Hill in Shaftesbury, I persuaded Andrew Wilcox to drive Bryce Mansfield and myself to Wilton and ride a 53 mile course which included this landmark hill. To get into role I decided to ride my 1937 Sunbeam Golden Tourist my oldest bike and don the right attire of cloth cap (bakers) and knee length socks. The ride even before we got to the 'Hills' of Shaftesbury was challenging on a bike with only 3 gears of 60-54-46 inches! On route we came upon a pub where many vintage cars were gathered of which there were also 2 Sunbeams from the late 1920's as well as a stunning vintage MG - an 18/80 Mark 1 identical to that which Sir William Morris gave to the aviator Amy Johnson - one of the most desirable MG cars only bettered by MG K3 or the 18/80 Tigress, I had to be dragged away but only after myself and my Sunbeam bike were photographed with both Sunbeam cars! On then to Shaftesbury and the climb up Gold Hill (or rather walk) - its about 1 in 4 and slippery cobbles so there was no way on this bike and without a helmet I was going to attempt riding. 

.The return loop was equally enjoyable as the weather was cold but dry and at times sunny and the roads quiet - we just managed to return before darkness fell. A great day, with great fellowship, great scenery and vintage cars and bikes what more could I ask for? If you look at my posts you find Simon's Hovis Ad Remake - The Movie!

A refreshment stop and time to fit lights as we approached Wilton.

A big thanks to Simon for not only organizing the day but also for bankrolling it too. Thanks to Andrew for driving us there and back.

Here is our route for the day. 

Gridironman.

Simon's Salisbury Saunter!

I was able to ride again on Saturday 17th October after a spell off the bike following my second cataract operation.

I joined Simon and 14 other riders from Winchester CTC on a ride to  Hordcutt near Salisbury with some misgivings. Simon's plotted route seemed to take in a number of bridleways or private roads and about 1.5 miles on the A303. After some discussion with the other riders we amended the course to omit the first of these, a track from Sparsholt to Up Somborne. I led the way through the lanes from Sparsholt with help from another rider.

We were soon into Stockbridge where Simon decided to resort to navigating by map rather than following his Garmin route which was not displaying properly on his device. 

We headed North from here past Danebury Hillfort and the Army airfield near The Wallops. It was a good day for cycling for despite a strong north breeze it was mild for the time of year. I was however wearing my "longs" for the first time as were the majority.

We bypassed Palestine and skirted Grateley before locating the coffee stop in Cholderton. 

We enjoyed our coffee and cake on picnic tables in a pleasant covered area with a

number of bantam chickens helping themselves to the fallen  crumbs. 

Time was pressing now and with a number of riders not being at all happy about riding even for a short way on the A303 it was decided to further amend the route and take the A338 more directly to the Black Horse in Hurdcott near Winterbourne Earls. As service had been slow and because we felt that 16 riders together on a main road would be too many,we split into two groups. I had the honour of leading the first group for most of the way, doing my best to keep up as decent pace. The traffic was very heavy and one large French lorry came far too close to me. If I'd put out my right arm I would have touched it.  

The Black Horse, Hardcutt.

Our first group arrived at the pub spot on one o'clock confirming that our decision to shorten the route was a good one. Our arriving in two groups also assisted the landlady and her helpers in dealing with our orders. We had very good food, served nicely in the light and airy  little white extension.

Lunch over, but not our problems, Simon's route wanted to take us across closed MOD land, soon solved, we took the open road across Porton Down.

We crossed the A30 and climbed the very steep hill to East Winterslow. A real test for me but I did manage to ride it. 

Two of our group went astray here and descended another hill back to the A30 and had to climb back up again. While we waited it was agreed that four riders should set off while the rest of us waited for the stray pair. We set off back along the Roman Road towards Horsebridge and found the other four had taken a longer route and now rejoined us.

At Bossington some riders left us to find their own way home.

We were now well on our way back to Winchester with only a couple more tough climbs to do. Once more I struggled with my right thigh causing me a few problems but I did climb the hill to Farley Mount. It was another more innocuous hill near Crabwood Crossroads that finally defeated . My thigh hurt so much that  I had to stop. I walked for about 50 yards and the pain went away so I was able to get back on again. No further problems on any of the other uphill stretches. (No after effects today either.)

