Arrivée 152, Summer 2021 by Audax UK

Arrivee clists’ nce cy e a t s i d azin long– the mbers’ mag K U x Auda tion – me r 2021 a associ 52 • summe 1 e Issu

Lucy’s long lost friend page 57

INSIDE ISSUE 152 Membership matters

Just a Sec

Letters 05

Front cover… Lucy McTaggart on her beloved Pete Matthews bike page 57

Cycling shorts

Cycling shorts 2

A biking battle of two Trafalgars

A Highland fling with plenty of bite

Tea for one on a lonely mountain

In the tight embrace of Salopian slopes

Demons in the darkness on one hell of a stormy ride

Bringing home the beacons

Life is better on a bike if you can dodge the beer bottles

Dan’s diary – stung and shaken in the shires

Keeping cool in a Corsican cauldron

Man (and bike) in a suitcase

Hitting the heights in the pan-flat fens

Superseding against the odds

Cycling for safe water

AAA 2020 Rolls of Honour

Ode to a long-lost ‘friend’

Eric Fletcher obituary

The Baking Biker

AUK Calendar

Prize crossword

Contacts 63

Welcome to the summer 2021 issue of Arrivée A nice gesture?

Arrivée152Summer2021

We live in an age of gestures. Everyone’s at it. Politicians and professional footballers alike “take the knee”, ordinary folk are urged to stand on their doorsteps and applaud the NHS, or copy and paste some fatuous words on Facebook, just to prove that they really, really care about cancer.

This is all very laudable, but does it make a difference? It’s as if it’s easier to make a gesture than actually figure out what to do about a particular social issue. The Cambridge English Dictionary defines gesture politics as “any action done for political reasons, intended to attract public attention but having little real effect”. So what does this observation have to do with cycling? We all know that biking is better for the environment than jumping into your 4x4 and driving out for a Happy Meal. But, while

most of us are aware of our responsibility to the environment, let’s be honest – we do it mainly for the fun of it.

while cycling, throughout the performance, as her character journeys through the different stages of climate awareness.

Now a piece of gesture politics from the world of Contemporary Arts is about to use the humble bike to make a climate gesture. The London Sinfonietta orchestra is to stage a concert – powered entirely by bicycles.

The composer of the work, Laura Bowler, says: “The climate crisis is the most urgent matter for the artistic community to address right now. The more ways we find to communicate the problem, the more likely people will become active in demanding governmental action and, in turn, global action.”

The event is designed to “highlight climate change”, probably because there are still a few people out there who’ve never heard of it – and they’re sure to be the sort of people who attend the Royal Festival Hall in London, aren’t they? The energy for the show, on July 9, will be generated by 16 on-stage bicycles. Everything, from the stage lighting to the sound system, will depend on the spinning wheels of stationary bicycles. Even the splendid mezzo-soprano, Jessica Aszodi, will perform from the saddle – singing

potential power of the bicycle, they will come to the conclusion that here is a source of untapped energy which can be exploited for the benefit of mankind. Cyclists… what are you doing, wasting your time and energy biking around the world and having fun when you could be putting your efforts to good use… and powering Bristol. Listen… dafter things have happened.

She says that the work “delves into the complexities at the heart of the climate crisis, climate psychology and climate grief”. The performance is sure to provoke a response from those who witness it. They will go home, their minds in a whirl of new awareness, and from now on will definitely make sure they sort out the recycling bin properly. And maybe, having seen first-hand the

Tony Lennox former editor, Birmingham Post and Warwickshire Life, 45 years in regional newspapers

MEMBERSHIP MATTERS… Caroline Fenton, AUK Membership Secretary As events have started up again, it is very pleasing to see an increase in the rate of new members joining, and also lapsed members coming back. We now have 700 more members than on 1st January, still lower than at this time last year but starting to catch up. The new Stripe payment option for using a credit or debit card seems to be proving popular and so far has been very reliable, which is good news for me and the finance director. We are again offering discount codes for those who enter an event as a non-member and then decide to join Audax UK, so effectively refunding their supplement. It’s our “try before you buy”, although it’s quite OK to claim the discount before riding, just the entry is sufficient! Some organisers have codes to supply to their riders, but if not, I can deal with this directly. If you know anyone who has entered as a non-member, please do make them aware of this offer. I know we mention it from time to time, but it’s worth talking about household membership. A member can add other people from their household (a term we are now all rather too familiar with from Covid restrictions, but in AUK’s case we just define it as “sharing an address”) for just £6 per year. The household members get the full benefits of membership, except for their own Arrivee copy. It’s easy to add them on line now and if you have a few years’ to run on your membership, you can still sign up your household members for just one year if you aren’t sure whether they will enjoy it. Since the last magazine, I’ve had a few taking up the offer of some back copies for extra reading material. Stocks are now limited, so if you do want any please contact me asap. You can also read our back copies on line at audax.uk/join-us/arrivée-magazine/. I would like to say “see you all on the road soon” but given our geographical diversity and the fact that I have only entered one event (so far… ) it’s more a figure of speech than reality.

2021 KW Audax Rides Schedule, lockdown conditions permitting… The KW Audax Chapter is planning monthly rides from March through to October, building up to an epic flagship new 1,000 km event in July down to Land’s End and back, please click the ride links for further details and how to enter: • Sat 12 Jun – Wander Wye 600km • Wed 7 Jul – London – Land’s End – London 1,000km • Sun 15 Aug – Rowlands Ramble 200km • Sat 11 Sep – Fifth Continent 300 km to celebrate 100 years of audax! • Sun 3 Oct – Brace of Bramleys 200 km

www.audax.uk

Just a sec I am writing this on the 17 May which, for Scotland, England and Wales, marks another milestone on the road back to normality. This has been a difficult period for everyone involved with AUK and it will remain so as we grapple with the constantly changing environment and as, in particular, organisers try to plan ahead. Events are likely to be a bit different for a while yet so please continue to support our organisers and volunteers in complying with the necessary restrictions they have in place. AGM Our AGM was another event with a difference this year. It is normally held on the second Saturday in February but was delayed this year in a forlorn attempt to hold a physical meeting. It was eventually held on the 15 May via Zoom. This was entirely new ground for us but the meeting did seem to proceed well and we even had a few more attendees than usual. Those attending were able to participate in the debates about the resolutions put to the meeting and question the Board on a number of points. Overall, online voting was significantly lower this year (approximately a third) which may reflect the fact the resolutions were not controversial or some disengagement from the continuing lockdown. When we discussed the format of future

GRAEME PROVAN, General secretary, Audax UK AGMs there was some interest either in continuing with a virtual meeting or, possibly, some hybrid of a physical and virtual meeting. Those present from further afield (including Japan!) were glad of the opportunity to be able to attend without travelling. The minutes of the meeting are available on the website. Having been co-opted to the board during the year, Dan Smith was confirmed as our Events Services Director. Meanwhile, Chris Crossland was re-elected as Chair, John Ward as Permanent Events Secretary and Caroline Fenton as membership secretary. It was all change with our Non-Executive Directors. John Sabine, who had served since the post was created, was finally able to stand down. As did Martin Stefan who is currently living in New Zealand. The Chair thanked them both for their services to AUK. Lucy McTaggart and Andy Yates were duly elected as our new Non-Executive Directors. BOARD MEETING Our latest board meeting took place on the 14 April. One of our more pleasurable tasks each year is to consider the nominations for the various awards. Details will be published separately but we had some particularly strong candidates this year, particularly when you consider the

absence of any points competitions. We also considered AUK strategy document but, once again, took the view that it was impossible to conduct a proper review of future strategy while in the grip of a pandemic. We were joined at the meeting by our IT Manager, Kevin Lake. Kevin reported that some initial work was being done in-house on Phase III of the IT Refresh Project. This work was around how our payments systems work and some initial scoping of the requirements for DIY entries. We also discussed the ebrevet app as developed for us by our web content manager and our membership secretary. This was now available on Android and Apple but work was ongoing to ensure it was a stable system on both. We noted the requirement for brevet cards on BRM events and our ACP Representative agreed to approach ACP to ascertain their views. We also agreed that it would not be appropriate to force riders to use ebrevets as not everyone would have the technology or the desire to abandon route sheets and cards. With ebrevets it is very much a case of watch this space. As ever, you can look at the board minutes and board reports in the Official section on the website.

Arrivée152Summer2021

IMPORTANT NOTES FOR CONTRIBUTORS

Arrivée magazine is very happy to receive submissions from readers. In fact, your contributions represent almost the entire content. Arrivée is written by members, for members and about members. We do, however, reserve the right to edit, amend or abridge submitted copy. By submitting copy, contributors are understood to consent to this policy. Contributors should also accept that the editor retains responsibility for headlines, design and lay-out. All submitted copy must contain the writer’s name – nicknames or aliases are not acceptable – and membership number, together with an email address. While we will always strive to present your copy to your satisfaction, in common with all other publishers, our duty is primarily to our readers, and we maintain the right to make adjustments where necessary. We will always endeavour to publish your story but it might be in a later issue as we are currently limited to 64 pages.

ISSUE 153 – AUTUMN 2021 EDITION

Send your stories to gedlennox@me.com There is no copy deadline for stories as most will be published, but not necessarily immediately unless they are time-imperative. COPY DEADLINE FOR ADVERTISERS: 26 July 2021 ● Send your text in any word-processor format and your pictures as separate files (i.e. not embedded in the document). ● Images must be as big as possible, anything below 1Mb jpeg is not usable ● It is essential that your photographs are captioned, preferably in a separate document, cross referenced to your pictures. ● Include your full contact details – including your AUK number – we cannot publish your story otherwise ● Package the content into a single compressed zip archive. ● If it is too large (i.e. more than 10Mb) please use WeTransfer, MailBigFile or a cloud-based platform like Dropbox etc. ● Please do not use the old Mediafire gateway as it is no longer functional.

LETTERS READY FOR ANYTHING Sir, I’m hoping the summer edition of Arrivée will be chock full of glorious spring time ride reports and pictures after the easing of regulations. The Audax UK events pages are slowly filling up and I’m excitedly scanning my Google calendar for free weekends and deciding that, yes, a 100-mile trip to a car park in Bristol for a 6am start is completely reasonable – where do I sign? I’m all for some furtive Zwifing, but it’s a means to an end and my pasty complexion reminds me that I need some long days outdoors – badly. Yes, I appreciate there are bigger problems in the world right now but let’s keep smiling. It’s been a long, dark, inactive winter – not helped by putting my back out just as some spring sunshine began peeping through the murk. But with four weeks of holiday in the bank to use I’m hoping to string together an SR series and kickstart my RRTY (neither of which I’ve ever done) perhaps with a view to LEL and PBP in following years. Anything is possible with my current levels of enthusiasm. Is it true? Is it all over now? Can I just ride my bloody bike again? I won’t even complain about the potholes. I’m ready for any type of pain and exhaustion that comes my way. Paul Firth ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK? Sir, I was pleased to read all the positive comments for the inclusion of e-bikes into Audax (Arrivée 151). The more the merrier, as the saying goes. There are obvious advantages to riding an e-bike, and some good suggestions as to solutions. Alas I don’t think we can mix e-bikes with unpowered (or underpowered in my case) bikes – not so much the pacing but more so the drafting into headwinds. So could I suggest that e-bike riders ride the same event on the same day, just clockwise while the rest ride anticlockwise? There are a few out and back routes where this obviously wouldn’t work. If the argument arises “but we want to ride together” – then I’m afraid I don’t think it’s workable. Deborah Lewis

WHO LET THE DOGS OUT? Sir, I enjoyed D.E.Twitchett’s article on dogs and cyclists (Arrivée 151), and I can confirm that the problem is not uncommon. On a Portuguese pre-season camp, a 25 mile mountain ride was organised, and one of my fellow riders was chased by a small terrier. He tried to whack the dog on the nose with his pump, but the dog, obviously having previous experience, grabbed the pump and rushed off into the undergrowth. Nearer to home, riding the wonderful Knotty 600, I’d struggled up The Kirkstone Pass in the early hours of the morning, and was contemplating the descent into Ambleside. A suicidal dog rushed out of nowhere and threw itself under my front wheel – the resulting tumble yielding a smashed watch and badly bruised ribs. My worst experience was again in the early hours of the morning, on Shawn Shaw’s Porkers 400. I’d just passed through the village of Hemyock into the darkness, when I was aware of several dogs behind me. The usual remedy of trying to out-run them was unsuccessful, with one running across the front of me, bringing me down. As soon as I hit the ground, I knew my ride was over – a broken pelvis resulting in 14 days in traction in Taunton hospital followed by 10 weeks on crutches. Worse was having to ring my wife to tell her I’d be late getting back – two weeks late! Also upsetting was the “sympathy” card from Shawn for not completing the ride – the only one I received arising from all the Wessex series events I rode. I’m sure there must be a good reason dogs are so disturbed by bike wheels – any dog behavioural experts, or canine psychologists out there who can enlighten me? Alan Linge

an increasing number of e-bikes. On calendar rides I’m regularly the slowest and last to finish. The 15 kph/9 mph minimum speed and the associated time limits are significant to me, although I can usually get round in time. E-bikes currently (no pun intended) operate at up to 25 kph or 16 mph. That’s far faster than I’m accustomed to riding an Audax event. In the years I’ve been a member I’ve never got close to that speed for an Audax event. I would challenge the comment made in the original article (Arrivée 150) that “an Audax rider needs to average 21-26 kph on a long ride”. Since when? While the maximum speed set by law may remain, it is inevitable that technological advances in battery power, just like with electric cars, will extend the range of e-bikes beyond that which applies today, so e-assisted 200km rides will become entirely possible. I have absolutely no problem at all about e-bikes being allowed on permanents, provided the electrically assisted ride is recorded, and does not count towards awards – RRTY, Brevet 1000 or whatever. The problem is once you let the e-bike

genie out of the bottle, they will start to appear on calendar events, ridden by anyone, not just the elderly or “health-challenged riders”. I’ve ridden the Marple August events – Peak District 100 km rides with climbing points – for many years. All of them start with a steep climb. Do I want to see some overweight 45 year old blast past me on an e-bike at the start of those events after opening up the throttle to max? No. My experience with riding with e-bikers off-road is that they have not bought them “just to keep up”, they have bought them to demonstrate their capabilities, especially going up hills… where they can wait at the top. While we live in a free country and everyone is entitled to their opinion, AUK is a Member of LRM. AUK was originally set up to allow folk to qualify for PBP, an event sanctioned by LRM. I assume “the vehicle must be powered solely by the rider” is an LRM requirement which AUK cannot change unilaterally. It would be helpful if that point could be clarified so we all know precisely where we stand. Reid Anderson

LETTING THE E-BIKE GENIE OUT OF THE BOTTLE Sir, I read the contributions on the issue of e-bikes and Audax events (Arrivée 151) with interest. I’m 72 years old and have been an AUK member for over 20 years. I live in Yorkshire, where Tour de France legend Brian Robinson rides an e-bike. If it’s good enough for BR, it’s good enough for anyone. In addition to road riding, I ride (or used to) off-road with a group that includes www.audax.uk

CYCLING

SHORTS Cycling Shorts is your platform for news, call-outs, views and opinions on anything cycling-related. We’re keen to hear your biking tales, old or new. Drop us an email with the details. We’re looking for all types of short stories from Audax riders, with a picture of yourself too if possible. Send to: gedlennox@me.com

Paris ride in tribute to a biking buddy When Rob Maslen’s friend Alan Roblou was diagnosed with terminal cancer, Rob agreed, with some reluctance, to undertake a last, long ride with him. Sadly Alan died before their planned Paris-Brest-Paris assault – so Rob rode solo, in memory of his pal. It was in 2016 that my close friend Alan Roblou, a long time Audaxer, was diagnosed with incurable pancreatic cancer. With the clock ticking in front of him, he twisted my arm into undertaking to ride, either the Camino de Santiago or Paris-Brest-Paris in 2019. I’d never been an Audax rider, having moved from marathon running to triathlons and then cyclo-sportives since I retired. Neither am I a mountain bike rider so I opted for the PBP rather than the Camino de Santiago, knowing it was three years away, and thinking everyone would have forgotten about it by then. Alan passed away a year or so later but my commitment hung heavily on me. I rode a 200/300/400km in pre-qualifying in 2018 but found the last one, a ride through the moonless night, very hard. I duly pre-registered for the PBP, far from sure that I’d be capable of completing it. So I rode the qualifying distances in the south of France, where I have a summer place, with a group of cyclists from

Montpellier. It wasn’t until we rode the Aix-en-Provence 600km, which was split into two loops with an overnight stop if desired, that I realised I’d be able to do it. I’m no fan of night riding, so I entered the 84 hour group with a 5am start, planning on riding mainly in daylight. I’d asked Alan’s widow Sue and my wife to provide moral support, so I booked Airbnbs along the route for us to stay. Day one went well and I found myself riding in a big group of French, German and Austrian cyclists averaging an easy 25kph. I’d booked lodgings at Tintiniac so called a halt at 8pm, still feeling strong. I left my group to carry on to Loudeac, a more logical overnight stop. On the following day I rode with a big group of Americans to Brest and back. There were 75 cyclists from a San Francisco club in the event. We chatted a lot and divided along Democratic and Republican lines. On day three I cycled with a group of Bulgarians, Serbs and other East Europeans. They were very friendly and kept extolling the state of the roads in their countries – unlike the pitiful state of ours, I thought. I was slowing up a bit and arrived at the control point of Villaines-La-Juhel at 11pm,

Truly epic Welsh ride Pauline Porter recalls the creation of a ride which stretches the length of Wales, from Chepstow to Anglesey. It was thrilling to discover recently that the Lonely Planet’s “Epic Bike Rides of the World” had devoted four pages to the Bryan Chapman Memorial ride. I got hooked on Audax rides in the early 1980s, and set about promoting the full series on behalf of the CTC Bristol. It wasn’t long before more members became interested in Audax rides. After a holiday visit to Tony Oliver and his family, who were living on the Isle of Anglesey at the time, I had the idea of a 600km event from Chepstow to the Menai Bridge using the Oliver’s abode as the outward control.

I talked to Bryan Chapman about the idea, and he was most enthusiastic, so we drove the provisional route we’d mapped out. It soon became obvious that the route went well over 600km as Tony lived at the north end of the island, so l began searching for a convenient control point nearer the Menai Bridge and eventually we secured St Mary’s church hall. Dolgellau Youth Hostel would serve as a dual control and enable riders to sleep and be fed. Helpers at this control were always stretched to the limits, being on call for 30 hours or more. It was easier to ride the event than help out. Elizabeth Chapman drove up to the very exposed Felindre to set up a control for the riders providing a

cooked breakfast and also a temporary toilet. Another convenient control in the early days was the home of Ted King’s daughter at Dilwyn in Herefordshire. The finish was held at the home of the late Nik Peregrine in Chepstow. As the event became more popular these controls became less practical and other establishments were used. I am so pleased the event is still a firm annual fixture in the Audax calendar with other organisers taking on the hosting. The route has varied over the years but still traverses the length of Wales from Chepstow through to the Menai Bridge, passing through some superb scenery.

Pauline Porter CS

Arrivée152Summer2021

Left to Right Bryan Chapman, Sheila King, Pauline’s son David, Ted King, Pauline Porter, Ray Haswell, Bridget Boon, Heather King, Ian Boon – taken at Dilwyn, Herefordshire, in 1984

three hours behind my schedule. I told Sue, who was waiting for me there, that I’d prefer to rest for an hour and then pick up a train of cyclists to ride through the night. This would ensure I caught up my time and fully appreciated the PBP experience. The night was very dark and very cold, and I had only daytime summer cycling kit. I found myself riding with a big group from India and South Korea. Most of them, who had set out more than 12 hours before me, realised that they’d miss their deadline of 90 hours but I told them to carry on and enjoy it – an hour or two isn’t important in the grand scheme of things.

CYCLING PALS Seventy year old Rob Maslen lives in Richmond, south-west London, and was 68 when he rode the Paris-Brest-Paris. He’d been friends with fellow cycling enthusiast Alan Roblou since they met when Alan and his wife Sue stayed at the house of a mutual friend in the south of France ten years ago. Alan, who died at the age of 72, was a keen cyclist, and a life member of Audax UK. He’d cycled LeJoG, and completed many long and hilly rides through Europe, ticking them off in a big coffee table book, which he left to Rob. Rob says: “His strong cycling days were behind him by the time we met, so he rode vicariously through me, and followed my efforts on WhatsApp with great enthusiasm. After Sue’s retirement they cycled together on a tandem. “When the grim reaper appeared on the horizon, he bought a convertible Mazda MX-5 and drove many of the grand routes. The last time we rode together was in 2012 when we popped down to Kingston to watch Bradley Wiggins in the Olympic time trial.”

Several of the Indians carried boom boxes playing rock music which helped to keep everyone fired up. It dropped down to three degrees as we cycled through the hilly Parc naturel régional du Perche and along the lakes. By dawn on day four I was back on track and rode the last two legs on my own, crossing the line in 81.50, two hours inside my target. So, what did I learn? Firstly that “next time” I’ll ride unassisted so that I can stop where I want. Secondly, I want to ride all the routes of Eastern Europe. To this end I’ve bought a camper van.

Rob Maslen CS

Guaranteed to blow your mind… The irrepressible Midland dynamo, Glyn Marston, is famous far beyond his home town of Willenhall, near Walsall. His achievements in the world of ultra-distance running, despite suffering from epilepsy from an early age, have won him many accolades. A devastating knee injury meant a withdrawal from running, but Audax cycling drew his interest – and the result is a memoir of a remarkable continental ride to visit a statue of the singer Freddie Mercury on the shores of Lake Geneva – Finding Freddie: The (Alternative) Paris-Brest-Paris Story, published this spring. The book tells the tale of his gruelling, and ultimately failed attempt to qualify for the Paris-Brest-Paris bike ride – and his subsequent decision to ride to Switzerland instead. “My application for PBP was cancelled,” he says. “So I chose instead to cycle to Montreux and visit the statue of my all-time hero, Freddie Mercury which overlooks Lake Geneva. “The book is a light-hearted story of challenging the distance and the mountains on two wheels with two friends as support, taking full advantage of being let loose across France without their wives to keep them in check.” All Glyn’s Audax qualifiers are featured in the book, as well as the highs and lows of cycling through wet and windy nights, and sleeping in Audax hotels – otherwise known as bus shelters. Glyn is also the author of The Rise and Fall of an Ultra-Distance Runner, telling of his rise to fame in that tough world. He’s also written of his early teenage years coming to terms with a diagnosis of a debilitating condition in My First Year of Epilepsy. Both books are available through Austin Macauley Publishers.

Glyn Marston CS

Being in the scene, man

author’s plans were more to travel than to arrive. He wanted to make good time, but with the emphasis on good rather than time. He found Paul Harrison on an iconic book twisting hilly roads with little traffic from a bygone age – Zen and the more enjoyable – “…Roads where Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by meadows, orchards and lawns come Robert Pirsig. almost to the shoulder, where kids Why talk about a book like this in a wave to you when you ride by. Where cycling magazine? Bear with me and you’ll see. It’s about a motorcycle trip; when you stop to ask directions the a personal and philosophical odyssey answer tends to be longer than you into fundamental questions of how to want rather than short, where people live. Published in 1974, it was then the ask where you’re from and how long biggest-selling philosophy book ever. you’ve been riding.” Stephen Hawking joked that his book He learned how to spot the good roads on a map – “If the line wiggles, that’s A Brief History of Time was the good. If it appears to be the main least-read, most-purchased book in history. Maybe he wasn’t aware of the route from a town to a city, that’s bad. The best ones always connect Zen book. Here are two of the topics which chimed with me as a cyclist and nowhere with nowhere and have an alternate that gets you there quicker.” I trust you’ll find they resonate with you too. Also – “The main skill is to keep from getting lost. Since the roads are used The descriptions of the roads and only by local people who know them, countryside and the experience they nobody complains if the junctions create. Pirsig says: “You see things aren’t signposted. From time to time differently on a motorcycle. In a car you’re always in a compartment, and you find your road ends in a pasture, or else it takes you into some farmer’s because you’re used to it you don’t backyard. We travel for miles on these realise that through that car window roads without seeing another vehicle, everything you see is just more TV. then cross a federal highway with cars You’re a passive observer and it is all moving by you boringly in a frame. On strung bumper to bumper to the horizon. Scowling faces inside. Kids a cycle the frame is gone. You’re completely in contact with it all. You’re crying in the back seat. I keep wishing there were some way to tell them in the scene, not just watching it…” Cyclists will realise that “frame is gone” something but they scowl and appear experience is even more apparent on a to be in a hurry, and there isn’t any way to tell them.” bicycle. Pirsig goes on to say that the concrete whizzing beneath your feet is The second aspect of the book that relates well to the cyclist concerns the so blurred you can’t focus on it. This separate worlds of classical and takes me back to my time-trialling romantic understanding. This gets youth, but, like the wind in my hair, speed-blurred roads are memories. The quite philosophical. Read this and

realise which world you inhabit, and which world your club mates inhabit. The book says: “A boring task is cleaning the machine. It seems like such a waste of time. It just gets dirty again the first time you ride it. Some people always keep their bikes spic and span. If the mechanical bits run fine, but the bike looks dingy on the surface, then that’s the classical mind at work.” I recognise myself here. By contrast, cyclists who have the romantic approach to life don’t learn how to maintain their bike. Pirsig says: “They simply hope for the best and when problems do occur they are forced to rely on professional mechanics to repair it.” My observation is that romantics’ bikes are sometimes kept shiny, even if not having underlying good maintenance. And of course there are some superior beings that straddle both worlds, having bikes that are both gleaming and well maintained. I know a few of these too. Here are two quotes relating to maintenance and repairs: “What I’m trying to come up with, I guess, is shortcuts to living right. The real cycle you’re working on is a cycle called yourself. The machine that appears to be ‘out there’ and the person that appears to be ‘in here’ are not two separate things.” And: “You should remember that it’s peace of mind you’re after and not just a fixed machine.” I thought this potted version would appeal to Arrivée readers, but to get the full Zen story, you’ll just have to read the book yourself!.

Paul Harrison CS www.audax.uk

CYCLING

SHORTS

Richard Betts tries to understand the animosity between cyclists and motorists, and highlights three shocking cases of road rage against Audaxing friends – which have had long-lasting and negative effects: Why do motorists sometimes commit unprovoked acts of aggression against cyclists? What can cyclists do to protect themselves? And is there a solution? In this article I focus on three incidents involving Audax members in the hope that their experiences can point to some conclusions, or even recommend solutions. This is a subject close to my heart. Like most of you, I’ve suffered the usual aggression from motorists; shouting, swearing, spitting, close passes and deliberate cutting-in, as well as plenty of “finger” salutes. The revving of engines or blowing of horns are signs of an impatient driver – but aggression comes in many forms. Sometimes it’s as simple as just denying our presence – how often have you experienced a vehicle pull out of a side road into your path, forcing you to brake violently? As numbers of cars and bikes increase, incidents of aggression have also become worse. As this year begins, the roads seem far busier than they were during Lockdown 1.0. The short-lived luxury of empty roads and quiet lanes seems a distant memory. One of the joys of riding in the first lockdown was the lack of aggression towards cyclists. This wasn’t anything to do with attitudinal changes on the part of motorists – it was just there were hardly any on the road. Now we are back to near normal traffic levels, many cycling friends are again reporting unpleasant acts of aggression by motorists.

