Tell us about your weekend ride

Staines - Berkhampstead- Staines, via Colnbrook, Gerrard's X, Chalfont St Giles and Chesham, then a loop up to Northchurch, into Berko and back through Chesham.

67 moderately hilly miles, left 9.25, back at Staines 1.45 pm.

Quite a standard ride - I mention it here because our Road Race is on the 20th March, and this means next Sunday's (13th) training ride will probably be the last of the season. We are hoping to have a special 100 mile day - I don't know how well supported this will be, but if any of you would like to come get in touch with me for more details.

Which RR clubman??

Did a 70 mile Audax in Essex with skully, spybot, buffalo bill and a load of beardies on Saturday. Great route, some amazing lanes, very little traffic, wish all my riding was like that. With the riding to stations it was 90 miles all in, furthest I've gone this year by far, legs feel good for it, although shame the weather wasn't like today.

Chelmsford to Maldon on Saturday, and then Maldon to Chelmsford on the Sunday. No major climbs, but some hills that surprised me. Two panniers on the back of my Galaxy made it extra work!

Quite a standard ride - I mention it here because our Road Race is on the 20th March, and this means next Sunday's (13th) training ride will probably be the last of the season. We are hoping to have a special 100 mile day - I don't know how well supported this will be, but if any of you would like to come get in touch with me for more details.

Where do your clubruns start from clubman?

Saturday: 65mile fast jaunt bermondsey-windsor-bermondsey (for some reason this doesn't sound as catchy as Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne)

Sunday: 85 miles in the Surrey hills, followed by cake and coffee in Hampton (very friendly waitresses). Windy, but fun (not the waitresses)

Saw some London Dynorod and various other en-route, but no-one I recognised

Which RR clubman??

The Hounslow 'Peter Young Memorial RR' .

85 miles around two circuits near Chobham, Surrey - I should be able to post the full programme nearer the time. This has been an annual event for many years and is currently run as an Elite,1,2,3 cat race.

Because it comes in late March this race always seems to mark the end of our Sunday training run season.

Where do your clubruns start from clubman?

Staines Bridge, the Egham side, on the corner of 'The Hythe'. 9.15 Sundays.

It's not essential, but it would be nice to hear beforehand from anyone wishing to come. A p.m. to me would be fine.

Chris

I should be there this coming Sunday.

Must pay my members sub as well.

Sorry for no show yesterday.

off road circuit working with some trainee trail leaders, above Osmington and Weymouth Bay, chilly as fook hanging about. Down on miles so planning a biggie next weekend. Sounds like the years rides are warming up for everyone which is good.

This weekend was shit. Saturday - bailed a planned ride to Cambridge as I'm either flying or crawling at the moment and really couldnt be arsed. Took the bike anyway. Got trashed till the early hours, had about 3 1/2 hours sleep, met the g/f to ride back to Herts. Got hopelessly lost and ended up doing a huge loop and 20 miles in we were only about 3 miles west of Cambridge and had to hit the A roads - not particularly fun.

A great morning to be out on the bike. Sun just cresting the horizon as I left the house, air clinging on to the night's chill, roll out of the city and into the countryside :)

Got hopelessly lost and ended up doing a huge loop and 20 miles in we were only about 3 miles west of Cambridge and had to hit the A roads - not particularly fun.

I never feel fully equipped unless I've got a good map with me.

When I first started going on HDW training runs (see above) I was near the start of a long drawn out comeback - it took me a long time to get back to where I was when I was fourteen. At that time our TR's were pretty ferocious - they were led by Martyn Roach who was then the current national 12 hour champion, and there was no question of waiting for anyone who weakened - it was a case of 'see you Wednesday' (at the clubroom, that is). Martyn, who always rode at the front, would rarely say where he was taking us and would just work on what he called a 'need to know basis' - e.g. 'we're turning left in 100 yards'. The thinking behind this was to stop the faint hearted from turning off and leaving the group before we came to a big climb.

I would usually get dropped miles out into unknown territory and be in such a state that I would not want to be waited for, preferring to crawl home on my own.

And that was why one of my essential bits of kit was a small scale map of the whole of the area north, west and south of Staines to enable me to find the easiest route back.

Don't be put off by reading this from coming out with us - we're a lot mellower nowadays.

HDW are a great club to ride with. Very friendly and relaxed but with a good sense of bunch discipline. They also wait for people, and ensure everyone gets home or knows how to. There is a huge depth of experience, and some of the riders are exceptionally strong but they are prepared to offer a wheel and do lead-out when everyone else is flagging.

It is a humbling experience to be overtaken on climbs by people 20-30 years older than me who are chattering away.

I am really looking forwards to this weekends 100 mile jaunt (though 125 for me once I have travelled there and back).

