Avoid the Olympics 5th August

Shoosh, I hope we can get you further then Woodford this time

I ll do the route this weekend so as to get an idea of times.

The last time we did this the group broke up after N Weald and joined up @ Matching Green, but its hard to get lost as all the signs direct you to Matching Green..

Out.

1) Peter Carter
2) crimsonape
3) ian (conker)
4) s1mon
5) dj
6) poots

Shoosh, I hope we can get you further then Woodford this time

I ll do the route this weekend so as to get an idea of times.

The last time we did this the group broke up after N Weald and joined up @ Matching Green, but its hard to get lost as all the signs direct you to Matching Green..

Thanks, I won't be on the ride (still way too slow/will only hold you up) but will aim to meet you all at High Beach when you stop off.

1) Peter Carter
2) crimsonape
3) ian (conker)
4) s1mon
5) dj
6) poots

In, sounds great. Excuse my ignorance, but what does one bring on a ride such as this? (I've never done one where I wasn't on my todd!)

1) Peter Carter
2) crimsonape
3) ian (conker)
4) s1mon
5) dj
6) poots
7) Jamesprw

Money, jam sandwiches, drinks, any cycling repair stuff you have, passport as we're entering Essex, tissues & wetwipes for bathroom stops, lucky rabbit foot, phone, clothing for weather changes and a bicycle.

Roger.

Yes, but only the Obree approved jam sandwich, ie made with wholemeal and not white bread.

A briefing on essex " culture" will be given @ the depart.

Lunch will probably be @ Moreton, the Matching Green pub might be a bit too TOWIE on a sunday..

id like to think i could do this as high beach is only down the road from me in the greater scheme of things, so I'm in :)
1) Peter Carter
2) crimsonape
3) ian (conker)
4) s1mon
5) dj
6) poots
7) Jamesprw
8) OBallz

More riders welcome on this ride. One for those of you interested in "vintage" cows...

Right through my backyard. Shame it falls on my birthday. Have a great ride.

Here is the route.

Starting point, the Whipp's Cross roundabout, south side at the bus stop next to the TA Centre. I ll be waiting for you!

**We meet at 10.00 and leave @ 10.15ish , but probably 10.30.
**If you are coming from Hackney , then the best way to get to Whipps X is to ride down the Lea Bridge Road from Clapton. The Whipps X roundabout at the very end of the Lea Bridge Road . Here turn right and go around the roundabout and you will see the bus stop on the S of the roundabout . Or you can use the pelican crossing opposite the TA Centre and walk around the corner to the meeting point. The post code is E10 6EA.

The Route.
These are the directions to Matching Green and back . Anyone who has ridden the Dunwich Dynamo will know large parts of it.

Leave Whipps X Roundabout and then ride up to the Waterworks roundabout where we cross over the N Circular. This is a busy roundabout, so if we are split up then we will regroup on the other side. If you don't fancy the roundabout there is a cycle path underneath it.

Then follow the road to Woodford Green where we turn L @ the junction and then take the A104 though Woodford Green and onto Epping. After 2 miles we enter Epping Forest. You see trees, cows and horses.

At the 1st roundabout in the forest (the Robin Hood) **turn LEFT  **at the sign for High Beach and ride into the forest.  At the first junction, after a small hill **turn RIGHT** and then ride on up to High Beach. Ignnore the motor cyclists.  Go past the pub at High Beach  and head for the Green tea hut on the far R side. **This is the 1st meeting up point. ETA 11.30?**

After stopping for refreshments at the tea hut, we carry on past the hut but after 500m and at the 1st junction **turn Right ** and ride on through the forest to rejoin the A104. Before rejoining the A104 to Epping there is a junction and a road to cross.** Here turn RIGHT towards the roundabout which you can see as you turn. Turn L at roundabout, past the petrol station ( you are now back on the DD route) and take the road to Epping. **Best to be in single file here.

Ride through Epping , as you leave the town you will go past a green on your left and up a small hill. **At the top of that hill there is junction and a set of traffic lights. Turn Right here for N Weald. Go through more forest, under the motorway and then enter N Weald Village. Go past the Golf course and on your Left is the War memorial. This is the 2nd meeting up point.**

Carry on through the village and out to the Talbot( its a pub) roundabout at the (A414) junction**. Go straight across here and you are in the Essex Lanes. **

Ride on and at** 1st junction turn Right – **follow the signs for **Moreton , and carry on till **you see the 1st sign for Matching Green and then follow that road N to Matching Green. This is the 3rd meeting up point.