Arrivée152Summer2021

I’m no criminal psychologist but I do understand that domestic violence usually involves male to female aggression. Does a bullying male feel empowered to be violent to his female partner because she may be physically smaller, possibly weaker and more vulnerable? This theory could equally apply to a motorist in a powerful motor car, looking down on the vulnerable cyclist. There have been times when I’ve been in fear of severe injury from an irresponsible motorist, if not death.

I’ve picked three anecdotes from fellow Audaxers who’ve been brave and sincere enough to share their experiences with me. I’ve changed their names to protect their anonymity, labelling them Tom, Dick and Harry. I’m sure Arrivée readers will recognise similar incidents from their own experience. Thankfully, none of these incidents resulted in life-changing injuries. However in some cases, they led to a complete change in their participation in Audax and cycling in general.

Can we find the road to peace? CASE STUDY 1 Dick was planning to do an Audax with his friend Ned, who’d only recently become serious about cycling. Dick was an experienced cyclist with several 100 and 200 km Audax events under his belt. Dick felt that a few rides with increasing distances and altitudes would prepare Ned for the challenge of his first Audax. He encouraged Ned to do his first 100km event and was quite protective of him out on the road, preferring Ned to ride nearest the kerb when the road conditions allowed them to ride two abreast. On a quiet winter day they were cycling through a small town where the low volume of traffic allowed them to ride two abreast. Suddenly a car overtook them and passed within a foot of Dick, cycling on the outside. The close proximity shocked him and he shouted out: “You need to give cyclists more room.” Dick is not a person to use bad language. The motorist stopped abruptly and got out of the car. Dick had assumed the driver would be a male because of the aggressive driving style but that stereotype was challenged when a woman in lurid sports gear stepped out and hurled abuse at him – because he was riding two abreast. Dick shook his head and cycled on because he was hardened to abusive motorists and didn’t want to give her an excuse to keep shouting. However, when he looked round he saw Ned standing on the pavement, trying to make a very angry woman understand about safe passing distances. Dick cycled back to support Ned and again suffered a torrent of abuse. Then an older man ran out from a nearby house and hurled himself at Dick, shoving him in the chest. Dick was sitting astride his bike with one foot on the ground and the other clipped into the pedal. Dick went flying to the ground with his bike on top of him. Dick says that he thought the man was going to follow up with punches so he quickly jumped to his feet. The fellow was at least six inches smaller than Dick, and now he had a look of fear in his eyes – perhaps realising the stupidity of his actions. Dick says that by now his fists were clenched. His automatic reaction was to punch his assailant, though he was able to control himself. At this point the woman bustled the man back into the house, their house, with one final barrage of abuse towards the cyclists. Dick’s bike had a damaged rear derailleur and front forks, His mobile phone case was smashed, and his right ankle had suffered a cut from the fall. Dick and Ned decided that they couldn’t let these two lunatics get away with this sort of behaviour. Dick contacted the police and an officer was sent to take his statement the following weekend. Eventually another officer took a statement from Ned. Three months after the incident the police finally contacted the assailants and arranged to meet them at the local police station.

The matter was resolved, to the satisfaction of Dick, who had all his costs met. He was pleased that he didn’t have to go to court. The man who assaulted Dick received a caution, and his wife received instruction on how to improve her road behaviour. Hopefully, they learned their lesson and would not be aggressive to cyclists again. I asked Dick what could be done to reduce aggression to cyclists. He said that motorists should be educated on how easily they can do severe harm to vulnerable cyclists and that they should be made aware that offences against cyclists by motorists would be punished severely. He hoped this would act as a deterrent to their rash behaviour. Dick and Ned never did do the Audax together. Ned cycles only occasionally now and Dick doesn’t do Audaxes anymore. He just gets out on his bike on country lanes for a bit of therapy. They both do a lot more hill-walking to maintain their fitness and it seems that they just don’t enjoy their cycling so much since the incident. CASE STUDY 2 Tom is a highly experienced Audax rider having completed PBP twice and multiple RRTYs. He’s also organised many Audax events. In 2017 he entered the LEL for the first time. He started off well and attached himself to a group of riders but was beginning to regret his lack of preparation at the first checkpoint. He told me that he was cycling well within the group but started to drop off the pace and all of a sudden found himself on his own after the control at St Ives. He was then cycling through the Fens with its characteristic flat lands and big skies. He thought that if he upped his pace he could catch up with the group. He was going well on the long flat roads and remarked to himself how little road traffic was present. This for once would turn out not to be a blessing. Anybody who’s cycled in the Fens will know that this is a unique eco-system. Many roads are elevated and run next to drainage dykes, always full of water. As a cyclist you have to be constantly aware of cross winds that could push you towards the roadside and ultimately wet ditches. Tom suddenly found himself shadowed by a car containing five young men. The driver proceeded to make life very difficult for him by performing a series of risky manoeuvres, consisting of close passes, deliberately cutting him up and stopping abruptly. This was accompanied by shouting, jeering, the sounding of the horn and revving of the engine. All actions determined to unsettle him, which it did. Tom says he felt sure the driver, egged on by his mates, was determined to force him off the road and into a ditch. He’s a tough individual and would face up to anyone, but against five young men the odds were stacked against him. In this isolated environment he felt very vulnerable.

worst incident of aggression towards cyclists that he has ever experienced. Be prepared it is quite shocking.

violent people driving cars in the UK that have no respect for the law, or other road users.

Harry was riding with two club mates. Two at the front, including Harry on the outside, and one tucked in behind. A motorist drove up beside Harry and told him, using four-letter expletives, that they shouldn’t be riding two abreast and blocking his way – although there was plenty of space for him to drive alongside and shout at them!

Harry told me: “I was on crutches for some time, and eventually got some physio, so no pedalling for some weeks. When I eventually got back on the bike, I didn’t have any real worries but I stopped responding to provocation.”

The cyclists ignored him although Harry did wave at him as he drove off. The car stopped. As Harry rode past him the motorist yelled something unintelligible, which was ignored and the cyclists turned left. The car followed and side-swiped Harry, almost knocking him over.

Richard on roads less travelled

A less skilled rider would have been knocked off for sure. In an attempt to recover his balance Harry ended up in the middle of the road but the car had swerved to block the road – so Harry had to fend off a collision with his arm.

The car then proceeded to play cat and mouse with the lone cyclist. Eventually they became bored, revved up and drove off at high speed. Tom was relieved of course, but shaken. He did not complete LEL.

The motorist then drove up behind Harry and knocked him off with a shunt to his rear wheel. As he struggled to his feet and picked up his bike as a shield, the motorist drove at him again, putting him up over the bonnet and injuring his ankle in the process. Harry thought that he was going to run over his legs as he lay there but the motorist turned to avoid him and drove off.

Tom believes driving standards have deteriorated since he’s been doing Audaxes, and cases of aggression have become more common. He thinks that large groups of cyclists, and those who flout the rules, often seem to wind-up motorists. If a motorist in a hurry, driving at high speed along a country lane, meets a peloton of 20 riders, tempers tend to flare on both sides.

Harry was able to cycle to a café and arrange for his wife to collect him. He went to the local hospital to get his ankle treated. Fortunately, nothing was broken and he was discharged, albeit with strong bandaging and crutches for the next few weeks. He then went to the local police station to report the incident. Eventually it went to Crown Court.

He told me that during his considerable Audax career he’s seen many horrible things, including contacts that have required ambulances.

The court process proved a protracted affair. The jury bizarrely found the driver not guilty of the assault charge, which could have resulted in a prison sentence. But he admitted guilt for a lesser charge, resulting in a fine and points on his licence. Harry then applied for compensation for the damage to his bike and clothing, and his personal injury. The driver tried to talk his way out of this, but the judge saw through him. Harry’s case was proved and the judge, in his summing up, put on the record that he had been driven at and injured by the guilty man using his car as a weapon.

If this had been a less experienced cyclist the end result could have been very different and extremely serious.

I asked Tom what could be done to reduce aggression towards cyclists. Again, his solution was that a massive re-education scheme was needed for both motorists and cyclists. Following a combination of unpleasant cycling incidents Tom is no longer cycling but hopes to get back in the saddle for a few short rides when the better weather comes. He feels strongly that if he’d stayed with the cycling group he wouldn’t have suffered the aggression. CASE STUDY 3 Harry’s wife describes him as an obsessive cyclist – an accurate assessment. He sets himself challenging mileages every year. He may include tours overseas, Audaxes and weekend social group cycling but also many solo miles. He’s had a long cycling career in which he’s embraced just about every genre of cycling. So, lots of cycling knowledge and many experiences of aggression towards cyclists. For this case study he told me about the

So, Harry got his compensation and had costs awarded against the guilty man. Harry’s main aim in the compensation aspect was to make it known to the man’s insurance company what sort of driver they had on their books. It would cost the guilty man more to be insured in the future. During the trial it transpired that the driver had driven at someone before, using his car as a weapon. The court experience might change the guilty driver’s behaviour but for this particularly individual, there was no guarantee of this. This illustrates that there are some

Harry is a brave man and a credit to the brotherhood of cyclists. I hope that he remains unscathed in his quest for more mileage. CONCLUSION I’m sure many readers will have suffered similar incidents. Indeed, I could have recorded ten different case studies after talking to fellow riders. In an ideal world there’d cycle routes taking us to all the destinations we’d like to go, without having to interact with motorists. Sounds impractical? How much would an effective national cycle network cost? Two billion pounds, I’m reliably informed by its supporters. That compares favourably to the estimated £130 billion for the completion of HS2, which now seems to be a national transport network that no-one really wants to use. A recent Travel Attitudes Survey carried out by the Department for Transport (DfT) asked respondents whether it was “too dangerous to cycle on the roads” – 65 per cent agreed. Asked to agree or disagree with the statement: “It is important drivers leave enough space for cyclists”, 95 per cent agreed. So, government research is fairly conclusive that the general population feels that UK roads are dangerous for cyclists. Our road infrastructure has developed at speed with the main goal being the effective management of the expanding volume of motor vehicles. Sometimes the cyclists are forgotten. I had hoped for significant change now we have a prime minister who advocates cycling, and it’s true that cycling has thrived during the pandemic. However, it seems that in a post-Covid UK the rights and protection of the cyclist will again take a back seat to some of the more pressing problems facing the government.

Richard Betts CS If you’ve experienced an act of aggression on the roads, or have an opinion on the subject of driver-cyclist road rage, we’d like to hear from you. Send your comments to: gedlennox@me.com www.audax.uk

Matthew Larkins and Simon Neatham flew themselves and their bikes to Cape Trafalgar, the scene of Lord Nelson’s famous sea battle, on the south-western tip of Spain to tackle the 3,100km, 15-day ride back to London’s Trafalgar Square… in a summer heatwave. Fighting fatigue and thirst, the two Finsbury Park CC riders experienced many highs and some lows. Here’s Matthew’s report…

A biking battle of two Trafalgars

WORDS & PICTURES MATTHEW LARKINS

THIS IS A RIDE that will live in my memory forever… an epic two weeks in June 2019 which saw us ride across Spain, Andorra and France in strength-sapping heat. The Trafalgar-Trafalgar is an Audax permanent, created by former AUK chairman, Mick Latimer in 1985 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the organisation. After months of routeplanning, hotel-booking and equipmentchoosing, we were looking forward to this adventure with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. Prologue – 88km, 423m elevation, 3h 10m riding

Simon and I met at Finsbury Park station with our bikes in cardboard boxes. We took the train to Gatwick for the flight to Jerez, Spain, where we rebuilt the bikes and rode the 88km to the start point at Cape Trafalgar. The ride was fairly easy, and a good way of checking the bikes. It also helped us acclimatise to the heat – and riding on the other side of the rode. Cape Trafalgar-Gibraltar-Ronda – 218km, 3,078m elevation, 9h 47m riding

We bought some food the night before at a nearby shop and ate in our room before rolling out of the hotel at 7.30am. It felt great to finally get going. The first half of the day’s route was on quiet roads, nothing too challenging except for the rising heat.

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Matthew Larkins and Simon Neatham are both members of Finsbury Park CC. Simon, aged 53, has been riding Audax events for many years, including two LELs, Mille Pennines, Mille Cymru and the West Highland 1,000km. He also regularly competes in time trials.

Twenty-three year old Matthew completed his first Audax in 2014, building up to LEL in 2017, and joined Simon on the West Highlands 1,000km in 2018, which is where they found we made a good pair on the longer distances. Matthew’s last two events were the National 24 hour… and a 10 miler in fancy dress!

Simon riding through the middle of some seemingly never-ending exposed fields

Our first control was in Gibraltar and we got our brevet card stamped at the border. After crossing the border we had to wait for a few planes to take off – the road into the town goes right across the runway! We ended up in a Morrison’s supermarket for lunch – the last place I’d have expected, so close to Africa. After some flat coastal roads we had our first big climb of the trip up in to the Andalusian Mountains. With the heat still rising and lots of climbing, we started to burn through our water and at one point Simon ran out – a wake-up call for us to make sure we used all opportunities to keep our bottles topped up. The scenery was stunning on the approach to our overnight stop of Ronda. We arrived at the hotel around 8pm, the friendly receptionist checked us in, stamped our book and asked if we were mad. Ronda-Málaga-Granada – 232km, 3,895m elevation, 11h 14m riding

The first 50km of the day was through rugged and beautiful scenery, quiet and smooth roads – one of the best stretches of the whole ride. As we hit the edges of Málaga at lunchtime, we soon wished we could have stayed riding around Ronda as the roads were busy and the temperature above 30 degrees again. The one benefit of passing through cities was that I was more likely to find some vegan food, something I was keen to capitalise on before the inevitable deterioration of my diet as we reached the more rural areas. We then had a simple 1,000m climb out of the city. Temperatures were now well over 35 degrees, but with hardly any wind it was a battle. By the top we’d only

covered half the day’s distance and had more climbing to do. We both took the hills at our own pace, occasionally regrouping to check we were ok and take in some of the amazing views. We reached Granada just after sunset. Two hot, long and hilly days down and we were already looking forward to the slightly cooler temperatures that France would offer us – or so we hoped... Granada-Sierra Nevada-Jaen – 186km, 3,177m elevation, 9h 32m riding:

The day’s finish point was in Jaen, only 100km north of Granada. That sounds easy – except that our next control was in the opposite direction at the top of the Sierra Nevada, the highest paved road in Europe! That meant our morning was a 2,000m climb straight out of the hotel and then back down the same road for lunch in Granada. We stopped for a coffee in the only place open before continuing up the mountain until the tarmac ran out. It was another beautiful morning with amazing scenery looking across the mountain range with much cooler temperatures at altitude. After the lovely descent we stopped for lunch then pushed on to Jaen. The terrain was much flatter with a few gentle climbs, though the heat had increased. I registered 44 degrees at one point. We reached Jaen and headed for some tapas in a local bar. Jaen-Ciudad Real – 206km, 3,038m elevation, 9h 36m riding:

Heading north towards Madrid – and Simon’s bike was slipping gears, so we found a bike shop in Andujar which was

Matthew outside the lighthouse at Cape Trafalgar the evening before the ride started

imon heading through the Andalusian S mountains approaching Ronda www.audax.uk

tunning view over the S Andalusian mountains

❝wasThereallyheatonofusthenowafternoon but we luckily passed a lone house with a tap on the drive and the owner signalled it was safe to drink

❞

able to change his cassette and chain while we had a coffee. Later on we entered the Sierra de Andujar national park, which could be described as cycling heaven – completely empty roads, perfect surfaces, nothing but us and wildlife for miles around. It was one of the many highlights of the trip. With the remoteness came the challenge of sourcing water. We noticed a small village on the map and planned to refill there, however it was completely deserted, and all the taps were labelled unsafe for drinking. The heat of the afternoon was really on us now but we luckily passed a lone house with a tap on the drive and the owner signalled it was safe to drink.

A while later I developed my first and only puncture of the trip. Soon after fixing it I ran out of water, which felt horrible. Simon had gone ahead when, also out of water, passed a building next to a reservoir. He knocked on the door and thankfully a worker let us fill our bottles up – a massive relief. Ciudad Real-ConsuegraToledo-Aranjuez – 192km, 1,269m elevation, 7h 07m riding:

We were relieved to reach day five and see a weather forecast of overcast skies and slightly cooler temperatures. It was a shorter and flatter day, even better we would have a nice tailwind. In places the terrain was as close to the

Fens as we’d seen in Spain and with the wind in the right direction we were cruising. We passed the famous windmills of Consuegra and the historic town of Toledo. We had a couple of relaxed stops with no time pressure at all and still arrived at our hotel quite early, though had a bit of a hassle demanding the twin room we booked rather than the double they offered us. Aranjuez-Madrid-Siguenza – 211km, 1,947m elevation, 8h 53m riding:

We hoped to get through the bulk of Madrid before the afternoon heat arrived. There was an amazing cycle path for about 10 miles in to the middle of the city, until our route diverged from it and spat us out

hot, long and hilly ❝daysTwodown and we were

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already looking forward to the slightly cooler temperatures that France would offer us – or so we hoped...

❞

imon, on the Sierra de Andujar National Park, shortly S before we ran out of water and got lucky at the reservoir

into the traffic. A train station in central Madrid was a control point and we managed to get a stamp from one of the ticket offices. Madrid seemed like it was never going to finish as we hit one suburb after another. We were starting to get a bit fed up with the day, but 50km from our hotel in Siguenza we turned off a main road on to a lane and from that point on probably saw two cars for the rest of the day. The scenery changed very quickly, amazing hills and views and made the rest of the day seem worth it. We struggled to find our hotel in Siguenza, it was hidden away down a side street in a centuries-old building, but the room itself was nice and fresh.

S imon in the Mesa Valley

Siguenza-Calatayud-Zaragoza – 231km, 1,967m elevation, 9h 06m riding:

We both thought today was going to be a transitional day, quite a bit over 200km but not too much climbing so probably a slog across some fairly uninteresting terrain, but we were very wrong. Straight out of the town we found ourselves on quiet roads in the northern Spanish countryside. Then a rock face gradually rose up on either side of the road and we found ourselves riding alongside the river Mesa and down a beautiful valley that went on and on. The road surface was smooth and I don’t think we saw any cars for at least an hour during this part of the ride. It was quite possibly my favourite stretch of the entire trip and I would love to ride there again one day. While we were getting used to the heat by now, it didn’t make it easier and the afternoon was another tough one with the extra distance. We reached our hotel in Zaragoza and didn’t fancy a walk to find some food, so we managed to get some burgers delivered to our room. Zaragoza-Lleida-Balaguer – 173km, 1,220m elevation, 7h 10m riding:

Today was the shortest stage before we headed through the Pyrenees and up to Andorra tomorrow. But any hopes of an easy day were soon lost as from early on we had a persistent headwind and the temperature climbed again. All we could do was just keep the pedals turning and take a few turns on the front for each other. We arrived in our night stop of Balaguer and were greeted by random loud bangs on the streets – some kind of fiesta. It was a very pokey hotel, and the banging carried on until late at night, accompanied by loud music, so wasn’t the best night’s sleep of the trip.

Balaguer-Andorra-Ax Les Thermes – 188km, 3,030m elevation, 8h 11m riding:

Ax Les Thermes-Carcassonne-Albi – 218km, 2,523m elevation, 8h 50m riding:

Today was uphill for 145km into the Pyrenees, then a long descent to the hotel. We expected it to be a long, slow slog up to Andorra on a busy road but it was far more pleasant than that. We reached the Andorran border, got a stamp for our cards and it felt very familiar again as Simon and I had been on a trip here the previous year. We had some lunch and pressed on up the big climb of the day, the Port d’Envalira. We were able to enjoy yet more stunning views and had made good time so were able to really enjoy this part of the day. The extra altitude also took the edge of the heat. We crossed our second border of the day into France and soon began the long descent. Just a couple of miles before the hotel we hit a traffic jam, the result of a nasty car collision.

We had a 700m climb straight out of the hotel to warm ourselves up. It was quiet, scenic and much greener than most of the landscapes we’d covered in Spain. The morning was also probably the coolest I’d felt since leaving the UK, sheltered from the sun in the high peaks of the Pyrenees. Our next control and lunch stop was in Carcassonne. We ate in a nice restaurant with great vegan options, though we looked out of place wearing Lycra. It felt hotter as we stepped back outside, now in the high 30s again. We had a longer climb after Carcassonne followed by a descent and then rolling roads to Albi. In Spain we’d had about three close passes all trip but we had some busy roads in this part that weren’t at all pleasant so we managed to find an alternative road that didn’t add too much distance.

A pleasantly cool morning after the climb and descent with plenty of mist still in the Pyrenees foothills

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In a bit of a daze at a café stop at the hottest part of the day and more than 45 degrees

chance. For me, a plain baguette and a bottle of coke on a bench and the air still hot from the day before. There was a little less climbing today compared to yesterday, but still hilly. We benefited from the biggest climb coming early in the day. The terrain became more rolling, with sections of exposed roads in between some tree cover. We were amazed by how much the scenery had varied through this trip, even on some individual days, feeling like we were riding in different parts of the world. We had a flat 50km to end the day which was a welcome relief after the relentless hills of the last two days. We stocked up on food at a supermarket to eat at the hotel for dinner and breakfast so we wouldn’t have a repeat of last night. It turned out we had been riding through the hottest-ever temperatures recorded in France in June. I couldn’t believe how we’d coped so well and not suffered with any heat or hydration issues. With the worst of the heatwave behind us we were feeling good. St Amand Montrond-BourgesSully Sur Loire-Milly La Floret – 226km, 1,179m elevation, 9h 17m riding:

We arrived in Albi and it was full of Tour de France signage, being a host town in a couple of weeks’ time. We went to a supermarket to get food for dinner and breakfast and planned for a much earlier start the next day to avoid some of the heat.

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Albi-Rodez-Aurillac-Mauriac – 232km, 4,176m elevation, 11h 37m riding:

This was it. The day that could make or break the ride… or us. We’d pass through the eye of the heatwave, well over 40 degrees – the most climbing of any day and one of the longest. The day of hell, as I called it. We set off just before 6am and already the temperature at 20 degrees. This stage would see us climb through valley after valley with hardly any flat. We passed through Tanus before dropping into a stunning valley with a huge viaduct overhead. By the afternoon the heat was relentless and reached 45 degrees for a few hours. We were taking frequent stops to refill and cool off in any air-conditioning we could find. Thankfully there were plenty of villages compared to that hot

day in rural Spain. We got baked alive on the climbs and the descents also felt genuinely like a hot hairdryer. In case we didn’t already know, it was hot. In places the roads had started melting and I remember one descent where it felt like we had our brakes on as the tarmac stuck to our tyres. At one point in the afternoon, in a haze and running low on water, we asked an old couple in their garden if they’d fill our bottles. They’re probably still talking about us today. We arrived in Mauriac after 8pm, covered in sweat salt but relieved we’d survived. We walked around looking for food but the only place still open was a kebab shop. Burger and chips for Simon, chips for me. No food for our planned early morning start. Would this derail our ride? Mauriac-Bourg Lastic-MontluconSt Amand Montrond – 231km, 3,014m elevation, 10h 56m riding:

After the chips for dinner last night, no food for breakfast and another 40 degree plus day ahead – I actually had thoughts about whether we’d be able to complete. We found a bakery on the edge of town that opened at 6am, so that was our

We were glad to see a forecast below 40 degrees today, and a flatter route. The first 50km to Bourges was along a dead straight, boring road. We had coffee in Bourges that helped kick some life back in to the legs. We then entered yet another type of landscape, with open fields intertwined with wooded areas that offered us periods of shade. We’d made good time so when we reached Milly La Floret we could enjoy some food and ice cream in the town before heading to our hotel. Unfortunately we realised the nice hotel we’d booked as a treat didn’t have air-conditioning, so were in for a stuffy night’s sleep before the longest day of the ride. Milly La Floret-Paris-Les Andelys-Dieppe – 252km, 1,347m elevation, 10h 25m riding:

We’d booked ourselves on to the midnight ferry from Dieppe so had more than enough time. We made another early start in the hope of clearing Paris before lunchtime. It was a flat run in to the city but on busy roads. The Gare de Lyon was our control in Paris but we couldn’t find anywhere with a stamp, and with a huge queue for the ticket office we relied on a good old-fashioned receipt. We passed many sights of Paris – the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, and Arc de Triomphe – but honestly we were glad to be on the way out.

elting roads in the M afternoon… It felt like we were riding in to the sun

It turned out we had been riding ❝ through the hottest temperatures ever recorded in France in June ❞

M atthew and Simon at the finish in Trafalgar Square

We reached Dieppe around 8pm and this was the first time we let ourselves think we had made it. We picked up some food for the long wait at the ferry terminal. The ferry was four hours and we had booked a cabin hoping for a short sleep. Newhaven-EdenbridgeTrafalgar Square – 101km, 1,210m elevation, 4h 26m riding:

The 3.30am alarm in our cabin after a couple of hours sleep was nothing but horrible. For the last time of the ride we packed up our amazingly small amount of stuff and waited until we were allowed down to our bikes. We got our cards stamped at the border and on our way out of the terminal spotted two people waiting on bikes. It was Bob Macnaughton and Denis Belyaev, club mates from Finsbury Park CC. We headed to the 24 hour McDonalds for some coffee and warm food before setting off again. The four of us agreed that only Simon or I would ride on the front if we were in a group so that we had no assistance, but in reality we hardly rode together as Simon and I were going so slowly. Our last intermediate control was at Edenbridge, and soon after came our last

climb of the trip, Titsey Hill, before we got a glimpse of the London skyline and began a mostly downhill roll in to London. Before we knew it we had crossed the Thames, past the Houses of Parliament on to Whitehall and then Trafalgar Square appeared ahead of us. I can’t really describe the next few minutes, just a completely surreal feeling to have finished our adventure, now in a very familiar place. We spent a while in a daze taking it all in. It was immediately clear that Trafalgar Square will always have a different meaning to me from this point onwards. All that was left now was the 25km ride home and I was happy to take full advantage of Bob’s wheel. Simon turned off for home in Barnet, followed by Bob, and then I was on my own for the final few kilometres of the journey. www.audax.uk

Inverness-based rider Paul Greaves braved Scotland’s notorious summer clouds of biting midges on his Three Glens 200km DIY Audax, but was rewarded with fine weather and glorious Highland vistas. Here’s his report:…

A High l

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IN THE SUMMER of 2020, during those heady days of being able to cycle wherever you wanted, I took advantage of some glorious weather in the Scottish Highlands to do a 200km solo advisory DIY Audax from home, taking in three target glens and a circuit of the Beauly Firth. A successful completion would restart my RRTY after

