Arrivée 153 – Autumn 2021 by Audax UK

Arrivee s t s’ e cycli c n a t s g-di zine the lonbers’ maga – K U Audax tion – mem 2021 a associ 53 • autumn 1 e u s Is

on the trunk road from Cairo to Cape Town page 32

Arrivee

INSIDE ISSUE 153

sts’ ce cycli istan ine long-d agaz – the embers’ m x UK Auda tion – mmn 2021 associa153 • autu Issue

Membership matters

Just a Sec

Letters 05

on the trunk road from Cairo to Cape wn To page 32

Front cover… Martin Philpot looks back on his epic ride from Cairo to Cape Town page 32

Cycling shorts

Cycling shorts 2

Road-rage replies

Living off the flat of the land

River deep and mountain high

Double trouble

Dreaming spires

Out of Africa

Loitering in a land of lakes

From suspicious seafood to radiant rainbows – a year to remember or forget…

Iceni warriors go hunting for hills in 'flat' Norfolk

Scrambled fried and frozen on a hard-boiled ride

A blessed change

Finding new friends in the darkest places

The baking biker

AUK calendar

Prize crossword No. 6

AUK contacts

Welcome to the autumn 2021 issue of Arrivée Cavemen behind the wheel

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Arrivée’s metaphorical mailbag was bulging following an item in the spring/summer issue about aggression on the roads. Emails flooded in, telling horror stories of hostility and belligerent behaviour. Such incidents are even more common than you might expect, according to our readers’ experiences.

One of our correspondents made the noteworthy point that a “perception of importance” led many drivers to see cyclists as an inconvenience – an annoying nuisance, getting in the way of important people doing important things. A recent essay in the Wall Street Journal, looking into the psychology of power – mainly as it related to business executives – reported on the findings of various experiments designed to get to the root of a societal

problem. What turns an otherwise reasonable and empathetic human being into a monster? The answer is – power. Numerous studies found that the vast majority of rude and inappropriate behaviours – like shouting and swearing – come from those with the most authority. This, apparently, is known among psychologists as “the paradox of power”. One of the studies reached the conclusion that when people are given power, something akin to brain damage occurs. People in authority display the same behaviour as those with a damaged oribito-frontal lobe – the area of the brain crucial for empathy. One study, carried out by researchers in Chicago, took a group of high-powered individuals and asked them if it was wrong to drive too fast when late for an appointment.

The group consistently agreed it was – unless it was they themselves who were late. In other words, their perceived importance led them to believe they were exempt from the rules. Does that sound familiar? Cyclists and pedestrians see this attitude every day. Drivers of vehicles tend to believe they hold the “power” – on the basis that they are bigger and stronger than cyclists or pedestrians. And even otherwise reasonable people are able to justify their bad behaviour behind the wheel. I guess it’s a caveman thing – a prehistoric urge which is hard to shake. This summer the Highway Code has been updated; the latest version outlining a “new hierarchy”, giving pedestrians and cyclists greater priority at crossings and junctions, among other changes, as part of a £338 million investment aimed at boosting cycling and walking. The

investment also includes plans for hundreds of miles of new cycle lanes. But will a few lines in the Highway Code change attitudes? The rules may be amended, but unless something is done to fix the frontal lobes of many self-important motorists, one has little optimism that driver behaviours will change or that we’ll achieve a fairer balance on our roads.

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

MEMBERSHIP MATTERS… Caroline Fenton, AUK Membership Secretary Over the last year or so, Audax UK (in common no doubt with many organisations) couldn’t really predict what effect the covid-19 pandemic would have on activities and membership mid/long term. As we are now (fingers crossed as I type) seeing most of daily life back to something quite near “normal” with few restrictions, it seems like a good time to check out how our membership has fared over the last few months. I have compiled a quick graph to show total membership numbers over the last 2 years – note that I don’t have detailed figures before April 2019, also there has been some interpolation and adjustments to raw data because of the reduction in life memberships after last year’s verification process.

2021 KW Audax Rides Schedule As you can see membership in 2020 fell behind 2019 as the pandemic started and continued to lag all year. 2021 started just below the previous year (note that we offered a membership deal through to December 2021 to new joiners from August 2020 onwards which had good take-up). Unsurprisingly early 2021 didn’t show the same increase in members as the same period in 2020 (before the pandemic really started in the UK) but has since caught up. So, things look pretty healthy again – for that we owe a big thank you to all our event organisers as without events we would not have people joining us or staying with us. In particular we are very grateful to those who have delivered calendar events – these are the events that more than anything draw newcomers into Audax, and in some cases, long lapsed members back again.

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 11 Sep – Fifth Continent 300 km to celebrate 100 years of audax! Sun 3 Oct – Brace of Bramleys 200 km

Cotswold Challenge 160K Warwickshire Wanderer 100K Saturday 11th September 2021 8.00/9.00am start from Meriden in Warwickshire ●●

Popular Audax events moved from usual May date. Mostly country lanes across the Avon then leafy scenery into the Cotswolds with a couple of climbs to Edgehill where the first Civil War battle took place. On to Burton Dassett Country Park before the return leg FREE REFRESHMENT ON RETURN 3

Just a sec

which requires planning a long time in advance so the announcement that it is scheduled to take place from 7 August 2022 is a heartening step forward for our association. I know the LEL team are already hard at work drawing together the incredible array of moving parts that make up our flagship event. We held our latest board meeting at the start of July. One of the topics we looked at was the format of the next AGM. There was a brief discussion with those attending our virtual AGM in May after the formal business had concluded. The general feeling was that the virtual meeting had worked and had allowed more people to attend. One option for the future might be to hold a virtual meeting prior to the actual AGM and IMAGE©IVO MIESEN

It will be a good feeling when I can start this column without commenting on the pandemic and its effects on our sport. We have passed a number of further significant milestones over the last few weeks and hopefully our organisers and members can start to plan ahead with a bit more confidence. The dedicated COVID page on our website remains in place but most of the accompanying guidance and documentation has been removed. We hope to remove the page altogether over the coming months. Updating our guidance across the UK has been an immense task for the Board and our membership secretary, Caroline Fenton, has been making almost daily changes to the website page at times. London Edinburgh London is one event

GRAEME PROVAN, General secretary, Audax UK

Clouded… memories of the LEL 2017 – all clear for 2022

during which any proposed resolutions could be debated and discussed. We will be looking for members’ input on this in the autumn. We also continued our review of the e-brevet app. Our ACP representative has now approached Audax Club Parisien seeking their views on the use of e-brevets for BRM events. Meanwhile, the app has been tested on a number of events with various refinements being made based on the results of those tests. Our membership secretary reported an encouraging picture with new members joining. The sustained levels of income from subscriptions and the relative lack of activity and IT spend has left AUK in a healthy financial state despite the effects of the pandemic. Phase III of the IT Refresh Project continues at the planning stage with the focus currently sitting on DIY events. The objective is to produce a detailed specification for each aspect of Phase III which should generate significant savings on potential developer costs but which will also require a huge amount of volunteer development time. As ever, the minutes of our board meetings are available on the website.

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IMPORTANT NOTES FOR CONTRIBUTORS

Arrivée is written by members, for members and about members and your submissions represent almost the entire content of the magazine. 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 layout. We cannot publish anonymously, so your original submitted copy must contain your name and membership number, together with an email address. While we will always strive to present your story to your satisfaction, in common with all other publishers, our duty is primarily to our readers, and we maintain the right to make changes if necessary. We will always endeavour to publish everything we receive, but it might be in a later issue as we are currently limited to 64 pages.

ISSUE 154 – WINTER 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 October 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 to email (i.e. more than 10Mb) please use WeTransfer, MailBigFile or a cloud-based platform. ● Please do not use the old Mediafire gateway as it is no longer functional.

LETTERS Future fens

Sir, Thanks to John Thompson for the Double Dutch article (Arrivée issue 152). It was a great shame to miss so many regular riders this year due to all accommodation being closed. Here's a picture of happier times – John at Nordelph on the very first event in 2011. The 2022 event is reverting to its usual Double Dutch name but with a couple of changes. I'm hoping to map the route past the few remaining tulip fields near Kings Lynn, and also take it to the "Ship of the Fens" – Ely Cathedral. See you next Easter! Martin Malins

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Electric dreams

Sir, After reading Reid Anderson’s contribution on e-bikes in Audax brevets (Arrivée issue 152), I’ve concluded that e-bikes in Audax are divisive, just as much as the wearing (or not wearing) of safety helmets. I feel for Reid’s nightmare of being overtaken by electric bikes up a hill, but this has only happened once to me – in 2015 going up Pen-Y-Ghent in the Dales, and the lady in question even apologised. It was amusing, rather than frustrating. The reason why it doesn’t happen very often is that most e-bikes on the market are purchased as utility vehicles for commuting, or they’re chunky mountain bikes, rarely seen on tarmac. Of course, you can purchase a state-of-the-art e-race bike, but I’ve only ever seen one on the road. I had an interesting chat with the owner, who bought it as a way to recover from surgery. It became a talking point, a curiosity rather than frustration. But why should we allow cyclists to get away with having a validated card in return for less sweat that mine or Reid’s? The real question is – why not? There are many ways to reduce the effort required and personally I’d rather have a VO2 Max of 70 ml kg-1 min-1, than a 1KWh battery (VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen used by muscles per minute, per kg of body mass, during intense exercise). The former is largely down to good genes and can’t be achieved otherwise, the latter can be bought by anyone. One could say the battery is fairer and more inclusive! But ultimately, we have to appreciate that the challenge of long-distance cycling is still there, even if, for whatever reason, you have a battery on your bicycle. The idea that you can complete a brevet of any meaningful distance without any effort is flawed. Battery developments are very much incremental and there will never be a day when a battery the size of a bidon can power you through the Bryan Chapman. Public charging points are non-existent and will always be scarce outside of cities. On top of that, the charge one can realistically carry through an Audax is and will always be minute. It might, one day, be sufficient to last the 10 hours of a BR, if one weighs in every Watt used with the accuracy of a chemist. So, fear not, battery or no battery, completing a brevet will always require a certain amount of effort and planning, less for some, more for others. Such is life. Paolo Coppo www.audax.uk

CYCLINGSHORTS

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

Sun hat, sandals – and a sunny smile A stalwart of the Audax community, Geoff Bell, has passed away, aged 82 after a long illness. A native of Sheffield, he lived for much of his life in Glossop in the Derbyshire peaks, and was a keen member of The Rucksack Club, a group for people who love the outdoors. Indeed, he was club president from 2003 to 2004, and an honorary member. His friend and fellow cyclist, Gerry Goldsmith remembers a cheerful and competitive rider who loved a challenge… Geoff had been a good time-trialling cyclist in his early years – from 10 miles to 24 hours. He joined the Rucksack Club and completed many challenges, his true talent being for long distance walks and rides. Geoff joined Audax and decided to do Paris-Brest-Paris. Having cycled with him on Rucksack Club meets, I encouraged him and in 1999 we did most of our qualifying rides together. Well “together” isn’t quite right – Geoff used to set off like a rocket and I would catch him up after about 100k! This happened on the figure-ofeight 400k from York, where the first loop was flattish and the second half hilly. He was tired after his fast start. In the 1999 PBP Geoff, always competitive, set off fast. I caught him up at a control at 200km, and from then on we cycled together – going at the same speed. It was good to have company, especially through the nights. Cycling up the hill out of Brest we met a group of six cyclists from Nice, and started chatting, Geoff using his schoolboy French which had them in stitches. Geoff’s sandals and sunhat were the epitome of the eccentric

Englishman, contrasting with their smart club attire. Then they noticed he’d lost his false teeth – more hilarity. We cycled with them to the finish. Geoff particularly liked extreme DIY Audaxes. He rode Land’s End to John O’Groats in 2000 as part of the four Sea-Summit permanents, plus walking up the summits of Snowden, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis. This trip took him just over eight days. Then he devised a 1,000km route from Calais to the summit of Ventoux, a DIY Mer-Montagne randonnée which had to be submitted to FFCT and validated. I remember helping him construct emails in French. In the Lake District on a Rucksack Club weekend ride, with panniers, our route had to take a section of A-road, which was not too busy. There was a time-trial on, and a couple of riders passed our group, head-down, going like the clappers. Geoff suddenly accelerated, latched on behind them and kept up with them for some distance, until we had to turn off. They couldn’t believe this old geezer, in hat and sandals, with panniers, could go so quickly. Geoff always wanted a new challenge, and he loved planning them. Seventy AAA points at the age of 70 was another he completed. He was always cheerful and wore a smile even in tough times. When a few years ago he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease, it hardly dented his cheerful demeanour. We will all miss him and his stories.

Gerry Goldsmith CS

A magical mystery tour… Bob Watts invites you to go on a treasure hunt through the historic county of Kent – his daughter Louise has even drawn a map…

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Kent is a county of riches – a place crammed with interesting, unusual, even exotic things – and if you follow this treasure map by entering one of the Fairies Crown Rides on 3 October this year you’ll find a hoard of jewels.

The route’s start and arrivée is in Ulcombe, where many of the church bells of east Kent were cast in the foundry established there by Thomas Hatch in the 15th century. If you listen out on your Sunday ride you’ll hear the many that still ring out.

Geoff, 1000km into the 1999 PBP, uses schoolboy French to amuse a team from Nice

There’s also Wye’s famous crown, cut into the hillside of the North Downs by students from the local agricultural college celebrating the coronation of King Edward VII in

…

of Kent 1902, which looks over the first control on the village green, as does the village sign, with other clues to the past of this historic village. You’ll get deeper into the Kent Downs AONB on your way to Deal on the Crown and Anchor 200 or take a turn towards the High Weald AONB on the Half Crown 100, passing Port Lympne, now a port far from the sea but home to many exotic species. At Deal you might see ships at anchor, sheltered by the Goodwin Sands which once would have set their chronometer by the time ball. On the clifftops over to Dover you’ll get the best view of the castle and, on a clear day, France. Hidden away to your left is the monument to Louis Blériot, the first person to fly the Channel. But this is not the town’s

only claim to aviation fame. Just a few years later on Christmas Eve 1914, it became the first place in Britain to be bombed from the air. There are, too, rich associations with Ian Fleming whose silhouette memorial looks like the one in the opening sequence of early Bond films. Should the infernal goddess of wind be raging, your crossing of the shelter-less Romney Marsh to reach the Denge Ness (which means “sticky-out-bit” in Old Norse) will be an endurance test. Here the lighthouse – one of seven built here through the ages – will guide you, although Dungeness nuclear power station is more prominent. It took the blame for the three-eyed fish that were allegedly found in these waters by conspiracy theorists. At the café you can admire the wonderful train set of a Count and a Captain from a century ago.

Passing through King Edward I’s Winchelsea is a trip through a new port town just seven centuries old. Abandoned by the sea but still a Cinque Port with mayor, corporation and freemen, the churchyard houses the controversial grave of the most famous Goon – Spike Milligan. The two routes converge at Milkhouse Street where once the notorious Hawkhurst Gang smuggled and stole before being routed in the Battle of Goudhurst in 1747. Milkhouse Street changed its name because of the rebellious connotations. Back at the arrivée there will be no smuggling or battles, just soup and home-made sweet things, and a chance to chat through the treasures you passed by, or that passed you by. If you don’t like the map there will be a GPS file and route sheet.

Bob Watts CS www.audax.uk

CYCLING

SHORTS

A record-breaking rider

An Audax legend The Audax community was shocked and saddened to learn of the tragic death of cycling stalwart Damon Peacock, who took his own life in June this year after a severe bout of depression. Family, friends and fellow cyclists gathered in Lancashire for the funeral of legendary Audax rider and film-maker, Damon Peacock, in July. Many more watched the service via a live-stream video from the God’s acre Chapel in Much Hoole. Social media forums were inundated with messages of condolence and sympathy in the wake of Damon’s death. Damon, a native of Leyland, Lancashire, was a 62 years old rider known not only for his many impressive cycling feats, but also his ability to chronicle Audax events on film. He was also a noted record-keeper. Indeed, he wrote about his data collection, and his documenting activities in a feature for Arrivée (issue 145) in 2019. His partner of 37 years, Heather Swift, spoke movingly at Damon’s funeral, saying: “For the last 18 months Damon had been really, really ill with severe depression. It came out of the blue. It was very scary. He had no history.” Damon was one of three children, growing up and attending school in Leyland before completing his degree at the University of Kent in Canterbury. He was a renowned quizzer, and even captained the college team on TV’s

University Challenge. For much of his career he worked in conservation for organisations including the Woodland Trust, and was an expert hedge-layer, responsible for maintenance of hedgerows and verges on many of the motorways of the north-west. He met his partner Heather while undertaking voluntary conservation work on the Shetland Isles. The couple lived in Lancashire, and spent holidays walking, cycling and skiing, not only in Europe, but also Africa. He was an accomplished cyclist, becoming an Audax member in the 1990s, and taking part in many long distance events, including PBP and LEL. Friends who spoke at this funeral described a friendly, witty and knowledgeable man, easily recognisable at Audax events by his stature – he was 6’4” in height, with legendary size 14 feet. He was also a celebrated film-maker, covering many Audax events. His film commentaries were described as “gentle, idiosyncratic and generous”. His sister Rachel, speaking at the funeral, said: “We weren’t aware of his battle until it took over his world. In memory of his life I urge everyone to be aware of their mental health. Ask for help early, and take care of your nearest and dearest.” Mourners at the funeral were invited to donate to the charities MIND and CALM.

Many will have been saddened to hear of the death in June this year of record-breaking Portsmouth cyclist Chris Davies at the age of 83, peacefully in a city nursing home. Chris had been the cycling correspondent of The News, Portsmouth’s local newspaper, for more than 50 years until his retirement in 2004. He also held the world record for the most miles ever officially cycled – more than 900,000 – the equivalent of 37 times round the globe, and a feat that wasn’t equalled until 2019. Only 16 years ago he marked the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, and the 50th consecutive year of his own career in the saddle, by riding more than 1,500 miles from Cape Trafalgar in Spain to London’s Trafalgar Square. In his long career, Chris cycled in many countries, including the USA, South Africa, New Zealand and Europe – and not without adventure. He was in Israel on a cycling tour of the Middle East when the Yom Kippur War broke out in 1973, and was unable to board a plane for several days. He described it, in his usual laid-back manner, as “an extra four days holiday”. He was quoted in The News as saying: “We seemed to be the only foreign visitors who weren’t scared stiff, but we all had memories of bombings during WW2. The advice was: if you can’t get into a shelter, get under a substantial table – which the Americans didn’t think was good advice at all.” Chris was a local sporting hero, cycling an average of 10,000 miles every year in his prime, and riding many long-distance events, including Land’s End to John ‘O Groats. He also took part in several 24-hour non-stop races, achieving a career best distance of 438 miles in the 1960s. Many riders will have memories of Chris on numerous Audax events.