As we entered the City we started to split up and eventually I found myself riding back to Kings Worthy with Ken.

Thank you Simon and also to the others for their co-operation on the day which was a good one despite the problems we encountered. 

Here is my map and data for the day.

Alresford Groupetta News.

Somewhat diverse performances this week with both Simon and Andrew covering a lot of miles while several riders did not ride at all. Paddy even resorted to recording his walking miles !

Here are the provisional details.

Cycmon therefore holds onto the TUK Medal for the third week running!

Gridironman

The Alresford Groupetta Explore New Lanes.

Alresford Groupetta News.

Another great week cycling thanks to lovely autumn weather. The Alresford Groupetta very active with three riders clocking up over 100 miles. Cycmon is the winner of the TUK medal just pipping Gridironman by the mileage from his home to de Lucy Avenue!

Here is the Leaderboard.:-

Rank	Name	Miles.
1	Cycmon	137
2	Gridironman	136
3	Paddy	101
4	Andrew	82
5	PinkPal	77
6	Mark	0
	Total	533

Tuesday 29th September 2015.

Simon led a group of 11 on a winding route to the Cloisters Tea Room in Petersfield. It was a lovely day and in the sunshine it was warm, a bit chilly in the shade and at first most riders were sporting long sleeves. The wind got stronger as the day went on making it hard work on the afternoon route.

We left Alresford via the footpath which runs just below the dam towards Old Alresford we then looped round through Drove lane to head south through Tichborne. Next Hinton Ampner and Brockwood where we encountered some patches of loose gravel. We crossed back over the A272 and climbed one of the steepest hills of the day to Privett. From here it was an easy ride to the top of Stoner Hill where we descended into Petersfield achieving top speed and possibly exceeding the speed limit? I took over the lead as we entered the town to avoid the level crossing and then discovered my alternative route needed a slight adjustment due to the one way system.

The break was most enjoyable with a variety of snacks and drinks being taken. PP told us more about LeJog and we had a spirited discussion about the accuracy of Garmin elevation data.

Our route back was along familiar roads through Stroud, Langrish and the Meons. 

Here is Simon's own report of the day.

Simon by East Meon Church.

56 miles ridden today leading the Pedallers Group on a circular route to Petersfield from Alresford and return as phase 1, 38 miles, then about 18 for those few that hadn't had enough of a good thing (well the weather was glorious) round the Candovers. I can't really fit in taking photo's while leading these rides so just a couple snapped by others. Seen here riding my 1965 Holdsworth Mistral (model just before the Professional) exactly as I raced it in the 60's! The Bianchi Jersey is my 60s / 70s version - I've managed to acquire 2 Bianchi period wool jerseys in as many weeks!

Part of the group making good speed
 between East & West Meon.

Four of us did the afternoon loop from The Swan to Upper Wield via Bighton and Chalky Hill returning via the Candover Valley.

Thanks Simon for a well thought out ride.

For those interested in Statistics here is a table showing the problems with trusting too much to Garmin elevation data.

1. It seems that both Sarah and Simon were below sea level at some time.
2. Simon's and my totals overall seem close.
3. Sarah's for the shorter ride seems for once to be less than mine with about a 10% difference.
4. My maximum seems to be a little on the high side whereas Simon's seems low and Sarah's well understated.
5. Of course as we all recorded slightly different rides from and to home there are bound to be some small differences.
6. The profiles shown below the maps sometimes differ from the digital records. For example my profile gives a maximum of 692 whereas the digital record is 724. 692 is about correct going by the OS map.
7. The lesson to be learnt from this is that these readings are clearly not very reliable! Though I still think mine are the closest to reality!!!! 
8. Comments welcome.

Thursday 1st October 2015.