Paul Greaves by Loch Beannacharan after entering into Glen Strathfarrar

the enforced pandemic lockdown break. The sun was rising into a cloudless sky, and the moon was still up when I set off at 5.30am. Heading up Glenurquhart there wasn’t a breath of wind. Patches of mist caught the sunlight as it peeped over the hills. I stopped momentarily by one of the fields to watch three deer as they browsed. Fewer than four kilometres done. As I neared the entrance to the first of my target glens it became apparent that midges were present on an epic scale. I was having to keep my mouth firmly closed. Many were meeting their demise in my beard where condensation caught them. Any stops for photos were pretty brief. There were lots of people camping by the road side, close to their vehicles. They were going to be in for a torrid time when they emerged from their tents. Having started the ride with a cloudless sky and no wind I was surprised at how quickly cloud cover became dominant. On reaching the car park at the end I took a quick photo, used the

h land fling WITH PLENTY OF

WORDS & PICTURES PAUL GREAVES

facilities, and retraced my track back towards the village of Cannich. Three quarters of the way back along the glen, going down a descent, I met a camper van on a corner. This caused me to snatch at the brakes a bit too sharply and made the back end skip out. Fortunately, I eased off the brake and the bike straightened up in time for me to pass through the gap to the side of the van – a reminder of the need to be cautious on the single track roads. Almost immediately after this incident I felt like I had a puncture, and sure enough the rear had lost pressure. The midges were having a go at my hands, shins and face while I replaced the tube. I couldn’t find anything protruding on the inside of the tyre, so just inserted a new tube and inflated it using a CO2 cartridge for speed. Passing through the village of Cannich I took a left turn where the Glen Affric Hotel used to stand and headed up the climb which leads into Glen Cannich. The

first part of the 16km road is forested on both sides and part way along I rounded a corner to see a red deer hind in the road. The deer scarpered, but not before charging headlong into a deer fence. It seemed to be unscathed and we both continued on our separate paths. Glen Cannich doesn’t attract tourists in the way that Glen Affric does. It appears to be largely Munro-baggers and hillwalkers that venture up it. On leaving the woodland area the road curves round Loch Carrie overlooked by one isolated cottage. A herd of cows were grazing on the bank and some of the calves skipped along the tarmac in front of me before dodging out of the way. There was a slight incline up the glen but the steeper bits are at the start and at the end. The road surface wasn’t the best and while admiring the scenery I had to keep an eye out for pot-holes. I got the sense that there was a tailwind as I went on my way. As Loch Sealbhanach came into view, so too did the imposing

BITE

Mullardoch Dam in the distance. The clouds were now starting to clear and the temperature was rising. It had been very mild, even with the early start, and I’d only needed arm and knee warmers with a short-sleeved shirt. The steep climb up to Mullardoch Dam had me out of breath so I stopped to take a photo of Loch Mullardoch and tucked into a homemade flapjack. I retraced my route, passing someone painting one of the few houses, wearing a midge net. There was a slight headwind on the way back, but with it being mostly downhill it was a very pleasant ride back to Cannich. I popped to the Spar shop to get a water refill, a steak slice and a chocolate bar. I wouldn’t be passing a shop again for quite some time. With 74km behind me I headed up Strathglass towards the village of Struy. Again I had a tailwind and it seemed to be strengthening. I find in the glens you can never predict the wind direction with any confidence. Many times you are sailing

A misty sunrise over Loch Meiklie in Glenurquhart www.audax.uk

Midges were present on an ❝ epic scale. I was having to keep my mouth firmly closed. Many were meeting their demise in my beard where condensation caught them

❞

Low lying mist at the entrance to Glen Affric

along with a tailwind, only to find it reverses part way along. The 12km to Struy passed quickly and I crossed the bridge over the River Farrar and turned sharply left into Glen Strathfarrar. A man dressed in tweed was showing a couple of people how to fly fish as I passed by. This is a glen that has restricted public vehicle access, with only 25 vehicles being allowed in on certain days. As with all the glens I was riding there are hydro schemes at the far end and that’s probably the reason they are tarmacked as well as they are. Glenstrathfarrar is my favourite glen to cycle as it’s quieter than Glen Affric. There are remnants of the ancient

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Looking west towards Loch Affric from the car park at the end of the public road

Caledonian Forest, and the road surface is very good for most of the 30-odd kilometres. I had removed my arm warmers back in Cannich; the clouds had now pretty much disappeared and it was turning into a hot day for Scotland. I cycled along admiring the colourful flowers with the purples and pinks of different heathers mingling with the yellows of birdsfoot trefoil and what might have been catsear. It was one of those days when visibility seemed to be extraordinarily clear and the views looking westward over Loch Beannacharan were spectacular. I kept stopping to take photos and fortunately the breeze was now strong enough to banish the midges. Part way up the glen I passed Braulen Lodge. You can usually guarantee seeing a huge herd of red deer on the nearby flat ground, but there was a digger moving about and I could only see one stag sitting there, being pestered by flies. I was using Loch Monar Dam as my next control point and it was a fair old climb up to it. The first part of the climb revealed a spectacular overview of an isolated fragment of Scots Pine Caledonian woodland on steep ground next to the river Garbh-uisge (Gaelic for rough water). The final ascent up to the dam is short but steep and I was pretty warm by the time I reached the top. The road crosses the dam and continues for another 3km, but I only went a short way to take some photos of Loch Monar before heading back the way I’d come – 117 km done. Not long after descending from the dam I passed a couple of ladies out for a walk with their dog. Chatting to them I was interested to hear that one of their

sons was an organiser and participant in GBDuro, a very tough, unsupported off-road cycle race from Land’s End to John O’Groats. In 2020 the participants have had to carry all their food with them. They cannot visit shops or make use of any facilities and cannot fly into the country to participate. A contrast to the top end professional road races that have a huge environmental impact. I ate another flapjack on the way back towards the village of Struy before exiting the glen and continuing up Strathglass towards Beauly where I planned to stop at the Co-op to get some food and water. On the way I passed Aigas golf course, neatly manicured and picturesque, situated as it is beside the River Beauly. There were several golfing groups who were no doubt glad to be able to resume their pastime having only recently been allowed to return after lockdown. I bought a chicken sandwich, a strawberry milkshake and my preferred cycling pastry, pain au chocolat, consuming them in the bike parking facility outside the shop. It was hot now. I didn’t hang around and headed off to Muir of Ord. A couple of right turns took me through my next control, an inconspicuous road junction with the A862 160km into my ride. The speed of the vehicles on the A862 was certainly a contrast to the slow pace of the few I’d encountered earlier in the ride. The fields of cereal turning a golden colour between me and the Beauly Firth were a distraction, as were the abandoned cars in the middle of them. I wondered whether they were actually abandoned, or perhaps placed there as a modern iteration of a scarecrow.

I only did three kilometres before turning on to a minor road with a rough surface which took me down to the Firth at Redcastle. The tide was in and the flat ride along the coastline to North Kessock was a joy, even with a reasonably stiff headwind. I felt confident that I would receive the benefit of a tailwind once I crossed the impressive Kessock Bridge. Before doing so I stopped to take some photos and tucked into another piece of flapjack. As I headed on to the bridge, via the cycle path, I passed through my penultimate control at 173km. I then threaded my way through an industrial area of Inverness across the River Ness and the Caledonian Canal before heading along the southern side of the Beauly Firth. Sure enough a tailwind assisted me on my way and the road was reasonably flat for the next 12km. Even though I cycled the Hellfire Corner 400km Audax, organised by Highland Audax, in 2019 with no problems, I usually find that on a 200 I feel pretty tired as the finish approaches. This can lead to the last leg being a bit of a drag, but I was feeling pretty good today. Maybe I was benefitting from the 300km two-day tour of Cumbria that I’d done with camping kit a couple of weeks previously. The final control that I passed through at 192km was again a road junction where I turned left back towards Drumnadrochit. The road gradually started to climb, but I knew that there was a more severe test between me and the end of the ride. There was still 300m to ascend with short sections up to 10 per cent gradient. I certainly had a sweat on once I’d tackled the steepest half of the climb and I felt just a hint of cramp in a hamstring. I’d put one rehydration tab in a bottle earlier, but perhaps with hindsight I should

Glen Strathfarrar looking westwards towards the Munro, Sgùrr na Lapaich

have had another during the ride. Fortunately it didn’t manifest itself and after a minor downhill I completed the climbing for the day. All that remained was a very steep descent with several blind corners. They say most accidents happen near to home, so I took it easy on the descent and returned to my starting point having done 209km and 2000m climbing. Ten and three quarters hours had elapsed since I’d set off, although only eight and a half hours were moving time. It’s amazing how non-moving time accumulates, and in this instance a good chunk of it must have been down to taking photos – and a bit for the puncture (I’m not the fastest even when mithered by midges). I was really pleased to feel like I had more miles available in my legs, but I was ready for a well-earned shower and a beer.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable solo ride on a spectacular weather day. I feel fortunate to live in such a beautiful part of the world and I would recommend the route to anyone looking to cycle in the Highlands. Also, keep an eye out for the SR series of calendar events which Highland Audax had been planning for 2020. We hope they’ll be able to go ahead in 2021. he view of the Beauly Firth T from the Kessock bridge

A remnant of the ancient Caledonian Forest next to the river Garbh-uisge in Glen Strathfarrar

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Tea for

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THE SUMMER OF 2018 gave us unparalleled sunshine, soaring temperatures, a Welshman winning the Tour de France – and a brand-new AUK 1,000km calendar event. The Audax Club Mid-Essex (ACME) Grand offered an epic Essex-Wales-Essex route, unsurpassed mountain scenery and a unique tea party on top of the Black Mountain. The Dulwich Paragon team rose to the challenge, but could they see it through under such extreme conditions? It was 10.45am on 28 June when Tom Deakins, organiser and ACME route-master, stood on a seat in an Essex pub garden to wish everyone good luck – and invited the riders to attend a tea party on the Black Mountain, the most westerly pinnacle of the Brecon Beacons. The ACME Grand had caught my eye because it was 2018’s best value AUK calendar event – only £4 for 1,000km. It was also because the organiser was Tom, and the AAA route seemed out of character for someone better known for The Flatlands and Green & Yellow Fields. There were 10 points and 9.25 AAA points on offer and the ‘x-rated’ status of the ride appeared quite exciting – until I realised that this meant it was completely unsupported. All riders had to collect a minimum of 18 receipts from random shops and ATMs and there were no volunteers to look after you, and in my case, no company for two days of the ride. Tom’s route was accompanied by five pages of explanatory text in which he recalled his DIY of the same route in May in great detail, including the location of significant bus shelters, should you be in need of sleep.

Preparation

The view from Brecon Beacons

There seem to be two types of Audax cyclist – those that plan ahead and those that act on impulse; I aspire to be in the first group but am usually in the latter. The ACME Grand start date of 28 June was set in 2017, however I didn’t sign-up until four weeks before the start.

London-based Adrian Wikeley recalls 2018, a summer of unparalleled sunshine – and an epic ride from Essex to the Brecon Beacons and back. It was an event that defeated three quarters of the Dulwich Paragon team of four. This is Adrian’s tale of a hot and ultimately lonesome ride…

In reality the 1,008km route was advisory and with some diversions my total distance was 1,055km in just over 74hours, with 9,162m ascent.

The Grand Depart

The ride commenced at 11am on 28 June in Witham, Essex ideal for us Londoners as

LOADR ES UR O N& PA IC T

By the third week in June it was obvious that the summer of 2018 was going to match the legendary heat wave of 1976. In June the south east of England had less than 10 per cent of average rainfall, and over 150 per cent of the average sunshine levels; indeed the day time temperature in London was consistently over 30 degrees. The whole of the UK was suffering and wild fires were breaking out in the Brecon Beacons with the fire service struggling to control them. I abandoned all the usual items like mud-guards, over-shoes, waterproofs and arm and leg warmers. I stocked up on sun-screen, and packed two pairs of bib-shorts, three jerseys and socks for every day, as this was clearly going to be a rather sweaty event. In reality if ever there was an event on which to wear sandals without socks – this was it! My basic plan on how to tackle the route was based on the presence of 24 hour access budget hotels, and my experiences of LEL, plus a desire to avoid night-time cycling where possible. It looked straightforward on paper and was broadly three days of around 300km, followed by a short 100km final day: Day One: Witham, Essex to Tewkesbury (Stages 1-5) – 259km Day Two: Tewkesbury to Bridgend, Wales (roughly Stages 6-12) – 332km Day Three: Bridgend to St Neots, Cambridgeshire (Stages 13-17) – 317km Day Four: St Neots to Witham, Essex (Stages 18-19) – 100km Total: 1,008km in 75 hours with 11,000m ascent

W ORDS

one

Adrian at Buntingford it is only 40 60km from the finish minutes out of Liverpool Street IA Station. The start N was in W IK the garden of the 16th EL century Battesford Court, EY now a Wetherspoons pub in the heart of the town. As I arrived our four-strong Dulwich Paragon team was which resolved all the Paragon team’s tyre assembling in the pub garden – Liam issues. We continued with a gentle Morris, Gary MacGowan and Richard tailwind via controls at St Neots Ireland and me. (Cambridgeshire), Towcester I felt apprehensive about this event, (Northamptonshire) and Banbury however I had the support of the Paragon (Oxfordshire), passing through picturesque team – what could go wrong? None of us villages on the way. The pace was good, was looking to break any records; we were and after Broadway we were heading all experienced riders and just saw the down off the Cotswolds escarpment at event as a challenge with an interesting sunset, arriving at the Tewkesbury route. We didn’t envisage cycling the Travelodge at midnight. There were now entire distance together, however there three of us as Gary had decided to head would be support when needed. However home at Banbury. in the sun-drenched pub garden there was already tension in the air. Gary, who had Day Two: Tewkesbury to Bridgend, successfully completed the midgeGlamorgan. Actual distance 344km infested West Highland 1,000km only a and 3,512m of ascent month earlier, was having problems with After four hours’ sleep, the remaining his tubeless tyres and Richard was Paragon team of three left Tewkesbury at concerned about a large nick in his rear 4.30am. Tom’s description of the lumpy tyre. Of around a hundred riders who had route through the Forest of Dean – “The registered, there were about forty who set hills of the Dean are unforgiving” – was off from Witham. enough to put us off the advisory route and Liam had done an excellent GPS route Day One: Witham, Essex to to Gloucester on the A38 and then along Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. the A48 to Chepstow. These are wide Actual distance 270km and 1,620m A-roads and in the early morning virtually of ascent traffic-free. That said, the Highways From Witham we set off across Essex to Agency offer many reminders of the 48 control number one in Buntingford, casualties on this road during the past Hertfordshire, which luckily is also the year. home of Trax, an independent cycle shop,

LY M

N I A O U NT

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J ust like that… Caerphilly Castle with the statue of Tommy Cooper

Chepstow to Newport was smooth and unremarkable, the highlights included the former site of the Llanwern Steel Works, and we stopped to admire the Newport Transporter Bridge. Beyond Caerphilly Tom’s route takes a “scenic hilly route” over Egwysilian Common dropping down into Pontypridd. This involved a very steep climb on a narrow track, followed by a twisty corkscrew 20 per cent descent. With all the pot-holes this descent would be pretty lethal at night. From Pontypridd it was something of a slog into Barry and then north to Tonypandy in the Rhondda Valley. It was 30 degrees, the sunlight was blinding and

Heat haze… Essex at 34ºC feeling more like Italy

the narrow roads were congested and without shade. From here the road gradually climbs to the Rhigos viewpoint and a stunning mountain loop, from where it was still another 55km to Llandovery. We stopped in a lay-by beside an ice-cream van. It was very quiet. The owner told me that the weather was now too hot for business – the locals were not going out of doors. Next was a narrow road up Sarn Helen, and then The Devil’s Elbow with beautiful views north, and a fantastic descent. At the Llandovery Co-op car park that I realised I was going to be the only member of the Paragon team going forward, as both Gary and Liam had now packed. The incessant heat and relentless climbing

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Hot wire… The Newport Transporter Bridge

had put paid to our attempt as Team Paragon. My legs were still feeling pretty good, and with the light now fading I pushed on. From Llangadog the A4069 offers a beautiful ascent through a lush valley landscape, opening up to the moorland of the Black Mountain. At sunset I was climbing this mountain, feeling rather lonely and assuming that the ACME crew’s tea party would have long since finished. But I’d underestimated these hardy folk as Tom Deakins and his crew were still set up in a roadside carpark with stunning views of the setting sun. I was offered a seat and served with a freshly brewed cuppa and handmade Welsh cakes, imported from Essex, so this wasn’t an entirely x-rated event. This was also my opportunity to discuss whether I could get back to Witham within the 75 hour time limit. When I asked Tom he wisely said: “it all depends on how much sleep you’ve had”. You can’t argue with that. Huge thanks are due to the ACME team for travelling the 550 mile round trip to offer this unusual bonus. Fortified by the tea party it was virtually downhill all the way to the Burger King in Neath which was still open, and then onwards to Bridgend. Personally I was not in the mood for the climb out of Neath through Cimla, so I took the scenic “hill-dodgers” route through Port Talbot. At night with no traffic it has a certain charm. Finally I arrived at the Premier Inn in Bridgend for some well-earned sleep.

Day Three: Bridgend to St Neots, Cambridgeshire. Actual distance 330k and 3,155m of ascent

I left Bridgend at 5am for the final trip to Barry, then along the coast to Cardiff, and back via Newport and Chepstow. When I hit the coast at Barry a very unwelcome head wind appeared and this was present throughout the day. In Chepstow I had a full English breakfast at the railway station buffet and the staff told me that regrettably there was no train service that day to Gloucester due to engineering works. Well, there was one temptation out of the way. Then avoiding the Forest of Dean again I repeated the A48 route north. However I was relieved to divert on to the advisory route near Westbury-upon-Severn and head to Pershore. It was now mid-day and well over 32 degrees – the heat was intense and sapping my energy. I stopped and got my water bottle filled with water and ice, then minutes later while back on a rural road I stopped again and poured the contents over my head. The effect was brilliant. I was making slow progress, though, and the previous night I’d had much more energy, so I slept behind a hedge for an hour in the heat of the day, and resumed when the temperature dropped. In my experience it’s always wise to hide for such a snooze…otherwise some passing driver will stop and either wake you or worse still, dial 999. In Pershore I was revitalised by iced coffee. I was following Nick Wilkinson’s excellent GPS route on my Wahoo and pushing on at a steady pace. The Stratfordupon-Avon spires among the trees looked beautiful on the approach, and then beyond was Wellesbourne and I surprised myself by cycling up the 17 per cent Edge Hill. I arrived at McDonalds in Towcester at 10.30pm and the place was busy with families. I hadn’t seen another rider for hours and frankly I felt like a complete idiot. It was one of those moments when I ask myself “what am I doing here?” – looking wrecked in bib-shorts, jersey and a helmet. For once the McDonalds habit of filling your bidon with iced water paid off, and I left refreshed. I headed through the cool of the night to St Neots and got four hours sleep at The Premier Inn.

Day Four: St Neots to Witham, Essex. Actual distance 111k and 875m of ascent

The final day was again glorious and sun-drenched. I left St Neots at 7am and had seven hours to get back to Witham for the 2pm deadline. I arrived in Buntingford at 10am to find a group of riders in the shade outside Sainsburys, the perfect breakfast spot, and a huge relief to speak to others about our experiences of this epic ride. Phil Whitehurst and Alex Brown were there taking photographs and initially in my rather dazed state I thought they were riders, however they were just recording the event. Beyond Buntingford the heat was really intense – it was 34 degrees and the Essex countryside was bleached yellow by weeks of intense sunlight, looking more like Italy than south-east England. I arrived at the Wetherspoons pub garden in Witham at 1.10pm, with 50 minutes in hand, to be met by the ACME team, Richard from the Paragon team and rapturous applause, plus the added bonus of the Wetherspoons bar and extensive lunch menu. Many Audax routes are forgettable, but this one will live in my memory for a long time. It has epic qualities and seems quite straightforward on paper, but in reality challenges even the most experienced riders. Indeed of the 39 starters only 19 riders successfully completed this first edition of the ACME Grand. Sadly the dream of Team Paragon crossing the finish line together was not to be – but we will be back with renewed energy another day.

Organised… Tom Deakins briefs the riders at the start of the ride

Arrivée magazine reported on this event in edition 141 (summer/autumn 2018) – from the perspective of those who set up the “café” on top of the Black Mountain in the Brecon Beacons. Enormous thanks are due to the Audax Club Mid-Essex (ACME) team for their huge efforts and encouragement, and especially to Tom Deakins for all his work on planning, organising and documenting this epic ride.

Cooling down… icecream on the Breacons

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Ben Connolly and his riding comrade Jack Denison took advantage of the easing of restrictions in the summer of 2020, to take to the hills and valleys of Shropshire. Ben describes the sense of freedom felt from throwing off the Covid shackles… BACK IN JULY 2020, when the pubs opened again, Jack and I decided restrictions had eased enough that riding bikes together all day, and sleeping in adjacent ditches would be as acceptable as it had ever been. We had months of catching up to do…and a long, easy bike ride was just the way to do it. We set off from sleepy Shrewsbury in the early morning. In less than half an hour we were surrounded by wilderness where we remained for most of the journey. We were both on 1990s mountain bikes – Jack on a specialised Rockhopper he’d saved from becoming scrap metal, and me on the Orange Clockwork passed down from my grandad. These were bikes with the character to compensate for any competency modern engineering could provide. After clocking up so many solo hours it was so good to ride with another person. We were able to share those random musings about how long it can take to settle into a ride and the liberation of cycling without a bedtime. Inconvenient gates become amusing when you get to watch someone else struggle with their bike on one shoulder and the front wheel plotting mischief by threatening to swing into the way. That joke did get old in due time. Beyond being a fantastic riding partner, incredible friend, and all-round top bloke, Jack has intricate knowledge of the Shropshire Hills. He could name each peak on the rotating horizon around our loop. Consistently green, the landscape bubbled

around us in luscious rolls and folds. These are the kind of hills which tempt you in with a cuddle – then squeeze all the air out of you. Being a natural introvert, the side to side, rather than face to face, conversations that stem from doing a low intensity activity such as cycling fit with me. This is in stark contrast to video calls, where silence can either mean connection issues, or worse, social awkwardness. We wore our anti-consumerism badges on our sleeves, claiming to be on the ideal adventure bikes, and liberated from all that marketing nonsense. We felt a phantom nostalgia on these bikes – as the only bikes we’d ridden in the nineties had had stabilisers. Their short evolutionary path from road bikes meant that they jumped into action uphill – that is until my non-existent gears or Jack’s small range of gears ran out. They felt most defiant on the downhills as we carefully had to pick out lines in their aggressive head down-bum up body position. One of the beauties of planning a multi-day route close to home is discovering new tracks, and we found some absolute corkers. Grass path cut into the land by the hooves of hundreds of sheep before us, at that fantastic gradient where you can just about risk not touching the brakes. That was until the relentless rattling got the better of my seat pack strap.

Thousands of miles of abrasion as well as saddlewagging and careless packing on commutes had worn it down. It has served me excellently and I should note that I had ignored the manufacturer’s fitting instructions. Forever the resourceful bike-packer, I bodged a replacement out of the guy line for my tarp and we were back on our way. Between our cake-filled brunch at Nipstone Rock, below the Stiperstones, and lunch in Bishops Castle was a single-track so single that it had a place on Top of the Pops. I took my eyes off the path and disaster struck. My front wheel slowly rolled up a rock, stopped, then rolled back and I fell off at negative speed. As I tried to put my foot down the true nature of the singleness hit me with a vengeance. The ground fell away into depths of bracken and my foot kept going into an unprompted cartwheel – perfectly timed for Jack, with a massive grin on his face, to snap me. Our trip was punctuated with food stops. Ludlow came at dinner time. We guzzled massive portions of chips and were hit with that full belly glow of laziness. There is a time and a place for this glow – Sunday afternoon, curled up on your sofa. We were at neither of those. A long queue in and out of Tesco for pudding and snacks allowed us to digest our way out of the food coma. In attempts at making my bike more off-road I’d fitted the widest tyre possible. Turns out it was actually wider than possible. Considerately. It waited until a climb after a speedy descent to make its move. It bulged, then flopped right out, leaving me beached on my rim. It struck again on the bouncy grass descent from Titterstone Clee, but the bulging was gradual enough

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Fantastic gradient… Ben cautious in descent as ever

In the tight

Dynamic duo… Jack, left, and Ben

embrace WORDS & PICTURES BEN CONNOLLY

OF SALOPIAN SLOPES that I could safely slow down to see what was up. By some mystical magic the inner tube remained intact both times. Throwing caution to the strong winds I rolled away from my pit stop and popped off the first mound of earth, only for my bodged seat pack to slip and slam the handbrake on for a massive skid. Fortunately, it was only my pride that took a beating as I wobbled to a stop. I threaded the string through some more loops until it was right tight and proceeded with my tail and seatpack between my legs. Unfortunately, our hopes of camping right on the hilltop were shattered by the howling hoolie and hilly slope to lie on. We used this vantage point to scope out where would be a better place. For some reason both of us saw and ignored the massive barn clearly used for storing grain, therefore ideal shelter, and decided just off the path the other side of those trees would do. Our day felt complete as the sun faded away. A company of bats provided the evening entertainment, swooping and gliding feet away from our socially distant tarp set-ups. Their species may have triggered all this muddle, but

humans made it bad and can’t do nearly as cool tricks. We both “remembered” what it was like to sleep outside. The wind through the trees was loud and disruptive. The ground was bumpy. It was not dark for long enough. Some time before six the gaps in our naps overlapped enough and we decided to call it a day. A symbol of our go-slow and enjoy it attitudes was the meths stove and kit for proper coffee. It took several lighting failures to eventually erect a windshield out of my groundsheet to brew up. It is a well-known fact that things taste better outdoors. However, caffeine highs are not literal and we were still left with the problem of getting up a hill. As the gradient flicked up, my thumbs would instinctively twitch to shift down a gear before I remembered that this bike didn’t have any. I was riding single speed. My options were to mash at an unsustainable effort exploding my lungs, carve wiggles to ease the gradient, grind a ridiculously low cadence which effectively reduced it to hundreds of mini hill starts and a battle to balance at low speed, or walk. All these methods were used to exhaustion on the 3,800m of climbing. Nearing that tired point I would roar with frustration to kick some fire into the flagging legs as I grabbed the bike by the horns and wrestled it up. My lips morphed into the shapes of all the vowels as if I was warming up for public speaking, just with more of a gurn. Riding single speed with people who are geared can lead to an unbalance in pacing, but I always needed rest after these intense efforts which levelled us. This was a ride to enjoy being out rather than smash any speed records after all. The catchphrase of the Rough Stuff Fellowship is: “Never go for a walk without your bike”

Photo bomb… unforced error ends in a soft landing for Ben

but the less iconic “Never go for a ride without your walk” is equally true of single speed or under-geared bikes. I enjoy the occasional hike-a-bike. Walking makes the ride feel wilder and justifiably difficult. In contradiction to that, the attitude of walking removes any notion of urgency so keeps everything more about the experience. One of the things I didn’t realise I’d missed was the opportunity to be able to just talk rubbish. For me anyway, most virtual communication is to the point, discussing a specific subject matter. I think the face-focus of video calls insist they be direct. Equally the notification nature of electronic messaging makes talking nonsense feel like a waste of time. Lots of conversation between Jack and I was simply mindless chatter, and that is valid, never daft. As we took a path from the final summit, the terrain cliff faced. Jack exclaimed: “That’s brave,” as I edged down the near vertical rocks at the bite point of my brakes, somehow avoiding the ungracious leapfrog which would have resulted in an untimely greeting with the man on the bench at a corner who was completely unphased by the precarious situation. It was early afternoon when we rolled back to Jack’s. Going on trips like this is similar to blue sky thinking. You set out with little purpose but an open mind, then end up with answers you couldn’t have imagined. I’d set out to get my fix of the hills but gained so much in openness and human connection. It reinforced the messages I hear, then the masculinity in me tries to ignore. Talk about my feelings. Discuss mental health. Dismantle the stigma. Friends listen.