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Chris worked for the Cyclists Touring Club for many years, and was also a road safety advisor for Hampshire.

Before illness forced him to give up cycling in 2010, the longest he’d been away from his bike was 39 days – when he had a hip replacement. He set the world record when he reached 906,900 miles, at the age of 72 – when he was still hopeful of passing the one million mile mark.

Damon with Heather at the end of the 2007 PBP

Interviewed at the time by The News, Portsmouth, Chris said: “For as long as I can remember I’ve loved cycling. It keeps me in good shape and gets me out and about. My bike is an extension of me.”

Guardian angel… Duncan with Jenelle Kerr at the site of the accident

It’s every cyclist’s worst nightmare – a speedy downhill stretch on a remote Scottish B-road, a wet and greasy surface, and a sharp bend on to a stone bridge – then a skid and a crash. The nightmare came true for Duncan Brown on the last day of July this year. He hit the bridge wall and plunged over the top, through tangled undergrowth and straight into the cold, foaming burn 30ft below.

Emergency crews had to float the injured cyclist downstream on a raft from where he was taken to a waiting helicopter and airlifted to A&E in Raigmore Hospital, Inverness – ironically the place where Duncan works as a junior doctor, and where he’d just finished a shift.

relieved when Duncan shouted back. I had difficulty getting that image out of my mind all day.”

His £2,000 bike was also rescued from further down the stream.

Miraculously, Duncan suffered no broken bones, but was treated for significant soft tissue injury which means he will be on crutches for a while, and faces months of rehabilitation.

“I was convinced I was going to die,” 35 year old Duncan told the BBC. The junior doctor from Inverness was taking part in the popular Audax event, the Turra Coo 300, a circular route in north Aberdeenshire.

Andy Uttley, the event organiser, came upon the scene of the crash with fellow rider, Paul Greaves. He said: “We saw an ambulance parked and a red cycle helmet on the roadside, with no sign of anybody and no bike either.

But luck was on his side. In a nearby cottage, Jenelle Kerr, 51, was doing some gardening. She told reporters that she heard the “click, click, click” of bike brakes and watched as a “flash or red” went over the bridge.

“It was with trepidation that I peered over the bridge. My heart was in my throat but I could see Duncan on the river bank with two paramedics. I called down and was so

Jenelle, who has been a nursing officer with the RAF for 20 years, reacted swiftly, racing to the scene of the crash and scrambling down the bank through the thick undergrowth to reach Duncan who, by now, was lying in the icy water and going into shock.

Duncan’s wife Lizzie was at home with the couple’s six week old daughter, Emily, when the accident happened. She actually saw the helicopter fly over their house on its way to the hospital.

IMAGES©JASPERIMAGE

Rider survives bridge plunge on the Turra Coo 300

Back at home after treatment, Duncan, who hopes to become a GP in the Highlands, praised the response of the emergency services, the hospital teams who treated him, but most especially the actions of Jenelle, who CS he described as his “guardian angel”. Miraculous escape… a fall of 30ft into water and rocks of the Burn of Boyne, Aberdeenshire

Duncan admits that if it hadn’t been for Jenelle’s fast actions he may well have slipped into unconsciousness and drowned. She hauled him out of the burn, and wrapped him in a blanket before calling the emergency services, including coastguard, fire and ambulance crews. The rider, who is not a member of AUK, was only 60 miles into the Turra Coo when the accident happened, on a bridge over the Burn of Boyne on the B9139 near the village of Portsoy. He said he approached the bridge on a downhill stretch. Duncan believes the bike skidded on a patch of grease and water on the road surface before he lost control and hit the stone wall of the bridge – with both bike and rider catapulted over the parapet. www.audax.uk

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IMAGES © ROBIN MAYES 2 / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

Richard Betts’ article, describing three shocking cases of road rage directed against cyclists (Arrivée 152), touched a nerve with our readers, many of whom report similarly unpleasant incidents. Here is a selection of the messages received…

Where’s the horse sense? Sir, I found the Richard Betts article (Arrivée issue 152) very interesting as I too have had many a close shave with the motorist (of which I am one also). I’m very new to Audaxing and yet to do my first official ride but I’d consider myself an experienced cyclist – riding with the CTC since I was 10, commuting to work, time-trialling and road-racing in addition to all the miles training in chain gangs and solo. I’m always astonished how drivers whizz past me at close range, only to slow down to a walking pace to pass a horse and rider! I’d love to know the psychology behind that fact. I’ve found over the years, after being over the bonnet of a car and physically pushed off the road into a hedge by a car (twice) that it’s best to keep one’s own counsel when riding solo. However, when riding in a group the situation tends to be very different – again, I do try to ride in a group nowadays as I’m 55 but I do seek out the quieter lanes when on my own. What is it that horse riders command that we don’t? Alan Tilt

didn’t go through with it. Essentially these are super-sized “low traffic neighbourhoods. Motor traffic can come in and out of a locality – but can’t short cut through it. This way essential journeys can still be made using a motor vehicle but the interactions between cyclists (and all other non-motor traffic) and drivers is substantially reduced. And motorists would be directed on to roads which are designed for their safety without the narrowness and blind bends of country lanes. Calum Rogers

Bollards to them Sir, The idea of a 100 per cent separate cycle network would be enormously difficult, but there is a much cheaper alternative which would massively improve road safety, not only for cyclists but also pedestrians, horse riders, mobility scooters, and indeed drivers themselves – traffic calming. Every interaction between a driver and a cyclist is a throw of the dice. So the idea is to minimise those interactions. How traffic calming works is using bollards and barriers at strategic points on minor roads so that destinations are still accessible from the main road network, but drivers aren’t able to zoom through the less suitable minor roads. This approach would be highly cost-effective as it only requires installation of a handful of barriers at strategic junctions. The effect means that drivers are routed on to the A and B road network which is far safer for everyone than minor roads. This exact process was due to be trialled in North Somerset as a “Quiet Lanes” scheme but regrettably the council

The Lycra theory Sir, I’ve encountered a lot of aggressive behaviour from drivers, even though I prefer to go about my rides without being an inconvenience, and share the space, and am definitely not a militant cyclist. Though not intentional, I’ve been knocked down twice while riding. Both incidents involved a lack of attention from drivers, which I can sort of forgive. My injuries healed and the wrecked bikes were replaced at no cost to me. What I struggle to forgive is the relentless abuse and “Russian Roulette” style of driving, intended intimidate you on a bike. I ’ve been hit with wing mirrors on close passes, and had a guy mount the pavement to try to knock me down after a heated exchange. I’d had the cheek to

www.audax.uk

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make a gesture as he passed at 60mph in a 30 limit with six inches room. I’ve had van drivers pushing me into the side of the road by closing the gap, shouting: “I’m putting you in the ******* gutter where you belong!” I can honestly say if I’d not been fully focused there are several intentional actions that could have claimed my life. Although I’ve only been knocked down twice by lack of attention, I did have a car push me on to the bonnet, then drive over my foot – because I didn’t pull out of a junction quickly enough on a wet winter’s night. The four occupants got out of car to threaten me, and when I reported to nearest police station the car was on false plates! I’ve always been a polite cyclist, single up when required, hold a tight and steady line and wave cars past on single-track or at road works. Yet we share the roads with a reasonably large number of drivers who are not actually responsible enough to own a vehicle – they don’t have the skill or temperament for it. The chances of these people being caught are slim and the sentences light. This enables such behaviour to become mainstream. I believe that in this fastpaced world people think they are busier than they really are, certainly not allowing time to travel to where they’re going. This perception of importance on the road leads to the belief that a cyclist is nothing more than an inconvenience. My theory is the experienced rider in full Lycra is more of a target – drivers associating us with leisure which is obviously far less important than their needs on the road.

Drivers dehumanise us – it’s just a cyclist, not a dad, mum, brother or sister! I’ve ridden a few times in jeans and t-shirt, got much less hassle, so maybe we are just targeted? The funny thing is, I drive almost as many miles as I ride and in 25 years cannot recall a cyclist being a major issue on my car journey. It’s just an attitude, part of some people’s DNA to cause trouble and hate others. The cure? Everyone learning to drive should have to ride at least an hour to experience what it feels like, maybe it could sober a few drivers up. Stephen Malaney

Culprits in the frame Sir, I’ve just read the article on aggression from drivers (Arrivée issue 152). During early lockdown my husband and I were out getting our recommended dose of exercise. The roads were wonderfully quiet so we were tootling along, side by side on an empty straight and reasonably wide road. Out of the blue, a large transit type van came up very close behind us revved his engine then passed much too close, the driver screaming invective at us. The van had a company name and phone number on it so we pulled over and rang them to complain about their driver’s behaviour. As a consequence the driver was reprimanded and we received a personal apology from one of their senior managers. The incident prompted us to get a couple of bike cams. Thanks to these we now have video and photographic evidence. One case involved a horrendously close pass with oncoming traffic. We sent evidence to the company concerned. The driver was sacked as his manager was a cyclist himself and said he wasn’t having his company’s name dragged down by idiots like him. Contrarily, we’ve sent three videoevidenced complaints to Lancashire Police – we have heard nothing back on any of these. Say no more. There is a huge mindset shift required to get this changed. Laura Pringle

Laws must be enforced Stephen Malaney

Sir, I was interested to read the recent article in Arrivée (issue 152) regarding acts of aggression towards cyclists. This isn’t a new story. I too have been subject to a

Simon Goodwin

number of “attacks” over the years, ranging in severity, but I was particularly interested to hear that several people had effectively given up riding on the road. That is also the case with me. I thought I was just being overly sensitive or cautious, but I now realise others are also giving up. My primary concern when cycling is not the weather, distance or fatigue – it’s aggression from motorists. My cycling in is now done almost entirely off-road, except for actually getting to the places where I can do that. I simply don’t enjoy road cycling anymore, and that’s only because of the outright hostility that’s allowed to prevail in this country. I’m not an inexperienced cyclist. I’ve ridden in many countries on the continent and in North America but have never had to deal with anything like the level of anger that I see from the average British motorist. I should say that I have been a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists for over 30 years and have advanced test passes in driving and motorcycling. I’m also a motorcycle marshal for British Cycling (NEG), so have experience from both perspectives. Even at fullymarshalled road race events, we almost always see some act of deliberately dangerous driving or verbal hostility aimed at static marshals, convoy members or the riders themselves. Levels of traffic, little or no cycling infrastructure, lack of ability by the average motorist, and little or no enforcement of

traffic laws have all contributed to my feeling that the days of enjoyable cycling on the road may have come to an end in the UK and I’m very sad about that. My view is that traffic violations and aggression towards other road users need to be treated with an iron fist. A driving licence is a privilege, not a right, and if you venture out on the road in any vehicle, that fact must be at the forefront of your mind, otherwise the privilege can be taken away, permanently. We’re at a point where only the most draconian law enforcement measures will redress the situation and I fully support any authority that is prepared to do that. Simon Goodwin

Scary confrontation Sir, After reading the article regarding intimidation against cyclists by motorists I feel that I should mention a particularly nasty incident I experienced. The day was wet but I decided to do my usual 100 miler up over the Cotswolds, through Gloucester down through the Forest of Dean then back to Wiltshire via the Severn Bridge. Approaching Brockthorpe a passing motorist in a Volvo SUV hit my arm at 40 mph with his wing mirror. He stopped and started raging about cyclists, using four-letter profanities. I told him that motorists should try to give cyclists 1.5 metres when passing. He was having none of this, so I moved on to avoid further confrontation. As I passed him on the inside, because he was in the middle of the road, the car rammed me, hitting my leg and knocking me into the verge. I picked myself up, noting a bruise developing on my calf as he drove off. I switched on my helmet cam as I suspected he’d be waiting for me around the corner in a layby. I was right. He was out of his car and stopped me, raging on about his mirror. I got off my bike, and he tried to get the bike off me as I’d held it between us for some protection. I said that I was filming, and this infuriated him even more – and he punched me in the face. There were witnesses gathering but nobody moved to help. He then picked up a four foot fencing stake and swung it at me. I stepped back, and he missed me by inches. Another motorist stopped and tried to calm the guy down, and in the meantime someone called the police. Once the motorist became aware of this he was off like a

shot. I was relieved. He’d said he wanted to put me in hospital so he said. I was 56 at the time, while he looked to be in his early thirties. Although I’m fit he would probably have overpowered me. The police turned up and I gave a statement that took two hours – in the rain. I also gave them the SD card from my camera. The Volvo driver was hard to track down as it was not his vehicle, but eventually the police found him. He went to court and received an 18 month suspended sentence – and I would hope he’s learned a lesson. I cycle 30 miles every day during my commute to work and at times I’ve thought about giving up road cycling due to frequent incidents with motorists. You can accept accidental incidents but deliberate attempts to injure cyclists should be dealt with firmly by means of education, hefty fines or in extreme cases imprisonment. One of the things that has affected me since the incident is a lack of confidence in dealing with situations of this nature. I’m more likely to just get back on the bike and let it go. It’s very scary for cyclists to have to deal with this. Alistair Willis

Even when I’m driving at the legal speed limit, there will be cars queuing behind to overtake, all bumper to bumper. This is not aggression, just the normal driving style. Another driving habit is pulling out at junctions at the last minute, expecting oncoming vehicles to slow down. This happened to me on the bike recently and the motorist, realising it was bit close, actually wound down his window to apologise. I smiled, waved and said “pas de problème”. If you adopt this attitude after an incident, realising that we’re all only human, it leaves you feeling much happier than if you let it wind you up. Just to finish with a couple of amusing incidents: I was riding up a steep climb behind an old lady walking in the road. She hadn’t heard me, so I rang my bell. She nearly jumped out of her skin, and said: “Bon courage, quand même”. The “quand même” bit meant “even though” – even though I’d just frightened her to death. On another occasion a rather portly cyclist came gliding past me. Blimey, I thought, I must be really unfit until I noticed the electric motor in his back wheel just as he announced: “Je triche, moi!” (I’m cheating, me!). Paul Harrison, Corsica

Corsican courtesy Sir, Richard Betts’ article (Arrivée issue 152), led me to reflect on some experiences I had when living in England, though they are somewhat lighter than those that Richard recounts. Many of you will be familiar with the things which used to be shouted out as you cycled by: “Your back wheel’s going round”, for instance – nice to know at the end of a hard ride. Here in Corsica the attitude to cyclists is normally much better. In France, cycling generally has a different status to that in the UK, though, as Adrian Wikeley (Tea for one – issue 152, page 23) suggests, it’s always better to hide for a snooze to avoid the unwanted attentions of well-meaning drivers. Here in Corsica the friendliness is even greater. I’ve been asked if I’m OK when I’ve merely stopped for a wee, or to adjust my clothing. Passing motorists often slow down and give me the thumbs up or shout “Bon Courage”. This is sometimes a bit embarrassing when I’m just out for a bit of a potter, though my wife says it’s because I look so old and vulnerable. The way people drive in Corsica can be a bit disconcerting if you’re not used to it.

Paul Harrison

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WORDS & PICTURES BOB DONALDSON Arrivée153Autumn2021

Living off the flat of the land

a cheesy tale f dutch delight

WHILE WET AND WINDY, I was now familiar with the quiet road that led to Gouda which wound its way through the apple and pear orchards that lined the Ijssel. At one point I stopped, stooped down, and picked up a large, juicy and freshly fallen apple from the roadside. Autumn storms have their advantages! A quick circuit of the pretty town of Gouda (cheesy fact: twinned with Gloucester) and then on to the town of Delft just 40km further west. As you’d expect, it has a fair number of gift shops selling the distinctive white and blue crockery, but what really caught my eye was a huge cheese shop. After snapping a few touristy shots I headed north towards

Bob Donaldson was quick to volunteer to drive his son to a new job in the Netherlands in August last year – and equally fast to load up a bike, book two weeks off, and get ready for some serious time in the saddle in “cycling heaven”. Here’s his story of a 1,500km tour across a fabulously flat landscape – with cheese… lots and lots of cheese

Den Haag, passing a huge greenhouse, many kilometres in length, growing salad vegetables. The sheer scale and industrialisation of Dutch agriculture can take some getting used to. I skirted around Den Haag and several other towns until I reached Leiden on immaculate cycle paths. More cobbles, twee shops, an impressive church and then I was whipped out of the other side of the town and blown back across the pancake-flat land with neatly laid out, verdant fields, and back to Utrecht. At 151km it had been my longest ride of the tour so far, but had felt more like 200km because of the wind and rain. This had been my fourth day of cycling. On the first day I rode out to Amsterdam and back. It was just over 100km from my base in Utrecht and I was immediately impressed by just how easy it was to get around on bike: segregated cycle lanes ran parallel on both side of most main roads; crossings and intersections designed to give priority to cyclists, often changing to green as you approached. Truly I was in cycling heaven. The following day the wind had abated

and I decided to head south as far as Breda. This involved crossing three mighty rivers – the Lek, and the Boven-Merwede, after which I was in southern Netherlands proper, and finally the Bergsche Maas. In the Netherlands you’re never too far from a canal or river – and that means a bridge. Some of the bridges that cross the larger rivers are vast and provide one of the few opportunities for climbing and descending. Breda wasn’t terribly interesting and so I decided to loop in Leerdam, the home of holey Leerdammer cheese. The return leg involved a scenic cycle alongside the River Linge, and the discovery of the Dutch answer to Greggs – a bakery by the name of bakkerij bart. Refuelled I made my way back to Utrecht atop the Diefdijk which gave majestic view of the fertile farmlands and orchards that adorn this part of the country. Sadly, the fruits were just out of reach – guarded by ancient thatched farmhouses and unpleasant-looking dogs. By the time I’d made it back I had 195km in my legs. While God may have created the earth, it’s often said that the Dutch created the Netherlands. Reclaimed from the sea and drained by ditches and canals, the Dutch have battled with water over centuries to create the land that we see today. I was reminded of this fact on my next ride which took me down the Ijssel and past a number of remarkable monuments to the flood of February 1953. It was fittingly a stormy day and brooding clouds chased me up and down the river – eventually catching me at Krimpen just as I found a small bar where the local old boys made me feel about as welcome as a breached dyke. Along the riverside I came across an impressive monument of what appeared