Simon's report of the ride:

Three of us managed a 40 mile ride today, Bryce led us the scenic route to Basingstoke where we had a rather generous chocolate and ginger cake plus coffee at the Conkers Garden Centre. We returned via Lasham and Medstead where I attempted a rather fast descent to now find that once again my Garmin failed to record correctly - looks like its for the bin! 

Simon resplendent in his Barelli
UK Race team jersey.

Today I did ride a bike not ridden this year my 1953 Claud Butler Avant Coureur Special, I have yet to restore the frame which will be a flamboyant burnt orange with black head tube and seat tube band, this frame is of bilaminated construction (false lugs - fillet brazed). It is my British racing lightweight as almost all the components are from UK suppliers of the 1950's. I was riding 'tubs' or tubular tyres which are glued onto sprint rims so you have to take a complete tyre in case of a puncture, any more than one puncture and your walking home!

It was a lovely sunny day and had it not been for the cool east wind it would have felt more like mid summer.

Here is my map of our route from which you can see we went via Ellisfield, a quieter route than the B3046, it also benefits from having a very fast and exciting descent to Cliddesden. (my fastest of the day).

Andrew & Bryce

I am afraid that Andrew and I were tempted by the siren call of cold beer as we passed through Bighton and spent a happy half hour basking in the sun and slaking our thirst while Simon continued homewards.

Another good ride for 50% of the Alresford Groupetta. Sadly the other 50% were busy working! 

The joys of being retired! 

Saturday 3rd October 2015.

Simon Turner
3 October at 21:03 posted on Face Book.

After a quick exchange of ideas last night for our ride today my initial proposal to drive down to the south coast and do 55 mile ride was kicked into touch, so I sent the 'lads' ride No.8 'A Quintessence of England' from Jack Thurston book Lost Lanes. This seemed to be the perfect compromise and indeed we had a really great time riding the route at a leisurely pace which allowed the countryside to be properly explored. 

The Red Devil and A Cool Old Guy.
Lugarshall.

Some 43 miles were covered and the essential coffee (or tea) and cake were taken at Coco Cafe in Petworth, a rather 'cool' place with lots of retro items including a 60's Vespa in the front window and inside vintage sweets and chocolates as well as cakes of course. I was dressed in my red devil outfit and riding my 1950 Bates BAR with Sturmey Archer 3 speed Ultra Close Ratio gear, well Ray Booty managed to do a 100 miles in 3 hour 40 minutes on a similar machine in 1955 (or there about) which was the same time it took us to the 44 miles! One 1 in 4 hill defeated us all - I made the weak excuse I was worried about breaking my alloy Sturmey gear by 'honking' off the saddle. Thanks Paddy Roadnight for taking us to the start at Liphook, and my thanks to Bryce Mansfield for loading the route into Garmin and leading us astray........ops I meant navigating us - second thoughts maybe astray is more accurate!

My own take on the day:

We had a great day, it was great to ride some unfamiliar lanes in the beautiful West Sussex. Many wooded  areas and great views of the South Downs. One lane very sandy causing us a little anxiety with staying upright and some potholes in places.!

Wooded Lanes near Petworth.
Can you spot Paddy in the distance?

Lots of  little hills and a couple of tough ones too. The roads were quiet except for the town of Petworth and a couple of main road stretches. Lots of other cyclists enjoying the lovely sunny day.
The woods near Graffham changed from sweet chestnut to pine to silver birch as we rode through them. It must be a great area for wildlife. Otters have recently been seen in this area. The Rother Valley is beautiful and a great area for cycling with many small lanes I recommend it to anyone wanting a change of scenery for their next ride.

I confess that I did miss one turn on my Garmin as I rocketed downhill at about 35 mph, but in any case we needed to go "off route" there to go into Petworth for refreshment. From there using my maps, which for once I had remembered to take, I led the lads through about four miles of lovely lanes to rejoin the route at Selham. Near Midhurst we passed the Polo Grounds.

Paddy tops the Black Hole !

The last climb from Milland to Liphook was as Simon says too steep for all of us at 25% and I did walk one short climb earlier in the ride when I totally misjudged the steepness and was in the wrong gear and just came to a complete halt much to Paddy's consternation who nearly ran into the back of me. (Sorry Paddy!)