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WORDS & PICTURES JOHN ALLEN

Halifax-based John Allen battled Storm Alex, spectral skeletons, demons and witches on the Hell of the North West ride in October, 2020 – completing the punishing 800km course in first place… and last. He was the only one to finish. The 36 year old describes a truly hellish but ultimately uplifting weekend in the saddle:

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Demons in the darkness on one Hell of a stormy ride

I’M NOT A PROPER CYCLIST. If anything, I’d say I was a fell runner. I enjoy being in the fells and mountains, competing in long distance foot races, ultra-marathons and mountain marathons. But I fancied a change – so decided to try my hand at long-distance cycling last year. I’d seen advertisements for the Hell of the North West, but dismissed the ride as ridiculous – too hard, too hilly and frankly, I didn’t believe anyone could finish. But then I thought – maybe it is possible? I entered to find out. Then Covid happened, and the event was postponed. Six long, lonely months of training in the dark after work, and hundreds of hours all seemed wasted. Then the Hell of the North West was rescheduled – for October. The thought of it still triggered feelings of fear and self-doubt. I told myself that I’d only attempt it in good weather, to do otherwise was foolish and would make something seemingly impossible, downright dangerous. The event, and Storm Alex, would arrive together in early October. It would turn out to be the wettest single day on record – and a day I won’t forget in a hurry. The ride was due to start on Friday, and the day’s forecast was good. Sunday’s forecast looked OK too. So even though Saturday looked apocalyptical, if I could survive it I might achieve the impossible. The start time was between 1pm and 5pm on Friday, so my cunning plan was to start early, ride as far as possible before the storm hit, continue to ride through the storm without dying, then carry on riding once the storm has passed – the challenge here being to stay alive. Rather than packing light and fast, I went for safe and warm – luggage rack, mud guards, dynamo lights, a pair of waterproof panniers, spare clothes, three pairs of gloves, head-to-toe waterproof

clothing, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, and lightweight tent. Registration was at the Green Jersey bike shop in Clitheroe. I was the first rider to arrive. I swapped a few words with the organiser, Dan Jones. He was expecting a maximum of 15 riders. He wished me luck, we bumped knuckles and I was off. Then it was straight up Pendle Hill. The weight of the fully-loaded bike was immediately apparent, and I quickly ran out of gears. My heart rate rose and the legs began to burn. This was the simple bit. But I was feeling strong and the bike felt good. I told myself to just keep pedalling, stay relaxed and don’t be rubbish – my basic mantra. The miles clicked by, hill after hill, corner after corner. First, heading north through the Forest of Bowland, then back

south towards Rivington Pike. This isn’t a race, but I checked the Random Adventure Facebook page to see which other riders had started. There was a pair of brothers, Steve and Michael Wykes, riding together, and it looked like they had absolutely no gear with them. Maybe I’d over-packed? My bike weighed 23kg fully-loaded and these fellas were running race bikes. I spent the next few hours doubting my strategy, and looking over my shoulder. Darkness closed in over the south Pennines. My sights were set on Keighley at the 100 mile mark, and getting there before the Co-op shut at 10pm, the last supply point until sometime the following day. I grabbed a takeaway pizza in the town centre and put some warmer clothes on. A quick check on social media showed a total

The plan… ride as ❝ far as possible before the storm hit, continue to ride through the storm without dying, then carry on riding once the storm has passed – the challenge here being to stay alive

❞

Optimistic… John at the start www.audax.uk

There was no sunrise ❝ – just a sky gradually changing from black to grey ❞

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ny portaloo in a storm… A comfort break at Aysgarth Falls

of four other riders had started. Clearly the weather prediction was to blame. Then it was off towards the Yorkshire Dales and into the night. It was a hilly route, and I could feel the strain in my legs. Climbing Malham Moor, my thoughts turned to sleep, and at 3am I decided to take a rest. With 157 miles and 16,000ft ascent behind me, I was tired, and the

The southern Lake District is beautiful, ❝ but the conditions today made it difficult to enjoy

❞

thought of pushing right through the night into the coming storm didn’t seem wise. I pulled into the car park at the visitors’ centre at Aysgarth Falls, hoping to find some sort of shelter. There was a locked disabled toilet, easily unlocked with my multi-tool. It was clean enough, so I made myself at home for a nap, and soon dropped into a deep sleep. Ninety minutes later I was woken by my phone alarm. It didn’t seem long enough but I thought it would see me through the next day. The rain had started so I got fully kitted-out before going out to make friends with Storm Alex. There was no sunrise – just a sky gradually changing from black to grey. Passing the Tan Hill Inn at about 7am, it was as bleak as you could imagine, and it was banging it down. My waterproofs were no longer waterproof and I was soaked to the core. It was miserable but not a surprise, and it was only going to get worse. I’d planned to stop at Shap to re-stock on food but there was enough in my bag for a few more hours. I needed to minimise the stops to keep warm and save time. I was feeling OK but progress was slow. The bike was heavy, and my flapping waterproofs weren’t remotely aerodynamic – and the roads were running like rivers with leaves, branches and gravel strewn everywhere. There’s a Tesco Express in Ambleside which was likely to be the last chance to re-stock before Keswick. In advance of that though, was the Kirkstone Pass, the

highest road in the Lake District, and a tough climb at the best of times. My hands had been numb for hours, and I was grateful to arrive safely outside Tesco for the first stop of the day. Once my bags were stuffed with pasties, sandwiches, doughnuts and flapjacks I took some moments to reflect. I’d only managed to cover 80 miles since leaving the toilet-hotel, and it was 24 hours since I’d left Clitheroe. Not quite halfway and I was absolutely soaked through and shivering. But I’d been eating well, had no real pains or injuries, and enough supplies to see me though another 12 hours. I was concerned about hypothermia, so got moving again. I wondered if I’d ever feel warm and dry again. The southern Lake District is beautiful, but the conditions today made it difficult to enjoy. The climbs around Broughton and Duddon were extremely tough, and the descents, with so much debris and water on the roads, meant that just staying upright was a challenge. The next 50 miles were on some of the most exposed, steep and difficult roads in the country. It would take me beyond midnight to reach Keswick. I had a small tent but the thought of pitching it in this weather and then dealing with the layers of sodden kit didn’t fill me with joy. Covid restrictions meant the pubs were closing at 10pm, and it would take a while to find somewhere with vacancies. If I wanted to find a room and dry out, I’d have to start looking soon, which would mean cutting the day short.

After dragging what seemed like the world’s heaviest bike up the Hardknott Pass and descending the treacherous 30 per cent broken tarmac hairpins on other side in the fading light, I made up my mind to find a room. The rain was absolutely bouncing down. It hadn’t stopped all day – at all. After 15 hours I’d had enough. The Bower House pub in Eskdale was warm and the food smelled amazing, but they had no vacancies. The kind lady on reception offered to ring around on my behalf while I stood shivering and dripping water all over the floor but call after call returned the same answer – “we’re full”. I was starting to feel hopeless and thinking of pitching my tent at the roadside. But finally she found me a room up the road in Gosforth – a 30-minute ride away in the bucketing rain, but they were serving food until 9pm. The feelings of hopelessness and disappointment at not covering the distance I wanted disappeared with the first gulps of San Miguel, and the hot soup starter went down a treat. Being required to check in with the Random Adventure Event team at 50-mile intervals, I uploaded a photo of my pint. The biking Wykes brothers had apparently spent a cold night in a disused tyre shed near Keighley. They’d pressed on into the storm but bailed at Tan Hill. Their make-or-break approach with ultralight kit didn’t work out. Fuzz, aka Ian Appleby, managed a little further with well-proven gear, but scratched east of Shap mid-afternoon. A

decision forced by the freezing cold and dangerous riding conditions that saw him nearly crash on a few occasions. This was sad news to me as we’d had a few social media exchanges during the previous week. I’d expressed doubts about riding in the conditions forecast but Fuzz’s positivity convinced me to start. I was glad to read he was safe. The only other rider still standing was holed up in a heated camping pod for the night about 100 miles behind me. Eating fish and chips, and on my second pint, I’d covered 285 miles and had 240 miles left to go. The biggest hills still lay ahead, though, and I was behind my schedule. The forecast for the next day looked good. All I had to do was keep pedalling. I woke at 4am, knackered, stiff, and with a swollen knee. My head was fuzzy from the beer and I felt I could sleep for days. The sky grew light around Loweswater and the rain stopped. Climbing Whinlatter Pass was a joy and the sunrise at the top was beautiful. I was in my element. A buzzard flew alongside me, from fence post to fence post. A beautiful bird, and a beautiful day. It didn’t feel like Hell anymore. I stopped at the top of Honister Pass for a leftover custard doughnut before cruising through Borrowdale towards the Co-op in Keswick. The road alongside Bassenthwaite was flooded in places because of the previous day’s deluge. I rode carefully through the shallow parts in an attempt remain dry, which worked well

Climbing Whinlatter Pass ❝ was a joy and the sunrise at the top was beautiful. I was in my element. A buzzard flew alongside me, from fence post to fence post. A beautiful bird, and a beautiful day

❞

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until an oncoming car ploughed through and covered me head-to-toe in freezing, murky water. Cheers pal. At Caldbeck it was warm enough to lose a layer. Then there was a flat section between the Lake District and the North Pennine’s. The next proper climb would be the long slog up to Hartside Moor. I’d done about 100 miles by the time I stopped at Alston, but there was still 140 hilly miles to go. My average speed was a slow 11mph and likely to drop. But if I pushed myself I thought I might be able to ride through the night and finish early on Monday morning. I recalled an event organiser saying the North Pennines was the hardest part of this ride, and if any section would break a rider’s spirit, it would be here. I decided not to be that guy, and set about enjoying the brutal, bleak but beautiful landscape. At Barnard Castle I had a bit of brain-fog. When did darkness fall? There were fewer than 100 miles to go, so I called my partner Kirsty at home in Halifax. She’d been following my progress. She said she thought I could do it, which was all I needed to hear. I was secretly questioning my own ability, but she believed in me, and I trusted her. It’d been raining for quite a while when I got to Reeth. By the time I reached Gunnerside it was bouncing down again, sapping the heat from my body. The next

climb was over the high and exposed Buttertubs Pass. I’m a fell runner at heart and have a fair bit of mountain experience. I think I’m capable of good mountain judgement and I understand the consequences of poor decision-making. Heading over this pass, at this time of night, in these conditions, while so fatigued, seemed a poor decision. But I pulled on the waterproofs and tackled the climb. It was steep and slow, but I warmed up quickly. The run over high moors was actually enjoyable, followed by a lively decent into Hawes. The roads were greasy, and dodging darting rabbits and prickly hedgehogs required concentration. Leaving Hawes my brain got a bit more scrambled. It was sometime after midnight and my mind was playing tricks with the shadows. Mild hallucinations were setting in. Nothing too serious, just the occasional skeleton at the roadside, or dark figures in the shadows. I tried to ignore them. The bike felt strange too. Had I shrunk? I’d been through a lot but didn’t really expect to shrink. Would I ever go back to normal? Ignoring the skeletons wasn’t working either. In surprise I swerved hard away from the verge. Was that a bloody witch opening the gate? I was wide awake now and in shock. I needed to reason with myself – witches aren’t real. By the time I reached Wray I knew I had

a problem. I couldn’t ride in a straight line, I was falling asleep in the saddle and it felt like I was riding a clown’s bike in a circus. I decided to have a sleep in a bus shelter. With only 30 miles to go to the finish, it wasn’t an easy decision but I couldn’t carry on like this. I woke 30 minutes later – freezing cold. My body felt paralysed, but my head was clear, and I knew I had to get moving. The sleep monsters had gone, though, and the bike was back to normal size. I guess it was just fatigue. The sky was now clear, with a full moon, but still chilly. I adjusted some layers at Quernmore, knowing there were some tasty climbs ahead. One last photo check-in at the Jubilee Tower, then a lovely ride through the Trough of Bowland. The hallucinations came back from time to time but much milder. Then it was the last climb, up Waddington Fell as the sky lightened. It was all downhill from the summit back to Clitheroe and the early Monday morning traffic. There’s something special about being alone for so long and pushing personal, mental and physical boundaries. I sometimes have moments of wishing to be at home, enjoying a comfortable life with Kirsty, settling down on the sofa or taking the dog for a walk in the woods. I enjoy these things and I miss them when

Mild hallucinations were ❝ setting in. Nothing too serious, just the occasional skeleton at the roadside, or dark figures in the shadows. I tried to ignore them

❞

I’m away, but when I’m comfortable, I long for adventure, challenges and exploration. The Green Jersey was closed when I arrived at 7am. Nobody there, no tape to break nor cork to pop, just another photo check-in to prove I’d finished, then back to my van for a coffee. On this ride there’s no

support, and validation of success relies heavily on the integrity of the rider. There are no prizes, so no reward for cheating. Nobody cares who “wins”. The route looks like quite a journey on the map, but the cycling is the easy bit if you’re fit enough. It’s the self-management

that’s the real challenge and the conditions add a lot to that. I never thought about stopping and never thought about quitting. I learned with sadness that I was the only one to complete the ride. Did I win? I finished last but I think I did OK, I’m content.

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Bringing home the

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The wild and tempestuous seas around England’s south-western corner have seen many wrecks – hence the reason the rugged peninsula is dotted with lighthouses. Barbara Hackworthy and her biking pal Jo Corban, decided to string together a route of 14 of the iconic structures in May 2019 for an undulating 550 mile ride through landscape and history.

I’VE BEEN THINKING of doing a cycle tour to all the lighthouses in the south-west for a few years – and when my cycling buddy Jo expressed an interest in joining me I was galvanised into action. I decided arbitrarily to only include working lighthouses on the mainland. Once I got into the planning it seemed reasonable to also include iconic lighthouse hotspots as well – like Smeatons Tower on Plymouth Hoe and Lands End with a view of Long Ships for example. It’s always good to have a theme for a cycling adventure: it adds direction and purpose. I live in Dorset, and I’ve walked the South West Coast Path, and kayaked around the coast over the last 20 years or so. The sea kayaking took us out to places like Lundy Island and Long Ships off Lands End which were definitely not possible on the cycling tour. A lighthouse is a structure, usually a tower or other type of structure, built as an aid to navigation for ships at sea.

Their function is to provide a visible and, in poor visibility, audible warning against hazards such as rocks or reefs. Today Trinity House maintains more than 60 lighthouses in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar. These highly visual aids to navigation range from isolated offshore towers like the Eddystone to shore-based locations like the Lizard. Today all the lighthouses are automated and their accommodation has been converted for use as holiday lettings. I decided to start on the south coast with the lighthouse furthest to the east which is Anvil Point in Dorset. From there the route went to Portland Bill and then followed the coast through Devon and Cornwall all the way to Land’s End. From Land’s End the route went to St Ives and then followed the North Cornwall and Devon coast up to Lynmouth. The last lighthouse on the tour was Lynmouth Foreland. The total distance planned was 900 kilometres (550 miles) but with more than 11,000 metres of climb (36,000 ft).

beacons

WORDS & PICTURES BARBARA HACKWORTHY

Anvil Point lighthouse, near Swanage, is east of where we live so I decided to do this section as a day ride and stay at home the first night. Our route took us from Swanage to Anvil Point through the Lulworth Ranges (open on a Sunday) and along the coast to Weymouth. We rode along Weymouth sea front and the Rodwell Trail to the causeway which took us out on to Portland and down to the lighthouse at Portland Bill.

hthouse The first lig

The present lighthouse is the third to be built at Portland Bill. The two original lighthouses, now known as Old Higher Lighthouse and Old Lower Lighthouse, operated as a pair of leading lights to guide ships between Portland Race and the Shambles Portland Bil l Sandbank. The present lighthouse was completed in 1916. It was de-manned in 1996 and control transferred to the Trinity House Operations. shipping, and a tower was built of blocks From Portland Bill we rode back to of local limestone during the years 1844 to Bridport where we stayed overnight. The 1845 with the light being shone for the next day we set off heading down to first time in 1845. the South West of England. Today the lighthouse is kept clean and We were each carting about 11kg maintained by the Harbour Master. It of luggage, carried mainly in Ortileb shows a fixed red light visible for three panniers. Our route took us through miles, and when lined up with the leading Exeter and down the River Exe to light behind it, provides a safe passage Dawlish then along the coast to across the sand bars at the mouth of the Teignmouth. We dropped down to Teign. visit the lighthouse there, which is a Our target destination for the day was grade II listed building. Berry Head above Brixham where there is a In the early 1840s Teignmouth vertically challenged lighthouse. Berry Harbour Commissioners decided to Head is reputedly the shortest lighthouse erect a lighthouse as an aid to

, Anvil Poin

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ouse

Teignmouth Lighth

in Great Britain but also one of the highest. It is only five metres tall but 58 metres above sea level. We camped at Berry Head and the next morning with fresh legs zipped over to Kingswear for the ferry across the River Dart to Dartmouth. In my zealous effort to avoid riding on main roads we found ourselves on a hill

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Berry Head Lighthouse

Ready to go… Jo, left, and Barbara

too steep to ride which degenerated into a bridleway. So we had a longer walk than we would have liked. It would have been better to have taken the A379 out of the town. As it was we joined the A379 and followed it along the coast to Slapton where we visited the Exercise Tiger Memorial. From Slapton we headed out to Start Point. This lighthouse was built in Start Point Lighthouse 1836 to protect shipping off Start Point in South Devon. For us it involved an undulating ride along narrow lanes. It was worth it as Start Point is exactly what you expect from a lighthouse – a tall white tower built on a rocky promontory with raging seas below. This being May, the wild thrift and bluebells were magnificent. The road through the South Hams to Plymouth is scenic and undulating. Audaxers will recognise these words as euphemisms for “very hilly”. We diverted to Plymouth Hoe where the centrepiece is Smeaton’s Tower. The lighthouse on Plymouth Hoe Smeaton’s Tower was originally built on the Eddystone reef in 1759. It was taken down in the 1810s when it was discovered the sea was Start Point and Lizard Point. The reef is undermining the rock it was standing submerged at high water springs and very on. The tower was dismantled and much feared by mariners. The present erected at Plymouth Hoe. lighthouse was built in 1882 and is still in It was a beautiful clear day and we use. were able to see the Eddystone We cycled through Plymouth and Lighthouse. The Eddystone is an along the Tamar to the Torpoint ferry extensive reef about 20km SSW off where we crossed into Cornwall, and Plymouth Sound and midway between hugging the coast, to Looe. On this the

We waved at the Longships lighthouse which is situated two kilometres off shore but couldn’t get any closer on this occasion.

ouse

St Antony’s Lighth

third day of the tour we’d now ridden more than 100km with over 2,000m of climbing so another pasty was called for to fuel the last 20km – with a monster hill – to Fowey. We dropped very steeply down to Polruan to catch the ferry to Fowey. There were several steps down to the small boat and fortunately there were four strong men – two to each bike – to help us. We camped above Fowey at Penhale Farm After a great night’s sleep we set off for our next lighthouse which was on the Roseland Peninsula. St Anthony’s lighthouse is at St Anthony’s Head on the eastern side of the entrance to Falmouth Harbour, one of the largest natural harbours in the world. We skirted around the Helford River and crossed it at Gweek before climbing on to the Lizard. The name Lizard is probably a corruption of the Cornish name “Lys Ardh” meaning “high court”. It is a coincidence that much of the peninsula is composed of serpentinite bearing rock. We rode to the lighthouse – which has the brightest light of all and can be seen 100 miles away on a clear night. Lizard Point beckoned to finish the job

Tater Du lighthouse

off and we were treated to some relaxation in the sun, watching the antics of seals surrounded by beautiful wild coastal flowers. We cycled back up the Lizard to Helston and then continued to Mounts Bay and spent the night at Penzance Youth Hostel. We started the next day by riding along the coast through Newlyn. We paid our respects at the Penlee Lifeboat Station’s Solomon Browne Memorial. Our first lighthouse of the day was Tater Du lighthouse – Cornwall’s most recently built lighthouse, constructed after the Juan Ferrer tragedy in 1963 on nearby Boscawen Point. We were at Land’s End before 10am, when it officially opens, so it was mercifully quiet and free of tourists. We just rode out to the view point and took a picture as if we were “End to Enders”!

Longships Lighthou

The next section of the tour from Sennen to St Ives is magnificent. The route follows the B3306 which has a couple of proper hills but the coastal scenery is fabulous throughout. The sea views are contrasted by the wild moor and heath inland. We diverted to Pendeen Watch Lighthouse. We dropped down into St Ives for the sake of completeness and enjoyed the picturesque harbour and the historic Smeaton’s pier.

End to end pretenders

The Lizard lightho

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Ready to go… Jo, left, and Barbara

Pendeen Watch Li

ghthouse

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The next lighthouse on this stretch of coast is on Godrevy Island, so outside our remit. We continued our journey along the North Cornwall coast to Newquay and camped at Porth. Fresh legs were required for the scenic undulating B3276 to Trevose Head. This is a magnificent lighthouse – another tall tower on a rocky headland with beautiful wild flowers. We continued to Padstow where we caught the ferry across the River Camel to

Trevose Head 36

Rock. We were unlucky to miss the last ferry from the harbour and had to walk down to the Lower beach as the tide was rapidly ebbing. The ferry took us across the river but left us with a half mile walk along the beach to the slipway. Argh – it rained! So far we had enjoyed dry weather- quite chilly and breezy but no rain. We hastened to Hartland Point which is in Devon. We’d already ridden 100km for the day but decided to continue towards Bideford on the Torridge. The route was lovely and followed quiet lanes which undulated more gently as the streams became more organised towards the River Torridge. We dropped down into the Taw/ Torridge estuary area riding on the Tarka Trail and started to look for somewhere to eat and somewhere to stay. We couldn’t find anywhere and ended up camping unofficially at Velator Quay at Braunton. I really wanted to find Crow Point lighthouse. Crow Point is a sandy beach backed by low dunes at the southern end of Braunton Burrows Nature Reserve. The beach looks south-east across the River Taw and south west to Appledore. The point is a sand spit formed near the confluence of the Taw and Torridge rivers. In reality it is little more than a finger of sand and mud protected by groynes. The solar powered Crow Point lighthouse, also called Braunton Sands, lighthouse lies at the southern extremity of the spit. It stands just 7.6 metres above high water. After visiting Crow Point we returned to the B3231 and

detoured scenically around Saunton and Croyde. We continued to Mortehoe and then on the access road out to Bull Point lighthouse, which provides a visual aid to the villages of Mortehoe, Woolacombe and Ilfracombe and warns of the rocky coast in this area. From Mortehoe we followed National Cycle Route 27. This was the easiest five kilometres of the tour. The route follows the London and South Western Railway

Hartland Point lighthouse

Ilfracombe branch line from Mortehoe and we freewheeled all the way. Bliss! In Ilfracombe we dropped down to the harbour to see Verity, a stainless steel and bronze statue created by Damien Hirst which has been loaned to the town for 20 years. It depicts a pregnant woman holding aloft a sword while carrying the scales of justice and standing on a pile of law books. Half of the sculpture shows the internal anatomy of the pregnant woman with the foetus clearly visible. We climbed out of Ilfracombe, dropped to sea level again at Hele, climbed again and dropped to sea level at Watermouth Castle, climbed again and dropped into Coombe Martin. From Coombe Martin to Lynmouth it is hilly. We could have made life a little easier for ourselves by going up to Blackmoor Gate and then on the A39 but we took the scenic route up Buzzacott Lane, then

down to Trentishoe and down to the Hunters Inn. The climb out of the Hunters Inn was just too steep on our loaded touring bikes and we had to walk, but we were able enjoy the magnificent scenery of Woody Bay. We continued up (again) past Lee Abbey Christian Retreat and on to the scenic Valley of the Rocks. The route climbed up out of the Valley of the Rocks to Lynton and then dropped steeply down again to sea level at Lynmouth. Countisbury Hill out of Lynmouth was quite a challenge. We made it up to Foreland at an elevation of 300m. The last lighthouse, Lynmouth Foreland, was at sea level. Jo chose to ride all the way down to it – and back again. I didn’t! It was a great tour. The way we did it in just six days carrying all our camping gear required a good level of fitness and an ability to ride with tired legs. We really enjoyed the ferries and the lighthouses – and the magnificent coastal scenery. May was a lovely time of year to ride as it is before the main holiday season so the roads were quiet and the wild flowers were at their best. We were lucky with the weather, which was mainly dry, cool and sunny.

Hirst’s Verity at Ilfracombe

Valley of the Rocks

use Crow Point lightho

Bull Point lightho

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Stephen Malaney, who joined the Audax community at the start of 2020, had to evade an empty beer bottle, hurled at him as he rode through a Glasgow street. But it didn’t dampen his spirits as he sought solace on an unforgettable solo ride into the mountains and moors north of the city. Here are his impressions of his longest day on a bike – a 200 mile circuit through the Scottish countryside…

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Life is better on 38

break in weather in A the Sma Glen near the halfway point

A BIG DOSE OF PORRIDGE with honey, and three slices of toast… and I was ready to face a very long day on the bike. The weather forecast had been perfect, but rain had been pounding on the roof since 3am, a familiar sound. In cycling you accept the rough with the smooth. I joined Audax UK at the start of the year, having given up racing and time trials due to a chronic hip condition. I struggle to produce power from my left leg but if I pace it properly I can still ride long distances – something I’ve always loved. Audax seemed the logical way to keep some focus on riding and training. And while the pandemic had slammed the door on a whole range of events, I wanted to ride. When restrictions eased during the summer, and unlimited exercise was allowed, I planned to try for my longest day on the bike.