Cresting the Col du Strop

to be a man loading sacks into a boat. I later learned the story that lay behind it: In the great flood of 1953 the mayor of Nieuwerkirk ordered the owner of the river

boat, “The Two Brothers” to use it to plug a hole in the failing Groenendijk. The plan worked, the town was saved and a monument to the bravery of Captain Arie Evegroen stands to this day. On my next longer ride, as I entered the second week of my stay, I decided to head north into Holland proper. There’s a vast channel of navigable water between Utrecht and Amsterdam – the Rijnkanaal. Along its bank is a wide and well-used cycle-path, popular with e-bikers, all dressed in everyday clothing. Along the canal floats huge barges full of aggregate, chemicals and all manner of goods. They go just a little slower than I tend to pedal, and I gradually passed one after the other on my spin towards the capital. On the outskirts of the city my route led over a vast bridge alongside a busy road. Most Dutch cycle-paths tend to follow main roads which can become a little tiring after a while, although the opportunity to grab a coffee and snacks at a petrol station or fast-food outlet is handy. After 50km I reached Pumerend – a new town with a steady flow of bendy buses leading to and from the capital. I headed west towards Alkmaar following a scenic canal. The roads were quieter, and I spotted signposts to places with Yorkshire names like t’Veld and t’Zand. One place intrigued me – Anna Paulowna, which marked my halfway point. It sounded more like the name of a beautiful Polish lady than a humble town in North Holland. The name, it transpired, was that of the Russian wife of King William II (the former Prince of Orange), the marriage forming a strategic alliance between the two countries. The land on which I was cycling had been drained and reclaimed from the morass in 1846 to Saving the town of Nieuwerkirk

… In the great flood of ❝ 1953 the mayor of Nieuwerkirk ordered the owner of the river boat, “The Two Brothers” to use it to plug a hole in the failing Groenendijk

❞

… The dyke on which I was ❝ cycling stretched on into an infinite point in the far horizon ❞

Arrivée153Autumn2021

The long and boring straight road Flevoland

make a 50km square polder, or parcel of reclaimed land. The King, just three years before his death, named the new territory after his wife. How touching. I pressed on a little further and reached the North Sea, and then cycled across it on a handy piece of highway infrastructure built aloft a vast dyke. To my left, across the water, were the West Frisian Islands. To my right, a large inland sea, the Amstelmeer that created a natural bay, around which I cycled, with the gentle breeze on my back. I saw large clusters of huge modern windmills and reflected on the fact that much of this land has been shaped by the wind as much as by the sea. Perhaps that explained the appearance of more trees which always form a welcome windbreak for cyclists. I headed further south until I reached another inland sea at Hoorn – the Markermeer, which links Amsterdam with the North Sea, and has another scenic cycle-route running alongside. After a few more waterside kilometres I turned inland, back to Pomerand closing my northern circuit, and retraced my tracks back to Utrecht. Along the Rhine Canal the suited and e-biked commuters

who had sped past me in the morning now dashed past me again on their way back home, little knowing or caring of the joys of tired legs and a day well spent in North Holland. The following day, the first of September, the winds had died down and it promised to be dry and fair. I thought I’d head east and explore Amersfoort where my son’s new job was based. There’s a main road all of the way there and a top class cycle-path runs beside it. Just before reaching Amersfoort I passed a sign announcing that I’d reached the Col Du Strop with an altitude of 4,000… centimetres! Nevertheless, and bridges aside, this was the first time I’d experienced a descent since arriving 10 days earlier. Amersfoort was a bustling and charming walled town and I soon spotted a welcoming café enabling me to sit and watch the townsfolk busying themselves in the market. Refreshed and caffeinated I continued my journey out through one of the medieval town gates in the direction of Appeldoorn. After passing through a few neat and spotlessly clean towns in some scenic farmland I entered an area that

reminded me a little of Epping Forest. Maybe it was the woods and the dead straight roads. There was a nice descent into Appeldoorn. It has the sort of air one finds in towns like Cheltenham with grand houses set well back from a wide treelined boulevard of a road. Nearby is the royal palace of Het Loo and I suspect much of the air of wellbeing derived from such near proximity to the ruling elite. Daventer, however, couldn’t have been more different. On the other side of the Ijssel I found a busy town with impatient cars jostling for position on the narrow roads. I took a quick look around the town centre, and then set out south-west on my return leg. This took me back through woodland and some rolling hills on winding roads. It was delightful. Above Arnhem I crested a wonderful hill which took me plunging down and into the beautiful Jansbeek Park. On route to Amersfoort I encountered a sign to the Pyramide van Austerlitz. The visitor centre was closed, but a welltrodden trail led me to a tower poking majestically through the treeline. Built in just 27 days in 1804 to keep Napoleon’s

business conference shortly after the trial was over, and the Scottish coat of arms was still proudly displayed on the wall behind the reception desk. Now I cycled past unawares and weary before re-joining the road that led back to Utrecht. It had been the longest day of the tour at 231km. On the final day, I headed once more to Gouda and Leerdam. The weather was back to wet and windy. My mission was simple: to stock up on large blocks of hard, yellow and seriously overpriced cheeses. I’d been resisting this moment from the start, but like all visitors to this flat and endearingly verdant land, I was duty bound to return with half-a-fridge’s worth of dairy gold. After slogging on past Gouda I decided

PHOTO © JEREMY BISHOP ON UNSPLASH

soldiers entertained, this 36-metre high earth and turf mound became a monument to Napoleon’s victory over the Russians and Austrians at the Battle of Austerlitz. Despite issues with subsidence, the monument was restored to former glory in time for the 200th anniversary. My longest ride of the tour was the following day – a 230km loop to the north east as far as Zwolle and around the youngest province in the Netherlands, Flevoland. First down the sleepy River Vecht still lost in morning mists before crossing the much larger body of water that separated Amsterdam from Almere – a new town that has been compared, understandably, to Milton Keynes. A dedicated cycle-route and bus-route took me to Almere where there were beach huts and sand, outdoor showers and assorted beach paraphernalia. From here one could see the skyline of Amsterdam on the distant shore, maybe 20km away. After sweeping around a headland the path straightens out – I mean, really straight, like a ruler’s edge. The dyke on which I was cycling stretched on into an infinite point in the far horizon. Occasionally I saw another cyclist, a runner, and an odd car or truck. On the right was water and marsh. Slowly, signs of Lelystad began to appear. And then I was there – another new town with an odd feeling to it. After 40km of riding along a straight dyke it was a welcome change. The next attraction was a nuclear power station, followed by a series of huge and idle wind turbines. They stretched along the straight concrete coast like oversized lampposts. Would I ever reach the end of this stretch I began to wonder? And then another vast bridge came into sight. I could hear the roar and rumble of trucks, and it sounded comforting after the solitude of the shoreline. The route passed through Kampen, where I skipped a vast McDonalds in favour of a garage shop (in true Audax tradition) and then on to Zwolle. Heading back towards Amsterdam and Utrecht, crossing into Gelderland, I spotted a bakery where I stocked up on tasty pastries. After Nunspeet I headed up into the woods (rising to 35 metres above sea level – the highest point of the ride!) and followed some narrow winding lanes to Ermelo. I passed the Camp of Zeist at Soesterberg, an old military base once used by the US Air Force, and the site of the trial of the Lockerbie bombing (1999-2002) when it became, temporarily, Scottish territory. I’d actually stayed in the Novapark (now Continental) hotel for a

to cut across country via a couple of ferries – first over the Ijssel to Ouderkerk on a small pedestrian ferry, and then over the mighty Lek at Schoonhoven where I jostled with some impatient motorists. It was late when I reached Leerdam. I bought literally the last piece of bread from a bakery that was closing for the day and chewed on it while wandering the cold, wet streets. Autumn was now definitely in the air and the light was fading in the broody sky. I turned my bike for one final time in the direction of Utrecht and enjoyed the feeling of being blown home with a saddlebag stuffed full of Dutch cheeses. What could be a more fitting ending to two weeks in the Netherlands?

BOOM TOWN… The beautiful 13th century city of Delft, once the capital of the then country of Holland. Back in the 17th century a large store of gunpowder exploded and destroyed many of the buildings – killing more than 100 citizens

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H G U O R

P E

D’S N LA T O SC

D N A

CENERY S ’ T E R ‘SEC

Arrivée153Autumn2021 Arrivée153Autumn2021

CAI RN GO RM

CA PE RS

Mark Hagger is lucky enough to live in the tranquil and rarely-travelled north-eastern corner of Scotland on the banks of Aberdeenshire’s River Dee, with the magnificent Cairngorm range – a biker’s paradise – as a backdrop. Here, the 75 year old solo rider describes three of his favourite rides around this rich land of castles and crags, royalty… and red squirrels

THESE DAYS I’m increasingly reluctant to travel far for Audax rides. And living in incomparable Cairngorm scenery, I don’t have to. I’d like to describe three of my favourite local routes, which I use several times a year. This summer these routes formed my last three RRTY rides. I decided after the last winter season that I’d stop my RRTY activity, since I was finding it increasingly hard to face up to the winter rides. ISLA-DEE LOOP 200K

On 15 August, 2020, I took my first long

ride since before the March lockdown. The forecast was good, though the night before the Beeb announced a light mist covering much of Scotland. It was warm enough though, with negligible wind. This route is exceptionally tranquil, with long stages on which scarcely one vehicle will be seen. It entails two classic hill climbs, both of which feature in Simon Warren’s “100 Best Hill Climbs” – the Cairn O’Mounth and the Cairnwell at Glenshee ski resort. It is the reverse of a route known to Audaxers from Angus as the Isla Loop, but it makes more sense for me to ride it

clockwise and to hit one of the two challenging hills with fresh legs rather than at the end of the day. That also means that on the final Deeside leg, the route is downhill, fast, and the overall average goes up and up. Glen Isla offers outstanding scenery, complete with a classic tower house castle and delightful vistas of river and hill. It is quite remote country with little traffic, so for me it is a summer ride. Distance 200km, climb 2,172, moving time nine hours and 23minutes. Departing at 7.45am, I headed through

WORDS & PICTURES MARK HAGGER

D MO UN TA IN

Gairnshiel Bridge

Strachan and up Kirsty’s Brae, scene of a fall on ice a few years ago when I broke a hip. No problem today except that it’s a very steep, short ramp. Then a run past Bogendreip, a name fond to Audax Ecosse and where I lived for two years while building a new house. The second sharp ascent was at the AA box, and by then I’d hardly seen a car. Unusually the Clachnaben car park was empty – just three cars there at this time. Then up the hardest brae after crossing the river Dye. Near the top I heard a lorry grinding up behind, and it sensibly

stopped and waited for me to get up the steepest part and round the corner before overtaking: a powerful logging lorry which explained the heavy engine sound. Ironically it stopped just after the next steep climb because its hydraulic lift had slipped off and was hanging over the side. I’m glad it hadn’t swiped me as it went past earlier! The 450m summit was reached at one hour and 15 minutes from home, which is a fair time for me. There were at least six cyclists heading down as I hauled myself up hill, all with every right so to be looking cheerful. A

check on Strava shows that my time to the summit was about twice that of the fastest! Though I stand at number 57, which seems ok for an old fart. Then it was on down the hill at a steady pace, burning a bit of expensive rubber, being now more focussed on safety than speed, and then into the misty Mearns. I reached Edzell for a coffee stop, enhanced by a large slice of carrot cake as a reward for summiting the Cairn. I headed down the rather lumpy back road to Kirriemuir with renewed enthusiasm. It was virtually traffic-free. Just www.audax.uk

Arrivée153Autumn2021

Auld Brig S Esk

before Memus I heard an urgent squeaking from a red squirrel which shot across the road less than a metre from my front wheel. Then round the golf course and up Glen Isla, with lunch stop at Peel Farm. After passing the large Lintrathen reservoir, built to supply Dundee in 1875, I had quick service for an unexciting cheese and tomato sandwich, followed by a supplementary coffee and cheese scone. Plenty of seating outside, in the company of a few pecking hens. Glen Isla is one of the bonniest road routes in these parts, with frequent sights of the burn and a gradual ascent into the Cairngorm plateau. Through Kirkton of Glen Isla, past the turn to Blacklunans, and a brief admiration of Forter Castle, then up the final Isla hill, before descent at Cray to cross the Water of Shee where I joined the A93. The last café before Glenshee, the Wee House, was able to provide a wee crunchy date slice with a cup of coffee to strengthen my will for the Glenshee ascent, though there were still a fair few lumpy kilometres to go. The second classic climb seemed at first easier than I had feared, but the last half kilometre was a real struggle, and I was glad to summit at 670m. Regretfully still no local authority signage of the summit for a selfie, as

promised two years ago. Then it was down the hill in the sunshine, under clear blue skies to the valley, maintaining a decent pace through to Dinnet. The pace is always good as the road courses downhill, apart from the few ups, through Scots pine woods, never far from sight and sound of the river Dee. Reaching Banchory I was still irritatingly short of 6km, since my actual route was slightly shorter than the Google Maps route between the control points specified, so I took a quick turn up over the Feugh Bridge until 3km was covered, which took me neatly to the toll house, and return to be sure of the 200km travelled. STONEHAVEN TO LINN O’DEE

On 4 September, 2020, it was back to the Dee valley on familiar roads. This route is actually my deep winter ride, so I should really not have been riding it in the warmth of late summer. It’s almost exactly 200km, and crosses only the Mounth range of hills near to the sea, so hillclimbing is minimized, though 1,676m are accumulated by the end of the day because of the gradual climb all the way to Braemar and beyond. Distance 200km, climb 1,676, moving time eight hours and 45 minutes.

Fraser’s Brig Glen Clunie

I was off at 7am over the Slug road to Stoney (Slug being Scots for “a narrow pass between hills”, and “Stoney” being the vernacular for Stonehaven). A quick loop past the station, and back to Banchory for a coffee and sandwich at home before heading up Deeside. The road was quiet both ways. The main excitement was a red squirrel nipping across the road as I neared the summit of Cairn Mon Earn, albeit that this sign of good luck was negated sadly later by a dead red stretched out near Crathie. At 240m the Cairn Mon Earn is not too challenging, with a steady ascent on either side, albeit quite long. The wind was picking up and the cloud cover thickened. I valued the intermittent shelter from trees and hills. I know every pothole on this section of the road, since for many years I’ve cycled up here most Wednesdays with a chain gang. It’s a fine route with a few gentle climbs, alongside the Dee and through woods of Scots pine and birch. The Brown Sugar cafe at Ballater was, by noon, filling up with lunch trade, so I took a takeaway to the bench by the riverside. Then it was up the south road to Crathie, slightly hillier than the road on the north side of the Dee, but very tranquil and through native pinewoods. The hill at Knock seemed less challenging today. I love the Scots pine forests, the hills on either side, the rivers and castles, including

View from Cairn o Mounth

Abergeldie, famous for nearly slipping into the river during the 2015 floods. Roadkill by now included two young deer, freshly killed since they were not yet smelling, a few pheasants, and another a red squirrel. Approaching Crathie there were several groups of Sassenachs walking with their dogs. Were they looking for errant royal golf balls or did they aspire to an illicit encounter with a royal corgi? Crathie itself was heaving with tourists, as I paused briefly to eat a banana and have a drink. After Crathie I joined the north road and headed up alongside the river to Braemar, crossing to the south side again at Invercauld. Then it was straight through Braemar and up the 50m rise beyond, with fine views up the upper Dee valley with

the high hills beyond. Then a rapid descent past the Mar Lodge Bridge and through Inverey. I paused for a photo of the Linn O’ Dee, then went on round the loop back to Braemar. I had coffee and cake at The Bothy Café then returned on the north road past Crathie and Ballater to Dinnet, initially in light rain though the roads were dry again after Crathie. The final stretch was the familiar South Deeside road to Potarch and then Banchory, though the GPS showed just under 200km, so I carried on over the Dee and turned round to be sure of 200km. It was a good day out, and not too challenging – about 11 hours out and back. My new Reilly bike, behaved well on its first long run.

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Arrivée153Autumn2021

DEE AND DON

I undertook this ride on 20 October, 2020. It’s a version of a route that I ran for a few years as an Audax a while ago, and I’ve done the route most years latterly. I love the climbs over the Strone/Parliament Hill and the Gairnshiel, after passing over my favourite Gairnshiel Bridge. An opportunity came between days of continuous rain, and it all looked like a reasonable day weather-wise. In the event I had to repeat the ride in early November when I found that I’d underestimated my score of Audaxes for the RRTY cycle, confused by the Covid interruption. Distance 200km, climb 1,871, moving time eight hours and 52minutes. I set off up the Dee valley on familiar roads, over the Potarch Bridge and on to the South Deeside Road. The sky was lightening as I left with battery lights on, but I did not really need the front light to see the road. I’d left before 7am, mainly to be sure to reduce time in the dark at the finish. At Ballater it was cold under the cloud cover, but the sun soon rose. Travelling due west my shadow stretched out in front on the road. The light on the hills was amazing for its clarity after two days of rain. The road past Knock Castle and Abergeldie was as bonnie as ever, and I saw a red squirrel near Glen Girnoch – my good luck sign. After eating a banana at Crathie I headed up to Braemar and through to the Linn O’Dee, which looked a bit more exciting than on my last visit, with more water flowing through from the recent rains. Back in Braemar I stopped in a different café from usual, but was too early for soup, so I had to make do with a sandwich and rock bun with my coffee. I set off back down the road to Crathie with a good turn of speed on the downhill run, delighting in the sunshine, river, pine woods and hills around. Turning left in Crathie road signs warned heavy vehicles: “Do not trust your satnav”. There was also the delightful sign of a humpback bridge with a picture of a truck stuck on it. Then it was up Parliament Hill and into the hills and up the Strone with its four false summits – the first challenging ascent. The views were stunning toward the Cairngorm massif, with bright sun and clear air. Then it was downhill to Gairnshiel Lodge and the superb hump-backed bridge over the River Gairn, then straight past the Ringing Stone (which makes musical notes when tapped with a stone) at the foot of the Shenval climb, and over for more glorious vistas of the Cairngorms.

Forests and trees Deeside

After the climb there was a fast descent to Donside. There was very little traffic on either section of road. Donside provides a rapid descent, past Candacraig, formerly home to Pamela Stephenson and Billy Connolly, and then past another superb bridge high over the Don beside the main road near Strathdon School.

Mar Lodge

I was soon at the Co-op in Bellabeg where I found a huge heavy fruit slice. I managed to eat half of it with a coffee on the picnic bench in the sunshine. So on down to Mossat, which I’d visited a few years ago to buy some red kilt socks from a man who’d made them with wool from his own sheep.

Travelling due west my ❝ shadow stretched out in front on the road. The light on the hills was amazing for its clarity after two days of rain...