Lunch and the return journey.
*At this stage (20 miles) we will ride to the pub @ Moreton, The White Hart, from Matching Green . Just follow the signs to Moreton from Matching Green. *

After Moreton, we retrace our steps and ride back the way we came through N Weald, Epping, the Forest and Woodford. Again, just follow the signs. I suggest we again ride back via High Beach, but you can carry on down the Epping Road ( A104 ) to Woodford instead as that’s quicker but can be a bit bonkers at that time of day.

At Woodford Green we have a busy R turn across traffic to get to the Waterworks Roundabout. There is an alternative which takes us down to S Woodford , but i need to write that up.

**
Back to Whipps X
**Do youwant to return to a pub in Walthamstow? If so I d suggest the Nags Head or Rose & Crown, let me check them out.

General Points
The Epping and Woodford parts of the route can be busy- so single file is often best.

Oil up.
If there’s a car coming from behind the group then call out to alert the riders in front know. “Oil up!” is the warning to use.

Be courteous to others and salute all cyclists

both pubs are super friendly, lively and have awesome atmospheres, as far as locking bikes, the nags head has a long iron fence across the road which is used for locking bikes

Crap,think i'm going to have to pull out*, have to work this Sunday. Bloody freelance contracts. Have a great ride everyone......
*Going to see if I can wangle a way out asap and maybe catch you guys up somehow.....

This revelation about the Olympics is truely terrifying : Is The Olympics The Next 9/11? Whistleblower Speaks Out! - YouTube

Quite what that has to do my cycle ride I am unsure.

Still planning to do this, even if it rains

Please PM me as to your intentions

Apparently , CC Hackney took the Belgian Road Team out for a ride to Epping last week. Tom even had coffee at the Costa in Epping. We will pass this !

He should have gone to the Tea Hut though.

Damn right he should! Mmmm ginger cake nomnomnom.

Rain or shine, I ll be @ Whipps X

I plan to meet you all at High Beach for a coffee... Unless you overtake me (more than likely!)

I'm out with a couple of pals in that vicinity from about 9. Hope to see y'all rolling around. If you see a beard on an 80s Pinarello gis a wave.

getting excited for this ride. Stocked up on lucozade and twix cakes, and I'm set! Also, shoosh, I'm not the quickest rider, so come along, after all it is all about the riding and enjoyment of riding :)

1) Peter Carter
2) crimsonape
3) ian (conker)
4) s1mon
5) dj
6) poots
7) Jamesprw
8) OBallz
9)ricochet

Spotted you all at The Castle this morning. I was hiding from the rain in the bakery (with a hot cup of tea) before beating a hasty retreat home.

Hope you all had a good ride....would have come along but had to work. Did this route out on a ride to Stanstead last week and there's some lovely villages!

Seems theres a few people on here around Woodford area (I live just round the corner from bakery/ Castle), I often go for long/steady rides out in the countryside if anyone fancies hooking up for rides in the future? Generally sundays but often midweek too for a couple of hours....

This was the RIDE OF TWO HALVES

en-route to Walthamstow I took the wrong exit at Tottenham and only realised when I got to Ikea-Edmonton! So it was turn around and sprint back and then off at the next jct. I arrived at about 10:20 - bathed in sweat and drenched by a heavy shower!

All 5 of us set off about 10:30 in the dry. About 200yds up the road Oli had to stop for a mechanical - dodgy headset, which he carried on riding with through the Essex Everglades, left behind by what must have been the most almighty deluge. We got to the Tea Hut at High Beach where I enjoyed a cup of tea and a nice bit of bread pudding. After 10mins I had to wolf it down 'cos the paper bag it was in started to disintegrate with the rain which by now was quite heavy. We sheltered under a tree behind the tea hut and adjusted Oli's headset so that it was too loose (but at least he could stear properly now!) After a bit, the rain subsided and we forged on through several places I recaul from previous DDs. We waited a while under a road bridge while the rain was particularly heavy, nodding to two fellow masochists on the other side of the road.

PC decided (quite rightly) to cut the ride short and we headed for the pub at Moreton. About a mile away from the aforesaid pub it stopped raining. It was only at this point we realised we had been riding too fast and had not let the wind carry the rain clouds ahead of us. (this is actually bullshit).

I enjoyed a nice pint and bag of crisps at the pub when the sun came out! After sitting in my own sauna as the steam rose from my wet clothes I eventually dried off - except for my feet.

The ride back, via the farm shop on the A414 was mostly bathed in sunshine. Truly a ride of two halves. I left the others at the Loughton turn-off as I was heading off home through Chingford and Enfield.

Surprisingly, it was an enjoyable, if slightly cut-short ride! Thank you @PeterCarter for leading us and coming up with ‘cunning plans’ to avoid hills and even more rain.