WORDS & PICTURES STEPHEN MALANEY

a bike

IF YOU CAN DODGE THE BEER BOTTLES

It would be solo, taking in some roads I know well, along with new ones and some testing climbs. I have an affinity with riding in rural Perthshire and do a bunkhouse trip a few times a year to Dunkeld, so the route was planned – from Glasgow to Dunkeld via Creiff and the Sma Glen, then home to Glasgow via Auchterader, Falkirk and the Forth and Clyde Canal path. That’s a total of 200 miles or so. I’d picked my best bike over my usual mudguard-equipped Kinesis Audax bike – it was supposed to be summer after all! The stainless steel Moda is not as comfortable as softer steel frames, but it’s fun and responsive. I packed a small Carradice zipped roll bag – with Covid-19 around I couldn’t depend on café stops, and I’d be on some remote roads, so it was best to be self-sufficient with food and spares. With very few big rides under my belt

over the first lockdown, I knew this would be a challenge. I’m a graphic designer, working from home just now, and had tried to slot in a few 35k loops in before work each week. I work around nine hours a day so there’s not much scope for more. At weekends I’d managed some longer rides of 100k, enough to tick over but much less than usual. Sadly my mother passed away in February so I’d pretty much ignored the bike for a month, but as the summer approached, getting back on to two wheels was the perfect antidote to all that had happened. Life is always better on a bike! As I left Glasgow on wet roads at 5am, I had a feeling of optimism for the day ahead. The sun was coming up and the roads were quiet. My high hopes were briefly shaken as I rode through a less attractive part of the city – and a beer

bottle landed near me, thrown from a flat above. The drunk thought it was funny but probably didn’t understand how dangerous it was. I couldn’t help thinking what a lucky escape I’d had. I left the all-night party-goers behind and headed for the Campsie Hills, Glengoyne Whiskey distillery and onwards to Aberfoyle and the Trossachs. The road north is familiar and if I’m being honest, not my favourite as it’s a bit draggy, with a heavy surface. Riding early avoids the traffic, and as soon as you crest the hill near Gartmore the view of the Trossachs is superb. Today I could see Ben Lomond and some of the larger hills north, including Ben Vorlich – a place I’d eventually reach in a few hours. As I climbed through the forest to Callander the route took on a very different feel. You definitely know you’re entering

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… I shouted “nearly home” ❝ as I saw the huge sculptures of the horse heads at the Kelpies. In fact I still had 60km to go and I don’t mind admitting I was running on fumes

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❞

the Scotland the tourist board sells abroad – not so much the bottle-dodging housing schemes. There was no stopping today at Callendar, at 60km into the ride. It’s normally a great place for a coffee but I had a fair bit of distance to cover and wanted to get through the A84 to Strathyre while it was still early. This is a fairly busy route for tourist buses, motorhomes and speeding motorbikes. Thankfully today with restrictions on travel and accommodation, it was a much more benign place to ride and enjoy the views of Loch Lubnaig. There is actually a Sustrans route on opposite side of the

loch, avoiding the A84, but has one section that’s not road bike-friendly as I discovered when riding the multiple single-track gravel hairpin bend descent on my 25c tyres a few years ago. Sadly the main road is necessary if you don’t have a gravel bike or heavy duty tourer. I was gutted to discover my favourite café, The Broch in Strathyre, was shut when I got there – not because of Covid but because I was half an hour too early! It didn’t open until 10am. With over 80km in the legs I rummaged in the Carradice for a cereal bar and continued north into the big mountains – what a view! You take an innocuous right turn on to

a narrow single-track road on south Loch Earn. This is one of the highlights of the ride, a flowing route with not much traffic except around the start of the Ben Vorlich hill walk. The wild camping tends to attract a lot of not-so-outdoorsy types. I squeezed past some interesting parking on the verges here, but the next 10km was much better, heading east, up and down from shoreline. It’s common to see deer and birds of prey around here – a very beautiful place. Joining the main A85 for a short stretch I recalled meeting some Audax cyclists a few years ago in Comrie who recommended a nice road that runs

parallel and all the way to Creiff. Sure enough after St Fillans I took a right and hardly passed a car for miles, the rocky hilltops above making this a special place, and quite atmospheric. Thankfully the café in Comrie was open for takeaway, so replenished with caffeine and calories, and rested after a short stop in the sunny square to rest the legs, I continued. The next section to Creiff was easy, which was just as well as the climb up Sma Glen to my halfway point at Dunkeld tested the legs. This road is spectacular, running through some very wild country, followed by a long ascent. But my luck with the weather ran out. The rain closed in, adding to the remote atmosphere, and I regretted not having the mudguards on. I was glad of the earlier sustenance which gave me the energy on this fairly tough road over the hills to a long descent to the forests above Dunkeld. This is my favourite Perthshire village and has a great bunkhouse, but today all I was interested in was a Co-op meal deal which I scoffed quickly in the rain. With waterproof on, and into a stiff headwind, I felt overwhelmed Was this only halfway? All I could think about was dinner and a cold pint. They say Perthshire is Scotland’s larder and I can see why – it’s a much softer

landscape. I was amazed at the transitions in scenery on this ride. I didn’t stop, it was too wet. I passed through Pitcairngreen and turned briefly east before heading south west and back into the wind. My bike has narrow 38cm bars and as I hunkered into drops it made the passage into the wind a little less energy-sapping, I still had almost 160km to go! In Auchterader the cafés were only just getting back to business after the lockdown, shutting earlier too. At 4.30pm I was 30 minutes late. The local bike shop offered a coffee – I must have looked a bit needy! But not wanting to put anyone out I opted for meal deal number two. The road undulated past Gleneagles golf course and through the picturesque village of Braco. I revised my original plan to climb Glen Devon as my legs would not allow it. The surface got heavy and punishing towards Dunblane, but it was the coffee deficiency which was my big issue. However, the more affluent area of Bridge of Allan was a sure-fire place to source a late coffee, and it delivered. My legs felt less buckled and I got a much needed boost. The route through the urban roads of Stirling was a shock after the traffic-free ride, and navigation is complicated for a west coast lad, but soon enough I was back on track and defying

Looking towards the most southerly Munro, Ben Lomond

logic by heading away from home! This was necessary to get to my next destination, The Kelpies at Falkirk. The gift of a strong tailwind was most welcome and pan-flat roads to Airth were very Belgian, a nice treat as the last of my energy disappeared through the pedals. I still can’t believe I shouted “nearly home” as I saw the huge sculptures of the horse heads at the Kelpies. In fact I still had 60km to go and I don’t mind admitting I was running on fumes. The light was fading fast as I picked up the Forth and Clyde Canal path, passing bars heaving with people enjoying some late evening sun and forgetting about social distances as drinks flowed. I was perhaps jealous of a cold pint but all I could think about was getting home – this ride had over 100km into a headwind and I was losing the battle. I emptied my last supplies, a porridge bar and gel from my bag, just enough to see me home I hoped. I’d have preferred fish and chips but knew that if I stopped I’d never restart. The flat canal path is fairly dull and endless but at least it’s fast and flat. Approaching Cumbernauld I needed to find some variation, so after getting briefly lost I ended up back where I started – tiredness to blame for lack of focus! It was proper dark now as I took the fairly empty A80 road back to north of Glasgow. I barely remember much of this section, passing through a few risky parts of town, but it was all downhill, and as soon as I reached the River Clyde and the famous landmarks of Finnieston Crane and the Science Centre, I felt satisfied. I’d done it, but I was almost spent. On the last 10km I found some vigour, energised by the thought of food and sleep. The light wheels and steel bike felt alive as I threaded through the suburbs. When I walked through the door my wife said she’d never seen me look so exhausted. It was 11pm and I looked hollow. But I was happy. It was a very challenging ride of 325km, alone through some beautiful, wild landscapes and testing conditions. I’d managed my biggest ride despite my hip issue. I found I could dig deep and keep going. I learned I would be able to embrace a challenging event when they return, and despite a pandemic, with all the worries and restrictions, I made the most out of what I could do on the bike. I’ve raced on velodrome, cyclo-cross, road and time trials but while these efforts are hard, riding long distance solo rides definitely take more mental strength. The speed might be slower but the challenge is just as tough – but more rewarding. It’s all about the journey, not just getting there. www.audax.uk

Seriously solo rider, Dan Campbell, struck out from his Stoke on Trent base to explore more north Midland routes… only to find himself confounded by a diversion that left him a little nettled on the first, and battered by ferocious thunderstorms on the second…

Stung and shaken in the shires Around Nottingham – DIY 200km This would be a lovely ride – if you could remove the sections of A-road, and ignore the potholes around Alfreton. But the area to the south of the city of Nottingham is soaked in history, and a cyclist will pass plenty of information points through these Nottinghamshire villages. As someone who enjoys night-riding, I had a 2am start from Stoke, which meant that the roads were empty – only one car in the first 12 miles. However, the road just after Rocester was completely closed and had me manhandling my bike over a footpath stile. I then spent what felt like hours wandering aimlessly through long grass and nettles trying to find the path which would take me to the other side of the road closure. This is why people with dynamo lights carry a spare light! It wasn’t long before my feet were very cold – but at least the nettle stings were numbed by the cold. Note to self: next time take the diversion!

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I was able to maintain a good pace over the tops. There is a lovely section that gently climbs a valley between Blackbrook through to Belper Lane End to Ambergate which is worth a visit if you are ever this way. I stopped at the Bull’s Head and took a photo of the sunrise before the descent to Ambergate.

I approached Alfreton at 6am as the rush hour began. The roads were more pothole than tarmac. I bypassed the town centre and cut through a housing estate which reminded me of the old coal mining estates where I grew up. As I climbed out of Alfreton there was a 24-hour petrol station with a Morrisons, so I took the opportunity to buy a couple of Mars Bars as I only had energy gels. Castlewood Business Park services at Derby (45miles) was very busy, the Costa had a queue, Greggs was still closed and the sandwiches in the Spar looked horrible. So I

opted for a small bottle of milk and pushed on. A short sprint on the Kings Mill Road East was not too unpleasant, and I turned for Ravenshead, past a Sainsbury’s Local. In hindsight, I should have stopped here for a sandwich. I took Longdale Lane to Calverton where I was hoping to find a café – no such luck. The road to Gunthorpe was fast and I only had one near miss with a white van who didn’t want to wait until the one car on the other side of the road passed. However, I nearly got wiped out by a delivery van in Shelford who thought that he would overtake a parked bus with a car waiting behind it for me to come through. He then shouted out of his window as if it was my fault! At Gunthorpe I turned west for Donington and the road home. The lanes were busy with traffic cutting the corner. Just after

Giraffe seen

near Cotgrav

Near Pe ntr ic

Radcliffe-on-Trent there’s a vantage point which provides vistas across to Nottingham and into Lincolnshire. Before I knew it, I was at Donington Services and I still had not found a café for a rest and a cup of tea. Ninety miles without a proper rest stop is too much for me and something I’ll not do again. I had a Greggs’ egg bap and a coffee sitting in the rain on the park bench. I don’t understand why more people don’t do Audaxing! I’ve completed the 40 miles section from Donington to Stoke on Trent several times, so I just put my head down and turned the crank. In reality, I had no choice as the wind had picked up, making my legs burn from the effort. I hoped that when I turned at Stanton by Bridge the wind would reduce but it didn’t – I had it for company all the way back to the finish. I had thought that I’d stop at Uttoxeter Services as the last 10 miles are mainly uphill. However, when I arrived the A50 was closed, and everyone was being diverted off. Uttoxeter town was just as busy so I pushed on. I turned off the B5027 to Stone at Bramshall and followed the back roads to Church Leigh and Meir Heath, to the finish line. The B5027 is the quickest route but in my opinion, can be unsafe due to the many blind corners.

Torrential Tour of Three Counties – Audax DIY 200km The day had been hot – 30 degrees of heat in fact, so I set off on this lovely tour of the Cheshire Plain as night fell. But even at 9pm the temperature was still at 25 degrees I knew from the forecast that I risked thunderstorm by midnight but I thought I could make Chester before the storm. Only eight miles in there was already a lightning storm chasing me. By 18 miles I was standing under trees by the roadside, being battered by one of the fiercest thunderstorms I’ve ever seen. I was not alone. A local resident came past on his e-bike having been to the pub for a meal with some friends. He offered to put me up for the night, but I still had plans to complete my 200km. After 40 minutes the rain eased off, and the thunder was drifting away so I pushed on. One mile later I had to take shelter again, this time under a bridge. It was like cycling through an apocalyptic storm. Most of the way I couldn’t see the road, just the river it had turned into. I was riding blind into waist-deep pools. The thunder was actually shaking the ground and the lightning was striking all around me. Standing under a bridge was much better than standing under trees. I’d covered just 19 miles in three hours! DNF was now a very real possibility. Finally the rain reduced, and the lightning was behind me. I took the chance and pushed forward to Market Drayton. The streets were empty, but every house alarm was going off. I stopped for about five seconds and considered whether I should continue or return home and call it a night. But it was a fantastic night. It was a little strange to be cycling along country lanes watching the storm move away – though I kept catching the edge of it as I was obviously moving faster than the storm. When I got to Bunbury the roads were dry and the night air was warm. Now I was dripping with sweat rather than rainwater. What really stood out during this leg was St Peter’s Church at Waverton. The internal lights were on, illuminating the stain glass windows.

Lights in St Per

Waver ton ter’s church at

there’s a long climb over the tops, which was nice after the flat roads of Cheshire. Once over the top it’s a long descent followed by flat roads that speed you to Knutsford. I had a quick stop at the petrol station to text my wife and finish my bottle of milk. The sun was coming up and I knew it would be hot before I arrived home. The section from Knutsford to Middlewich was fast but I was starting to dehydrate. I stopped at the Middlewich 24-hour petrol station and bought a meal deal and more milk, which I saved for the next long leg to the top of Keele Bank. I knew I’d soon be paying the price, fighting the morning sun and dehydration. Arriving at Keele University at the top of

Keele Bank was a milestone. If I looked hard enough, I could make out the crop of trees on the hill where I live on the other side of the city. The sun was now at full cooking temperature and I was sweating just standing but I still had 10 miles to go. These final miles were long and hot with a few close calls. Stoke on Trent drivers! They’re one of the reasons I rarely commute to work. Arriving home up the 12 per cent climb, it was a great relief just to get out of the sun. Even though I’d put on sun cream I was still burning. Turn me over, I’m done this side! Apocal yptic st

or ms on the ro

ad to Mar ket

Drayton

Stamford Bridge petrol station (55miles) was a welcome sight as I was ready for a rest and some food. The main issue was that the warm night had encouraged the insects out which always find me particularly appetising. I did the maths and realised that if I kept on riding at my current pace, I could arrive at the finish within the time limit (12hrs). This gave me a renewed incentive to ride faster. The next 10 miles to Helsby passed quickly on dry roads with no traffic. At Helsby www.audax.uk

A quartet of pals – three Brits and a Swede – encountered searing heat, goats, pigs, blocked roads, and many mechanical glitches on a punishing anti-clockwise circuit of the rugged Mediterranean island of Corsica in June 2019. But, as Chris Wilby explains, Le Tour De Corse (Corsican Raid) had its compensations, including great scenery, food, beer and countless refreshing dips in cool mountain pools. Here’s his account of a notable ride:

Keeping cool

in a Corsican

WORDS & PICTURES CHRIS WILBY & ADRIAN LAGAN FOUR RIDERS IS a good number for a tour. It helps minimise costs and admin, but it also ensures a shared experience. And this 865km ride along a predefined route around the beautiful island of Corsica delivered plenty of experiences. The team was: Patrick “Paddy” Cope, Lars Eckerborn (from Sweden), Adrian Lagan, and me. We are experienced randonneurs, except for Lars, but he’d ridden the Vatterundam, a 300km day and night ride around Vattern Lake in Sweden in 2018. The plan was to complete a 10-day, self-supported tour of the island, starting and finishing at Bastia. There are 16 checkpoints to pass through to claim a medal from the ACP (Audax Cycling Parisian). Adrian rode a specialised Roubaix and Patrick had a new Look 765 optimum ultegra disc tubeless bike. I used my Airnimal Chameleon folding road bike. Lars had hired a Specialized Allez, but it began to fall apart early on – starting with an inadequate seat post clamp, then a faulty bottom bracket. We were kitted out in white Corsica Cycling shirts, so we could spot each other. Three of us opted for cycling sandals, because of the relentless sun, except for Paddy who wore cycling shoes – his feet boiled.

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Day 1 Bastia to Calvi – 176km, 3387m climbing

Heading north out of Bastia Northwards, we were immersed in sunshine with the sea on our right and mountains on our left, and we made good progress on fresh legs to Macinaggio. At the first control at the Tourist Information on a quayside we got our stamps, but Lars was having problems with his saddle sinking. Adrian helped him by trying to tighten the saddle clamp. Meanwhile Paddy and I found a shop to obtain snacks, and water from a street spa. When we got back, we couldn’t see Adrian or Lars so assumed they’d continued. We set off up the long climb into the mountains on the road to Nonza. Lars’s seat clamp continued to be troublesome – whenever any weight was put on the saddle it would sink so the bike had to be ridden mostly standing up. After a long climb the road descended and hugged the coast again, twisting and turning. The views were

spectacular, the sea a beautiful turquoise. I arrived with Paddy at the Café de la tour in Nonza, sampling a platter of cheese and meat with beer. The food and location was fantastic. Adrian arrived an hour or so later and we became concerned about Lars, so Adrian went back to find him, he was struggling up the long climbs, his saddle continuing to trouble him. After many attempts to fix Lars’s bike clamp Adrian swapped bikes to help him get through the day. We hoped to remain together but the hills, long descents and differing abilities didn’t allow this, so it was nice to just take time to enjoy the solitude and scenery. Lars and I adopted a steady pace which took us into the night. I just had a small light, which was not really enough. When I arrived with Lars at Calvi, Paddy was enjoying a drink from a corner bar and Adrian was waiting in the hotel with just a towel wrapped around his waist – Lars was riding Adrian’s bike, and his clothes were in the saddlebag. After some beers we enjoyed a pizza back at the chalet hotel rooms.

After some ❝ beers we enjoyed a pizza back at the chalet hotel rooms

❞

Day 2 Calvi to Piana – 107km, 2545m climbing In the morning we visited the local cycle shop and they replaced Lars seatpost clamp with the proper sized one, and I bought a more powerful lamp. We then had omelettes for breakfast from a small cafe and set off together. This was one of the best days of the tour with two long climbs. The first was 11km with a great viewpoint at the top and an exhilarating twisting descent to Porto. Then a tougher but rewarding final 8.5km climb to Piana, with a short 30 per cent section near the end. Adrian and Paddy had already reached the holiday cabin. It was a short walk to the beach where they’d gone for food and drink. Lars and I had been taking our time but we had received a text warning from Adrian that there was no food ahead, so Lars and I stopped in Piana for a Pizza. When Lars and I found the chalet site the other two were still on their beach trip.

cauldron

Corsica has two major geological domains nicknamed “The Elysée of Geology”, with the Western “crystalline” part and the Northeast “schistose” part. The island’s average altitude is 568 metres, making it the highest of all the islands in the western Mediterranean. The highest point is the Massif du Cintu with an altitude of 2,706 metres. 180 kilometres long from north to south and 82 kilometres wide makes the island 8,680 square kilometres. and has a coasline of more than 1000 kilometres.

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Day 3 Cargese to Corte – 110km, 3067m climbing

To Calacuccia and Corte – I was ahead of the others and waited at a sharp turn to make sure they didn’t miss it. I let them catch up and waved them through. Last through the steep downhill stretch I went too fast and lost control on some gravel which made me skid off into the barbed wire fence while my folding bike wrapped its front chassis backwards into the frame breaking the catch on the folding mechanism in the process. I sliced my arm in several places and was bleeding. A nurse driving by saw me, and stopped to bandage my arm. How amazing is that? Adrian came back to help but the front wheel was so bent it was impossible to use other than at walking speed. I enlisted the help of two tourists to stand on the wheel rim in an effort to straighten it. Adrian took a photo of the three of us standing holding hands to balance. It didn’t work. So, I cycled behind Adrian slowly to Cargese at which point Lars appeared. I found someone’s garage that had a workbench inside which I used to try to straighten the wheel. The owner came back and was in a bad mood, probably because I’d been in his garage but the door was half opened so that’s an invitation to enter, isn’t it? My plan was to make my way by taxi to Ajaccio, book a night and get the bike fixed and meet the others there as that was further on our route. Then I thought about my friend Dave who was travelling the Island on holiday with his wife, so I phoned him. Fantastic – he was staying in Ajaccio and he rescued me. I stayed at his place in Ajaccio and bought a 26 inch wheel with a slick tyre, from the Decathlon store. I left the others after Calacuccia, stayed at Ajaccio for one night with Dave, got the bike fixed and Dave took me to Zicavo where I waited for the others. After my crash, Adrian was eager to catch Lars and Paddy. The next 10km was flat along the coast before it

turned inland with a steady 8km 6 per cent climb to Saint-Antoine, where Adrian met Lars. The next section was the toughest of the tour. It was only 7km to the top but it was out of saddle and lung-busting at times. It seemed relentless especially in the heat of the interior of Corsica. Adrian weaved through a goat herd before the final ramp to the top. The reward was a breath-taking view across the mountains and far below was the next stop, Cristinacce, where Adrian met Paddy, and later Lars. The bar owner served large plates of chips and steak, washed down with a cold beer – delicious. Next was a steady 14km climb through the forest to the summit of the Col de Vergio where there was a café for refreshments, with a panoramic view and a striking statue of Jesus. That was the thing about this trip, there were panoramic views of mountain and sea all the time.

I enlisted the help of two ❝ tourists to stand on the wheel rim … It didn’t work ❞

Adrian waited for Paddy so that they could descend together, however Paddy enjoyed powering ahead on the downhill sections. The 23km descent was thrilling and the view at the bottom was just as amazing. At the U Pont Altu a crystal-clear river runs from the mountains under an ancient bridge. There were people sunbathing, swimming and diving in. The cool river looked extremely inviting after a hot day in the saddle, but Calacuccia beckoned. At Calacuccia we regrouped, Lars wanted a meal so stayed behind. Adrian and Paddy were soon racing downhill through Le Canyon de la Ruda, a visually spectacular and adrenaline inducing 10kms of sheer fun – Adrian’s highlight of the tour. This was followed by a steady climb on tired legs with a final descent into Corte to see the impressive Citadelle de Corte on approach. The best and most punishing day of the tour was complete.

Day 4 Corte to Zicavo – 110km, 2497m climbing I left the others after Calacuccia, and stayed at Ajaccio for one night with Dave and his wife and got the bike fixed. Dave took me to Zicavo, where we had drinks and I waited for the others. Adrian noticed his rear derailleur cable was fraying, so as a precaution went to a local cycle shop. The owner had to cut the existing cable and then struggled for 40 minutes to insert a replacement through the internal routing. At one point Adrian thought his tour had ended. Paddy decided to get moving as the day was already heating up, but Lars stayed with Adrian, and it was already very hot when they got going. There was a steady climb out of Corte, and after an hour they couldn’t resist the temptation of a refreshing dip in a pool by the side of the road. The roads became much quieter with hardly a passing vehicle, it descended and ahead were mountains as far as the eye could see. The road climbed more steeply this time for 12.5km at 7 per cent, with a series of switch backs to the summit of the Col de Sorba. This was followed by another rapid 10km descent through the forest to Ghisoni. Paddy was waiting at Le Kyrie, a family-run restaurant. He recommended the lasagne, made with a local vegetables. It was simply fabulous. Another climb followed, 17km in the burning heat of the day. It was punishing. Adrian weaved from side to side to keep in the shade and stopped at every spring to douse

The road climbed ❝ more steeply this time for 12.5km at 7 per cent, with a series of switch backs to the summit of the Col de Sorba

❞

himself and replenish his water bottles. The reward was an 18km descent, the road hugged the mountain side and made its way through forest, levelling out and undulating for the last 6km to Zicavo.

Day 5 Zicavo to Ajaccio – 102km, 1951m climbing My Airnimal bike now had a 24 inch wheel on the back and a 26 inch wheel on the front. Paddy called it the ET bike. About 400 yards out my sandal broke – the cleat stayed on the pedal and the sandal stayed on my foot. We made an early start with a plan to stop somewhere en route for breakfast. The first 6km was downhill, freewheeling, and nice and cool. This was followed by 9km at 5 per cent. Downhill again for 10km and then a 6km 4 per cent short climb along the busy T40.

Lac de Tolla was around ❝ the corner so Adrian and Paddy dived into cool off ❞

At 32km we stopped at the Auberge de col St Georges café for a continental breakfast. Between us we ate their whole supply of croissants, filled with butter and jam, with coffee and orange juice. Lars was having issues with a pedal and had been left behind. A considerable gap had opened up between us before we knew he’d stopped at a garage about 15km behind. At 9am the day was heating up to 25C, so we pressed on without Lars. The road to Ajaccio looped back and undulated for 17km with a few short inclines. We passed a pinnacle of rock with the Corsican flag planted on top. The road was carved into the rocky hill side and radiated heat. Thankfully Lac de Tolla was around the corner so Adrian and Paddy dived into cool off. After Tolla there was 12km of twisting downhill with a view across the mountains to the sea. Ajaccio seemed busy after the solitude of the mountains but it was good to stop and take a dip in the sea and have an ice-cold beer. Lars arrived about four hours later, having cycled using one pedal for most of the day!

Day 6 Ajaccio – rest day Whilst in Ajaccio some of us visited Napoleon Bonaparte’s birthplace. We went for a swim, and afterwards went straight to our table for our evening meal. Lars and I shared a freshly-caught fish. Dave and his wife were with us for this meal – my treat for their help in supporting me and my battered bike. Our accommodation in Ajaccio overlooked the sea with a balcony and a large table, and space to fix the bikes. Lars contacted the bike hire company who delivered a replacement bike. Now back on schedule, Lars with a new bike, me with the ET bike, Adrian with some minor problems with his disc brake and gear cabling, but Paddy on his new bike with tubeless tyres.

Day 7 Ajaccio to Bonifacio – 139km, 2552m climbing Next day we made an 8.30am start and planned to have breakfast at about 45km. The first 30km was flat and was quickly travelled within an hour this was followed by numerous short climbs with the odd decline over 15km. Unfortunately the café we planned to eat at was closed. The location was remote, so we had to cycle another 15km before finding another. Thirty minutes later we entered

Propriano, a bustling town with shops, restaurants and a marina. We took in the sights and left before noon. After Propriano there was a 6km climb with a twisting switchback at Sartene through busy traffic. It was well worth it – there were fabulous views back over the valley and the view of Sartene. The heat was increasing. It was only 20km to the coast but felt much longer even though the route was mainly downhill. The view along the coast was magnificent, the deep blue sea and rugged coastline was something to remember. The undulating 30km to Bonifacio was beautiful but exposed under the baking sun. Adrian drank all his water before reaching Bonifacio and jumped in a river to cool down – to then dry within 10 minutes. Bonifacio is dominated by a large medieval citadel. I made my way up the winding road to the hotel which was at the very top of the cliff. We found a suitable place to stop and drank some beers while waiting for Lars, who was getting full value out of this ride.

Day 8 Bonifacio to Aleria – 132km, 2473m climbing Next day we set off at 6am. It was the first time we’d needed jackets as a sea mist drifted in. This soon cleared and we stayed together for the first 35 undulating kilometres, but parted over a 13km climb. After 45Km of riding we regrouped at the A Tigliola Pizzeria in the mountains. The café had a viewing platform and pool, and there was a magnificent view of the coast far below. It was absolutely stunning. It was another hot day so we stopped and took a swim in Lac de L’Ospedale. The mountain roads were hot and the trees offered little shade so we took it steady after our swim. Just before noon we arrived in Zona, a hub for cyclists and walkers. We took our time and ate a three-course lunch as we’d already done the hard riding for the day. After lunch we climbed the Col de Bavella, which was 10km at 5 per cent gradient. At the summit was the Madonna of the Snows statue. Adrian and I then set off on to 40km of rolling coast road to Aleria. We made steady progress until his front wheel started making a rattling noise. We took the front wheel off, spun it, no noise; put it back on and spun it again, noise. Eventually we discovered

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The undulating 30km ❝ to Bonifacio was beautiful

but exposed under the baking sun. Adrian drank all his water before reaching Bonifacio

❞

the disc pad retainer was bent. Adrian put the pads back without the holder as it was too badly damaged. The pads rubbed slightly but we were off again. Thankfully, our hotel had a swimming pool outside our rooms so we could relax and ease our tired limbs.