❞

Over the Don I pedalled through Alford, admiring its statue of an Aberdeen Angus bull, and headed up the hill toward Tillyfourie. After Millbank I was less familiar with the route, and it seemed to go on a long way before I saw Sauchen in the distance and so could look forward to my right turn at Dunecht. Now I was again on

roads that I knew well, to Echt and then on to back roads across to Deeside. A final run on the North Deeside road was not too busy with commuter traffic. And I was home an hour or so before dark. It has turned out to be a lovely, fine day, warm in the sunshine between two long bouts of rain – and the roads were

calm and traffic free. The distance was almost exactly 200km, so no energy wasted. It was a good finish to my final RRTY – except that it turned out that I had another one to do! I would strongly recommend these three routes to any Audax visitor who fancies a staycation around these parts. And there are more!

Linn o’Dee

…I love the Scots ❝ pine forests, the hills on either side, the rivers and castles, including Abergeldie, famous for nearly slipping into the river during the 2015 floods.

❞

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WORDS & PICTURES KEVIN SMITH

The cycling gods conspired to ensure that Nottingham-based Kevin and Tracey Smith’s tandem LeJoG attempt would coincide with the worst weather of summer 2020. But despite chilling rain, pandemic, punctures, rogue tractors, midges and a dodgy lochside B&B, they made it. This is Kevin’s tale…

Double trouble O

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I’D BEEN MENTIONING my wish to take the tandem from Land’s End to John O’Groats to my wife, Tracey for a while, but she seemed strangely indifferent to the idea. So it was something of a surprise to learn that, behind my back, she’d registered us for a 2020 LeJoG calendar event. Apparently, according to the organiser, the last time someone did that, it rather back-fired! Clearly Tracey knew me better. I thought it was a fantastic gift. So, early in 2020, we began our planning and preparation, booked time off work and started upping the training miles. The challenge was to ride the length of Britain – a 1,402km route – in under 116 hours and 40 minutes. We began studying

maps and booking accommodation. Everything was sorted – and then Covid-19 kicked in, and eventually the whole event was cancelled. Then came the unlocking over July and August – so we resurrected our plans. We decided to ride it ourselves, over seven 200km rides. It would be a little longer than the timed event, but that was how we agreed we’d ride it. The logistics of getting a tandem one way to and from the finish were a headache, but I found I could arrange a van through my work. The van would be dropped off at our home for the ridiculous cost of £23 plus fuel! The remoteness of John

Kevin and Tracey broke their LeJoG attempt into seven main sections. These are their statistics: 1 Land’s End to Barnstaple 128-miles, 2,619m ascent 2 Barnstaple to Hereford 142-miles, 2,623m ascent 3 Hereford to Warrington 125-miles, 1736m ascent 4 Warrington to Carlisle 135-miles, 1,687m ascent 5 Carlisle to Inverbeg 127-miles, 1,486m ascent 6 Inverbeg to Inverness 137-miles, 2,972m ascent 7 Inverness to JOG 126-miles, 1,942m ascent 8 JOG to Wick 17-miles, 202m ascent

Just give me a sign… we arrived at Lands End to learn that, apparently, the famous sign is removed and replace daily to prevent theft – and it wasn’t there!

Bottled… luckily we had some bottled water left from the journey down, and would manage with this on day one

ou’re welcome… Our route took Y us out of Barnstaple and over Exmoor, requiring us to climb almost continuously for more than 25km, some of it very steep and very slow

O’Groats made a van at that end impossible, so we arranged a Hertz hire from Wick, 17 miles John O’Groats, back to Nottingham. We planned to travel as light as possible, and had put together packages to post to each of our planned B&B stops, which would include staples like chamois cream, natural energy products, salty snacks, energy drinks and recovery products. We also studied our route, picking out feed stops and evening food supplies, which we turned into daily route cards So, 24 July arrived, and so did our van as planned. We set off for Land’s End on a lovely, warm and sunny day. All was going so well – until we reached our B&B and discovered I’d not packed the water bottles. Plan B was to order some on Amazon and have them delivered next day to my daughter’s home in Barnstaple, where we planned to stop. Luckily we had some bottled water left from the journey down, and would manage with this on day one. On the morning of 25 July our epic journey began. We’d planned to be on the road for around 7.30am, and were soon heading the one mile to the start point. The weather had taken a complete dive – it was now cold, foggy and damp. We arrived at Lands End to find that,

apparently, the famous sign is removed and replaced daily to prevent theft – and it wasn’t there!

Day 1 Saturday 25 July

It was too cold to stand still for long, and we were raring to go. We stopped for a quick photo at St Michaels Mount, but the mist obscured the view. We stopped at Camborne for coffee and a snack. From here it was mostly quiet lanes to Truro, then on to Bodmin, where we stopped for lunch. We were soon on to the Tarka Trail all the way to Barnstaple – a disused railway listed as the longest closed-to-motorvehicles path in the UK. The weather brightened a little after being cold and wet all day. This was to be the theme of the week – cold, wet, and misty, which was a blow, especially after all the fantastic weather we’d had during lockdown. Tracey and I are both key workers and had worked right through lockdown. We arrived at our daughter’s in Barnstaple around 8pm, welcomed with open arms, given a lovely meal, then off to bed.

Day 2 Sunday 26 July

The weather was similar to the previous day before. Our route would take us out of Barnstaple and over Exmoor, requiring us

to climb almost continuously over 25km, some of it very steep and very slow going. The roads were narrow and broken in places, resulting in descending no quicker than ascending in some cases. On one particular very steep and narrow, wooded inclined bend, a large tractor with a contraption attached to its rear, had us off the tarmac and on to the soft stuff, I don’t know how we remained upright. Shortly afterwards, we punctured! This was partly my fault in tyre choice. We usually run 32mm Conti Gatorskin and latex tubes, the combo giving a good ride and fairly puncture proof. However, we run Vittoria Controls on our solo bikes, an excellent tyre for speed and resilience. We’d tested some 30s on the tandem and proved they were quicker with a plusher ride. So we opted for them. This was to our detriment with the rain washing so many flints on to the road. We punctured twice that day. We broke the ride at Dunster for coffee and snacks, made up some time and lunched at Burnham on Sea. The weather had dried a little, but it wasn’t warm and the roads were still wet. We got back to the bike to find another front puncture. Over the Severn Bridge we made our

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Canal knowledge… heading to Chorley along what we thought would have been a reasonably good-surfaced tow path, but wasn’t – we came off and took a longer but faster route on the road

way to a relative in Chepstow. This was intended to be a quick hello but we stayed longer than planned – not a good idea in hindsight with what was still left to pedal. We stopped at Monmouth to pick up food for the evening, knowing it would be late and our Airbnb had cooking facilities. We pressed on to Hereford but our stopover was very difficult to find, being at the end of a long dark, unlit lane, and arrived at around midnight. The owners were very nice, and came out to direct us in with torches. After a hot shower we sat on our bed eating an unappetising microwave meal with rice pudding to finish off, then slept, as best we could. This was the only stopover where our package never made it, in fact it had been returned and was waiting for us when we got home, where it was of no use!

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Day 3 Monday 27 July

Wet again, and we had to go off-route to get chamois cream. We didn’t want to risk it, and run out of the little we had with all the wet weather we were experiencing. So off into Hereford to find what we could. The journey to our morning stop at Clun, over a very hilly 40m, was followed by a lovey descent into Shrewsbury, where we picked up lunch which we ate in a bus shelter out of the rain. We eventually arrived at our night’s stay in Warrington. It was a lovely place, owned by a couple of cyclists. They really looked after us here, with food and wine provided. Not the normal service, they said, reserved only for endurance cyclists!

Day 4 Tuesday 28 July

We waved goodbye to our excellent hosts, Helen and Walter. It was windy with more showers. Heading to Chorley along what we thought would have been a reasonably good surfaced tow path, but wasn’t, we came off and took a longer but faster route on the road. The weather brightened slightly, but still not warm enough to remove the jackets and it was quite windy, making for slow progress. We picked up a sandwich from Subway, not our normal food source, but needs must, and sat by the canal in Lancaster in what little sunshine we were experiencing, the extraordinary long Subway, actually tasted okay and hit the spot. We pressed on to Carlisle and Westlinton, to our overnight farm stay. Descending into Morcambe Bay, we had a rear blow out at speed. The side wall had worn on the rim. Fortunately, I’d taken a spare folder, so with that replaced, we continued on over Shap. We were very tired on arrival at Mount Farm, but a warm welcome was waiting from Marg, our host. In fact we are staying with her again this year when we ride Hadrians Wall and back via the Rievers Way. A lovely location and

fantastic service, the breakfast was the best we had. While at Marg’s, we agreed we’d had enough punctures so new tyres were on the shopping list. The modern hi-tech world really does come in handy at times. We trawled the shops looking for what I knew and trusted. Evans was our best option, in Glasgow and not too far off route. They closed at 6pm and we had a good 150km to ride before they closed.

Day 5 29 July

We decided to ride hard and take a quick break every 25km. It worked. We used the cycle path to navigate Glasgow, and arrived at Evans with about 20 minutes spare. Now with two Conti Gatorskins attached to our rear rack, we grabbed some food and sat in the city square with pasta, chicken and more rice pudding and some gluten free coconut things, in the cool, late afternoon sun, and polished it off.

Our overnight stay was at Inverbeg, but there was no food available and nothing open anywhere. We already knew this and planned to stop at the McDonalds in Alexandria. This was where we encountered Scotland’s midges. With the rules dictating outside seating only, we didn’t hang around, but ate up and pushed on to our B&B. The B&B on the banks of Loch Lomond was a very nice place indeed and in a prime location, and double the price of the others we’d booked. And I can safely say it was about half as good. It started with being told not to put the bathroom light on as it “annoys the bloke next door”, then the breakfast was a very poor self-service offering of packaged goods. The price certainly didn’t reflect the service. I got attacked by midges unloading the panniers and replacing the tyres, just to finish the day off!

Day 6 30 July

We left Inverbeg, bound for Inverness, some 220km away. It was raining again and cold with it. Our day card told us there was a place to stop at Tyndrum for a morning break. At 41km in, we found a lovely little place in the sun, as the weather had improved. We were in the Glencoe range now and it was very wet and cold, especially considering it was peak summer time. The views were obscured by mist and low cloud, but the lively riding made up for it a

little. We stopped at Glencoe for coffee and to warm our bones, as we were getting quite cold. Our main stop for the day was Fort William, and we wasted a little time finding somewhere to eat. We settled on a chip shop. This meal goes down in history. We both had sausage and chips, and I opted for the black pudding version. When it arrived, we both wondered how the hell to deal with it. Tracey’s came with two, foot long versions, while mine was a single foot long battered black pudding. It took some getting through. We eventually got back on the bike, though somewhat heavier, and started for Fort Augustus, via Luss and the Caledonian Canal. It was raining quite considerably and we called in for respite from the rain and cold, for a hot drink. Whenever we stopped the midges arrived within seconds. It was quite unpleasant. At one point we rode past some walkers setting up camp. With the rain and

Braking bad… It was raining quite considerably and we called in for respite from the rain and cold, for a hot drink.

Success in sight… the sun shines in Scotland as we near the end of the journey

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midges, it made us feel fortunate we were heading for a warm dry room! Rather than the more scenic Old Military Road in the mist and rain, we opted for the main road, a busier, longer, but faster, and less wet route. There are dreadful stories around about this stretch, but to be honest, it wasn’t bad. As we neared Inverness, we stopped to pick up a steak each for cooking at the Airbnb. I think we even managed a pudding that night too! It was probably rice pudding.

Day 7 31 July

The weather was in stark contrast to the rest of the week on our final day. It was warm – warm enough to remove jackets and exchange our autumn jerseys for summer ones, the first time these had seen daylight! Our first stop was at Alness for coffee and sandwiches. It was nice now, just as summer should be. We sat on a bench in the sun and off we went, not quite aware what we were about to achieve. Lunch was at a lovely little place in Golspie, the Coffee Bothy, where Tracey had a tuna and cheese toastie while I sampled the haggis version. Feeling suitably fuelled we headed for Lybster. Our target that day was John O’ Groats. It was a fast ride from Wick to John O’ Groats. We took the photo and helped a couple of chaps who were there with their Tesla, attempting a one-charge journey record to Lands End. Then we made our way to our Airbnb for a takeaway and a glass of wine to celebrate.

We took the photo ❝ and helped a couple of chaps who were there with their electric Tesla, attempting a one-charge journey record to Lands End

❞

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Day 8 1 August

A short 17 miles was all we needed this morning – to get to Wick before midday when Hertz closed. It was a nice drive. We stopped at the Coffee Bothy at Golspie for lunch and were home in Nottingham by around 9pm. Tracey and I have ridden bikes for years. I’ve raced road, CX and MTB for quite some time, but only ridden a tandem for the last five years. I’ve ridden PBP and many Audaxes too. And we completed a tandem RRTY last year. This ride was our first proper multi-day ride. In hindsight, it would have been nice to spend more time and see more of the places we rode through. The weather was not on our side, we mostly had our heads down, pedalling to the next place on the list. But from a challenge ride point of view, we do feel quite pleased. It is quite surprising just how far you can get on a bike!

he absolute end… T no recharging required for Tracey and Kevin!

CTC (We are Cycling) riders at Wrexham Cathedral

In June this year, Dave Matthews joined many other cyclists on a number of jaunts around the cathedrals of England and Wales as part of a new cycling challenge – the Bike Week Pilgrimages. This is his report on a couple of the intriguing spire-to-spire routes…

Dreaming Spires A pilgrim’s progress around a cathedral cycling circuit

WORDS & PICTURES DAVE MATTHEWS

THESE GENERALLY pleasant rides were tinged with sadness, for me at least – as I had to say farewell not only to a favourite bike, which finally gave up the ghost on the first ride, but also a much-loved “cathedral” of cafes, which has closed its doors after 90 years.

RIDE ONE Lichfield Cathedral to Chester Cathedral – 122km

It’s important to check wind forecasts before these one-way rides to determine

the best direction of travel. One week before my ride, the wind was forecast to be firmly in the west, so I booked my bike train tickets to return from Lichfield to Chester. Over the next two days the wind forecast veered to be solidly south-east which would have given me a bang-on head wind the whole way! So I went back to Chester Station and changed the tickets to Chester-Lichfield. The lady at the ticket counter was intrigued by my explanation for change and graciously waived the alteration fee. Thank you, Avanti trains.

The 7.30am train from Chester, via Crewe, dropped me off in Lichfield at 9am on Tuesday 1 June. I then had a noisy, traffic-filled ride for two kilometres to the cathedral where I paused for picture proof of the start. My first objective was Penkridge, some 25km distant. The initial route along NCR 54 was through pleasant, secluded lanes. But this didn’t last. After 10km I found myself in

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changer. Following intensive investigation, I came to the reluctant conclusion that the frame was finally coming apart at the seams. So after many adventures and thousands of miles, the frame was ignominiously stripped of all parts and laid to rest in my garage loft.

RIDE TWO Chester Cathedral to Wrexham Cathedral to St Asaph Cathedral to Rhyl – 97km

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Dave Matthews at Chester Cathedral

a built-up area with very busy roads. This town turned out to be Chase Terrace – soon followed by Heath Hayes and Hednesford. All very unpleasant cycling, often along fast main roads. Once in Heath Hayes a long climb started up through the houses to Pye Green and the start of Cannock Chase. Relief at last. Shortly I turned left and descended for two miles straight to Penkridge, which gives an indication of the climbing necessary to get on to the Chase. Once in Penkridge, my route to Chester was rural and obvious. Through Bradley and Broadheath to Eccleshall, then back on familiar territory to Audlem via Loggerheads. It was a hot day, but I stoked up on flapjacks and drank a large mug of tea at the Audlem Deli, and then hammered it as fast as possible to Chester Cathedral. I took another picture for proof of passage after the 7.5 hours ride from Lichfield. All good riding except for the urban section before Penkridge – but overall a worthy day out. I rode this leg on my ”Rider” bike – a beautiful Columbus steel bike with Colnago-style crimped tubing which I bought as a second-hand race frame for £100 from Graham Weigh in August 1996.

It’s always been my favourite bike, and a long-suffering, loyal servant. On this ride, I kept hearing ominous creaks from the frame, especially when I used the front

I kept hearing ❝ ominous creaks from the frame, especially when I used the front changer. Following intensive investigation, I came to the reluctant conclusion that the frame was finally coming apart at the seams

❞

Chester & North Wales CTC had organised a Cathedral Ride from Wrexham to St Asaph as a club run on Saturday 5 June. This gave me the chance to piggy-back the connection by riding from Chester Cathedral to Wrexham to join the club ride at Gwersyllt on the outskirts of the city. I would eventually leave the club ride at St Asaph, continue to Rhyl and take the train back home. I left Chester Cathedral on my hastily rebuilt titanium bike at 7.15am to meet the Wrexham riders at Gwersyllt café at 8.45am. From here we rode to Wrexham Cathedral, which I now realise is the Catholic cathedral and not the grander St Giles Church in the centre of Town. The route now became rather complicated as it seemed that most of our group were to peel off at different points and times during the day. It was a very hilly route – far tougher than the normal cathedral route expectation. After many ups and downs, we arrived at the Horseshoe Pass roundabout above Llandegla, and then ducked into the back lanes, past the gliding club to avoid the traffic-clogged main roads. After a few

It was a very ❝ sad day indeed when the Eureka Café closed its doors in June after 90 years – 36 of which covered my own visits to this ‘cathedral café’

❞

The Eureka Audax circa 2014

Anne Peek on the last day at the Eureka Cáfe

kilometres we turned off down a horrific steep, narrow and gravelly descent to the A525. Once in Ruthin we all grabbed a quick sandwich, then set off on a relatively level route to St Asaph Cathedral. Beyond here we split up to head for various destinations. I followed the cycle paths to Rhyl Station from where I returned to Chester for a good long rest.

RIDE THREE Eureka Café

Finally, a pilgrimage of a different sort. It was a very sad day indeed when the Eureka Café closed its doors in June after 90 years – 36 of which covered my own visits to this “cathedral café”. The café, on Parkgate Road, Chester, has been a firm favourite with cyclists, not only from Merseyside, but all over the country. Anne and Keith Peek, who’ve run the café for the last 17 years, announced their decision to retire on their Facebook page. So, it’s a big thanks to them for their dedication to the cycling community in general, and for their hosting of many AUK and CTC events.

Lincoln Cathedral

● Editor’s note: Arrivée understands that new owners for the Eureka Café are being sought, and local cyclists are hopeful the café’s cycling traditions will continue.