Looks like a change in the weather this coming week, but hopefully my pals will be able to get in some good rides. I however will be sidelined as I am undergoing a second cataract operation tomorrow.

Gridironman.

Autumn 50 and 2 other rides.

Another good week of cycling for me. I think I have done enough miles to retain the TUK medal for another week. After my trip to France last week I was too busy to ride on Tuesday. It was wet anyway! But on Thursday 24 September I rode to the HCMF meet at The Brushmakers, Upham. I went one of my favourite ways out of Alresford via Ovington and Gander Down. Then to vary the route to Upham I continued through Owslebury and Marwell to Lower Upham and then back up the hill to Upham Village.

At the pub I found a modest number of riders. Most of the regulars were there and more came whilst i was eating. Some enjoyable craic before I decided to make the most of the fine day and return home via Bishop's Waltham, Swanmore and Upper Swanmore. From there  I took a very narrow lane over the hill to Droxford. The lane was very muddy and littered with gravel and larger stones so I was relieved not to pick up a puncture.

From Droxford it was a long but gentle climb to the top of Beacon Hill before racing along the ridge to the Milbury's and down through Beauworth. A good workout!

Saturday 26th September. 

It was another fine sunny day so I was very happy to be the leader for the Winchester CTC easy afternoon ride. I popped into The Worthies Music Festival on my way to the start to enjoy seeing my grandaughter Zoe taking part. She sang three songs accompanied by Tom on guitar. She did well.

At the start I was joined by Margaret & Paul, Gray, Steve, Ken, Lauren, Simon, Alan, Daren, Brian, Caroline, and two newbies, Kitty and James. As James is only 14 Simon agree to be his responsible adult for the ride.

I had chosen a wriggly route to try to introduce some lanes to riders that they had not ridden before.  Paul agreed to be tail gunner and off we went. We had no trouble in keeping the group together and I did invite the stronger ones to ride ahead up some of the hills as long as they waited at the top.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the route and all were ready for a cuppa at the GC. Some would have liked it earlier but "hey!" you can't please everyone! Five riders left us here to return home to points south of Winchester. The remainder followed me back to Winchester via Colden Common and Twyford using Church Lane to avoid some of the traffic.

Brian left us near Five Bridges and the rest of us dispersed in the City. Simon and I took James to the RV to connect with his mother before riding home .

Whilst we were waiting I took this picture of Simon riding around the car parkon one of his veteran cycles that he has restored so well. 




A most enjoyable and relatively easy day.

Sunday 27 September 2015. The Main Event of the week. The Late Season 50 Miles from Alresford.

A good number turned up to join the ride from The Swan Hotel. At 9.30 we set off and were soon streaming through Old Alresford and climbing up towards Upper Wield. I was joined by Mark Heal as the stronger riders pulled away from us and we rode the whole day together. That was really good for me as I could not keep up the pace of those youngsters. It was a good turn out for the Alresford Groupetta with 5 of our six riders taking part. It was PinkPal's first ride since LeJog and she quickly showed her form and finished over an hour ahead of Mark and I!

It was a very hilly ride with many small lanes with plenty of potholes and loose gravel to contend with. Once or twice I had to call Mark back as he had made a wrong choice of route and once we missed a turn and my Garmin told us we were "off course". We consulted the map and soon rejoined the correct course. My right leg had started to cause me some problems with pain in my thigh muscles when climbing, so I walked a couple of hills.. However Stoner Hill was easy compared to some of the short steep hills we had encountered on the way, especially those just before and just after Selborne.

The Blackmoor War memorial. 

We stopped a couple of times for a break and to eat our food we had brought, eschewing a visit to the Chocolate Frog which appeared to be quite busy. Instead we stopped for a food break near the unusual war memorial by Blackmoor Church. 

Eventually we arrived back at the Cricketers in Alresford at 14.43 a respectable time for an old codger and his escort. Thanks Mark for your company, I greatly enjoyed our chatter about many  matters as we rode.

Monday 14th Sep 2015.