Day 9 Aleria to Bastia – 132km, 3298m climbing We set off at 6am before the day became too hot, having an incentive of breakfast at 57km. We soon split on the initial climb, it was a day of long climbs and steep descents. Adrian was upfront and sent a message to say

that the road was closed but he would continue and let us know if it was passable. Luckily it was. Further up, as the road got steeper, there were pigs and other animals to avoid. There were also a couple of 30 per cent sections but these were short. I was relieved to finally reach the top of the climb and breakfast at L’Auberge de 2 Vallees. We had an excellent omelette, coffee, and orange juice. The beer garden had excellent views down the valley. Crossing the busy T10 road was a shock after the quiet interior roads. It became very hot riding the coast road without shade, a straight and flat road, but easy to

navigate. Paddy was first to stop at a beach. Adrian and I joined him for a swim. We planned to regroup here to ride the last part of the ride together into Bastia. However, when we realised how far back Lars was Paddy took off and Adrian and I took a more leisurely ride together to await Lars in Bastia. Lars had sent a message that he was a long distance away, making the most of his last day on the bike and in no rush to catch up. On our return to Bastia in the evening there was a music festival which was great. Later we walked to the outskirts of the town to find a quieter place to eat and to toast the end of our adventure!

Man (and bike) in a suitcase

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Globe-trotting Audaxer Chris Wilby is a big fan of the Airnimal folding bike – a machine designed and built in Cambridge, the cycling capital of Britain. Here he describes his travel experiences with a fold-away favourite, the Airnimal Chameleon, and his many modifications in search of the perfect machine

I DID SOME TINKERING with my bike in lockdown – and now I believe I have the perfect travelling Audax machine – an Airnimal Chameleon, upgraded to 26-inch or 650c wheels. I’m no longer refused entry on buses or taxis and need make no special arrangements with train companies. As well as the in-a-case option there’s the travelling-bag option. I’m regularly adding something new to my Chameleon – the latest upgrade being a Busch and Muller rear dynamo lamp. The size of a £1 coin, it fits unobtrusively on the rear stay, with an LED light powered from my dynohub. I’ve been an Airnimal fan for years. Mine is a sporty model the Chameleon, first produced in 2002. I also own a carbon Dolan road bike, but frequently choose to ride the Airnimal, particularly since adding the bigger wheels.

The suspensive rubber technology gives the whole unit a feel of a steel tourer. It also has an aluminium frame, which I find less harsh than alloy frames. I bought my first Airnimal, a gold painted Chameleon, in 2007 prior to my third Paris Brest Paris ride. I’ve had plenty of experience taking bikes to USA, Canada, Australia, Italy and Russia. But I got fed up with various Airline problems, and the process of taking a full-sized bike on a plane. So the idea struck me – why not take a bike in disguise? When airlines began to demand payment for bike carriage, it seemed convenient to “smuggle” a bike in a suitcase, while meeting airline standards. My advice, though, is not to put any cycling identification, like stickers, on the suitcase. This only attracts attention. Once an airline knows there’s a bike in the case, even if it’s

regulation-size, they’re likely to charge you. There are some carriers, like Air Amsterdam, who welcome bikes at no extra charge, but generally it’s a compromise. You can pay for a higher cost flight that doesn’t charge for bikes, or choose a budget airline which will add a supplement. Sometimes it’s cheaper to use the more expensive airline. Airnimal offers benefits when you get off the plane, too. Getting the bike in a taxi or on a bus is so much simpler. Once it’s packed it become normal luggage. On the Moscow subway, for instance, regular bikes have to be transported up and down escalators with the front wheel removed. The escalators, built by Stalin to double as bomb shelters, are so long you can’t see the end of them My first Audax ride with the folding bike was in Wales (300km) where everything went wrong. I had repeated punctures due to the front wheel not having any rim tape. I packed in the end, and a kind organiser took me back to base. My first 600km was the Scotland’s Daylight 600. Travelling by train and bus to the ride headquarters was easy. Assembling the bike and packing it in the case can be quickly learned. I took photos of the process so I could get it just right.

The Airnimal came into its own on my third PBP. Travelling by plane and train worked out cheaper and was more convenient than the slog down by train. I completed the ride in the 84 hours limit with just one puncture. Back in the UK after more rides the bike frame cracked just below the bottom bracket. I learned that Airnimal planned to strengthen that part of the bike following some failures. After a new frame, donated by Airnimal, I attempted the Mille Miglia 1600km in Italy using the same method of transport – airplane, bike in a suitcase, and with a tent for before and after the ride. I pushed too hard, with not enough sleep, lost my map, and the Garmin failed. I packed, and managed to get the bike on to a train from Rome back to Milan. Such a disappointment, but I was determined to complete the ride, which I did in 2010. I fitted my Airnimal with a front hub brake and dynamo combined. The following year I completed the Madrid-Gijon-Madrid, but two nights before, I took a test ride and the front hub went down a grate and twisted the wheel. The supermarket bike repair service team were able to true the wheel just enough to do the ride, albeit with a wonky wheel. In 2011 it was time for the next PBP but to do something different I did the first edition of “The Big Wild Ride” 1200km in Alaska. This included a train ride, and a boat trip to get to the start. The Airnimal did well and I was able to make a Strava king of the mountains on the first big climb. Other journeys have included a 1200km in South Korea. I was also the first Englishman to complete the Silk Road 1200km ride in Uzbekistan. There were also rides in New Zealand, Sweden and Corsica. In 2019 during the Tour de Corse (see above) my front wheel was trashed in an accident, and the Decathlon store fitted a mountain bike wheel with smooth tyre. So when I got back I upgraded the whole bike to 650c which has 23mm tyres. The other choice of 26-inch wheel also works but has a minimum 28mm tyre, so keeping with the Airnimal speed bike ethos it was the 23mm tyre with a Continental Gatorskin tyre, perfect for the toll of rough treatment of sidewalls. The new wheels and tyres fit in the same case. After lots of trips with the 24-inch wheels I’m now looking forward to the future with the 650c wheels. A suitable upgrade to 26-inch or 650c size has a number of advantages. For the Chameleon, the option for 26-inch wheels allows for smooth tyres of 28mm that will fit the bike, and 26 inch is easily found in stores. My conversion of the Chameleon to either 26-inch or 650c, was prompted by the Tour de Corse incident and makes the fastest Chameleon yet. To make the conversion, new front forks were required for the new wheel size, although I’ve used forks designed for 24- inch wheels which fit very well. At the rear the existing brake stay was removed with a small hacksaw. The rear brakes needed a new longer reaching calliper that attaches to the other metal bridge pivot above the wheel. The Airnimal bike provides a convenient way of travelling without the inconvenience of extra fees and bookings or extra-large taxis. So long as you are happy to use a suitcase to get to the start then this is ideal. If you need help in the conversion I can be contacted on cbwilby@gmail.com.

Good to go… the new bike with it’s handy packing case

he Big Wild Ride… T in Alaska in 2011

he 650 Chameleon T conversion complete

A t the start of the Vatternrundam in 2018

he Airnimal in its T full TT format

www.audax.uk

Known by many as England’s “back of beyond”, the East Anglian Fens, with their notoriously fierce winds, are not every cyclist’s favourite place. But Audaxer John Thompson puts up a robust defence of the wide-open spaces and big skies of the Nederlandse Dubbele, or Double Dutch 200 SINCE 2011 the first year of The Double Dutch 200, now titled “Nederlandse Dubbele”, I’ve spent Easter in Huntingdon. But Easter 2020, at the height of the pandemic, meant that accommodation establishments were closed – and I didn’t fancy the 100 mile drive for the early start to the event on Easter Saturday. In the previous year I’d stayed in the George Hotel, a 17th century coaching inn which retains much of its historic character. Everything about it is good, including the food and friendly staff. I checked in around mid-afternoon on Good Friday and strolled into Huntingdon for a bite. Because it was so warm, the most popular activity seemed to be sitting outside pubs drinking pints. The weather made me look forward to riding. Easter weather can, of course, be one extreme or the other. It can snow, or there can be glorious sunshine with well above average temperatures. It was the latter in 2019.

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From Kings Lynn, ❝ there is the option of a

short ferry journey. I’ve never taken it. Being a full-value rider, I’ve felt concerned about losing time. If the first ferry is full-up I’d have to wait 20 minutes for the next

❞

Hitting The route of the ride is predominantly flat. There are no few Arrivée contributors who indicate they hate flat country. They find it boring and soul-destroying as it seems to go on forever, especially against a headwind. I always feel sorry when I read that. Okay, I understand why a brutal headwind on flat, wide-open roads is unwelcome in the latter stages of LEL. I dispute, however, that all flat countryside is boring. The “Nederlandse Dubbele” follows river banks, passes fields of flowers and goes

through numerous picturesque villages. If the flatness is the only factor putting you off, I urge you to reconsider. I’m not the only one who comes back every year. Keep in mind the route is not entirely pan-flat. The terrain around Huntingdon is undulating so there are some hills in the very early stages, and cruelly, in the final 11 miles. Early morning on Easter Saturday was sunny but cool. Nevertheless, one could sense that later it would be warm. The informal HQ was the Wetherspoons, literally across the road from the George Hotel. It hardly needs saying that some riders were tucking into full-English breakfasts! Off we went at 8am for an easy first 17km, to the info control in the attractive old-world market town of Ramsey. Having said it was easy, on leaving Huntingdon, the first hill starts along a short stretch of the A141 – the longest and steepest hill of the route. Once at the top it could be said the toughest part of the ride is over and done. Those other undulations in the final 11 miles are, of course, likely to be with tired legs. At Ramsey the attractive remains of the 10th-century abbey are on the right before coming to the village of Ramsey Forty Foot. The name relates to the width of the original drainage works. The village is at the start of an artificial river, the old course of the River Nene. Designed by Sir Cornelius Vermuyden, it was part of his major drainage scheme of 1649-1653. Now on the pan-flat roads, the drain bank is followed for a short way before turning left for Benwick and on to the first receipt control in March. To save time, I used a less busy garage shop just in the town centre. The town of March is surprisingly big and busy. I’d perceived it as a small, quiet place in the “the back of beyond” but the town centre has attractive aspects. The Nordelph info control at 55 km, is a picturesque spot with a bridge over a waterway with attractively coloured barges moored. The next stage is to Kings Lynn receipt control (84 km), one of my favourite sections, along pleasant lanes with views of the Great Ouse.

the heights IN THE PA N-FL AT FE NS The final few miles into King Lynn are not very scenic. They’re along cycle paths, partly along the bank of the Great Ouse with an expansive view of it on the left, but also of an industrial area and a busy road. On the right is housing. Also, the off-road route starts alongside the power station. It is, however, only a few miles. By now the wind had got up, and it was headwind or side-head. It wasn’t particularly troublesome, and I completed the 84 km from Huntingdon to Kings Lynn in just over four hours – a personal best. I figured the wind direction meant there’d be a tailwind after changing direction, from the control at Holbeach St Marks (121 km), all the way to the finish. I started fantasising about doing, for me, an exceptionally quick ride. From Kings Lynn, there is the option of a short ferry journey. I’ve never taken it. Being a full-value rider, I’ve felt concerned about losing time. If the first ferry is full-up I’d have to wait 20 minutes for the next. The wind got up considerably after Kings Lynn – a headwind. My dream of an exceptional ride faded. Nevertheless, I figured that once with the tailwind, I could still be a bit quicker than usual. A personal best still seemed just feasible. The route without the ferry involves retracing part of the off-road route to West Lynn. From there, both options follow the former A17 through Clenchwarton, Terrington St Clement and Walpole Cross Keys. Shortly before the old road meets the new A17, to avoid riding on it one turns right on to a cycle path running parallel, and on to Sutton Bridge, into Lincolnshire. The few miles from Sutton Bridge to Holbeach St Marks

info control is another of my favourite stretches. It’s all pleasant lanes through the area named South Holland, past Guys Head and overlooking the Lincolnshire Wash for part of the way. The negative factor on this day was that the combination of a slight change of direction and being alongside the sea meant an even more brutal headwind. I now realised that even with a roaring final tailwind, I would now be finishing in a usual sort of time for me. To my relief I found I needn’t have worried. At last, a tailwind! It was like seeing water in the desert! I continued along pleasant lanes through Holbeach Bank and Saracens Head, crossing the A17 to picturesque Moulton, with its 19th century windmill. Shortly after Moulton, it’s a busy few miles along the A151 to Spalding receipt control (144 km). That said, there is the option of a cycle path. To the annoyance of some drivers, I’m not usually one for that. On this occasion, however, I used it. It was soothing to know, as I started on the final 64km

WORDS & PICTURES JOHN THOMPSON

stretch, that it was a tailwind all the way. Spalding centre was busy, but it’s an attractive town. The River Welland runs through, and there are many historical and pleasing buildings and river bridges. On leaving Spalding, the route follows a section of NCN route 12 to picturesque Crowland, with its Grade-I listed Benedictine abbey. From Crowland, it’s on to picturesque Thorney (approx.170.5 km), and then to Whittlesea and the village of Ramsey Heights. It amused me that somewhere in the Fens has “heights” in its name! Ramsey Heights is the only place in the locale at sea level. The other Ramseys are all below. Ironically, it’s shortly after it that the undulations start. The first rise is a slight one a mile after Ramsey Heights, the next is into the village of Upwood, and the last is out of Kings Ripton, with just under five miles to go. I was allotted a time of 11 hours, 15 minutes. I’d been right to forget thoughts of a personal best for the event. Card stamped, it was back to the George Hotel to enjoy that lovely unwinding feeling over good food and beer.

From Crowland, ❝ it’s on to picturesque Thorney… and then to Whittlesea and the village of Ramsey Heights. It amused me that somewhere in the Fens has “heights” in its name!

❞

Hertfordshire-based Audaxer Richard Bragg was determined Covid-19 wouldn’t scupper his plans to complete another Super Randonneur series. But he had to deal with more than the pandemic, as his attempt was hindered by sand storms, floods, and a police hunt. This is how he eventually did it…

WORDS & PICTURES RICHARD BRAGG

AGAINST THE ODDS AT THE START of the 19/20 season I expected to complete another SR series as part of my Audax cycling. But then came the disruption of Covid-19. Across the season there were just 106 SR series completed. I achieved mine in the end but it was a bit more of a challenge than usual.

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October 2019 200km Cambridge Autumnal 100km event and ECE

up. How fortuitous! This would be my last chance of a ride like this for quite a while. The route took us through familiar roads from Oxford, through the Cotwolds and down to Tewkesbury. The Forest of Dean was looking very scenic in its spring colours as we headed south for Chepstow. I’ve never found a great stop there, but we found a friendly enough bakery for lunch. We crossed the Severn Bridge, then up

that familiar steep climb to the Somerset Monument and down to tea in Malmesbury. I’m sure the bike wanted to point east back to the start at this point, but as darkness fell we headed south to Marlborough to search for a shop door info control then on to Hungerford services. I always like the confused looks on the faces of motorists when I cycle into a motorway services!

The season started with a lovely autumn day out with Andy Broadbent. We chose a 100km Audax and added an ECE of 50km at each end. We had an early start from just south of St Neots. Andy had planned a lovely route – just enough hills to keep us warm without too much strain. We arrived at Girton as the last of the 200s were leaving. So, we had plenty of time for breakfast before the 100 started. It was good to catch up with a few familiar faces, some of whom I’d not seen since PBP. We left at 9am and were soon into the rolling countryside of Cambridgeshire and north Essex. We stopped in Parrishes in Thaxted. In the afternoon we had the long descent into Cambridge then the treat of the Arrivée cakes. With the 100 over, we carried on with a bit of the busway then south back to St Neots and the end of a relaxed day of cycling. March 2020 300km The Dean

I hadn’t planned on riding the Dean, but had heard good things about the route. A few friends from our newly formed Tring Audaxers group were doing it so I signed

300… Richard crossing the Severn Bridge on the Dean

200… Audaxers gather at the start in Girton

A Super Randoneur Series consists of Audax rides of 200, 300, 400 and 600 km, completed in one season. The Super Randonneur award was established in 1977 and is the gold standard award

Once over the downs the last stretch was straightforward. But I couldn’t persuade my colleagues to take the direct route from Eynsham. They insisted on going via the city centre to hit 200 miles. But it had been a great day out with the Tring Audaxers. September 2020 600km East Anglia DIY

Then the long break. Audaxes suspended and hopes of an SR series seemed to disappear. But a late summer announcement gave a window of hope. Dan Rough was in a similar position to me. We hatched a plan to try to get our series complete. Our 600 was a route round the edge of East Anglia with a bivvy on the beach. It sounded uncomplicated, and even when we left, ever the optimist, I didn’t think the 50mph wind forecast with lots of rain could be right. We left Tring, witnessed a nice dawn and made it to our breakfast stop at the Moringa Tree in Haslingfield. With the rain just starting we put on jackets. Little did we know that we’d be wearing these for most of the next 30 hours. After Cambridge the wind grew, our pace slowed and by the time we hit Hunstanton we faced a ferocious wind straight off the Wash. We seemed to be giving it everything just to move forward. We entered the first pub we saw and crashed. Neither of us talking about packing but we were spent, and we’d only reached a third of the distance. It would be dark soon and we had another 100 miles to do before our planned sleep stop

We set off and the combination of getting just a few miles inland away from the wind saved us, and we plodded into the night. Resupplied at Wells Co-op we ground on round the coast and eventually turned south with the wind behind us. Our next challenge was sand. We hit a section where sand had been blown across the road, drifting in places, and an inch or two deep across the road. It made the national press the next day with talk of gardens being buried. We’d also seen trees down, debris and flooding but eventually made Great Yarmouth and a 24-hour garage. Surely our night would calm down now? Not quite.

We progressed south through a deserted Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft and reached Wrentham about 4am where we found a bus shelter big enough for us both to sleep in and started to unpack our sleeping gear. We’d seen some debris on the road outside but thought nothing of it. It turned out an accident had occurred just before we got there – there was an abandoned car – the driver had done a runner. Curtains started twitching over the road, then two police cars arrived and started investigating. Not a good place to stop, we packed up and carried on. We reached Southwold where the sea was too wild and

600… Setting out on our round of East Anglia – Dawn near Dunstable www.audax.uk

600… First stop Moringa Tree near Cambridge

helped us further. The finish was at the Valiant Trooper in Aldbury and we made it – in 12 minutes under 40 hours although we missed last orders. My slowest 600km Audax and one to remember. October 2020 400km Aberystwyth DIY

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noisy to sleep on the beach, so we found a church porch for a couple of hours sleep. We left at 7am a little behind our plan and found breakfast just outside Aldeburgh. By now we were doing the sums. Neither of us were sure if we had 40 or 42 hours to complete, but the chance of getting round in 40 seemed too much. Especially with the strong winds and it was still raining. I can’t say I enjoyed the next section as

we struggled on through the second day. Our moods were not great, but we went at our own pace and joined up in Buntingford for our last refuelling stop. I don’t remember what we had, but we found some fresh energy. We enjoyed a glorious sunset as we headed west and upped the pace. No more stops as we started to count the minutes down. Once we got to Wheathampstead the familiar roads

400… Dan enjoying the view from the Gospel Pass summit

We chose a scenic route to Aberystwyth for our final leg where my daughter is at University. Hoping for an easier ride this time, we were rewarded with a bit of a tail wind and of course the gorgeous Welsh scenery. Dan Rough and I left Tring just before dark with a long night ahead of us. Familiar roads to start with then an enjoyable night ride through the Cotswolds. It rained lightly off and on through the night, but we had some glorious starry sections as well. There was a particularly memorable section along a trail through the woods around Symonds Yat and a quick break to stand on a rope bridge over the river in the depth of the night. Beautiful. As we approached dawn it got tougher on the hills and then approaching Gospel Pass. I’d wanted to this for a while but not twigged it was the highest paved road in Wales! The dozies hit first and I had to have 10 mins kip. Actually, I fell asleep standing up, in a cow shed. Dan regrets not photographing that! Then we ground our way over the pass as dawn broke and enjoyed the view from the top. We found a café in Hay, then enjoyed the quiet roads of the Wye Valley to Builth Wells, and on to Llandovery for lunch. The West End café served up a great feed and were as friendly as ever. The afternoon became more interesting. Dan was not feeling great, and he had a train to catch home that evening. Wine gums and digging deep kept him going. We cycled up to and round Lynn Brianne. By now it was flat calm and stunningly beautiful. It looked simple on the map, but loads of climbing, then descents, sweeping corners, wonderful scenery and deserted roads. It was quite amazing though far more challenging than expected. I stopped for a few photos and Dan pushed on ahead to make his train (with four minutes to spare) while I took a slightly more civilised pace. Nicely planned, it was now downhill to the finish, enjoying the Tregaron mountain road and then the cycle routes all the way to the coast. I reached the beach just in time to see the final rays of the sunset. So that was my Audax SR series for 2020 complete. I didn’t expect that would happen, but so pleased to get it in and create such happy memories in such a difficult year.

Cycling for safe water

Equal Aqua Uganda (EAU) is a charity dedicated to the provision of safe drinking water to the people of the African country. Audaxers are being urged to take to the saddle to raise money for the initiative this year. David Mclenachan, a trustee of the charity, reports: ONE BILLION PEOPLE worldwide still don’t have access to safe drinking water… and in Uganda over half of the population lack this basic human right. To raise awareness and funds for the EAU’s essential work in Uganda, we’re organising an international cycling fundraiser – Water Wheel. This is inspired by our co-founder, Abel Odeke from Uganda, who is a keen cyclist himself. Abel has pledged to cycle 200km from the Ugandan capital Kampala to Jinja – the source of the Nile – and back. He will be joined by a UK team and Water Wheel ambassadors from six continents. Equal Aqua Uganda is a youth-led, award-winning charity which works with communities in Uganda to improve water and sanitation facilities. The Uganda team set the vision and determine the needs of local communities, identifying

where we may truly make a difference. The UK helps provide the support to make this a reality. We run classes and workshops in schools, youth groups and community centres. We teach practical skills, such as making reusable sanitary pads, homemade shampoo and liquid soap. These skills enable young people to support their families and communities, and in many cases, to set up businesses making and selling these items. We hope our Water Wheel initiative will make a real and measurable difference. We pledge to use the funds entirely for our Ugandan operations, building water tanks and running workshops. Your support will be life-enhancing for many. The charity is made up of 100 per cent volunteers. Please register your interest in participating in the Water Wheel event here: http://equalaqua.org/waterwheel/

Abel Odeke says: “I’ll be one of those cycling the Water Wheel event. I’ll be cycling all the way from Kampala to Jinja and back, a total of 200km, to fundraise for our charity. Your support will be needed too to help those in most need. Thank you so much”.

HOW YOU CAN HELP… The event is scheduled to take place over the week commencing 21 June but participants are welcome to undertake their cycling trip at any time. Once registered, we will contact you in the lead up the event to provide more details and support your fundraising efforts. You may select your own distance and individual preferences. Participants opting for alternative means of raising funds – for example on an exercise bike – are very welcome to do so. Please submit all funds raised in the UK via our JustGiving link on the website by the end of July and we will advise alternative means for international riders. All those completing the event will be sent an electronic certificate to mark our appreciation. The top five fundraisers will receive a medal to commemorate their success. Please use the social media hashtag #WaterWheel to ensure this is spread far and wide. Please ensure all government guidelines regarding the COVID-19 pandemic are fully adhered to.