The Cathedral Challenge The Cathedrals Cycle Route Challenge was launched in Bike Week 2021 – an annual awareness-raising event to celebrate cycling, organised by Cycling UK. The challenge is the result of a partnership between Cycling UK, the British Pilgrimage Trust, Sustrans and the Association of English Cathedrals. It consists of a route of almost 2,000 miles across England and Wales, linking 42 cathedrals. The official, continuous route starts and finishes in Newcastleon-Tyne, the most northerly cathedral, and wends its way around the country. The routes are available on the website, but experienced cyclists will most likely modify the route to meet their own, preferred cycling style. One big advantage of joining the challenge is that cathedrals tend to be close to railway stations, which allows for a wide range of focused, train-assist bike rides. More information is available at: www.cyclinguk.org/cathedrals-cycleroute-challenge 31

OUTOF

AFRICA

WORDS & PICTURES MARTIN PHILPOT

As Martin Philpot waited in a Namibian airport for a flight home, his African adventure brought to an abrupt end by the spread of a deadly global virus, he made a vow to return. He’d experienced the wonder of Africa – the unforgettable landscapes, the poverty and social unrest, friendliness and hostility, and, of course, close encounters with the wildlife… and he was smitten. This is his tale of a remarkable crosscontinental bike ride from Cairo to Cape Town – well, almost…

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VIRUS CURTAILS A RIDER’S DREAM ADVENTURE

I SET OFF FROM CAIRO, heading for Cape Town, in January 2019. There was a realistic chance I wouldn’t make it in one hit, but decided to see how far I could get, and just follow my instincts. Mostly I just wanted to be on the road, on an adventure. Sometimes you can over-prepare for such trips. You just have to cover the basics, like visas, inoculations, money and tools and spares – then get on with it and sort things out as they happen. I headed south through the Cairo suburbs and picked up the Nile which would take me pretty much all the way to Khartoum in Sudan where the river forks into two – the Blue and the White. The road took me through densely populated, fume-filled settlements, and I soon found I’d picked up a police escort for “security”. They weren’t too bother, except for their

insistence on no camping. Hotels were ridiculously cheap and adequate. Not long on the road I met three other cyclists heading south – Ewaut from Belgium and two Australian women, Jude and Astrid, who were heading home via Cape Town! Incredibly I’d met Jude and Astrid just the previous year at the Cycle Touring Festival in Clitheroe. Egypt’s historical sites were generally deserted. In addition to the well-known pyramids at Giza, the Valley of the Kings and Karnak, we also came across many lesser known, but truly stunning gems. Some of these sites included amazing wall paintings and hieroglyphics, often left open to the elements. My lasting impression was of a country saturated in priceless relics with limited resources to protect and preserve them. Some sites had been deliberately left only part-excavated

– who knows how many Tutankhamun tombs there are still to be discovered? By Luxor the police had given up on us and we camped on the west shore overlooking the city. We cycled to the Valley of the Kings nearby and locked our bikes up behind the entrance gate. We practically had the place to ourselves – a unique and magical day. The next day we explored the Temple of Karnak and in the late afternoon chartered a Felucca (traditional wooden sailing boat) for $10 and sailed the Nile as the sun set. From Aswan we caught the overnight ferry to Wadi Halfa and into Sudan. From the boat we spotted the famous temple of Abu Simbel, saved from the area flooded by the Aswan Dam project and relocated at a higher elevation.

Martin Philpot is a 66 year old cyclist, based in Norwich. He’s completed numerous cycle tours on almost every continent, including trips to Norway, Iceland, Russia, North Africa, Italy, Turkey, and South America, and has ridden coast-to-coast across both the USA and Australia and undertaken a journey across Asia’s Silk Road. He completed Land’s End to John O’Groats in 1999 – and plans to do it again this year, though this time he will cycle to Land’s End from Norwich, and after reaching John O’Groats will then cycle back home to Norfolk. “A friend suggested I also include the four cardinal points in the ride – Lizard Point, Dunnet Head, Lowestoft Ness and Ardnamurchan Point – so I’ll probably do that too,” he says. You may ask how Martin is able to devote so much time to long-distance cycling across the globe which takes him from home, sometimes for many months. “I have a very understanding wife,” he adds.

My lasting impression ❝ was of a country saturated in priceless relics with limited resources to protect and preserve them

❞

Setting off on the Agricultural Road out of Cairo, Egypt

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n the way to the O Valley of the Kings

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C offee stop in Egypt

Arriving in Sudan we were immediately on a very remote road, newly laid by the Chinese, stretching out across the Sahara. Traffic was sparse with the odd truck and bus but not much else. The lack of water was a big issue, as was the heat, which hit 48 degrees in the middle of the day. Finding shade was a challenge and we really stepped up as a team, being positively supportive of each other, both physically and mentally. The days soon shaped into familiar routines. Camping in the desert was magical, the starlit sky mesmerising. The ritual of setting up camp started at around 4pm as we stopped and picked up firewood if and when we spotted it along the road. As the sun got to a hand’s width at arm’s length from the horizon, (quirky but accurate measurement of 40 minutes to sunset!) we started looking for a safe place to pitch our tents – maybe a rocky outcrop, a deserted building, or a large sand dune to hide behind. We didn’t want our tents or campfire to be seen from the road, attracting unwanted attention. It usually involved pushing our bikes through deep sand for half a mile or so.

Astrid had read about a particular group of pyramids well off the main track – a six-day detour into an even more remote part of the desert and we decided to go for it. We were not disappointed. Visiting Karima was an exceptional experience. We camped among the hauntingly strange Nubian pyramids (fact: there are more pyramids in Sudan than Egypt). That night I had an acute awareness of the rewards of cycle touring and why I do it. These are the jewels, the rewards of daring to venture out. Cruel winds coming at us from slightly left of head-on resulted in the four of us cycle-shielding like geese in flight! The

road was empty and each of us spent five kilometres at the front at a time, with the reward of a slightly easier 15kms. There was civil unrest in Khartoum. We steered well clear. My souvenir from Khartoum is an empty teargas canister! We joined the queues for bread but were pushed to the front by friendly locals. One afternoon we discovered the frigate which Lord Kitchener, in 1898, had sailed along the Nile to quell an uprising and avenge Gordon of Khartoum’s slaughter. The dilapidated wreck was marooned in the grounds of the Khartoum Sailing Club – a highly recommended place to camp. We took a less-trodden route into northern Ethiopia, meeting a rather confused Tigrayan border police chief who wanted to know why Astrid and Jude were not at home looking after their children. On hearing neither had children he commiserated with me, assuming I was Astrid’s husband, and wished me “many sons”. I’m convinced we’d have been stopped at the border, possibly arrested, if he’d known the truth – Astrid and Jude were a gay couple and we’d all been skinny-dipping together just the night before!

Nubian pyramids at Karima, Sudan

Sailing on the Nile

More historical sites in Axum in northern Tigray waylaid us further and this time I decided to head south alone. Astrid and Jude had all year to spend in Africa and our planned routes took us in different directions. Ewaut also headed off solo and our farewells were emotional. I headed south for Addis Ababa, and on my way climbed the mountains at

Megab up to the remote churches aloft. I lied to the guide about my rock-climbing experience and soon found myself roping on a harness and climbing a rock face bare footed. The adrenalin flowed and the buzz is still with me! My next significant milestone was Lalibela and the labyrinth of underground, rock-hewn churches. Both the churches in Megab and Lalibela represent contrasting ways the early Christians attempted to hide their places of worship from the invading Muslims from the north east. I can’t write about cycling in Ethiopia without mentioning the reputation of the stone-throwing youths. I came out relatively unscathed, unlike poor Ewaut who, I heard, had a rock hurled at him and needed his head stitched at a local clinic. By the time I got to Addis Ababa after three months on the road I was tired and not in the best physical state. I was on my second course of antibiotics for a chest infection – maybe caused by the car fumes in Egypt. And I had an adverse reaction to my anti-malaria drugs, and of course the usual gastro issues which can affect all travellers. My options were to rest, recuperate and carry on or return to the UK. So, back I came. Nine months later I returned to Addis Ababa to continue my journey south – oh the joys and freedoms of retirement! My plan this time was not to get too distracted and make it to Cape Town within six months. Heading south from Addis I stuck

to the main road through busy and bustling towns. People were generally friendly but the youngsters persisted in seeing a cyclist as a legitimate excuse for target practice. One particularly good shot whacked me hard on my collarbone – but many other days were filled with smiling, friendly people. I tried to convince myself that it was all a matter of balance, but I was looking forward to reaching the Kenyan border and more civilized youngsters. Two days from the Kenyan border, a large crowd of people suddenly came charging down the road towards me. They filled the road and there was no way through. They carried large plastic bottles filled with stones and were rattling them above their heads as they yelled and charged. What the hell was going on? As they got closer I was relieved to see they were laughing and smiling. A massive cloud of locusts swooped, clattering into the road and pinging off me and my rotating wheels, the cloud soared high again and then down into the bush. The crowd swerved off into the bush after them, still yelling and shaking their ingeniously conceived plastic rattles. Thousands of dead and dying locusts littered the road and I could now see clouds of them everywhere. I continued scrunching onwards, still not completely sure what was going on. Northern Kenya was vast and arid. Dusty remote villages dotted the road and

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Washed out roads in Tanzania

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Crossing the Equator, northern Kenya

nomadic herdsmen and their cattle wandered the plains. It was common to be beckoned and chased for water, but not aggressively. I would carry a spare litre to hand over but it was never enough. Police stations and schools were always good places to camp and there was usually water available for washing. I found this an option in most of Africa. Nairobi was a repeat of Addis Ababa with fume-choking and congested roads, extreme poverty in shanty towns and desperately poor people. I had no interest in hanging around – and skirted the capital in a day.

maize, was always available, as was corn, rice, beans and eggs. Bananas and chapatti flat bread were staples too. My stash of teabags and powdered milk lasted well – and of course my Vegemite was precious. I also had a container of ground coriander, cumin and garam masala, plus chilli flakes. These basic spices fried with tomatoes made a good curry base and added to whatever vegetables were available, and made a reasonable meal. Arriving in Tanzania I stayed with the only There was not Warmshowers host of the always the option Kenyan locals enjoy a drink whole trip. Downtown of camping in the Arusha had some shops for the more urban areas and tourist market and my chance of a it was easy to find a guest decent coffee. I stocked up at the house for around $10 as long European-style supermarket before as you didn’t expect too much. I wouldn’t setting off on a very wet 500km to the normally trust the sheets or pillows and capital Dodoma. It was the rainy season slept in my sleeping bag. I’d use my own and some roads were washed away. The mosquito net and quite often would pitch flooded plains resulted in cattle being my inner tent on the bed. My freeherded on to what was left of the roads – standing MSR Hubba Hubba was perfect and some interesting encounters! for this. As far as capitals and big cities go, I I usually risked the local food but stuck enjoyed Dodoma the most; no high rises, to a vegetarian diet. Ugali, a mashed

Matthew and Simon at the finish in Trafalgar Square

Cool camping in Botswana www.audax.uk

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Crocodile on the banks of the Zambezi

spotless streets, friendly people and great street food. The only downside was catching a local in my hotel room going through my bags! Back on the road I encountered many wild animals roaming the countryside, including wildebeest, zebra and giraffes. Monkeys were abundant mostly among the rocks and trees along the mountain roads. There would be a stiff climb or two most days and the struggle up some was made more of a challenge by the state of the road. Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, was another heavily populated city and I paid the price of going too cheap with the accommodation. The hostel was recommended on WhatsApp by other cycle tourists and I learned the lesson not to assume that we all have the same priorities. Price isn’t the only factor when choosing accommodation, and mice and cockroaches are not welcome bedfellows! As always, I felt elated to leave the city and head for the countryside. Riding with the local charcoal-carrying cyclists was entertaining as they pulled away from me going uphill and I overtook them on the downhills. Roads were poor in Zambia and foot-deep potholes and ruts and groves shaped by the heavy trucks made the going difficult. Approaching from behind, these trucks would sound their horn to let you know you had about 20 seconds to live unless you got off the road. My mirror saved me on many occasions. I took four days off in Livingstone to explore the Victoria Falls and the mighty Zambezi. The falls were thunderous as a

result of the heavy rains and I was glad to have donned my full set of waterproofs as I followed the paths through the spray. A local boat tour on the Zambezi took me up close to elephants, hippos and crocodiles. Giraffes were numerous in the countryside, as were antelopes and zebras. Botswana and the appropriately named Elephant Highway lived up to its name. For this next stage I met up with Jonas, a German cyclist who’d been about four days behind me since Ethiopia. This had been a big advantage for him because I’d been keeping him up-to-date via WhatsApp with the road ahead and

Camping in Ethiopia

camping\resources options. We both thought it sensible to cycle the next 1,000 km together because of the lions and elephants. Just the week before we’d heard that a local farmer had been killed by a lion. The creature had attacked the farmer’s herd and he’d managed to shoot and wound the poor beast. As the farmer tracked the wounded lion it pounced on him and killed him. We had a few close encounters with elephants along the road including some adrenalin-fuelled dashes past them, and one comical encounter with a pair of elephants in the road. I pedalled towards

them pumping my kiddies’ air horn – the pair were terrified and ran for cover. When camping we always looked for some kind of protection along this stretch, and one night camped inside a compound surrounding a communication mast. Other nights we took advantage of some amazing safari lodges and enjoyed facilities like swimming pools, hot showers and flush toilets. Many had watering holes where animals would drink at dusk. One particular night a group of elephants walked between our two tents which were less than four metres apart! The following day luck was still on our side when we startled a female lion next to the road. I hadn’t seen her until we were alongside, and luckily for us she ran away. Torrential rain pelted us on and off for days but the upside was that we had a tailwind and averaged well over 150km each day. We’d been following the news about a new Chinese virus but thought we would not be affected by it. However, crossing the border into Namibia we had our temperatures taken and signed a form saying we had not been to China recently. A few nights later we were camping next to an old railway carriage being used as a shop, 30km from the capital, Windhoek. The shopkeeper was surprised to see us, and told us that things were getting critical regarding the virus. We tuned in to the local news to hear

that the borders with South Africa had just been closed. That was just 10 days away – damn and blast. The night before we didn’t have a care in the world, sitting around a campfire, eating hamburgers, drinking beer and dreaming of Cape Town. Now we were confronted with the stark reality of an abandoned trip. Windhoek airport was just 20 km away and as we rode there I texted my son in the UK asking him to check out flights back to the UK. Incredibly there was one seat left on the only flight out that day and instinctively he booked it. Arriving at the airport we joined the throngs of tourists trying to book flights. Jonas tried to get on the same flight as me but it was fully

booked. I had a twinge of guilt, but luckily he got a flight to Athens and was confident in finding another flight from there. I boarded the flight to Heathrow, ironically via Johannesburg, and was incredulous. A moment ago, I was just 30 days from achieving a two-year ambition of reaching the southern tip of this mighty continent, and there I was sitting on a plane destined for Blighty. When I set off from Cairo, I had a fairly relaxed approach towards reaching Cape Town – a let’s-see-how-it-goes attitude. On that flight back I swore to myself that I’d return to that very railway carriage east of Windhoek, and continue my journey south – one day, for sure.

enjoying tailwinds in Botswana www.audax.uk

Loitering

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Lake Vättern

With a surface area of 738 square miles, Lake Vättern is one of Europe’s largest bodies of water. The Swedish lake, which is more like an inland sea, is the venue for an annual event, the Vätternrundan, the world’s biggest recreational cycle ride. In 2010, County Durhambased Audaxer, Dave Sharp, joined thousands of others to tackle the 315km route around the lake in a glorious northern summer… but first he had to get there!

IT HAD LONG BEEN an ambition of mine to take part in the Vätternrundan. The first event took place in 1966 with around 300 riders. These days the ride attracts more than 20,000 cyclists worldwide, and the demand for entry is exceedingly high. My opportunity to ride the event finally occurred in 2010. It’s a shame I didn’t manage to do it earlier, as there used to be a direct ferry from North Shields to Gothenburg – the ferry terminal being just a short ride from my home in Seaham, County Durham. Instead, after putting in my online application in 2009, I spent much time trying to work out a route to the starting point in Motala, southern Sweden. This was considerably more testing, involving a train from Durham to Stevenage, from where I would have to cycle to Harwich on the east coast to catch the ferry to Esbjerg in Denmark. Then I’d have to cycle across Denmark to catch a ferry from Grenaa to Varberg in Sweden before cycling 180 miles to Motala on the shores of Lake Vättern. At least on the return journey I’d have the welcome sight of my family, waiting to drive me back home. I’d been using a Moulton for Audax rides for a while, the full suspension helping to reduce the various aches and

pains. The TSR model has good luggage capacity and as I would be camping, I used a trailer as well to make packing easier. So what were the good bits? I’ll always remember that stream of red bike lights stretching out as far the eye could see as we prepared to set off at 9.21pm in the dusk of the Saturday evening. Chatting to another participant, I asked about his different coloured number and found out that he was one of the riders who had taken part in every event since it started. Seeing another cyclist on a On the way through shopper bike, serenading with Sweden,uswith allmusic my gear

WORDS & PICTURES DAVE SHARP

in a land of lakes The campsite at Jonkoping, at the South end of Lake Vattern. It was very quiet when I stopped there on the way to Motala as the full holiday season had not yet started. Much busier when I stayed there again on the way back, thanks to a local dog show

from a large radio in a wicker handlebar basket, was also a highlight. Finishing the ride with no accidents or incidents, alongside a steady stream of tired but happy cyclists was definitely a bonus, as was the beautiful scenery and historic towns and villages on the journey from Varberg to Motala and back. I also enjoyed an easy few days at Esbjerg before the ferry home, seeing the sights and

Tired but happy to arrive at the finish line back in Motala

making some short trips on the bike. And the not so good? For starters, my pre-ride neighbours at the Motala campsite, whose idea of preparation was to party into the early hours. They were strangely quiet on the evening of the ride itself, though. I also had a restless night on Grenaa station. I was certainly tired enough to sleep after arriving on the ferry at

midnight. Unfortunately it was graduation party time for the local high school kids and the party venue was nearby. In between that, the compressor on the train waiting for the early morning return journey burst into noisy life every 23 minutes. The homeless guy who emerged from the station toilets in the morning recommended them as a quieter, warmer option (underfloor heating, apparently). I didn’t take up his offer of a swig of vodka for breakfast, though.

The Vätternrundan 2021

Some minor roads in Sweden are gravel surface, luckily I had gone for touring tyres on the bike.

