Wed 29th Dec – Thames Pathway Ride

Call up old friend and former colleague Geoff from Reading and arrange a cycle ride local to my home area of Kingston. Geoff has recently returned from a cycling holiday in Chile and Argentina and he brought his trusty Thorn Sherpa for the day’s ride. I was using my new Pinnacle mtb. The aim of the ride was to focus on a short section of the Thames Path and make our way to Walton on Thames but starting with a warm up circuit of Richmond Park .

Into Richmond Park via Ham Gate and an anti-clockwise circuit of the Park’s cycle/pedestrian path carefully passing pushchairs, dogs and kiddies on their new Christmas bikes (future SWRC members?). Return to Ham Gate but turn off right on the pathway to Petersham and the gate opposite the Dysart Arms. Out of the park and across the road to pick up a pathway round the back of Petersham that leads down to the river Thames. The river is shrouded in a spooky mist and in places the river has an almost milky tone due dense mist overlying the waters. Take the path in the upstream direction to Kingston passing Marble Hill Park on the opposite bank, Eel Pie Island, and Ham House.

Stop off at Teddington Lock to open a flask of coffee and have some biscuits and hear about Geoff’s thousand mile ride in Chile and tales of hanging glaciers and vicious dogs. My main contribution was to mention that Teddington Lock was used in filming the fish slapping dance in a Monty Python series – see clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCwLirQS2-o



Me at Teddington Lock


Geoff and his Thorn Sherpa

On through to Kingston via Canbury Gardens and over the bridge. Nearly tempted to call in at Sigma Sport’s “King of Bling” new shop at Hampton Wick but carried on to Hampton Court, then Molesey Lock, Hurst Park, Shepperton Lock and Walton where we finished up at the Anglers pub by the riverside for a beer and coffee. We decided to head back by 3pm as a damp and foggy gloom was settling over the Thames Valley and we didn’t all have lights. Take the road to Hampton Court that runs parallel to the river for a speedy return in the fading light and back home soon after 4pm. A good afternoon’s ride and great to get the legs spinning again.
Richard

What more snow?

With monday being ,for most of us at least ,the first day that it was respectable to go out cycling Alan,John and I had agreed to meet up at Newlands. You might be surprised to know ( as I was) that one of our members went for a 70 mile ride on christmas day itself .I think it must be some sort of presidential prerogative that had been discovered hidden away in the club by laws.

It is said that the best presents are sometimes self -bought .And ,if this is correct,John and I were examples with each of us having bought a new bike in the week leading up to xmas.John, a Giant from the Giant only shop in Twickenham and me a Kona ,from Pauls Cycles in Norfolk ,courtesy of a tip from Bob Wooler communicated via our road race secretary. So ,as we gingerly set off across the ice in the car park ,it was a case of "All the gear and no idea " .

Our route went across to St Martha's and then down to Albury,up to the football pitch,up to Shamley Green and then following the route of the Tour of the SurreyHills with a short spell on the road we went up to the top of Winterfold where we stopped by the Windmill which was new to John and me at least.

We then went up to the top of Pitch Hill where we finally saw a few walkers but in reality we hardly saw anyone all day. It was about 3c which meant a few tracks had begun to melt a little but essentially all was still frozen so riding conditions were fine.

After John and I displaying the "all the gear and ..... " adage in our riding in abundance when coming down off Pitch Hill where the track became too steep for us we wound up in Peaslake. Alan had a piece of xmas cake burning a hole in his pocket so we stopped at the shop and sat in the bus shelter there.We now looked like proper mtb riders drinking coffee in our mtb branded mugs at the classic mtb hang out .We may not have looked very cool but we felt it -well not so much cool as bloody freezing. If stopping at this time of year it has to be indoors for me . We had a good chat with a couple of a certain age ( think Andy Hicks generation) who had walked the 8 miles from the church on Ranmore and were then walking the 7 miles back .A good effort we thought.

Back to Shere,the climb up the track running east of the road up Coombe Bottom being in good condition and we arrived back at the cars after a good ride and the only thing missing being the sight of an inverted 4 wheel drive which would have rounded our ride off nicely.

It is not proper cycling of course but it does have its moments and it certainly beats a turbo.....

Nick

Tuesday mtb

More snowy pics!!