At last I am connected using my Hudl and WiFi! Have no phone connection as my sim card does not permit it!
Have paid for WiFi connection in my holiday apartment.
We had a very good overnight crossing apart from a slight rumbling noise we could have been in a hotel with cell like rooms!
Bus ride was fine. Lots of maize and sunflowers being grown.
We passed a convoy of about 15 circus vans with huge American trucks with very smart trailers

Le Tour de St Antoine. Night.

Saw 3 kestrels and lots of mistletoe.
Had a beer and Croque Madame for lunch.
My apartment overlooks the river the view from my  balcony.day and night.

Le Tour de St Antoine. Day.

Joy to discover Margaret Rayfield and Paul are also taking part.
Tomorrow the cycling starts!

General view of the old town from the Tour de St. Antoine.

View from my bedroom of the railway station.

My apartment block.
My apartment was on the top floor on the right.

Tuesday 15th Sep 2015.

28 of us set off just after 9.30 to ride to Montresor to visit the château. Dave Pilbeam was leading with his wife Pam acting as sweeper at the back. It had been raining but the day was dry and the wet roads soon dried out. The ride was well organized with pauses when we took turnings to ensure no one was lost.
We were soon at our coffee stop in the small town of Genille. Pam treated us all to croissants, orange juice and coffee. It was really a second breakfast!
Afterwards we climbed the steepest hill of the day, needing our granny gears. A few of the group resorted to walking.

Wild flower meadow.

The country side here is largely arable fields with lots of small copses and in parts larger forests.
Plenty of wild flowers blooming , some in the environs of the villages were planted.

We had a picnic lunch in Montresor under the shelter of a communal building with proper tables and benches.

Chateua.Montresor 

After we visited the château.
This was very interesting as it contains a piano brought there by Chopin for him to play.
Johnston one of our riders played the piano. He was terrific.

The church seen through the gateway of the chateau.

Great views over the town from the top of the walls.





Interesting garden with two enormous trees.

Gridirnman reentering Loches.

We set off for Loches just after 3.20 and arrived back at the complex two hours later having ridden through the Forest of Loches. A much hillier route than our outward one.
Garmin stats for the day:_ Miles39.35 time 3:37:48 avs 11.36 climb 3021 feet. Max 28 mph











The camaraderie of the group is already very high and I am beginning to remember names!!!
Looking forward to dinner tonight when we will enjoy reliving our experiences.

Wednesday 16th Sep 2015.

It stopped raining about 10.30 so when we met at 11.30 we thought the worst was over. Big mistake.
Unfortunately it was another 15 mins before we managed to get going as some were still not ready. Three decided the ride was not for them. Good decision.
We had only gone about half a mile when the heavens opened up and we sheltered ineffectually under some small trees.
When the rain eased we got going again. We were soon out into the undulating countryside enjoying the views of the rain clouds!
We had another very heavy downpour and half the peleton defected to shelter under some large trees in the gateway to a large house. Beautiful cyclamen to admire while we heard thunder rolling.

Cyclamen. Lots of them around the area.

We continued when the rain eased again and eventually arrived in a small village where we sheltered in two small buildings. The one I was in was a shelter beside a water leet leading to a mill. We think it was the place where villagers used to wash their clothes. While we're eating lunch there was a huge flash of lightning followed almost immediately by the bang of thunder it must have been right overhead. We were all very scared.
We were totally soaked by now and had to wring out our mitts before eating out packed lunches.
Dave suggested that we should turn for home now via another larger village where we could get coffee. Possibly the most popular suggestion of the day.
Eventually we got there and enjoyed being out of the rain for a while. A hot coffee had never tasted so good.
I had got cold and as we climbed a hill I found my teeth were chattering! When our leading group stopped at the top of the hill to let the others catch up I rode down s side road and back to keep warmer.
On our way back the rain eased a couple of times and patches of blue sky appeared, this was just to fool us, for as we entered Loches it chucked it down again!
We arrived at quarter to five just five hours after setting off. Our actual riding time was less than three hours and we had barely covered thirty miles.
Garmin data:
Miles 30.13 time 2 hrs 46 mins. Ave speed 10.90 mph feet climbed 1762.
Of course now at six o'clock it has stopped raining and the sun is trying to come out!
I have only once before been as wet as this when cycling, when I did the Plains Challenge for Naomi House two years ago.
A day which none of us will forget in a hurry. The remarkable thing being that everyone remained so cheerful.
Don't you all wish you could have been with us?