Due to the continued effects of Covid-19, this year’s event has been moved from June to September in the hope that many of the local restrictions will have been lifted – but if the attraction of fabulous Nordic scenery appeals, it’s best to move quickly to get your online application in. The ride attracts thousands of cycling enthusiasts, not only from Sweden but from around the world. More information is available at https://vatternrundan.se

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Essex-based Tom Deakins began 2020 with a plate of dodgy oysters – and things didn’t get much better. This is his personal diary of a pestilential year – and how he managed to salvage something from a Covid-wrecked cycling season

MY YEAR GOT OFF to a bad start, even before we’d heard much about the virus. On an event in January several of us were laid low by a stomach bug after sampling what should have been Essex’s finest seafood fare. I’d greedily snaffled oysters from the vegans, vegetarians, the squeamish and the cautious, sloshed on the tabasco and lemon juice and thought yum! Twenty-four hours later I was sweating and feeling very unwell. I recovered, but others suffered worse. In February, the final ride in the ACME Winter Series, the Knights Templar and Compasses, passed off without incident in reasonable weather, then Brazier’s Run 100km was ridden in atrociously wet conditions, with a very small field mad enough to venture out. Next it was off to Aylesbury for the Chiltern Grit 100km, extended to 200km by riding home

From suspicious seafood to radiant rainbows… a year to remember (or forget?) afterwards. By the time my Horsepower 100 and 200km came round in mid-March, there was talk of a lockdown and the likelihood of events being modified, or even cancelled. We also rode a fundraiser – with just enough hand sanitiser to go round. We did things differently this year. There was also something called “social distancing”. Then lockdown happened, and things got really weird. Most obviously, there were hardly any cars on the road – brilliant! Also, work hardly changed for me. I’m a gardener for two or three days a week and my clients were happy for me to continue – though there were to be no cosy cuppas in the kitchen. I had time in my studio for my art work, which also kept me busy. But the “new normal”, as everyone called it, soon had me bored. As the warm and dry spring progressed, I realised more riders were out and about for longer than the one hour originally recommended.

Boris Johnson said we could go for a bike ride, so I did. I started riding my 200km permanent routes, beginning with Boudicca’s Revenge, carrying a day’s supply of food and drink, replenishing fluids at churchyard taps, with just the odd shop visit. I was so concerned to keep out of the way that, for the first few rides, I hid behind a hedge to eat. Some villages in our corner of Essex, popular with tourists, had taped off their benches on village greens and put up “Go Home” signs. I had visions of angry villagers with pitchforks and flaming torches. I survived a couple of long days out without being lynched or reported to the Covid police, and I started to relax and enjoy the ride. I rode several variants of familiar routes, cutting corners or adding in extra loops and had a lot of fun, usually clocking up around 200km. This kept me occupied until things began to ease after mid-summer. I did all these rides and on

❝

… I took a couple of days off to ride a bivvying tour of Essex one weekend in August, when the heatwave was at its peak

❞

Perfect bivvy spot

“Poppy”, my 70 year old Parkes Lightweight, on which I’d ridden PBP in 2019. Our Mid-Essex Mid-Week Nocturnal Series – evening pub rides, usually more pub than ride, had moved on to Zoom in the first wave of the virus. They featured social chat, a quiz and other silliness, plus a beer or two in the comfort of our own homes. But as summer came around, I was beginning to get rather quizzed-out. In June I joined Jan Swanwick and Mick Gray to ride the Windmill 200km route, a day after the cancelled event should have happened. On Saffron Walden Common we met a group of Audax Club Hackney riders doing the Straight Outta Hackney route. Ex-racer Mick set the pace for much of the day, so we romped round in a good time. In early July, when the Dunwich Dynamo would have taken place, I rode the route from home to Aldeburgh on the Suffolk coast and back. At 144 miles it was my longest ride of

the year so far. All the summer rides were warm and dry, in fact one of the most settled seasons I can remember. As soon as permanent rides up to 200km became possible in August, plans were drawn up for up to six riders to tackle Boudicca’s Revenge. As it turned out we had six enter the 200, with four, including myself, on the 100km. I caught up with Geoff Sharpe and Raymond Cheung en-route for a socially-distant picnic lunch from Haslingfield village shop. Later we rendezvoused in the beer garden of the Angel and Harp in Churchend for a pint or two in the beer garden. I rode a 200km the following Saturday, thereby re-starting my RRtY. It looked as though things would continue in this “rule of six” mode, but then permanents up to 600km became viable, so I considered the possibility of a Super Randonneur series before the end of the season.

To build up to the SR I took a couple of days off to ride a bivvying tour of Essex one weekend in August, when the heatwave was at its peak. The plan was to just use my 1970s Bartholomew’s map of the county for navigation – after all, the roads are still there! Following the Thames itself looked very complicated so I aimed to pick up NCN Route 13, shadowing the A13 from Southend west to the River Lea. I took my 1995 Kona Lava Dome MTB-With-Dropped-Bars tourer and packed everything into two small panniers. I rode down to Maldon to meet Mark Oakden and Steve Rowley for a curry and the first night’s bivvy. We trekked along about a mile of the sea wall to a recommended spot. It was just 24 hours after a spring tide. We could see the high tide mark so were fairly sure we’d not get washed away in the night, but what we hadn’t bargained for was the all-pervading sound of the water sucking and gurgling through the myriad creeks and inlets. In the morning we made our way into Maldon for breakfast. Then I found I had a non-spherical rear tyre, so spent an age fixing it. Once I was sorted out Steve and Oaky returned to Witham and I made tracks to Burnham for the ferry across the River Crouch. There were three of us passengers on the little boat crossing to Wallasea Island – a first for me, and I’ve now ticked off all the other little East Anglian ferries except for Butley in Suffolk. Once past Rayleigh and into the hinterland of Southend the traffic built up, but I peeled off and found a back lane that popped me out on to the old A13, which I followed east before cutting down to the Thames estuary via the suburban streets of Shoebury. The seafront was a multi-use path by the beach, with huts giving way to amusements and cafes as I neared the famous pier. The place was heaving, so I took the road up on to the cliff-tops to Clifftown Parade, genteel Prittlewell Square and Edwardian Westcliff, before eventually dropping back down to walk the path along to Old Leigh – which was unhealthily busy. From Hadleigh I bypassed the delights of Canvey Island, picked up Route 13 signs which I followed into Essex-in-London. If you’ve ever looked down from the M25 near the Thurrock Services and Lakeside junction with the A13, that creek winding incongruously through meadows, marsh and woodland is the Mardyke – an incongruous oasis. A wiggle on the route through Aveley took me to Rainham Marshes and another gem of wilderness in the heart of suburbia. Another tack took me up through Rainham and back on to NCN13. Cruising through Dagenham on the old main road, in the bus and bike lane of the dual carriageway, was fun. I stopped to take in the River Roding at Barking Creek from the bridge. The Roding rises very close to the perimeter of Stansted Airport, though it’s little more than a trickle. At Barking Creek, it’s a mighty tidal estuary and in the Middle Ages home to the single largest fishing fleet in Europe, with over 1,000 boats. Tithes paid to Barking Abbey made it one of the richest in the country, and the last to be dissolved by Henry VIII in the Reformation. Then it was down to the River Lea at Bow Locks 43

… the River ❝ Lea at Bow Locks, though busy with cyclists and walkers, especially near popular houseboat moorings, where more than one illegal rave was going on – not exactly complying with government regulations

❞

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to a more peaceful world, though busy with cyclists and walkers, especially near popular houseboat moorings, where more than one illegal rave was going on – not exactly complying with government regulations. I had time for a quick pint before sunset and time to find a bivvy spot in Epping Forest. After a quiet night I was up at first light and on the road, back down to the Stort Navigation towpath at Roydon. Too early for breakfast in Sawbridgeworth, I headed into Bishop’s Stortford for the full English at a café, which kept me going the rest of the morning. Already the temperature was rising. This remote corner of north-west Essex chalklands is a bit of a desert, with few villages, shops or pubs. After draining my two bidons I finally topped-up at Ickleton village shop. I headed east towards the Stour Valley and the Suffolk border, via

Saffron Walden. First pub stop of the day was at the Red Lion, Steeple Bumpstead, where they were doing outside service from the back door, with a fairly full beer garden. Then it was on to the Essex side of the Stour through Gainsborough Country into Constable Country. I happened to cross paths with Raymond Cheung at Bures and stopped for a chat. As it was hot I had another pub stop at the Lamarsh Lion, also quite busy with drinkers outside. This place has a fine view across the valley and at some point the tiny train always trundles into sight – like something out of Thomas the Tank Engine. With the rolling slopes of the Stour Valley, trees, hedges and golden fields, it was almost too cute to be true. I had my evening picnic in Dedham churchyard and weighed up the bivvy options. I knew of a wood

Clavering Ford on the River Stort

along the estuary that was possible, but chose to check out the foreshore near Bradfield. There looked like just enough dry beach above the tide line, so I settled there for the night. Another pre-dawn waking, but a lovely sunrise, so to try and beat the heat, I got going early. Before long I was heading into what turned out to be the hottest day of all. It was too early for breakfast in Harwich and Dovercourt, so I pressed on using my Kingdom of the East Saxons 400km route round Hamford Water to Walton-on-the-Naze, through the Art Deco end of Frinton and down on to the concrete track to Clacton, with its war-time defences built in, still looking ready to repel invaders. After breakfast at the Moon and Starifish I followed the coast past Jaywick to the ferry for Mersea Island, only to miss the sailing. It was far too hot to hang around for an hour for the next crossing, so I re-traced to St Osyth and the Wivenhoe road, taking the cyclepath along the River Colne into Colchester. I headed out through Abberton for a top-up of fluids at the Layer Fox and set course for Dunmow and a late lunch. A total of 331 miles for the tour in a little over three days in extreme heat, but a full variety of scenery. The following Sunday I romped round Boudicca’s Revenge 200km in a fast time on very little food, on a warm and muggy day, so I must have gained something from trundling around tortoise-like the weekend before. After getting back from holiday in early September I rode a back-to-back pair of 200s for final preparation to see if I was up to implementing my Super Randonneur series plan. I rode a Horses for Courses reversed followed by Dick Turpin’s Day Out, also reversed, at near identical average speeds. I floated my SR idea among the “community”. Jan Swanwick was up for it and others opted to join in for some of the rides. Having talked to various folk over

On the Burnham ferry

the years about the wisdom or otherwise of having a bit of an Audax cycling festival and doing the lot in a week, I’d gleaned a lot of useful ideas. Firstly, getting the 600km over with first while fresh and keen seemed to be a good plan. Then mid-week 200 and 300s, saving the 400km for the second weekend. But before all that, Steve Rowley had planned a short bivvy tour of North Hertfordshire and Essex in mid-September, so five signed up for it. We met at the pub in Birchanger for a meal, then headed for the woods to camp. Lots of mostly dry off-road exploration followed, but nothing too technical. We had a few extra pub stops with a Wetherspoons breakfast in Saffron Walden, a visit to the Bumpstead Red Lion, the Lamarsh Lion and the Henny Swan – the latter complete with drunken canoeists having a final spree before tighter restrictions. Several fell in the River Stour. Night number two was spent camped in woodland. Some went their separate ways in the morning, but the rest of us went to Witham for yet another pub breakfast. It wasn’t a very high mileage trip, but a good convivial tonic after so much solo riding. September included a 600. Jan Swanwick, Mick Gray and I set out from Dunmow on The Flatliner permanent. We made good progress and the wind wasn’t always a hindrance as we zig-zagged across the Fens. I must have done the route a dozen times but I never tire of the Flatlands – the huge skies, far horizons, and water everywhere. The Fens have no pretentions to the touristy. Some parts are clearly neglected, but there are some spectacular medieval churches and very smart Georgian houses in places like Spalding and Boston. We spent the night in a bus shelter on the Burton Ridge near Lincoln before pushing on for breakfast. We got going at the first glimmers of dawn, down through Lincoln, and made the Packhorse Inn just before opening. Despite taking it

easy we finished in a good time. The following week I planned a DIY route based on the Green and Yellow Fields, but starting from home. I headed for Mildenhall, hitting the north Norfolk coast at Burnham Deepdale, then back south to Snetterton services, Needham Market and then home. Staying on lanes west of the A1065 as far as Swaffham kept me off the busy main road. It all worked out ok, with a breeze to blow me home. It was another warm day, and I ran short of fluids as village after village in Norfolk was without an open shop or pub and I was very glad to reach Snetterton services. The next 200 was my Richard Ellis Memorial route, now a proper permanent. Again, I treated it as a rest, with as many café stops as possible. With almost a regular 50km between controls, a helpful tail wind in the morning left me feeling confident for the 400 at the weekend. But the 400 turned out to be “the one with weather”! Jan and I were joined by Raymond Cheung and Dean Bicknell, both of whom went on to complete their SR late in the season. I took an East Anglian classic – the Asparagus and Strawberries – on which to base my DIY. I met up with Dean and started from Dunmow. Jan and Raymond were starting theirs from their respective homes, and we all planned to meet up at the Station Buffet in Manningtree for a proper breakfast. Dean and I then decided to go straight through Colchester on the A120. There was heavy traffic, especially lorries, but all going the other way. It turned out the A12 was shut with all southbound traffic diverted off. On the northbound leg to the first control at Ixworth it was very grey, with rain threatening. The café lady almost dragged us through the door for breakfast as the village was so deserted. We made good progress on the next stage to Halesworth, but in increasingly heavy drizzle. The next leg up to Acle via the Reedham Ferry, was not too tough, though there was some concern as to whether the ferry would be running, because of yesterday’s rain and the high winds. The ferryman pointed out how near the top of the embankment the River Yare was, and still an hour short of high water. At Wroxham, the River Bure was also very high, flooding out into the road at one point. The long stage up to Wells was giving us cause for concern because of its exposure to wind. We came to our first road closure at dusk, with power lines down. As they weren’t sparking and the verge was clear, so we picked our way through carefully. We took a break at Melton Constable, because I reckoned Wells would be shut by the time we arrived, it being the first day of the new 10pm curfew. We went to the Indian as usual, well worth the wait, and we could hang around inside – plus there’s a large five star bus shelter at the top of the village to eat our feast. Further up the coast, near Wighton, the lane was blocked by fallen trees. But again, with a bit of

clambering, we got through, though. Arriving shortly after 10pm, Wells-next-the-Sea was indeed all closed up for the night. Now on our way south and with a tailwind, we were flying along on good main roads, with just a short break out of the wind and rain at a sheltered bench in Swaffham marketplace. We then continued to Barton Mills Services, which were shut. No McDonalds or service from the shops. We wandered between the two garages hoping to get some sympathy and eventually the chap at the Esso garage took pity and passed cups of coffee out. It was by now quite cold, but we had enough snacks to keep going so just pushed. As it got lighter near to home, I began to dream of a sit down indoors and a proper breakfast, but the Paradise café in Dunmow wasn’t yet open, so we went our separate ways. Job done for Dean and me, with Jan and Raymond having their last 30 or so kilometres to go. It was a bit of an anti-climax after a phenomenal effort, but too cold to hang about or savour the moment. In October I’d hoped it might be possible to put on the Richard Ellis Memorial Audaxes, but with all the restrictions this proved impossible. I rode a 100km with Raymond, and the following day a 200km with Elliot Howard-Jones, Mick Gray and Andrew Turner. On the latter we met up with Richard’s widow Mary for a leisurely lunch at the Maglia Rosso café. Nick Wilkinson’s Autumnals miraculously happened, with a field limited to 30 for each event. I rode the 100, as it is more or less 50km to the start from my front door. Four of us out of the group of six who started stuck together – a refreshing change to do this with three riders I didn’t know well. On the last day of the month I rode Grant’s 3Rs 100km permanent with him and a small group. I’d made a pact to stick with Deniece Davidson if she needed company on any ride, as she was taking her first steps back into long distance cycling following cancer treatment. It was a damp day and very windy and the roads seemed unusually busy – perhaps people taking their last chance before the impending November lockdown number two. With Wednesday evening pub rides now out of the question, I met up with Steve for some rule-of-two trips in the dark around mid-Essex. There were a few minor floods here and there, and a spectacularly wet Saturday ride down to Maldon, a portent of things to come. It appeared likely that my Stansted Airport Express 100km could take place, with appropriate precautions, so Deniece and I rode round to check the route. On 5 December we had 28 starters, with a few unable to make it due to the tier restrictions. My final 200km of the year was Bricks and Moretaine on a damp, cold day, brightened by a chance meeting with Phil Whitehurst in the Chilterns. On the return, near Newport, the sun finally broke through at sunset with the weirdest rainbow I’ve seen, in a year of rainbows: just the red through yellow of the spectrum. A strange end to a strange year. www.audax.uk

WORDS & PICTURES DAVE BLOOM Arrivée153Autumn2021

Despite its reputation, there are plenty of “peaks” in East Anglia, if you know where to look. Dave Bloom and his companions set out, under hot, wide open skies at the end of May this year to complete a 200 kilometre circuit – and achieved a remarkable elevation of 1,237m. This is Dave’s report, complete with helpful explanations of peculiar Norfolk pronunciations…

Iceni warriors go hunting

THERE AREN’T MANY calendar events wholly located in Norfolk. Indeed, our very own “local” event, VC Baracchi’s Norfolk Special, a 200 kilometre loop around this beautiful county, actually starts in Suffolk! Having completed John Thompson’s excellent “Silly Suffolk 200” last October, a group of us mates from our club, Iceni Velo, hatched a plan to entice a few fellow club riders to tackle the Norfolk Special. A seemingly mandatory Whatsapp group was created, and the chatter started. Of the six who expressed an interest, only one hadn’t previously taken part in a brevet. As to be expected, there was much explanation and clarification of the somewhat confusing terms used in the world of Audax, and on the penultimate day of May, in perfect weather, our Covid-19 enforced group of six clipped in and set off from the Suffolk village of Lound. The route initially took us north-east over the county boundary into Norfolk, through the sprawling village of Bradwell and towards the popular holiday destination of Great Yarmouth – a town of two halves separated by the River Yare. We rode the industrial side of the area (Gorleston) and into Yarmouth over Haven Bridge, then north towards Caister-on-Sea, before turning inland to our first info control at Runham (23km). There was talk in the group of how lucky we’d been with the weather – May had been unseasonably cold and wet – and how we could feel the benefit to our mental health just being out on our bikes with good friends. Onwards in a north-westerly direction towards the small town of Acle, our flow was interrupted by yours truly puncturing. This was dealt with in a swift, professional manner, if I do say so myself, and off we went again, on very familiar roads for most of the group as they’re regularly used for our club rides. Heading directly towards Norwich, we left the Acle Road at South Walsham. Spirits were high and the mood relaxed as we rode down to the picturesque Malthouse Broad at Ranworth. Wroxham, the “Capital of the Broads” was next with its many boatyards and multiple stores, all named Roys. The next control (53km) was at Coltishall where we made a brief stop for sustenance and the requisite receipt plus removal of arm-warmers for all. The