If anyone wants to convene at mine Sunday morning before the ride out to Staines please drop me an email via the forum - ideally don't PM me as its a bit of a faff.

My thanks for these generous comments.

I would just like to make it absolutely clear the I was *not *one of the chattering old blokes who rode past Prancer on a climb.

I don't know who they were - I was almost certainly off the back at the time.

I never feel fully equipped unless I've got a good map with me.

When I first started going on HDW training runs (see above) I was near the start of a long drawn out comeback - it took me a long time to get back to where I was when I was fourteen. At that time our TR's were pretty ferocious - they were led by Martyn Roach who was then the current national 12 hour champion, and there was no question of waiting for anyone who weakened - it was a case of 'see you Wednesday' (at the clubroom, that is). Martyn, who always rode at the front, would rarely say where he was taking us and would just work on what he called a 'need to know basis' - e.g. 'we're turning left in 100 yards'. The thinking behind this was to stop the faint hearted from turning off and leaving the group before we came to a big climb.
I would usually get dropped miles out into unknown territory and be in such a state that I would not want to be waited for, preferring to crawl home on my own.
And that was why one of my essential bits of kit was a small scale map of the whole of the area north, west and south of Staines to enable me to find the easiest route back.

Same principle for me nowadays except it's all about the GPS. hugs phone

I never feel fully equipped unless I've got a good map with me.

When I first started going on HDW training runs (see above) I was near the start of a long drawn out comeback - it took me a long time to get back to where I was when I was fourteen. At that time our TR's were pretty ferocious - they were led by Martyn Roach who was then the current national 12 hour champion, and there was no question of waiting for anyone who weakened - it was a case of 'see you Wednesday' (at the clubroom, that is). Martyn, who always rode at the front, would rarely say where he was taking us and would just work on what he called a 'need to know basis' - e.g. 'we're turning left in 100 yards'. The thinking behind this was to stop the faint hearted from turning off and leaving the group before we came to a big climb.

I would usually get dropped miles out into unknown territory and be in such a state that I would not want to be waited for, preferring to crawl home on my own.

And that was why one of my essential bits of kit was a small scale map of the whole of the area north, west and south of Staines to enable me to find the easiest route back.

Don't be put off by reading this from coming out with us - we're a lot mellower nowadays.

To be honest the whole day was a fuck up. A friend was supposed to be with us and though we had roughly planned a route, he was the one that knew the route and he bailled when the g/f was already on her way to meet me. We both had virtually dead phones and our planning consisted of finding an internet cafe and printing off a few maps...

A lesson learnt, until a few years ago I lived in the Midlands and had long since reached a point that even 50 miles from Brum I knew where I was and how to get home. I guess I'd got complacent for the need to plan on a bike.

No one had a map or gps or ray gun on tonights dirt ride.just local knowledge.

Lovely to blast out some miles on the trails, clear and light til 6.30 just so promising i love this time of year when the days stretch out.

wierdly though on same ride, had to fix 2 broken chains that occurred, one from winter worn transmissions and one from piss poor climbing technique.

Caught the train to sevenoaks and pedalled down to my folks. Lovely morning on some quiet lanes after t wells. Fantastic weather, spring has arrived at last...

More hills than I would have liked but they were worth it, got some spectacular views. Navigating mostly on the fly was a bit dumb but I was rewarded. Fuckyea.jpg

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I want to start doing more cycling on my gears and see if my 3.5mi commute each day has made any difference to my fitness levels.

So today I went for my first time round regents park just to test out me and my new bike (allez 16 sport). As I started off I wanted to push it and did a really quick lap (for me) 7.5mins or something. I kind of wanted to see what i was capable of/what a good time was. Then about one and a half laps in I started streaming this extremely competent cyclist who was going really fast. He let me stream him for two laps and then I decided to try and return the favour and took over for a lap, which completely fucked me,I forgot how windy it was. I then cycled up primrose hill and then up to hampstead tube and back down. Terrific weather.

If you are the person who i was streaming (grey beanie, black Willer and red cycling top) I'd like to thank you dearly. You gave me a wonderful introduction into cycling round RP.

^drafting

^drafting

good fix

Just got back from a 15 mile house hunt round the south east area on the fixed, Bethnal Green - Elephant & Castle - Dulwich - Herne Hill - Vauxhall - E&C - Bethnal.

Was nice to get out, took about 1.45 which is slow, not getting as fast as I'd like for some reason. Next week might aim for Bethnal - Lewisham - Clapham - E&C - Bethnal. 26 miles for anyone who's up for a light Jaunt, maybe a pub lunch?

I post this from a fish and chip shop on the front in Southend. Nice ride in great weather!
Train home though

To and fro Stratford to Greenwich.

Last night Rotherhithe Tunnel home; today foot tunnel followed by Blackwall Tunnel approach road. Neither was fun, to be honest.