Thursday 17th Sep 2015.

The forecast was right! When we met at 9.30 this morning it was Torrential rain once moe. This time we decided to just wait a bit. At ten past ten it had eased so 18 of us took the plunge (literally).
It was still raining fairly hard but within a couple of miles it had greatly reduced.
We followed the Indre river. This was very different countryside to that of our precious rides. Lush foliage and trees with occasional glimpses of the river. In one or two places the road was flooded and water was streaming out of the fields onto the road. I am not sure where we had coffee, but think it was in Cormery. All I know was that while searching for the cafe we managed to get split up.
Eventually we found the cafe and we were all reunited. The sun was shining by now and even my mitts had dried out.

Our objective today was the Chateau Nitray. It only took us another 47 mins to get there. On boy! Were we glad we did! Awaiting us was the present owner, he was very welcoming and soon had us gathering around a table in the sunshine tasting a couple of delicious wines and eating crudites, gaspachio and salmon in a lemon and fennel marinade.

Wine tasting with snacks.

This was only our starters! Our lunch which followed a little later consisted of chicken with small new potatoes and salad followed by blackcurrant tart. Of course this was accompanied by more wine.

Le Patron explaining matters.

The owner also showed us around the chapel, the courtyard and the pigeonaire. He kept us amused with a number of witty remarks and by climbing the ladder in the pigeonaire! It was a most enjoyable visit!

Le Patron on the ladder in the pigeonaire.

We set off to return to Loches by a different font. When we arrived in Cigone we came upon the other riders who had stayed behind to avoid the rain. They had decided to do their own thing. Several joined us for the return to Loches..

Friday 18th Sep 2015.

For once s bright sunny morning. Just had breakfast now getting ready to go to Chatillon sur Marne according to our program but that is about 100 miles away.. Think it should be sur Indre.
I have had a problem with Sporty's drive train. Hope it doesn't get any worse today.
Keep your fingers x'd

Further news of day 4.
Our best day yet, though we did encounter a couple of showers and as we rode the last mile home it started to rain again. We managed to get in by an open vehicle gate which is usually locked. This saved a few minutes which was good for there was a very heavy shower which would have made us quite wet.
In the morning we rode across the fairly flat area where a lot of the fields are planted with crops. Lots of sunflowers, maize and another which caused much discussion. I brought a piece back and have identified it as millet.
There were some hills too, but none too steep. We arrived in Loche sur Indrois on the stroke of eleven by the church clock.

The faster riders awaiting the groupetta after a tough 5 kms into the wind.

The cafe we had hoped to use was closed but a kind lady told us that we could get coffee behind the church. There we found what appeared to be a small village hall where we were served coffee by an elderly gentleman. While we were several villagers popped in for bread.


Suitably refreshed we continued southwards into an extremely strong breeze to Chatillon sur Indre. A slight hiccup in our progress when little Paul picked up a puncture . the group waited in the town by the river until he and his helpers arrived.

The River Indre.

We then climbed the very steep hill into the centre of the town where we arrived outside the Hotel de Ville at one o'clock.
We ate our packed lunches there before exploring more and some enjoyed a coffee.

Lovely Clouds reminding us rain is not far away.

We were on our way once more soon after two.
We were still riding into the wind for a while, but soon turned north.
A number of hills now and then down into the valley of the Indre where we crossed the river.

 Unfortunately it was Jane's turn to suffer s flat tyre just by the village of St. Cyran du Jambot. Once more the experts swing into action & we were soon underway again. It started to rain in St. Hippolyte so we sheltered under the church roof which had a spacious outside are large enough for all of us. A few more miles and some more hills later and we were into the outskirts of the town and then the mad dash for home!