Time for a quick selfie at the first control at Runham

presence of a local Smithy didn’t go un-noticed and the inevitable question “does anyone need any repairs” was asked by group joker Tom. The next control was 43km away on the North Norfolk coast at Stiffkey (pronounced Stu-key) so, as we say in Norfolk, off we troshed, pockets stuffed with food, and bidons replenished, through Buxton, the market town of Aylsham, past the stunning Blickling Hall and on towards Holt. Now, as you may or may not know, Norfolk isn’t exactly famous for its hills but there are plenty if you know where to look, and the drag up towards Holt Country Park on the B1149 certainly got the blood pumping. The inclines were short and sharp, just how we like them. Another puncture, this time for Andrew, was handled with aplomb before we skirted to the west of Holt and continued through the valley of the River Glaven to

Letheringsett, famous for its flour mill. A further 8km along, the war-time groundto-air training dome is pretty much all that remains of RAF Langham, save a few conspicuous concrete turning areas criss-crossing the road. This provided us with a brief history lesson from our resident filmmaker Andrew and passed the time as we rode onwards to Stiffkey for Info control three. After a quick stop at Stiffkey, which was heaving with second home owners from London in their huge German 4x4s and yachting clothes, we found ourselves ascending the hill we’d just ridden down. It’s no Hardknott Pass I’ll grant you that, but ride it and you’ll certainly know it’s there! The next control was in the village of Briston (113km) where we refuelled as the next stop was a further 50km down the road. Meal Deals were the order of the day while the banter flowed and the mercury

for hills in ‘flat’ Norfolk 47

THE ICENI TEAM

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The band of six, who all ride for the Norwich-based Iceni Velo club, were: Dave Bloom, Tom Pitcher Cooke, John Swindells, Andrew Goodchild, Mike Hale, Michael Artt and James South. A video of the ride can be found on Andrew’s YouTube channel, Divum – www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtxQ0wEq4Eg&t=4s

rose. You don’t have to wander too far off the beaten track to discover the true beauty of Norfolk and I think we we’re all acutely aware of how lucky we are to live in this fine county as we headed south east on picturesque lanes towards Reepham (pronounced Reef-am). With the wind picking up slightly, we pushed on, crossing the A47 at Hockering towards Wymondham (you guessed it, pronounced Wind-am). Sadly, we missed the café in Wymondham as they close at 2pm, so after a brief consultation with club mate Michael, whose home town this was, we decided to head to the town square and the local Co-op. With the nagging headwind starting to become stronger, iced coffee and energy drinks were quaffed as sprits began to flag a little. There was only 40km and two more info controls to go. Surely, we’d broken its back now? As we saddled up, Andrew became aware of another puncture. Tired and hot, the mood was lightened by yet more wisecracks from Tom joined this time by PBP veteran Mike Hale. They’re good blokes to have with you on a ride like this. We’d dropped two of the group by the time we’d reached our next stop at Hempnall. Jotting down the mileage to

Long Stratton as required for the penultimate info control, two of us, me included, didn’t hear the call to “crack on”. Much precious energy was expended on attempting to get back on the wheels of the leading group but we managed it. Yet another impromptu stop at the small market town of Loddon ensured our bottles remained full, and heavily salted snacks were demolished. The last info control was only 21km away and the route was thankfully flat with plenty of hedgerows to protect us. By the time we’d reached Thurlton, I was totally spent so I quickly necked an energy gel, dug in and headed for the finish. The final leg involved a particularly nasty stretch of road known locally as the Haddiscoe Dam – a busy and twisty three kilometre stretch of the A143 between Haddiscoe and St Olaves. As a club rider, I try to avoid this road wherever possible as other road users struggle to pass due to the poor lines of sight that allow such manoeuvres. I’ve had more close passes along this stretch than I care to remember. Today however, the Bank Holiday traffic was very patient with us, and as we crawled over the flyover which crosses the River Waveney denoting the Norfolk/Suffolk border, I was relieved it was (nearly) all over.

For the last few kilometres, legs were undeniably tired, heads started to hang low and the banter which had been so prevalent for most of the day had all but dried up. Each of us was inwardly praying that the sign for Lound would appear around the next bend. A final burst of energy from John Swindells and Michael Artt, who’d both been super strong all day, saw them disappear into the distance while the now regrouped four remaining Iceni troopers pushed on to the end. We were welcomed back at the arrivée by the ever-jovial John Thompson and the food he’d kindly provided. Overall a thoroughly enjoyable ride, showcasing some of the best Norfolk, a place where we speak a bit funny.

RIDESTATS: Total distance Riding time Total elapsed time Elevation gain Close passes Punctures Calories consumed Fun had

206.7km 7h 27m 9h 45m 1,237m 1 3 Who’s counting? Immeasurable

Scrambled fried and frozen on a hard-boiled ride WORDS & PICTURES PETER TREVIS

Peter Trevis, frustrated by lockdown, took the chance of a 300km Wessex series ride over the hills and plains with gusto. He expected some gusts, but not the biting sleet and icy gales. This is his tale of tough return to Audax action…

I SHOULD NOT BE LEFT ALONE with an Ordnance Survey map – it results in all sorts of DIY loops, involving varying degrees of “off-roadiness”. But this was how my wife Kate and I kept our Audax dreams alive during the early 2020 restrictions. As soon as I learned that

validation would recommence in April, I set my sights on doing one of the “hardboiled” Wessex series rides. I’ve been pedalling round the area for much of my life, but it wasn’t until 2013 that I first rode the Dorset Coast – my first Audax. I had the feeling that I’d found a family of like-minded souls. I’m well aware that there are bigger concerns involving 2020 than my bikeriding, but having committed to a plan to tackle a Wessex rides route in preparation for LEL, I was gutted when the world came to a grinding halt. So as soon as restrictions eased I decided I should just get on and do it alone. Though it meant missing the legendary atmosphere, I’d get the spirit of the route. The result? – finding myself at 2am on a service station forecourt on a distinctly wintery April morning. I know every inch of the Wimborne – Cranborne – Rockbourne stretch, and familiarity made me sluggish. There was a biting northerly headwind, and I crawled

The ancient Somerset Ridge

along, trying to conserve as much energy as possible. The Woodfords offered a little respite in the valley, the clouds lifting and letting the moon through, which made the going easier. I rolled into Amesbury and headed up to the 24-hour services at Solstice Park. Receipt gained and coffee drunk I rolled on over the A303 to the plain proper. Over Larkhill, I watched a barn owl hunting – always a treat. As dawn broke the wind increased and it started to sleet. I’m fairly convinced that I don’t need any more character, but Salisbury Plain said otherwise. I’m very glad I lugged my extra clothing, including winter boots around. The section off the plain and back into the lanes brought some respite from the wind, but meant some climbing. I was glad to be warm. I nearly missed a turn while staring up at Alfred’s Tower. Batcombe was very pretty for the info control and the lanes before and after were new, fun and flowing. The sleet unfortunately kept flurrying, making for some slippery road surfaces and no hope of hanging out and snacking with any comfort. The weather finally perked up on the way across Somerset. Slowly my technical fabrics were stripped off and stashed in the saddle bag. I was starting to feel a bit feeble on the climb up to Ashcott, but then the Albion Pub swung into view. I thought about ordering something sensible, but caved in pretty promptly to a bacon, sausage and egg baguette, with additional black pudding. It went down well, but made me want to snooze on the grass rather than roll on across the Levels. These were a classic combination of reasonably easy going, but at the same time challenging riding due to road surface and navigation. I had to take a short detour after Burrowbridge due to a railway crossing being out of action. It was

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Over Larkhill, I ❝ watched a barn owl hunting

– always a treat. As dawn broke the wind increased and it started to sleet. I’m fairly convinced that I don’t need any more character, but Salisbury Plain said otherwise

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thankfully only about 10km total added mileage, so not panic-inducing. Turning on to the Blackdown, the “Chateau Griffin” climb was a treat – grass up the middle, brick rubble in the pot holes, a thoroughly enjoyable bridleway upward. The subsequent climbing up the B-road saw the lid boil off the pot. I had to pull in at the top, soak up the view, curse my Gortex winter boots and toy with the idea of cutting my tights off at the knees. The following rollercoaster of technical navigation on new byways provided plenty of cool air. While rattling along, I tried to stuff down some peanut butter and jam sandwiches while attempting to stay out of the hedge. My Garmin died just before Axminster, which is where I expected it to run out of battery. I knew the route home nearly off by heart. When I arrived at Axminster, I was quite alarmed to find I only had one hour in hand. I didn’t panic, as I’d intended to dawdle through to Axminster, as I needed all my minerals left for the return to Poole. It was good and bad to be on to the

return to Poole. Good, as navigation was easy, but bad, because it meant as I clawed my way towards Powerstock I could revisit the task ahead over and over again. The weather held out through until the very end of the climb up to Mount Pleasant. As if there’d been some apocalyptic event, my reward for reaching the summit, was to meet a dark and squally sky, and a lashing of sleet. By the time I’d descended to the next climb up to the Bedminster Road I was frozen. Once up on the A-road I wrapped up before flying down into Chilfrome and Cattistock. I knew it was likely that everywhere would be shut. But I found a place selling home-cooked pizzas. A miracle! Then, when I learned there’d be a 25 minute wait, the penny dropped. I’d lost 20 minutes in the last section and still had some chewy climbs to get over. The pizza delay, plus eating time, put me into a time zone I didn’t like. I’d never had the sensation that time may be escaping quicker than I could claw it back. So, I settled for a photo as proof of passage and set off hard towards Poole. The pizza

… The summit was only gained via some grunting and ❝ tacking. The reward was a wonderfully atmospheric sky. I stood and cooled down a few degrees while munching a chocolate bar, watching sleety squalls push towards Dorchester

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On a roll… watching the weather sweep in towards Dorchester from Cerne Abbas

would have to wait for another time. The climb out of Cattistock was enjoyable, as I didn’t have to go right into 4-Low. There was hope. The drop to the ford at Sydling was at warp speed. There was a half-moment where I thought I was going to be sensible and ride the foot bridge at the ford, but I had to give my winter boots some action and, after all, I needed to test out my posh new mudguards. Splashing through the ford put a smile on my face for a moment until I went back to pushing up over the hill. Again, I dropped like a stone into Cerne, getting the brakes warm at the T-junction. I’d been riding all day with the right-hand bend of Piddle Lane in the front of my mind. It seemed to have doubled in length since my last visit, and I was completely unable to spin up any of it. The summit was only gained via some grunting and tacking. The reward was a wonderfully atmospheric sky. I stood and cooled down a few degrees while munching a chocolate bar, watching sleety squalls push towards Dorchester. I gathered myself, added some gloves and

put my foot down towards the Piddle. I wound it up from the Piddle. The roller-coaster across to Milton Abbas was windy, blowing hard into my face, but I knew the road well. But it was emptying the tank, and on the drags up towards Milton I struggled to keep a good rhythm. The last light was fading as I came up through The Street. Thankfully the dawdling earlier in the day was paying off, making the last of the hills enjoyable. Finally, I got a push from the wind down towards the Winterbournes. Somehow, knowing the road seemed to make every section double the length. I could see the finish, and turned on Zombie Attack Mode, winding along the edge of the Drax estate and stamping up to Lychett knowing it was all down from here. I ploughed through the everquickening rain towards Upton. Even though I pedalled hard, the temperature had plummeted again. I had no choice but to pedal to keep the temperature up. As I turned out over the bridge the full force of the northerly lifted me out of the saddle and I remained out until Asda

where I controlled at glacial speed, unable to make any committing decisions – finally settling for some milk and a disappointing sausage roll. I stomped back to the car. Hardboiled lived up to its name, description, mythology and my expectations. It was testing in every aspect, as advertised. On the way home in the car, I wrestled with the prospect of riding the Dorset Coast the following day. I decided – in for a penny, in for a pound. There would be fewer hills, and the bonus of company from my better half, and positively leisurely in comparison. So, what’s for breakfast then? Scrambled, fried or HARDBOILED…

I thought about ordering ❝ something sensible, but caved in pretty promptly to a bacon, sausage and egg baguette, with additional black pudding

❞

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WORDS & PICTURES MICHAEL MALINS

Michael Malins rides on hallowed ground on a short pilgrimage to some of England’s finest cathedrals.

A blessed change… I'

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VE BEEN RIDING round in circles since the 2020 lockdown, so in Bike Week this year I decided to tackle a ride which would actually take me somewhere – the Cathedrals Cycling Challenge. This event involves 42 cathedrals on a 2,000 mile route across the country. I didn’t try the whole thing – the course can be easily broken down into 200km DIY sections. I chose the section

from Welling in south east London where the final section from Canterbury picks up the route. The official route uses cycle paths as much as possible but needs a bit of refining, I think. The route through London is fairly quiet but as soon as it crosses the M25 it parallels the A3 on a cycle path which resembled a jungle in June. Finally

arriving at Guildford cathedral I obtained a sticker for my Pilgrim's Passport (available online or at most Cathedral shops). Guildford has a modern cathedral, built with public donations, so sits majestically high on a hill rather than in the middle of the town. Town? I thought it had to be a city?

Not a city… the publicly-funded cathederal of Guildford

No – there are about half a dozen cathedrals which are in towns or even villages, and conversely a similar number of cities which have no cathedral. There are also abbeys, some of which are cathedrals, like St Albans, and some of which are not, like Westminster. Leaving Guildford there were a couple of long drags to Hindhead on a cycle route. The course then rolled towards the high point of the day at Harting Hill on the South Downs. I diverted off the bridleway on to a quiet but steep hill. At the summit I chatted with a group of riders who were also cycling between cathedrals, riding a section of a baton relay which had started in Newcastle some weeks earlier. We were given an official reception at Chichester – and a blessing. With the hills behind me it was a

familiar ride along the South Coast Cycle Route to an unfamiliar cathedral at Portsmouth, a beautiful structure only completed in 1991, with a golden barque on the steeple, used as a guide by returning sailors over the centuries. I left the baton relay team for my fourth cathedral at Winchester.

By now the rain had picked up so I was glad to pass by on this occasion, and head for the station for a train home. The next section will take me to Salisbury Exeter and Truro, probably over a weekend. Details of the challenge and the route can be found here: https://www.cyclinguk.org/

cathedrals-cycle-route-challenge

Just finished… the recently built cathederal of Portsmouth

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Fuelled mainly by peanut butter and jam sandwiches, Manchester-based Ian Kershaw looped through the three mainland countries of Britain in a day – but not without the vital help of strangers whose kindness restored his faith in human nature. Here’s his uplifting story…

Finding new frıends WORDS & PICTURES IAN KERSHAW

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LIKE SO MANY others, the pandemic wiped out my cycling ambitions. I’d planned, with a friend, to take on the Raid Across the Pyrenees, but obviously had to cancel. In the grand scheme of things, this was no issue. In 2019 I’d ridden some official 200km Audaxes, and also the coast-to-coast from Workington to Tynemouth and back in less than 24 hours. I also did a group ride from London to Manchester, and a solo sub 24-hour jaunt from London to Paris via Dover and Calais – all DIY rides. During summer 2020, as things began opening up, I was looking for a safe and realistic challenge. The family had booked

I crossed the Tweed ❝ again, near Ladykirk, and was in Scotland. It felt odd going northwards to go home, but was all part of the plan

❞

ın the darkest night

a holiday to Berwick-onTweed, and I mulled over the idea of cycling home from Northumberland. Then it occurred to me – England, Scotland and Wales in a day! Surely I could do it, couldn’t I? I plotted a GPS route which involved starting in Northumberland, England, travelling north into Scotland, then westwards along the Borders, dropping back into England, southwards down to Wales, and then home. The route was going to be around 520kms. On Saturday 1 August, the last morning in our Airbnb, my bike was packed ready to go. I woke at around 7am, showered and ate a bowl of porridge followed by a lasagne – not my normal breakfast fare, by the way. I drank lots of fluid, said goodbye to my partner and young boy, and was on my way before 8am. I crossed the River Tweed and was

out of town. It was a perfect summer’s day. After about ten miles. I crossed the Tweed again, near Ladykirk, and was in Scotland. It felt odd going northwards to go home, but was all part of the plan. The route was great, with quiet roads, and passing through the majestic towns of Kelso and Hawick before some stunning Borders countryside. Within my saddle bag were nine home-made peanut butter and jam sandwiches, and I made a conscious

The route was great, with quiet ❝ roads, and passing through the majestic towns of Kelso and Hawick before some stunning Borders countryside

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effort to stop every 50 miles or so to refuel. The first few hours passed quickly. I was still excited, the scenery was fantastic, and I felt great, free as a bird, a real point-topoint adventure. My average speed was good, and everything was going to plan. Then my first setback. I momentarily lost concentration on a minor road. I’d been day-dreaming, but was awoken as I left the road on to an undulating grass verge, which quickly snapped me out of my trance. I was telling myself “don’t panic, don’t fall off, just get back on the tarmac”. The next thing, a loud explosion, and I hit the deck. Confused, and with a blooded knee and elbow, my first concern was the bike. The rear derailleur had slid the wrong way. I thought I’d snapped the gear

hanger, and although had an emergency one, believed my adventure to be prematurely ended. But the bike looked ok, apart from a rear flat. I didn’t have to make the dreaded call of shame to the family to pick me up. My heart was still racing and my grazes, while bloody, were ok. Taking my time I removed the rear wheel, changed the tube and used a CO2 canister to get pressure back – another explosion and an immediate flat. I hadn’t checked the tyre for detritus as it was evident what had caused the initial flat – the lip of the tarmac protruding

at right angles over the grass verge. But I hadn’t realised it had cut the tyre wall. Inflating the new tube made it bulge through the slice like a hernia. Arghh! That made sense. Good job I

At Bampton … I found a ❝ Post Office which also sold limited food, ordered a latte, some bread and soup, a flapjack and a coke, sitting and eating outside

❞

With my kit strewn over ❝ the verge I packed up and started walking south along the A6. A car went past tooting its horn, with a family inside and waving at my dejection. Why do they do this?