A great ride in the snow today, up over Leith via Rookery and a bit of singletrack on Summer Lightning. On the way back roger and I finish the ride by riding up White Down. It's always a bit treacherous, but there were a couple of other obstacles today!

First a 4wd in the hedge at the bottom and then this one on it's side on the steep bit.




There were another three abandoned near the top.



At the junction we met a policeman and the guy whose car it was, so it had only just happened. The police car had taken his wife and children home and they were waiting for it's return.

Frosty

It's a bit dangerous on the side roads up here in the Midlands so I tend to stick to the Fosse Way which as you would expect is fairly straight and is kept well gritted and can be remarkably quite at some times of the day. On Sunday I had to wait until late in the day when the temperature had risen to -2 but I finally managed a couple of hours out to the basin at Brinklow (Stretton under Fosse) Warwickshire on the North Oxford - Coventry Canal, here the canal (built 1790's) and railway come through adjacent to each other as they make their way up from Watford Gap.

I did'nt hang around too long as the light was fading and it was very cold once off the bike, Fiona and her sister had taken a chance to drive up to the Lake District but encountered few problems as I think they are generally better prepared for bad weather up there.

Snow Mountain biking

With more icy roads abound, it was another mountain bike ride for some of the A group. But what a fantastic day we had in the powdery snow riding across the downs to Leith Hill and back. We had arranged to meet at Ryka's cafe car park where we are able to get straight onto tracks that climb upto Ranmore common. By coincidence a MTB friend of mine, Neil Cooper, also getting ready at the car park and joined us for the day.

Mark was on his new bike, a GIANT XTC hardtail, which I think is a great looking bike with all the latest kit on it, including hydraulic disk brakes.

After the slog we had through the slush last time we were out, todays conditions were the best I can EVER remember. It was absolutely fantastic. It snowed for the first hour as we climbed over Ranmore, down to Westcott village, then up Logmore lane and into Wotton common towards Coldharbour. As we rode higher and higher our bikes and clothes were getting covered in the light powder snow but as it was so cold, we stayed dry and my hand were lovely and warm when I reach Leith Hill tower. With the cafe closed it was no hanging around and we all heading down the valley to Wotton PH, across the A25 to Park farm, and the last climb of the day up the White downs.

The roads were empty of cars as we reached Ranmore again but the small bit we road along was the slippyest of the ride and I was glad to be on the tracks again as we road down past the vineyards.

thetford rnd 2

The snow had gone and luckily hadn't left any mud! :) Round two's course was fast and swoopy with a couple of steady uphill drags. Jane has been suffering with a bit of a sore throat for a couple of weeks and so had only ridden once since the last round.


Her fitness was completely gone! So we dragged around for the regulation four hours and managed five laps. On the second lap my rear brake completely failed! Paul had a great race and managed fifth again.




In a couple of weeks we'll be in Ibiza racking up some warmer kilometres for the next round. :)

Newlands in the snow

With a dump of snow during the week and continuous low temperatures for the rest of the time ment road riding was out of the question for the club this Saturday. The only option for getting out was to get out on the mountain bikes and so a few of the Alphas met a Cobham for at ride into the Downs. We stuck to the main road as far as Bookham and then headed up bridle paths towards our destination of Newlands corner. We had proposed to do a bigger loop but the snow was turning to slush as it was fairly tough going and so we revised our plans. We all decided to let as much air out of our tyres as we’d dared, to get a little extra traction, but there were time we all found it difficult to stay upright.
Although I have ridden in the Downs for years I still managed to get the group lost and at one point we had to retrace a section after coming across a pheasant shoot and were warned not to proceed. It all looks so different when covered in the white stuff.
Eventually we reached the highest point where we met up with the main east/west Pilgrims way bridle path and could pick the pace up and head for a well earned lunch stop.

Personally I have stopped going to the Newlands cafe a few years ago after not feeling welcomed, and having to leave bikes out of view. This time it couldn't have been further from the truth with a welcome smile from the staff and noe problem with leaving the bike just outside the entrance. I will definitely go there again it I'm in the vicinity.

After a rest in the warm tearoom it was out into the slush again and the route back was lead by Niall who knew a suitable direct way back to Cobham where by that time my feet were soaked and freezing from the rapidly defrosting slush.