Nature notes. A lot more birds about today, spotted were:
Swallows, rooks ,, house martins,, a heron and some small brown jobs.

One of several mules we saw.

Animals:
Mules, cows, one bull, one deer & horses.
Lots of flowers:
White & red clover, white campion, scabious, cornflower, toad flax, marjorum dandelions, various small umbellifers.
The company was great, though at times we were strung out over a mile or more.
This week has been like four all day easy rides with a wide range of abilities but no one has been left out of the fun & games!

Saturday 19th Sep 2015.

At last a day of sunshine and no rain!

Most of the group about to start the final ride/

Our target for today was the Château de Montpoupon. Our third château of the week.
Our route was a familiar one along the D31 for the first few miles, but then we deviated onto the D80 to the village of Luzille.(It should have an acute accent on the e but I have failed to go d out how to do that).
The kids among us tried to get the speed limit reminder over the prescribed 30 kph!
More importantly this was the place for a very good coffee stop at the Hotel Mail. More kids fun here as some had the joy of playing table football. It was not long after this when we stopped for our picnic lunch beside a lake in Eperigne Les Bois.
More kids stuff as a few could not resist having a go on the children's swings.
Unfortunately Dave had a picture as we were starting off so we all waited while he changed his tube.
Unluckily he had a second one very soon afterwards near to the Château. As we were so near we continued , he joined us later having replaced the tyre as well as the tube.

Chateau Montpoupon. 

The Château turned out to be very interesting. It had been a very important place for hunting of all kinds and was stuffed with thousands of items of interest.. Lots of pictures including many old photographs and other hunting memorabilia.
There was so much of interest that we could on!y skim the surface in the hour available. After leaving Montpoupon we rode through the forest before turning for home. Unfortunately w e managed to lose one rider when he missed a turning. Despite a valiant chase by another we failed to catch up with him and had to wait nearly 15 minutes for him to come back to rejoin us.

We made good time on our return journey to make up for lost time but we were still too late to get admission to Le Tour de ,St Antoine for our 4.30 tickets but 12 of us managed to get admitted at 5 p.m.
Marvellous views of the town including my Dragon Jersey in the window of my apartment!
A very enjoyable day!
Nature notes. Two buzzards. Lucerne crops in several places. Hemp agramony, Large white convovulus, old man's beard..
Total mileage for the 5 days only a modest 193. But we were sightseeing, not racing or trying to achieve a specific cycling goal like LeJog.

Dinner at Entre Acte.

We had great dinners each evening in one of the local restaurants.
Very French cuisine with more than enough wine and great service.

It has been a most enjoyable week despite the poor weather. I made 27 new friends from all parts of the country. We seemed to get on so well together with a good range of ages. I was the senior member of the party but Ali from |Scotland is only a month younger than me and at 9 stone he is a formidable climber. Regularly rides 100 miles a week.

The Original Pegasus Bridge.

On our way back to the ferry on Sunday we had enough time to visit the Pegasus Bridge in Normandy. Famous for the Airborne action that took place there in June 1944. A very moving experience. I actually can remember seeing Horsa gliders flying over us in Gloucestershire in that year.


A great thank you to Pam and Dave Pilbeam for their patience and kindness in dealing with at times a such a "herd of cats"! They made the whole experience a good one despite the adverse weather at times. Thanks too to all of the others taking part for their contributions to the fun and games!

I hope those of you who wish to do so keep in touch.

My Garmin maps and data can be found at : https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/905400576
This is for day one. The next four days can be viewed using the right arrow at the top right of the first one. I actually did ride about another two miles as twice I forgot to check my Garmin Unit was on when starting off.

To any of my fellow riders, Please tell me if I have anything wrong!!!!

By the way i can remeber all the names. In Addition to Pam and Dave there were (in no particular order):

Margaret & Paul, Marje, Meg, Keith & Carol, Ron, Ann, Graham & Isobel, Michael & Rosemary,
Louise, Ali, Johnston, Tim & Dianne, Dave & Jane, Anthony & Debbie, Linda, Karen, Carol, Paul (T) and me.!

GRIDIRONMAN