AUDAX HONOURS – BY IVAN CORNELL

Audax Altitude Award 2020 Rolls of Honour Congratulations to anyone who managed to acquire any AAA points at all in the past season. Even if you aren’t included in the results here, it certainly was a challenging year to do so, writes Ivan Cor-nell With most calendar events cancelled and many people required to keep it local, opting for quicker, flatter routes (myself

included!) there is obviously a fairly sizeable drop in the number of qualifica-tions for some awards. But those living with hills on their doorsteps could still take advantage of them for some impressive rides and achievements nonetheless. These Rolls of Honour only include members who qualified during this last

season, the full lists are available at audax. uk (under Results – Achievement Awards) and are updated regularly. Anyone else who has acquired AAA points and believe they are eligible for any of these awards, feel free to contact me at aaa@audax.uk to claim them. Ivan Cornell

The original AAA, Triple AAA and 3x3 AAA For obtaining 20, 60 and 180 AAA points over any period of time Name

AAA

James Bradbury Carole Briggs Sarah Britton Graham Brodie Dave Brothers Ian Caunt Matt Chambers Glen Charman Brian Childs Mike Churcher Dean Clementson Neil Cocklin Jessica Conner Andy Cox Martin Croxford Robert Fargo Mark Fossard Hugh Grainger Mike Green Blair Hafford

3x AAA

3x3 AAA

10 3 1 3 1 8 2 4 1 1 5 1 1 27 9 1 9 3 1 2 10 3 17 5 3 1 3 1 2 8 2 2

3 1

1 1

Toby Hopper Peter Horne Rob Hyde Theresa Jennings Sheni Jiwa Gareth Jones Chris Keeling-Roberts Lee Killestein Martin Laverick Peter Lockey Martin Malins Geoffrey Mowatt Simon Neen James O’Neill Alan Parkinson Richard Phipps Tim Pickersgill Andrew Preston Paul Rainbow Steve Ralphs Dave Randerson

19 6 9 3 2 6 2 4 1 1 50 16 16 5 7 2 1 47 15 6 2 3 1 5 1 12 4 20 6 6 2 24 8 13 4 16 5 44 14

2 1

5 1

1 2 2 1 1 4

Fiona Ridley Jeff Rowell Ian Ryall Jonathan Saville Stephen Scott Tim Sollesse Graham Spiller Alan Steele Rory Stuart Kevin Talbot Peter Treviss David Trotter Andrew Turner Piotr Tyrala Richard Venes Niall Wallace Ian Warr Mary-Jane Watson Mike Wigley John Wilkie Simon Woodward

1 7 2 46 15 18 6 8 2 6 2 4 1 27 9 1 9 3 2 1 10 3 1 10 3 2 2 27 9 24 8 10 3 4 1

5 2

3 1

1 1

3 2 1

AAASR For completing an SR series of AAA events in one season Name SR Martin Laverick

James O’Neill Ian Ryall

1 23

Alan Steele Rory Stuart

1 4 15 1 1 1 6 1

Andrew Preston Dave Randerson James Rees Iain Robert Jeff Rowell Ian Ryall Alan Steele John Wilkie

3 1

AAARTY For completing an AAA event in any 12 consecutive months Name RtY Ken Acland Paul Anthony Adrian Beare Carole Briggs David Briggs Martin Croxford Barbara Hackworthy

1 1 1 1 1 2 7

Blair Hafford Andrew Jackson Martin Malins Heinrich Mueller James O’Neill Andrew Phillips Richard Phipps Tim Pickersgill

7 12 1 2 1 4 10 5

AAA Century For obtaining 25, 50, 100 or 200 AAA points in one season Name Brian Childs Neil Cocklin Lee Killestein

Quart Half Century Double 6 1 4

James O’Neill Dave Randerson Jeff Rowell Ian Ryall

2 10 3 8

Mike Sheldrake Sarah Britton Graham Spiller James Bradbury Rory Stuart Kevin Talbot Martin Malins Robert Fargo Richard O’Sullivan David Deakins Haydn Jones Simon Neen Andrew Jackson

20.75 20.25 20.25 20 20 20 19.25 19 19 18.5 18.5 18.5 18

Alan Steele Ian Warr Simon Woodward

3 1 2

3 1 1

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Points Roll of Honour For the 2019-20 season

Name AAlan Steele Ian Ryall Ian Warr Stephen Scott David Randerson Jeff Rowell Graham Steward Brian Childs Martin Laverick James O’Neill Simon Woodward Neil Cocklin

Points 158.5 54.25 50 47.75 42 40.5 37.75 36.25 35 34 33.25 31.75

Lee Killestein Peter Treviss Richard Salisbury Andrew Phillips Andrew Turner Moritz Schick Graham Brodie Martin Croxford Andrew Preston Dave Brothers Peter Horne Tim Pickersgill Leslie Stephens

26.75 26.5 26 25.25 24.25 24 23.75 23.75 23.5 21.75 21.75 21.25 21.25

Kate Treviss Peter Lockey Chris Prynn Ian Caunt Hugh Grainger Ian Hennessey David Job Neil Rothwell Hughes Richard Venes Chris Crookes Rick Ansell Mike Green Ben Cox

17.75 17.5 16.75 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.5 16.25 16 15.75 15.75 15.5

Kevin Presland Julian Williams David Woodland James Luscombe Heather Perry Nick Gardiner Andy Cox James Rees Craig Maberly Alan Parkinson Nigel Pitt Sue Putt Iain Robert

15.5 15.5 15.5 15.25 15.25 15 14.75 14.5 14.25 14.25 14.25 14.25 14.25

Mike Wigley John Williams Jack Tyler Michael Warren John Wilkie Blair Hafford Shaun Hargreaves Julian Brown Barbara Hackworthy Steve Payne James Metcalfe David Lane Kirt Livesey

14 14 13.5 13.25 13.25 13 13 12.75 12.75 12.75 12.5 12 12

Ode to a long-lost 'iend’

OBITUARY – ERIC FLETCHER

For some people, a bike is just a bike, a machine for getting from A to B – but to others it becomes a beloved companion with a personality all of its own. Galashiels-based Lucy McTaggart was devastated when her cherished Pete Matthews bike was stolen in Cambridge in 1994. As she explains in this poignant eulogy, it was like losing an old friend…

What a day! Nothing but hassle all round. Disaster at every turn. Finally escape to the locker room at the day’s end and change into cycling kit. Still running over where it all went wrong. Out to the bike racks, squinting in the sun now low in the sky as I step outside for the first time since this morning. Reach down to unlock, freeing my friend from where it’s been waiting patiently for me all day. Two reassuring clunks as I clip in and wind it up out of the saddle. Let’s go! Past company cars parked in front of drab painted buildings, grey suits, grey faces. Already I feel the bike waking as I clear the narrow gap through the security barrier. Free at last into the lanes. From black and white to colour. From troubles to tailwind. Pedalling easy at first, feeling the stretch through my calves on every stroke. Through the bends, over the river. Smile to the fisherman. No words needed. We feel the same. Trees overhanging make the light sparkle on the road. Pretty as rain but without the wet. Among the trees flash bluebells, blurring into one. I glimpse a fox disappearing into the blue and feel the gentle evening sun warming my face. My hands rest easy on the hoods as my breaths become like sighs.

The road narrows making the trees seem to wrap me in a tunnel of leaves, soft and cool. The chain drives strongly, shifting smoothly back and forth across shining sprockets as each hill is climbed. I pedal on for miles, swooping, gliding, dancing, even and smooth. My presence felt but not disturbing as I pass. Only breaking rhythm to sprint for signs, then settle again. The light is fading now, raucous pheasant cries echo amongst the trees. Not tuneful but stirring memories of many evenings. I swerve slightly to avoid a frog, having its last hop before bedtime or was he just getting up for nightshift? It occurs to me what a good physique frogs have, to be a cyclist. All legs, big lungs and spindly arms. No need to shave either! Out of the woods, down the hill to pass open fields, the sun almost set. Mist hanging suspended like a friendly ghost from years gone by. The chill catches my skin and my breaths sharpen. I can see shadowy shapes of deer, shy and gentle near the trees edge, waiting for the world to sleep. Time is getting short. Better head back. Pedal fast along the open road before sighting my own village sign and feeling the air warm slightly as I reach the first houses. Final sprint then ride easy home. My spirit is happy and I feel alive.

Lucy McTaggart is based in Galashiels and rides with the Scottish Borders Randonneurs. She also belongs to the local racing club Gala CC to “keep in touch with that world”. She says: “This piece was written in memory of my beloved Pete Matthews bike, which was stolen in Cambridge back in 1994. I owned it for 12 years, having had the frame custom-built by Pete Matthews in 1982. It was my after-work friend for a long time, and was a beauty. I still wonder where it is and only hope it’s still out there flying the lanes somewhere. “Nowadays I own a Bob Jackson 953 stainless steel bike and a Ribble carbon, plus a heavier Pete Matthews for my winter bike.”

A stalwart of Audax events Eric Fletcher’s Flapjack e vent was a legendary affair for long-distance cyclists. Indeed, it’s said it was often difficult to persuade riders to get back on their bikes at the feed stations, so tasty and plentiful were the refreshments. Eric, who died unexpectedly though peacefully in late March this year, was a highly-respected and popular cyclist, event organiser and long-standing member of the Chippenham and District Wheelers. His widow, Gill, said: “He first rode a bicycle at the age of 12, and was still riding an average of 80 miles a week before he died.” Eric passed away in his sleep at the age of 76. His death was not Covid related. Among the many Audax events he organised, one of the most popular was the Flapjack, usually run every February. Andy Cook, Wheelers’ chairman, said: “He was a stalwart of the club Audax series, and its mainstay. Together with the wonderful support of his wife Gill, he delivered the incredibly successful series year after year. “The famous Flapjack attracted riders from around the UK to take part in this very popular early season event. The feed stations were legendary, and riders often consumed far more calories than they expended on the event. “He was a proper, old-fashioned club cyclist who began his cycling life in the Featherstone Road Club and the Barnsley Road Club, taking part in several long distance time trials and Audax rides. He was a regular recipient of the Club Audax shield for the most kilometres ridden in Audax events during a season. “Eric and Gill regularly toured in France on their tandem and had many adventures together. He possessed a very kind and thoughtful spirit, demonstrated for so many years as a member of Chippenham Wheelers. A gentle, caring man who always wanted to do it properly.” Among the many responses to news of Eric’s death, on the yacf.co.uk website, one commenter wrote of the Flapjack event: “I came to the view recently that Eric liked to run the Flapjack in the depths of winter so that the riders would enjoy the food and hospitality even more. Sometimes they had to be asked to leave the control at Kemble to make room for incoming riders as they were too busy eating, chatting and enjoying the warmth of the heaters! Eric’s reputation for a ‘well fed’ and friendly event will live long in the memory.” www.audax.uk

The

Baking Biker

SARAH FREEMAN Sarah Freeman has years of experience – of both biking and baking. As a member of Lincoln Women’s Institute, she’s a whizz at coming up with nourishing snacks, ideal for the hungry Audaxer.

Cheese your way into summer There’s nothing quite like the tangy taste of cheese, particularly that Italian classic – piquant Parmesan – to sharpen up the senses when you’re out on a long ride. Here’s one of my simplest and straightforward recipes for a tasty snack with a flavour of Italy

Totally cheesy biscuits

Arrivée152Summer2021

There are only three ingredients – and all you need is a food processor to whizz them up. These biscuits are fast and easy to make, and they’re so cheesy!

INGREDIENTS ● 70g flour ● 55g butter ● 55g grated parmesan

METHOD Put all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until into a thick dough. Roll out to about 5mm thick and stamp out into rounds. This will make eight biscuits. Bake for about 10-12 mins, or until golden at 180, GM 4.

AUK CALENDAR

KEY

1826m Total elevation AAA Audax Altitude Award points A(1) Free/cheap accommodation (1 night) B Very basic – no halls/beds, et c BD Bag drop R Refreshments at start and/or finish S Showers Z Sleeping facilities on route YH Youth hostel at/near start C Camping at or near the start F Some free food and/or drink on ride L Left luggage facilities at start P Free or cheap motor parking at start T Toilets at start M/NM Mudguards required/not required X Some very basic controls (eg service stations) G GPS files provided by the organiser 175 Entries close at 175 riders 14/4 Entries close 14th April 15-30kph Minimum-maximum speeds

NOTE: During the COVID-19 situation, all calendar (and permanent) events will be subject to the relevant guidelines in each country. For the most up-to-date information, please see the dedicated pages on the Audax UK web site: audax.uk/static-data/covid-restrictions 200

08:00

300 06:00

200 08:00 200 08:00

52 10:00

100 09:00

05 Jun Balsall Common, West Midlands BRUM 200 another loop of Birmingham Sat BR 204km 2000m [1530m] £9.00 R P L G (30) 14.3-30kph West Midland Randonneurs pcoppo@gmail.com Paolo Coppo For postal entries contact me via e-mail 05 Jun Hailsham, Freedom Leisure Centre The Hailsham Venta 300 Sat BR 308km 3100m £10.00 F G P X (20) 15-30kph Anton Brown abaudax@btconnect.com Anton Brown, 19 Northlands Avenue, Haywards Heath RH16 3RT 05 Jun Hailsham, Freedom Leisure Centre The Hailsham Liss 200 Sat BR 212km 1999m [2275m] £10.00 F G P X (20) 15-30kph Anton Brown abaudax@btconnect.com Anton Brown, 19 Northlands Avenue, Haywards Heath RH16 3RT 05 Jun Selkirk Lantern Rouge Sat BR £7.50 X 15-30kph Scottish Borders Randonneur 01750 20838 russellacarson@gmail.com Russell Carson, 21 Ladylands Terrace, Selkirk TD7 4BB 06 Jun Alveston, Bristol Tintern Express Sun BP 830m AAA0.75 £8.00 F G L R T P 12.5-30kph Audax Cymru 07503541573 oliveriles@gmx.com Oliver Iles, 49 Upper Belmont Rd, Bishopston, Bristol BS7 9DG 06 Jun Severn View Services Aust, Bristol Devilish Devauden Sun BP 109km 1780m AAA1.75 [1550m] £9.00 G T P (30) 12.5-30kph Audax Cymru 07503541573 oliveriles@gmx.com Oliver Iles, 49 Upper Belmont Rd, Bishopston, Bristol BS7 9DG

100

09 Jun Witney Rugby Club, Hailey Midweek Tour of the Cotswolds Event CANCELLED 300 12 Jun Cresswell Solway Coast C2C2C (JUNE) 07:00 Sat BR 304km 2741m [2912m] £8.50 X G P T (100) 15-30kph Tyneside Vagabonds andy@dixonberne.plus.com Andy Berne, 5 Oakham Avenue, Whickham, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE16 5YU 200 12 Jun Warmley, Bristol Plains, Trains & no more Automobiles [ONLINE ENTRY] 07:00 Sat BR 211km 2190m [1900m] £7.50 YH G P R T 15-30kph Audax Club Bristol will@audaxclubbristol.co.uk Will Pomeroy, 19 Berwick Road, Bristol BS5 6NG 76 12 Jun Warmley, Bristol Sherston Shuffle [ONLINE ENTRY] 08:00 Sat BP 787m £5.50 XG 12.5-25kph Audax Club Bristol will@audaxclubbristol.co.uk Will Pomeroy, 19 Berwick Road, Bristol BS5 6NG 200 13 Jun Padiham, Lancashire Tan Hill 200 08:30 Sun BR 201km 4000m AAA4 £7.50 L P R T X 15-30kph Burnley CC burnleysportiv@yahoo.com Andy Corless, 31 Castlerigg Drive, Ightenhill, Burnley BB12 8AT 300 19 Jun Nantwich It’s Just not Criccieth 300km 07:00 Sat BR £10.00 G L P R T (32) 15-30kph Brandon Edgeley 07846725969 Brandon Edgeley, Mile House Barn, Main Road, Worleston CW5 6DH 200 19 Jun Nantwich, CW5 6PQ CCW Ruthin 200 08:00 Sat BR 2000m AAA2 £8.00 G L P R T (33) 15-30kph Crewe Clarion, Brandon Edgeley, Mile House Barn, Main Road, Worleston CW5 6DH 100 19 Jun Nantwich Baschurch 120km 09:00 Sat BP £8.00 G L P R T (30) 14.3-30kph Brandon Edgeley 07846725969 Brandon Edgeley, Mile House Barn, Main Road, Worleston CW5 6DH 50 19 Jun Nantwich Alderford Lake 60km 09:30 Sat BP £6.50 G L P R T (30) 12.5-30kph Brandon Edgeley 07846725969 Brandon Edgeley, Mile House Barn, Main Road, Worleston CW5 6DH 300

19 Jun Tenby Velos’ Cambrian Stretch 06:00 Sat BR 4220m AAA4.25 £12.00 ACFG NM PRT (30) 15-30kph Pembrokeshire Velo, Richard Coomer, Cotts Equine Hospital, Robeston Wathen, Narberth, Pembrokeshire SA67 8EY 200 20 Jun 2 Teviot Crescent, Hawick Debatable Lands 08:00 Sun BR 2870m AAA2.75 [2750m] £8.50 X G NM P R (30) 15-30kph Hawick CC david.killean@btinternet.com David Killean, 4 Wester Braid Road, Hawick TD9 9NA 200 20 Jun Chelmer CC Club hut, Meteor Way, Chelmsford Windmill Ride (200) 08:30 Sun BR 201km 1600m £9.00 F G L P R T 15-30kph Essex CTC s.eichenseher@googlemail.com Stefan Eichenseher, 42A Whitegate Road, Southend-On-Sea SS1 2LQ

110

20 Jun Chelmer CC Club hut, Meteor Way, Chelmsford Windmill Ride (110) 10:00 Sun BP 800m £9.00 F G L P R T 12-25kph Essex CTC s.eichenseher@googlemail.com Stefan Eichenseher, 42A Whitegate Road, Southend-On-Sea SS1 2LQ 110 20 Jun Cocking Village Hall, near Midhurst, Sussex Sussex MidSummer Corker 09:00 Sun BP 116km 2080m AAA2 £10.00 F G L P R T (25) 12.5-30kph Anton Brown abaudax@btconnect.com Anton Brown, 19 Northlands Avenue, Haywards Heath RH16 3RT 200 20 Jun Grange Road Car Park, Midhurst, Sussex, GU29 9H Sussex MidSummer 200 07:30 Sun BR 206km 2587m £8.00 F G L P R (20) 15-30kph Anton Brown abaudax@btconnect.com Anton Brown, 19 Northlands Avenue, Haywards Heath RH16 3RT 100 20 Jun Hawick Riccarton Line 09:00 Sun BP 1600m AAA1.5 [1570m] £8.50 X G MN P R (30) 15-30kph Hawick Cycling Club david.killean@btinternet.com David Killean, 4 Wester Braid Road, Hawick TD9 9NA 100 20 Jun Wigginton, York Wiggy Father’s Day 100 10:00 Sun BP 639m £5.00 P R T 12-30kph Change of Date York Wednesday Wheelers 01904 796325 Bryan Stanton, 6 Dikelands Close, Upper Poppleton, York, North Yorkshire YO26 6HY 100 23 Jun Ponteland Winter’s Gibbet 09:30 Wed BP 1050m £4.50 G P (50) 12.5-30kph Tyneside Vagabonds 07875224229 andy@dixonberne.plus.com Please enter online 200 26 Jun Aldbrough St John, Nr Richmond Hartside 200 08:00 Sat BR 203km 2752m AAA3 [3000m] £6.50 F L P R T 14.4-30kph VC 167 david.atkinson577@talktalk.net David Atkinson, 4 Borrowby Avenue, Northallerton DL6 1AL 100 26 Jun Aldbrough St John, Nr Richmond Northern Dales Summer Outing 09:00 Sat BP 1550m AAA1.5 £5.50 F L P R T 10-27kph VC 167 david.atkinson577@talktalk.net David Atkinson, 4 Borrowby Avenue, Northallerton DL6 1AL 600 26 Jun Clitheroe, Lancashire Pendle 600 06:00 Sat BRM 612km 10150m AAA10 [9000m] £21.00 BD F G L P R S T Z 1530kph Change of Date Burnley CC burnleysportiv@yahoo.com Andy Corless, 31 Castlerigg Drive, Ightenhill, Burnley BB12 8AT 500 26 Jun Falmouth, Pendennis Castle Ride the Trafalgar Way 06:00 Sat BR 6450m AAA6.5 £28.00 F G NM P T 15-30kph Audax Club Bristol paul@audaxclubbristol.co.uk Paul Rainbow, 49 Quarrington Road, Horfield, Bristol BS7 9PJ

400

26 Jun Raynes Park, London SW20 Dauntsey Dawdle 06:00 Sat BR 3550m £12.00 G L P R T (60) 15-30kph Change of Date Kingston Wheelers campbell.x.chris@gmail.com Chris Campbell, 27 Park View New Malden KT3 4AY 200 27 Jun Duddon, Near Tarporley Tour of the Berwyns 08:00 Sun BR 210km 2650m AAA2.75 [3100m] £7.50 L P R T 30 (22/06) 15-30kph Chester & North WalesCTC daaavem@outlook.com ROA 10000 David Matthews, Hill View Cottage, Cross Lanes, Oscroft, Tarvin CH3 8NG 130 27 Jun Duddon, Near Tarporley Panorama Prospect 08:30 Sun BP 134km 1400m £7.50 L P R T 30 (22/06) 12.5-25kph Chester & North Wales CT daaavem@outlook.com ROA 10000 David Matthews, Hill View Cottage, Cross Lanes, Oscroft, Tarvin CH3 8NG 200 27 Jun Richmond Park, Pembroke Lodge The White Hart 08:00 Sun BR £10.00 F T NM G P 14.3-30kph Updated Audax Club Hackney tsaudax@gmail.com Tim Sollesse, 59 Lynwood Road, Ealing W5 1JG 200 27 Jun Tockwith,York Tocky 200km 08:30 Sun BR 950m £7.50 L P T 15-30kph CTC North Yorks Nick Folkard, 208 Prince Rupert Drive, York YO26 7PU 100 27 Jun Tockwith, York Tockwith Audax 10:00 Sun BP 550m £5.50 L P T 12-25kph CTC North Yorks 01423358264 Nick Folkard, 208 Prince Rupert Drive, York YO26 7PU 60 27 Jun Tockwith, York Tockwith Audax 10:30 Sun BP 300m £5.50 L P T 10-30kph CTC North Yorks 01423358264 Nick Folkard, 208 Prince Rupert Drive, York YO26 7PU 400 03 Jul Alfreton Moors and Wolds 400 10:30 Sat BR 406km 2996m [2425m] £5.00 P R T X G 14.3-30kph Change of Date Alfreton CTC oggy.dude@gmail.com Stephen Ogden, 12 Primula Grove, Kirkby In Ashfield NG17 8SD 200 03 Jul Bolsover Rutland and Back 08:00 Sat BRM 212km 1532m £8.50 G L P R T (100) (28/06) 15-30kph Audax Club Bolsover 07936099268 audaxbolsover@castlecycles.co.uk Malcolm Smith, 14 Highfield Road, Bolsover, Chesterfield S44 6TY 600 03 Jul Churchend, Dunmow Fenland Friends [Flatlands Reversed] 06:00 Sat BRM 1073m £5.00 X M P C G (50) 15-30kph Audax Club Mid-Essex tom.deakins@btinternet.com Thomas Deakins, 31 The Causeway, Dunmow CM6 2AA 200 03 Jul Cutty Sark Gardens, London The Way to the Sea 08:00 Sat BR 2000m [650m] £8.00 F P G T (50) 15-30kph Updated Audax Club Hackney 07811976853 Adam Young, 15A New Cut, Hadleigh IP7 5DA

www.audax.uk

AUK CALENDAR

Arrivée152Summer2021

200

03 Jul Peterculter, Nr Aberdeen Dee Lechtable 08:00 Sat BRM 208km 2550m AAA2.25 [2310m] £7.50 G F P T 15-30kph Change of Date Audax Ecosse rfargo@gmail.com Robert Fargo, 20 Gordon St, Flat H, Aberdeen AB11 6EW 100 03 Jul Peterculter, Nr Aberdeen Hogmanay in July 100 10:00 Sat BP £3.00 X (23) 12-30kph Updated Audax Ecosse rfargo@gmail.com Robert Fargo, 20 Gordon St, Flat H, Aberdeen AB11 6EW 110 03 Jul Poynton, near Stockport The Budworths 100 10:00 Sat BP 111km 610m £3.50 X G NM P T (40) 14.3-30kph Peak Audax CTC 07931 911324 peakaudax@hotmail.co.uk ROA 10000 Mike Wigley, Higher Grange Fm, Millcroft Lane, Delph, Saddleworth OL3 5UX 600 03 Jul Sleaford Yorkshire via Essex 06:00 Sat BR £7.00 X,G, P,R 15-30kph Audax Club Lincolnshire lincsaudax@gmail.com Richard Parker, 28 High Street, Carlton Le Moorland, Lincoln LN5 9HT 1000 07 Jul Raynes Park London Lands End – London 22:00 Wed BRM 1026km 12770m AAA12.75 £15.00 X G L R T S (60) 13.3-25kph Kingston Wheelers laidbackaroundtheworld@gmail.com Richard Evans, 29 Somerset Avenue, Raynes Park, London SW20 0BJ 300 10 Jul Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP21 7QX Mid Bucks Vale of Evesham 300 06:30 Sat BR 307km 2763m £10.00 A G P X (50) 15-30kph Aylesbury CC 07763 249 776 htjoshua55@gmail.com (please enter online) 600 10 Jul Exeter The Exe-Buzzard 06:00 Sat BRM 6200m AAA1.5 [1550m] £6.00 G X 15-30kph Exeter Whs 01404 46993 ian@ukcyclist.co.uk ROA 25000 Ian Hennessey, 10 High Street, Honiton EX14 1PU 300 10 Jul Galashiels The Twilight Zone 06:00 Sat BR 305km 2700m £8.00 G P X 15-30kph Scottish Borders Randonneur 01896 758 181 pedaller1@sky.com ROA 25000 Lucy McTaggart, 30 Victoria St., Galashiels, Scottish Borders TD1 1HL 200 10 Jul Ponteland The Four Tops 08:00 Sat BR 201km 2800m AAA2.75 [2790m] £8.50 X G P T (80) 15-30kph Tyneside Vagabonds 07875224229 andy@dixonberne.plus.com Please enter online 300 10 Jul Warmley, Bristol Sunseekers & Moonrakers [ONLINE ENTRIES] 06:00 Sat BR 309km 3633m £8.50 YH G P R T 15-30kph Audax Club Bristol will@audaxclubbristol.co.uk Will Pomeroy, 19 Berwick Road, Bristol BS5 6NG

160

10 Jul Warmley, Bristol A Mere Century [ONLINE ENTRY] 08:00 Sat BP 164km £6.50 YH G P R T 12.5-25kph Audax Club Bristol will@audaxclubbristol.co.uk Will Pomeroy, 19 Berwick Road, Bristol BS5 6NG 80 10 Jul Warmley, Bristol I Rode the Road to Rode [ONLINE ENTRY] 09:00 Sat BP £5.50 YH G P R T 10-25kph Audax Club Bristol will@will@ audaxclubbristol.co.uk Will Pomeroy, 19 Berwick Road, Bristol BS5 6NG 300 11 Jul Bethersden, near Ashford, Kent Fairies Flattest Possible 300 02:00 Sun BR 308km 1250m £11.00 C F L P R T 15-30kph Change of Date San Fairy Ann CC bobwatts999@gmail.com Bob Watts, 13 The Grove, Bearsted, Maidstone ME14 4JB 200 11 Jul Bethersden, near Ashford, Kent Fairies Half-Flat 200 08:00 Sun BR 206km 800m £10.00 F,G,L,P,R,T 15-30kph Change of Date San Fairy Ann CC bobwatts999@gmail.com Bob Watts, 13 The Grove, Bearsted, Maidstone ME14 4JB 150 11 Jul Bethersden, near Ashford, Kent Fairies Fairly Flat 150 08:30 Sun BP 153km 650m £9.00 F,G,L,P,R,T 15-30kph Change of Date San Fairy Ann CC bobwatts999@gmail.com Bob Watts, 13 The Grove, Bearsted, Maidstone ME14 4JB 100 11 Jul Bethersden, near Ashford, Kent Fairies Flat 100 09:00 Sun BP 101km 250m £8.00 F,G,L,P,R,T 15-30kph Change of Date San Fairy Ann CC bobwatts999@gmail.com Bob Watts, 13 The Grove, Bearsted, Maidstone ME14 4JB 51 11 Jul Bethersden, near Ashford, Kent Fairies Easy Peasy 50 10:00 Sun BP 200m £7.00 F,G,L,P,R,T 15-30kph Change of Date San Fairy Ann CC bobwatts999@gmail.com Bob Watts, 13 The Grove, Bearsted, Maidstone ME14 4JB 110 11 Jul Ponteland The Three Valleys 09:00 Sun BP 118km 1312m [1500m] £8.50 X G P T (50) 12.5-25kph Tyneside Vagabonds 07875224229 andy@dixonberne.plus.com Please enter online 200 11 Jul The Steyning Centre, Steyning, W Sussex The Devils Punchbowl 200 08:00 Sun BR 206km 2248m £8.00 F G P T R (30) 15-30kph Anton Brown abaudax@btconnect.com Anton Brown, 19 Northlands Avenue, Haywards Heath RH16 3RT 110 11 Jul The Steyning Centre, Steyning, W Sussex The Devils Punchbowl 100 09:00 Sun BP 112km 1106m [1200m] £8.00 F G P T R (30) 15-30kph Anton Brown abaudax@btconnect.com Anton Brown, 19 Northlands Avenue, Haywards Heath RH16 3RT

160 08:45

100 09:30

50 10:00

200 08:00

300 07:00

600

17 Jul Bildeston, Suffolk 100 miles of Suffolk Lanes Sat BP 168km 1062m £6.00 X G P T (30) 15-30kph CC Sudbury pamandrobinw@gmail.com Robin Weaver, 14 Chapel Street, Bildeston, Ipswich IP7 7EP 17 Jul Bildeston, Suffolk Bildeston Lanes Sat BP 104km 672m £6.00 X P T G (30) 15-30kph CC Sudbury pamandrobinw@gmail.com Robin Weaver, 14 Chapel Street, Bildeston, Ipswich IP7 7EP 17 Jul Bildeston Jane’s Lanes Sat BP 460m [450m] £5.00 X G P T (30) 12-24kph CC Sudbury pamandrobinw@gmail.com Robin Weaver, 14 Chapel Street, Bildeston, Ipswich IP7 7EP 17 Jul Bildeston, Suffolk Suffolk Lanes Extravaganza Sat BR 209km 1304m £6.00 X P T G (30) 15-30kph CC Sudbury pamandrobinw@gmail.com Robin Weaver, 14 Chapel Street, Bildeston, Ipswich IP7 7EP 17 Jul Cresswell Solway Coast C2C2C (JULY) Sat BR 304km 2741m [2912m] £8.50 X G P T (100) 15-30kph Tyneside Vagabonds andy@dixonberne.plus.com Andy Berne, 5 Oakham Avenue, Whickham, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE16 5YU

17 Jul Darlington Peewhits and Curlews 06:00 Sat BRM 8420m AAA8.5 £10.00 G L R T 15-30kph Change of Date VC 167 dean.clementson@icloud.com Dean Clementson, 10 Redmire Close, Darlington DL1 2ER 400 17 Jul Darlington Steele Roads and Woolly Hills 11:00 Sat BR 7020m AAA7 £10.00 G L R T 14.3-25kph Change of Date VC 167 dean.clementson@icloud.com Dean Clementson, 10 Redmire Close, Darlington DL1 2ER 400 17 Jul Manningtree Asparagus & Strawberries 09:00 Sat BRM 414km 2700m £5.50 X P G (60) 15-30kph Change of Date Audax Club Mid-Essex grant@huggys.co.uk Grant Huggins, 76 Bryony Close, Witham CM8 2XF 300 17 Jul Nantwich, CW5 6PQ Ledbury 300km 07:00 Sat BR £10.00 G L P R T (30) 15-30kph Brandon Edgeley, Mile House Barn, Main Road, Worleston CW5 6DH 200 17 Jul Nantwich Wenlock Edge 200km Sat BR £8.00 G L P R T (30) 15-30kph Brandon Edgeley, Mile House Barn, Main Road, Worleston CW5 6DH 50 17 Jul Nantwich, CW5 6PQ Whixall Marina 80km 09:30 Sat BP £6.50 G L P R T (30) 12.5-30kph Brandon Edgeley, Mile House Barn, Main Road, Worleston CW5 6DH

600

17 Jul Raynes Park Wander Wye 06:00 Sat BRM 611km 5700m [6000m] £15.00 (60) A(1) C F G L P RTSX 15-30kph Change of Date Kingston Wheelers sdrpkwac@gmail.com Daniel Smith, 95 Regents Court, Sopwith Way, Kingston Upon Thames KT2 5AQ 200 18 Jul 2 Teviotdale Crescent, Hawick Seahouses and Back 08:00 Sun BR 209km 2520m £8.50 X G NM P R (30) 15-30kph Hawick CC david.killean@btinternet.com David Killean, 4 Wester Braid Road, Hawick TD9 9NA 1400 18 Jul Land’s End, Cornwall LEJOG 1400 09:00 Sun BRM 1402km 12000m [6000m] £146.00 BD C F R S T Z 12-30kph Burnley CC burnleysportiv@yahoo.com Andy Corless, 31 Castlerigg Drive, Ightenhill, Burnley BB12 8AT 100 20 Jul St Johns Chapel St Johns Chapel 09:00 Tue BP 109km 1888m AAA2 [1850m] £6.00 G P R T (40) 15-30kph Tyneside Vagabonds 07875224229 andy@dixonberne.plus.com Please enter online 200 23 Jul Haymarket Yards, Edinburgh Friday Night Ride to the Bay 23:59 Fri BR £15.00 YH P G 14.3-30kph Audax Ecosse graemewyllie05@gmail.com Graeme Wyllie – paypal entries only 200 24 Jul Belbroughton, N Worcestershire The Kidderminster Killer 08:00 Sat BR 214km 3700m AAA3.75 £9.00 F L P R S T (150) (8/8) 14.6-30kph Beacon RCC 01562731606 p.whiteman@bham.ac.uk Philip Whiteman, 2 Drayton Terrace, Drayton, Belbroughton, Stourbridge DY9 0BW 150 24 Jul Bovey Tracey, Devon Dartmoor Ghost 22:30 Sat BP 154km 2550m AAA2.5 £13.50 F G L R T 12.5-25kph South Devon CTC 01626 833 749 ROA 5000 Kevin Presland, Hind Street House, Hind Street, Bovey Tracey, Devon TQ13 9HT 400 24 Jul Exeter Exeter-London (Back to the Smoke 400) 12:00 Sat BRM 3850m £7.00 G X 15-30kph Updated Exeter Whs 01404 46993 ian@ukcyclist.co.uk ROA 25000 Ian Hennessey, 10 High Street, Honiton EX14 1PU 600 24 Jul Kings Cross-St Pancras Arts and Science, The London Midland Ride 07:00 Sat BR 620km 5040m [4893m] £7.00 XGRT(75) 15-30kph Change of Date Willesden CC ianaudax@gmail.com Ian Oliver, 68 St Dunstans Avenue, W3 6QJ 400 24 Jul Ponteland Annan Other Borders 07:00 Sat BR 407km 3147m [3090m] £16.00 X G P T (50) 15-30kph Change of Date Tyneside Vagabonds 07875224229 andy@dixonberne.plus.com Please enter online 400 24 Jul Tenby Velos Tenby Tywyn 05:00 Sat BRM 422km 6100m AAA6 £15.00 YH X A CF G NM PRT (30) 15-30kph Pembrokeshire Velo Richard Coomer, Cotts Equine Hospital, Robeston Wathen, Narberth, Pembrokeshire SA67 8EY

160

25 Jul Poynton, near Stockport Mill Meece Century 09:00 Sun BP 162km 1270m £3.50 X G NM P T (40) 14.3-30kph Peak Audax CTC 07931 911324 peakaudax@hotmail.co.uk ROA 10000 Mike Wigley, Higher Grange Fm, Millcroft Lane, Delph, Saddleworth OL3 5UX 160 31 Jul Galashiels The Newcastle ‘Ton’ 09:00 Sat BP £8.00 P G X 15-30kph Scottish Borders Randonneur 01896 758 181 pedaller1@sky.com ROA 25000 Lucy McTaggart, 30 Victoria St., Galashiels, Scottish Borders TD1 1HL 300 31 Jul Nairn, Nr Inverness The Turra Coo 06:00 Sat BRM 310km 2890m £5.00 C X G P T 15-30kph Change of Date CTC Highland andrewuttley155@outlook.com Andy Uttley, Suil Na Mara, Wester Cullicudden, Balblair, Dingwall IV7 8LL 100 01 Aug Galashiels Broughton and Back 10:00 Sun BP 1250m £8.00 P G X 12-30kph Scottish Borders Randonneur pedaller1@sky.com ROA 25000 Lucy Mctaggart, 30 Victoria Street, Galashiels TD1 1HL 100 01 Aug Honeyborne, nr Evesham Barnt Green Bash 08:45 Sun BP 103km 950m £5.00 F P R T 12-30kph Evesham & Dist Whs 07977 516574 neilrob3@gmail.com Neil Robinson, Flat 7 Swans Reach, 45 Swan Lane, Evesham, Worcestershire WR11 4PD 200 01 Aug Honeybourne, nr Evesham Tramping The Two Loop 08:00 Sun BR 207km 2050m £8.00F P R T 15-30kph Evesham & Dist Whs neilrob3@gmail.com Neil Robinson, Flat 7, Swans Reach, 45 Swan Lane, Evesham, Worcestershire WR11 4PD 100 01 Aug Honeybourne, nr Evesham Ride A Bike To Banbury Cross 09:15 Sun BP 1100m [1m] £5.00 F P R T 12-30kph Evesham & Dist Whs neilrob3@gmail.com Neil Robinson, Flat 7, Swans Reach, 45 Swan Lane, Evesham, Worcestershire WR11 4PD 55 01 Aug Honeybourne, E of Evesham The Honeybourne 50 09:30 Sun BP 300m £3.00 F P R T 10-25kph Evesham & Dist Whs neilrob3@gmail.com Neil Robinson, Flat 7, Swans Reach, 45 Swan Lane, Evesham, Worcestershire WR11 4PD 200 07 Aug Alfreton Roses to Wrags 08:00 Sat BR 212km 1400m £6.00 F P R T 150 14.3-30kph Alfreton CTC oggy.dude@gmail.com Stephen Ogden, 12 Primula Grove, Kirkby In Ashfield NG17 8SD 600 07 Aug Carlisle Tour of the Borders and Galloway 07:00 Sat BR 606km 5238m [5730m] £18.00 X G P T (30) 15-30kph Change of Date Tyneside Vagabonds 07875224229 andy@dixonberne.plus.com Please enter online

300

07 Aug Nantwich Descent of the Stiperstones 300km 07:00 Sat BR £10.00 G L P R T (30) 15-30kph Brandon Edgeley 07846725969 Brandon Edgeley, Mile House Barn, Main Road, Worleston CW5 6DH 200 07 Aug Nantwich, CW5 6PQ Descent of the Stiperstones 200km 08:00 Sat BR 210km 1750m £8.00 G L P R T (30) 15-30kph Brandon Edgeley 07846725969 Brandon Edgeley, Mile House Barn, Main Road, Worleston CW5 6DH 150 07 Aug Nantwich Long Mountain 150km 08:30 Sat BP £8.00 G L P R T (30) 15-30kph Brandon Edgeley 07846725969 Brandon Edgeley, Mile House Barn, Main Road, Worleston CW5 6DH 50 07 Aug Nantwich, CW5 6PQ Little Budworth 50km 09:30 Sat BP £6.50 G L P R T (30) 12.5-30kph Brandon Edgeley 07846725969 Brandon Edgeley, Mile House Barn, Main Road, Worleston CW5 6DH 110 08 Aug Shere Village Hall, Guildford GU5 9HE Tour of the Hills 09:30 Sun BP 115km 2150m AAA2.25 £10.00 F L P R T 225 15-30kph CTC West Surrey 07711873924 Derek Ridyard, 1 Woodhill Court, Woking GU237JR 100 11 Aug Marple Memorial Park White Peak Grimpeur 10:00 Wed BP 103km 2150m AAA2.25 £7.50 G P R T 60 12.5-25kph Peak Audax CTC 07931 911324 peakaudax@hotmail.co.uk ROA 10000 Mike Wigley, Higher Grange Farm, Millcroft Lane, Delph OL3 5UX 200 14 Aug Galashiels No Work for us Today 08:00 Sat BR 2300m [2100m] £8.00 P G X 15-30kph Scottish Borders Randonneur 01896 758 181 pedaller1@sky.com ROA 25000 Lucy McTaggart, 30 Victoria St., Galashiels, Scottish Borders TD1 1HL 150 14 Aug Stamford Bridge, Nr York Over the Wolds to Flamborough Head 8:30 Sat BP 152km 756m [928m] £6.00 P R T 14-25kph York Wednesday Wheelers andrich@hotmail.co.uk Andrew Richardson, 2 Cherry Paddock, Stamford Bridge, York YO41 1AZ 100 14 Aug Stamford Bridge, Nr York Wolds 100 10:00 Sat BP 108km 749m £6.00 P R T 14-25kph York Wednesday Wheelers andrich@hotmail.co.uk Andrew Richardson, 2 Cherry Paddock, Stamford Bridge, York YO41 1AZ 200 15 Aug Surbiton, Greater London Rowlands Ramble 07:30 Sun BR 213km 2700m [2550m] £15.00 F G L P R T (60) (11/8) 14.3-30kph Kingston Wheelers Dominic Trevett, Flat 22, Sixth Floor, Northwood Hall, Hornsey Lane, London N6 5PN 100 17 Aug Allenheads Allenheads 09:00 Tue BP 103km 1890m AAA2 £6.00 G P R T (40) 15-30kph Tyneside Vagabonds 07875224229 andy@ dixonberne.plus.com Please enter online

100

18 Aug Marple West Peak Grimpeur 10:00 Wed BP 103km 2200m AAA2.25 £7.50 P R T 60 (16/8) 12.5-25kph Updated Peak Audax CTC Paul Anders Johnson, 1 Windmill Street, Macclesfield SK11 7HP 300 20 Aug Morpeth Northumberland Nightshift 22:00 Fri BR 301km 2582m [2610m] £5.00 X G P (50) 14.3-30kph Tyneside Vagabonds 07875224229 andy@dixonberne.plus.com Please enter online 200 21 Aug Cardiff Cycle Workshop, Cardiff CF14 3AY Making Hay 07:00 Sat BR 210km 2000m [2500m] £5.00 YH G L P T 15-30kph Audax Cymru 02920 341768 evansrichardd@gmail.com ROA 5000 Richard Evans, 73 Conway Road, Cardiff CF11 9NW 100 25 Aug Marple Library Car Park, SK6 6BA Staffs Peak Super-Grimpeur 10:00 Wed BP 108km 2650m AAA2.75 [2800m] £7.50 P R T 60 (8/8) 12.5-25kph Peak Audax CTC 07931 911324 peakaudax@hotmail.co.uk ROA 10000 Mike Wigley, Higher Grange Farm, Millcroft Lane, Delph OL3 5UX 200 28 Aug Lancaster The Pendle Witch Trial 08:00 Sat BR 204km 3430m AAA3.5 £10.00 G P R T (50) 14.3-30kph Peak Audax CTC darrellwhittle@gmail.com Darrell Whittle, 20 Brookfield, Prestwich M25 1EL 110 28 Aug Lancaster A Bit of a Trial 09:30 Sat BP 112km 1990m AAA2 £10.00 G P R T (50) 12.5-30kph Peak Audax CTC darrellwhittle@gmail.com Darrell Whittle, 20 Brookfield, Prestwich M25 1EL 200 29 Aug Poynton, near Stockport Eccleshall 200 08:30 Sun BR 209km 1540m £3.50 X G NM P T (40) 14.3-30kph Peak Audax CTC 07931 911324 peakaudax@hotmail.co.uk ROA 10000 Mike Wigley, Higher Grange Farm, Millcroft Lane, Delph OL3 5UX 200 30 Aug Golden Green,Tonbridge Man of Kent 08:00 Mon BR 203km 1505m [1425m] £9.00 F L P R T (120) 15-30kph Change of Date Man of Kent Audax manofkentaudax@gmail.com David Winslade, 3 Albany Close, Tonbridge TN9 2EY 400 04 Sep Brampton Border Nights 15:00 Sat BR 405km 3353m [3362m] £5.00 X G P T (50) 14.3-30kph Tyneside Vagabonds 07875224229 andy@dixonberne.plus.com Please enter online 200 04 Sep Carbrooke, nr Watton, Norfolk Suffolk coast and back 07:30 Sat BR £6.00 GLNMPRT (30) 15-30kph CC Breckland johntommo6@btinternet.com John Thompson, 136 Dell Road, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft NR33 9NT 160 04 Sep Carbrooke, nr Watton, Norfolk The Breckland Ton 08:30 Sat BP £6.00 F G L NM P R T (30) 15-30kph CC Breckland johntommo6@btinternet.com John Thompson, 136 Dell Road, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft NR33 9NT

100

04 Sep Carbrooke, nr Watton, Norfolk South Norfolk Loop 09:00 Sat BP £6.00 G,L,NM, P,R, T (30) 10-30kph CC Breckland johntommo6@btinternet.com John Thompson, 136 Dell Road, Oulton, Broad, Lowestoft NR33 9NT 50 04 Sep Carbrooke, nr Watton, Norfolk South Norfolk Mini-Loop 10:00 Sat BP £6.00 F G L NM P R T (30) 10-30kph CC Breckland johntommo6@btinternet.com John Thompson, 136 Dell Road, Oulton, Broad, Lowestoft NR33 9NT 200 04 Sep Nairn, Nr Inverness Eilean Dubh 07:30 Sat BRM 208km 1730m £5.00 X C G NM P 15-30kph Change of Date CTC Highland andrewuttley155@outlook.com Andy Uttley, Suil Na Mara, Wester Cullicudden, Balblair, Dingwall IV7 8LL 110 04 Sep Nairn, Nr Inverness The Wolf 09:30 Sat BP 1010m £5.00 X C G NM P 12-30kph Change of Date CTC Highland andrewuttley155@outlook.com Andy Uttley, Suil Na Mara, Wester Cullicudden, Balblair, Dingwall IV7 8LL 200 04 Sep Narberth Velos’ Indian summer secret 06:00 Sat BR 3750m AAA3.75 £9.00 C F G NM P T R (30) 15-30kph Pembrokeshire Velo Richard Coomer, Cotts Equine Hospital, Robeston Wathen, Narberth, Pembrokeshire SA67 8EY 110 04 Sep Reepham, nr Lincoln Lincoln Imp 09:30 Sat BP 112km 800m £5.00 G L P R T 15-30kph Change of Date Cycling UK Lincolnshire andy.town@ntlworld.com Andrew Townhill Andrew Townhill, 21 Rudgard Avenue, Cherry Willingham, Lincoln LN3 4JQ 200 05 Sep Moira, W of Ashby-de-la-Zouch East Midlands Forests 200k 08:00 Sun BR 207km 1850m £6.80 C P T R YH G (40) (01/9) 15-30kph CTC East Midlands 01283 223 581 hilly@hillyswad.co.uk Ian Hill, 33 Wren Close, Woodville, Swadlincote, Derbyshire DE11 7QP 100 05 Sep Moira, W of Ashby-de-la-Zouch Bosworth Battlefield Sightseer 09:30 Sun BP 105km 690m £6.00 P R T C YH G (70) (01/09) 12-24kph CTC Derby & Burton 01283 223 581 hilly@hillyswad.co.uk Ian Hill, 33 Wren Close, Woodville, Swadlincote, Derbyshire DE11 7QP 200 11 Sep Bonnyrigg Talla-Ho! 08:00 Sat BR 211km 2053m [2256m] £4.00 X G P (21/08) 15-30kph Scottish Borders Randonneur Ross Connell, Flat, 36 Torwood Crescent, Edinburgh EH12 9GJ 200 11 Sep Cranbrook, Devon Up and down like a yo-yo 8:00 Sat BR 3100m AAA3 £5.00 G T P R 15-30kph Change of Date Exeter Whs shbritton@outlook.com Sarah Britton, 17 Copse Close Lane, Cranbrook, Devon EX5 7AP 200 11 Sep Kelmscott, nr Oxford The Morris Major 08:00 Sat BR 210km 2000m [650m] £9.50 F P T (30) 15-30kph Peter Davis, 47 Main Street, Sedgeberrow, Evesham WR11 7UE

www.audax.uk

PRIZE CROSSWORD No.5 by Sprocket

WIN

£5r 0 of your

e e vouch choic drawn r will be the winne the correct from all eived by c entries re 2021 30 July

Send your completed grid to: The editor Arrivée magazine crossword Walnut Farm, Bagpath, Kingscote Gloucestershire GL8 8YQ or email a picture/copy to: gedlennox@me.com YOUR NAME: MEMBERSHIP NUMBER: EMAIL ADDRESS:

ACROSS 1 Traditional outfit is in musette, won’t crumple 6,9 9 Old-timer sat in the garden? 7 10 City, home to one idiot 7 11 Helps old tyres get a grip by following beaten track? 8 12 Bend jerk around a pole 6 14 It’s probably your baggage-car, taking loop off-road ahead of the slippery stuff 9 16 You’re stuck in nine sorts of boredom 5 17 Picked out finish in column 5 19 Broadly speaking, local dirt and heather 9 21 Serious mole problem partly encompassed 6 22 Recognise changing current and colder extremes before tide turns 8 26 Something sweet from the counter? 7 27 Elaborate music? Central to motors, cycle races... debatable 7 28 Spin reveals sadistic climb in Wales! 6,9

DOWN 1 Crossed wires of higher intelligence 2 Fell over lolly sticking up in track 3 Green backlash for bottled water brand 5 4 Foolish boy follows Sprocket into devil’s twisted grip 5 One prone to blubber, or keep it all in? 6 How gears meet, causing friction in mere hints! 7 It’s leftover – you polish it off! 8 Old thickener, good one on the way 13 Ingredient for pot of tea before bed (mistakes acknowledged throughout) 14 Hybrid racing in the mud, perhaps one short of a loaf 15 Bail nomad out of the middle region 18 A live TV broadcast in city 20 State of one bloke wearing gag 23 Athlete’s scorecard held up with missing papers 24 Josh to send up kid’s sledge 25 Shabby place-setting for breakfast of soldiers and pickle

Arrivée152Summer2021

Solution for No.4

Congratulations to the winner of our crossword No.4: Chris Jeggo AUK members 21541

5 7 3-7 4 9 7 9 10 9 9 3,4 7 5 5 4

CONTACTS

Arrivée is the magazine of Audax United Kingdom, the long distance cyclists’ association which represents Les Randonneurs Mondiaux in the UK. AUK membership is open to any person, regardless of club or other affiliation, who is imbued with the spirit of long-distance cycling. MEMBERSHIP Enquiries: Caroline Fenton (AUK Membership Secretary), 56 Lockesfield Place, London E14 3AJ membership@audax.uk One and five year membership available – for full details and fees see https://audax.uk/join-us/ ARRIVÉE Extra or back copies of Arrivée

subject to availability – please contact Caroline Fenton

ISSUE 153 – AUTUMN 2021 EDITION

TO ADVERTISE Rates per issue: ¼ page £75, pro rata to £300 per page. Payment in advance. We rely on good faith and Arrivée cannot be held responsible for advertisers’ misrepresentations or failure to supply goods or services. Members’ Private Sales, Wants, Event Adverts: free. Views expressed in Arrivée are not necessarily those of the Club. Designed and produced for AUK by: gedesign, Bagpath, Gloucestershire. Printed by: Taylor Brothers, Bristol Distribution data from: Caroline Fenton and the AUK Membership Team.

Send your stories to gedlennox@me.com There is no copy deadline for stories as most will be published, but not necessarily immediately unless they are time-relevant. COPY DEADLINE FOR ADVERTISERS: 30 July 2021 ● Send your text in any word-processor format and your pictures as separate files (i.e. not embedded in the document). ● Images must be as big as possible, anything below 1Mb jpeg is not useable ● It is essential that your photographs are captioned, preferably in a separate document, cross referenced to your pictures. ● Include your full contact details – including your AUK number – we cannot publish your story otherwise ● Package the content into a single compressed zip archive. ● If it is too large (i.e. more than 10Mb) please use WeTransfer, MailBigFile or a cloud-based platform like Dropbox etc. ● Please do not use the old Mediafire gateway as it is no longer functional.

Board and delegates Individual email addresses are listed for Board members and delegates, where relevant. For general enquiries or if you are not sure who to contact, please use secretary@audax.uk. Please bear in mind that all Board members and delegates are volunteers and so may not always be able to respond immediately. Chair and LRM/ACP representative Chris Crossland 14 Stanley Street West, Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, HX6 1EF chair@audax.uk 01422 832 853 The Chair supervises: IT Manager Kevin Lake it@audax.uk who is advised by: IT refresh project board including co-opted members: Dan Campbell Neil Goldsmith Otto Reinders Dan Smith and who has the following delegates: www.aukweb.net Website manager: Francis Cooke Systems administrator: Terry Kay audax.uk Web content manager: Dave Allison webcontent@audax.uk AUK forum administrator Kevin Lake AUK forum Moderator Kevin Lake The Chair also supervises these delegates: Mileater secretary (currently on a temporary basis) Chris Crossland (details as above)

FWC (Fixed Wheel Challenge) and Super Fixed Wheel Richard Phipps, 77 West Farm Avenue, Ashtead, Surrey KT21 2JZ. richard@richardphipps.co.uk General Secretary Graeme Provan Whitelands, Terling Road, Hatfield Peverel, Essex CM3 2AG secretary@audax.uk The Secretary supervises these delegates: Registrar Les Hereward, 20 Webster Close, Oxshott, Surrey, KT22 OSF Annual reunion organiser Paul Rainbow, 49 Quarrington Road, Horfield, Bristol, Avon BS7 9PJ paul@audaxclubbristol.co.uk Annual awards secretary SITUATION VACANT Finance director Nigel Armstrong 13 Upper Bank End Road, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire HD91ES 01484 687587 fd@audax.uk Directors without portfolio Andy Yates Lucy McTaggart Director and membership secretary Caroline Fenton 56 Lockesfield Place, London E14 3AJ membership@audax.uk The Membership secretary supervises these delegates: Membership admininistration Mike Wigley (Admin) Enrolments Peter Davis Howard Knight

Communications director Rob Mclvor communications@audax.uk The Communications director supervises these delegates: Arrivée managing editor Ged Lennox gedlennox@me.com Badge and medal shop secretary Allan Taylor www.audaxmedals.southportcc.co.uk Director and calendar events secretary Ian Hennessey 10 High Street, Honiton, EX14 1PU events@audax.uk The calendar events secretary supervises these delegates: Regional events delegates Scotland & Northern England: Andy Uttley Midlands & Eastern England: Grant Huggins South East England: Pat Hurt South West England & Wales: Andy Cox UAF delegate Dave Minter Director and Permanents secretary John Ward 34 Avenue Road, Lymington S041 9GJ permanents@audax.uk 01590 671205 The Permanents secretary supervises these delegates: DIY regional representatives Scotland: Martin Foley North East England: Joe Applegarth North West England: Julian Dyson Yorkshire & East England: Andy Clarkson

Midlands, North and Mid Wales: Mike Kelly South West England and South Wales: Tony Hull South East England: Paul Stewart ECE delegate Martin Malins Malinseastg@tiscali.co.uk OCD delegate Rod Dalitz 136 Muir Wood Road, Edinburgh EH14 5HF rod.dalitz@me.com Event Services director and recorder Dan Smith 95 Regents Court, Kingston upon Thames KT2 5AQ services@audax.uk 07596 248528 The Event Services director supervises these delegates: Validation secretary Cathy Brown 76 Victoria St, Kirkwall KW15 1DQ validations@audax.uk RRTY award secretary Grant Huggins 76 Bryony Close, Witham, Essex CM8 2XF rrty@audax.uk AAA secretary Ivan Cornell aaa@audax.uk Brevet card production secretary Oliver lies 49 Upper Belmont Rd, Bishopston, Bristol BS7 9DG brevetcards@audax.uk Production of permanent cards is handled by: John Ward 34 Avenue Road, Lymington S041 9GJ permanents@audax.uk www.audax.uk

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Arrivée 152, Summer 2021

Articles inside

Contacts

The Baking Biker

Cycling for safe water

AUK Calendar

Superseding against the odds

Hitting the heights in the pan-flat fens

Demons in the darkness on one hell of a stormy ride

Bringing home the beacons

Keeping cool in a Corsican cauldron

Life is better on a bike if you can dodge the beer bottles

Man (and bike) in a suitcase

Dan’s diary – stung and shaken in the shires

In the tight embrace of Salopian slopes

Tea for one on a lonely mountain

Just a Sec

Membership matters

Letters

A biking battle of two Trafalgars

A Highland fling with plenty of bite

Cycling shorts

Cycling shorts 2