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Tubeless in Beetham… with no more tubes left, much to the delight of a passing motorist

had some emergency tyre boots – a life saver. Again I took my time, and carefully inspected the tyre and used the boot. I looked at the front tyre which also had a slit with the tube sticking out. While this inner was fine, I deflated it, booted the tyre, re-inflated and re-fixed the front wheel. After about an hour I was back on the road, a little shaken but more alert. I surely had enough tubes. I didn’t think about looking for a bike shop. I’d brought four spares and was down to three – that was enough. After another 50 miles I was thinking differently. I had a slow puncture to the rear. You just know. You get that feeling – the back end feels different. You hope it will go away, and ignore it. Sometimes it’s a false alarm, a phantom, however not this time. With the rear out again I checked the

tyre, and the boot was good. I couldn’t find anything in the tyre. Wheeling into England I was now down to two spares. I pondered detouring to find a bike shop but dismissed the idea. Surely I’ll pass one on route? How many times do I usually puncture? Then I got that feeling again. It was a slow. There was nothing in the tyre. I was down to one spare. While I didn’t find a bike shop, my mindset improved as I seemed again to be making good time. I still had half a full bidon when hitting the Lakes. I decided to stop for something more substantial at Bampton. Here I found a Post Office which also sold limited food, ordered a latte, some bread and soup, a flapjack and a coke, sitting and eating outside. My two water bottles were also re-filled, and I used their loo. This was the

Lively… Preston after midnight – wasn’t expecting pave at this time of night

Across the border… back into England for the third time in less than 24 hours

I was speechless. ❝ It’s kindness like this which help keep my beliefs on track. I wouldn’t have finished this ride without them

❞

only stop I had to make where I had to pay for refreshments on the whole journey. The peanut butter and jam sandwiches worked for me – like rocket fuel. There was some spectacular riding and close to Shap a bird of prey was hovering within 50 metres of me. Making good time through Kendall along the A6, close to Beetham I got that feeling again. The rear tyre was going down. I pulled over, and emptied my pack. I was down to my last tube. Again checking and taking my time, tube in, using my pump – the valve snapped. That was it, the end, or so I thought. Despite all the spares I’d brought I didn’t think to bring a puncture kit. You fool, Ian. With my kit strewn over the verge I packed up and started walking south

along the A6. A car went past tooting its horn, with a family inside and waving at my dejection. Why do they do this? A passer-by, giving me a wide Covid berth, thought there was a bike shop in a nearby village – but it would be Sunday tomorrow, so closed. I carried on walking and came to a minor cross road, and followed the sign to Silverdale, a village I’d stayed in a few years ago. Maybe I could find some accommodation? Then I saw a woman, and I said hello from a distance and asked if she knew of any nearby accommodation. She said no, but her husband, who was further down the lane watching some wildlife, might know. I approached, and we talked. He asked where I’d come from and

where was I going. His ears pricked up. His son was into cycling. If I waited a few minutes he may be able to help. So this is where my fortune changed. I followed Joe, his mum and dad back to their gran’s caravan at a cautious distance for obvious reasons. Joe, a keen young cyclist, had a repair kit and a spare tube. We swapped stories while we repaired one inner. He gave me another and some CO2 cartridges. His mum and gran made me some food, a brew and gave me some biscuits. With the tube fixed I was in my way. It was dark now, and I’d only gone five minutes when I could hear a constant rubbing. We’d dislodged the boot, and the inner was doing its hernia impression again. I decided against refitting the tyre in the darkness, and walked back to Joe’s. Retracing my steps through the caravan site in the dark I found them again. They’d waited outside – just in case. Under torch light the wheel was stripped, the boot re-fixed, tyre re-pressured and I was good to go. This time it was a final goodbye. That repaired tube lasted me the rest of the journey. I’ve kept in touch with Joe, given him some lights, and sent him some money for his troubles. His family’s kindness was not only fantastic for normal times, but in the middle of a global pandemic, phenomenal. I was speechless. It’s kindness like this which help keep my beliefs on track. I wouldn’t have finished this ride without them. I thought I had every scenario covered with spare kit. I’d planned to be selfsufficient, not wanting to be a burden. I’ll take a puncture kit on future solo adventures. The rest of the trip was a blur. The A6 was the best I’ve travelled as there was so little traffic. Preston was interesting at midnight as there were a few revellers out, in differing states. On the road to Chorley I was stopped by a drunk asking for directions at 1am. He didn’t understand I was just passing through. There was light rain near Wigan, but I had a lightweight jacket which also helped to keep the mild chill off. The weather, all told, had been perfect. I was in Wales before 6am, and then sat in the square at Holt having another peanut butter and jam breakfast. I decided on a different route back to Manchester – through Malpass, playing it by ear. I was on well-trodden ground now. I’d done it. I was home by 11am. The total solo trip was 319.2 miles, with a ride time of 20 hours 51 minutes, an average speed of 15.3 mph, and elevation of just over 12,000 feet. A huge thank you to Joe and your family, I couldn’t have done it without you all. www.audax.uk

The

Baking Biker Arrivée153Autumn2021

Malty-purpose snack Malted grains have been used as a foodstuff since the days of Ancient Egypt. Indeed, some of our clever ancestors even figured out a way to turn the grain into beer – long before anyone thought to invent the wheel! Our baking biker, Sarah Freeman, has another idea – mini malt loaf snacks

SARAH FREEMAN Arrivée’s baking biker, Lincolnshire-based Sarah Freeman, knows just what a rider needs on a long-distance trek – some nourishing, home-made snacks designed to keep the wheels turning. She has plenty of experience, being an accomplished cook, WI member, and keen cyclist.

Malt loaf Here’s an easy recipe to provide an on-board snack to give a nutritional boost on a long ride: INGREDIENTS ● 90g malt extract ● 45g Brown sugar ● 75ml hot tea ● 150g dried fruit ● 125g flour ● 1 egg or (vegan option) 1 over-ripe banana.

METHOD Mix the hot tea and malt extract together, add the sugar, fruit and flour and finally the egg or mashed up banana. Scoop the mixture into mini loaf moulds or cup-cake cases and bake at 200/180 (fan) GM 4 for 15-20 minutes. You can use 50g of oatmeal and 75g of flour, but this makes a stodgy loaf which needs butter or vegan spread.

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

For the most up-to-date information, please see the dedicated pages on the Audax UK web site: audax.uk/static-data/covid-restrictions

1200 11 Sep Bispham, Lancashire Inverness 1200 10:00 Sat BRM 1215km 10000m [12000m] £68.00 BD C F L P R S T Z 13.3-30kph Updated Burnley CC burnleysportiv@yahoo.com Andy Corless, 31 Castlerigg Drive, Ightenhill, Burnley BB12 8AT 1000 11 Sep Bispham, Lancashire Fort William 1000 16:00 Sat BRM 1010km 8000m [10000m] £68.00 BD C F L P R S T Z 100 13.3-30kph Change of Date Burnley CC burnleysportiv@yahoo.com Andy Corless, 31 Castlerigg Drive, Ightenhill, Burnley BB12 8AT 200 11 Sep Bonnyrigg Talla-Ho! 08:00 Sat BRM 211km 2053m [2256m] £4.00 X G P (28/08) (40) 15-30kph Updated Scottish Borders Randonneur Ross Connell, 1 Viscount Drive, Dalkeith EH22 3FX 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 100 11 Sep Kelmscott, nr Lechlade The Morris Minor 09:00 Sat BP 1000m [950m] £6.50 F P T (30) 12.5-30kph Peter Davis, 47 Main Street, Sedgeberrow, Evesham WR11 7UE

160 11 Sep Meriden, Warwickshire Cotswold Challenge 08:00 Sat BP 1200m £10.00 C F G P R T NM 100 15-30kph Change of Date Jon Porteous jonporteous@hotmail.com Jon Porteous, 12 Damson Close, Callow Hill, Redditch B97 5WA 100 11 Sep Meriden, Warwickshire Warwickshire Wanderer 09:00 Sat BP 105km 700m £10.00 C F G P R T NM 100 12-25kph Change of Date Jon Porteous jonporteous@hotmail.com Jon Porteous, 12 Damson Close, Callow Hill, Redditch B97 5WA 200 11 Sep Mytholmroyd, W. of Halifax BRM CENTENARY BREVET – The Good Companions 08:00 Sat BRM 2697m AAA1.75 [1631m] £10.00 L P R T S YH (60) 15-30kph Calderdale CTC chris.crossland@halifaxctc.org.uk ROA 25000 Chris Crossland, 14 Stanley Street West, Sowerby Bridge HX6 1EF 400 11 Sep Newark Northgate Sta, Notts Lincolnshire Poacher 06:00 Sat BR 1800m £7.00 X A1, L, P, R, 15-30kph Audax Club Lincolnshire lincsaudax@gmail.com Richard Parker, 28 High Street, Carlton Le Moorland, Lincoln LN5 9HT 300 11 Sep Raynes Park The Fifth Continent 06:00 Sat BRM 306km 3300m [3000m] £19.00 (75) A(1) C F G L P R TS 15-30kph Kingston Wheelers sdrpkwac@gmail.com Daniel Smith, 95 Regents Court, Sopwith Way, Kingston Upon Thames KT2 5AQ 100 11 Sep Tongwynlais, Cardiff Trefil Travail 9::00 Sat BP 105km 2150m AAA2.25 £5.00 YH X P (30) 12-24kph Hugh Mackay mackay.hugh@iCloud.com Hugh Mackay, 131 Stanwell Road, Penarth CF64 3LL 200 11 Sep Warmley, Bristol Chalke & hAAArd Cheese [ONLINE ENTRY] 07:00 Sat BR 203km 2950m AAA3 £8.00 YH G P R T 15-30kph Audax Club Bristol will@audaxclubbristol.co.uk Will Pomeroy, 19 Berwick Road, Bristol BS5 6NG 100 11 Sep Warmley, Bristol hAAArd Cheese [ONLINE ENTRY] 08:00 Sat BP 106km 1550m AAA1.5 [1530m] £7.00 G R T 12.5-25kph Audax Club Bristol will@audaxclubbristol.co.uk Will Pomeroy, 19 Berwick Road, Bristol BS5 6NG 100 12 Sep Caton, Nr. Lancaster Fylde Populaire Tourist Ride 09:00 Sun BP £5.00 X 15-30kph CTC Lancaster & South Lakes 01524 36061 mikehutchinson@fastmail.fm ROA 5000 Mike Hutchinson, 18 Lawnswood Avenue, Lancaster LA1 4NZ

200 12 Sep Tattenhall, Cheshire Pistyll Packing Momma 08:00 Sun BR 3500m AAA3.5 [3400m] £8.00 G L P R T 15-30kph Chester & North Wales CTC Brandon Edgeley, Mile House Barn, Main Road, Worleston CW5 6DH 130 12 Sep Tattenhall, Cheshire Momma's Mountain Views 08:30 Sun BP 131km 1750m AAA1.75 [2000m] £8.00 G L NM P R T 12.5-25kph Chester & North Wales CTC Brandon Edgeley, Mile House Barn, Main Road, Worleston CW5 6DH 60 12 Sep Tattenhall, Cheshire Momma's Leafy Lanes 09:00 Sun BP 500m £6.50 G L NM P R T 10-25kph Chester & North Wales CTC Brandon Edgeley, Mile House Barn, Main Road, Worleston CW5 6DH 200 18 Sep Brampton Annan and Alston 08:00 Sat BR 203km 1522m [1690m] £5.00 X G P T (30) 14.3-30kph Tyneside Vagabonds 07875224229 andy@dixonberne.plus.com Please enter online 120 18 Sep Brampton Ullswater (The Short Route) 09:00 Sat BP 126km 1700m AAA1.5 [1550m] £5.00 X G P T (50) 13.5-30kph Tyneside Vagabonds 07875224229 andy@dixonberne.plus.com Please enter online 200 18 Sep Horsham SeaShore 200 08:00 Sat BR 2000m £3.00 X 15-30kph West Sussex CTC malinseastg@tiscali.co.uk Martin Malins, NO POSTAL ENTRIES DUE TO COVID Fulham Palace Road, London W6 8RF 200 18 Sep Husbands Bosworth, Sports Pavilion Welland Wonder 200km 07:30 Sat BR 204km 1592m AAA1.5 £8.00 L P T 15-30kph Welland Valley CC ROA 5000 Mike Vybiral, Logan Cottage, Grange Lane, East Langton, Market Harborough LE16 7TF 160 18 Sep Husbands Bosworth Welland Wonder 160 08:00 Sat BP 1561m AAA1.5 [1675m] £8.00 L P T 15-30kph Welland Valley CC ROA 5000 Mike Vybiral, Logan Cottage, Grange Lane, East Langton, Market Harborough LE16 7TF 110 18 Sep Husbands Bosworth Welland Wonder 116 08:30 Sat BP 116km 1133m AAA1 [1350m] £8.00 L P T 12-24kph Welland Valley CC ROA 5000 Mike Vybiral, Logan Cottage, Grange Lane, East Langton, Market Harborough LE16 7TF 53 18 Sep Husbands Bosworth Welland Wonder 53 09:00 Sat BP 600m £8.00 L P T 12-24kph Welland Valley CC ROA 5000 Mike Vybiral, Logan Cottage, Grange Lane, East Langton, Market Harborough LE16 7TF

200 18 Sep Stevenage, Hertfordshire The Four Minute Mile 07:30 Sat BR 215km 2000m £7.00 X G P R T 15-30kph Hertfordshire Audax herts-audax@pm.me Phil Whitehurst, 506 Archer Road, Stevenage SG1 5QL 110 18 Sep Stevenage, Hertfordshire Hertfordshire Greenways 08:00 Sat BP 111km 1000m £6.50 X G P R T 10-20kph Hertfordshire Audax herts-audax@pm.me Phil Whitehurst, 506 Archer Road, Stevenage SG1 5QL 50 18 Sep Stevenage, Hertfordshire Hertfordshire Greenways Lite 09:00 Sat BP £6.00 GXPRT 8.3-20kph Change of Date Hertfordshire Audax herts-audax@pm.me Phil Whitehurst, 506 Archer Road, Stevenage SG1 5QL 160 19 Sep Brampton Bowness and Alston 09:00 Sun BP 161km 1454m [1920m] £5.00 X G P T (60) 14.3-30kph Tyneside Vagabonds 07875224229 andy@dixonberne.plus.com Please enter online 100 19 Sep Cragg Vale The Cragg Challenge Grimpeur 09:00 Sun BP 2370m AAA2.25 £10.00 G P T 12.5-30kph Peak Audax CTC Shaun Donelly, 32 Marland Fold, Rochdale, Lancashire OL11 4RF 100 19 Sep Legbourne, Nr Louth The Wold Traverse 21 9.:30 Sun BP 654m £8.00 F, G, NM, R, T 15-30kph Cycling UK Louth 01507 443 000 alan.hockham@hotmail.com ROA 4000 Alan Hockham, 11 Trustthorpe Road, Sutton on Sea, Lincs LN12 2LX 100 19 Sep Old Town Hall, Musselburgh Musselburgh RCC Tour of East Lothian 09:00 Sun BP 106km 1350m £5.00 x 12.5-30kph Musselburgh RCC 07956973196 douglaskirkham@aol.com Douglas Kirkham, 40 Seton Court, Port Seton EH32 0TU 200 19 Sep Velofondista, Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire Velofondista 200 07:30 Sun BR 204km 2500m AAA1.75 [1640m] £6.50 G L P R T (100) 14.3-30kph VC 167 Graeme Holdsworth, The Vicarage, Station Road, Slaithwaite HD7 5AW 110 25 Sep Blaxhall, Suffolk The Suffolk Byways 09:00 Sat BP 113km 800m £9.00 YH C G L P T 15-30kph David Coupe coupeaudax@gmail.com David Coupe, 30 Wells Way, Debenham, Stowmarket IP14 6SL 160 25 Sep Galashiels Dick McTs Century Classic 09:00 Sat BP 1576m [1600m] £8.00 G P X 12-30kph Audax Ecosse pedaller1@sky.com ROA 25000 Lucy Mctaggart, 30 Victoria Street, Galashiels TD1 1HL www.audax.uk

Arrivée153Autumn2021

AUK CALENDAR

300 25 Sep Newark Northgate Station Do Not Forget Your Dividend Card 06:30 Sat BR 1650m £5.50 X,G,P 15-30kph Audax Club Lincolnshire lincsaudax@gmail.com Richard Parker, 28 High Street, Carlton Le Moorland, Lincoln LN5 9HT 200 25 Sep Siddington, Cheshire Venetian Nights 08:00 Sat BR 210km 2700m AAA2.5 £10.00 F G L P R T 14.3-25kph Four Corners Audax shaun87356@gmail.com Shaun Hargreaves, 6 Langton Court, Werrington, Stoke-On-Trent ST9 0NF 110 25 Sep Siddington, Cheshire Bunbury 09:00 Sat BP 112km £6.00 G L P R T 12-25kph Four Corners Audax shaun87356@gmail.com Shaun Hargreaves, 6 Langton Court, Werrington, Stoke-On-Trent ST9 0NF 100 26 Sep Falmouth A Cornish 100 09:00 Sun BP 107km 1400m £7.00 G L P R T 12-25kph Falmouth Whs. philconroy@talktalk.net Philip Conroy, 5 Fairfield Road, Falmouth TR11 2DN 50 26 Sep Falmouth A Bunny Hop 10:00 Sun BP 750m £7.00 G L P R T 10-25kph Falmouth Whs. philconroy@talktalk.net Philip Conroy, 5 Fairfield Road, Falmouth TR11 2DN 200 02 Oct Alnwick Cheviots, Coast and Castles 07:30 Sat BR 203km 2110m [1911m] £5.00 X G P (60) 15-30kph Change of Date Tyneside Vagabonds 07875224229 andy@dixonberne.plus.com Please enter online 130 02 Oct Alnwick The Four Castles 08:30 Sat BP 133km 1334m £5.00 X G P (50) 12.5-25kph Tyneside Vagabonds 07875224229 andy@dixonberne.plus.com Please enter online 200 02 Oct Belbroughton, Worcesteshire Beyond The Dyke 08:00 Sat BR 211km 2445m [2676m] £6.50 Cake; R, G, NM, P, T, S 15-30kph Beacon RCC 01562 731606 p.whiteman@bham.ac.uk Dr Philip Whiteman, 2 Drayton Terrace, Drayton, Belbroughton, Stourbridge DY9 0BW 200 02 Oct Cardiff Cycle Workshop, Cardiff CF14 3AY Transporter 200 07:00 Sat BR 1950m AAA2 [2150m] £5.00 YH C G L P T 15-30kph Audax Cymru 02920 341768 evansrichardd@gmail.com ROA 5000 Richard Evans, 73 Conway Road, Cardiff CF11 9NW

200 02 Oct Caton, nr Lancaster Stumped and Dented 08:00 Sat BR 206km 3190m AAA3.25 £10.00 G P R T (30) 14.3-30kph Change of Date Peak Audax CTC darrellwhittle@gmail.com Darrell Whittle, 20 Brookfield, Prestwich M25 1EL 150 02 Oct Caton, nr Lancaster A Bit Dented 09:30 Sat BP 152km 2060m AAA2 £10.00 G P R T (30) 12.5-30kph Change of Date Peak Audax CTC darrellwhittle@gmail.com Darrell Whittle, 20 Brookfield, Prestwich M25 1EL 100 03 Oct Hailsham, E Sussex It's a Wonderful Weald 100 08:30 Sun BP 109km 1255m [1150m] £7.00 F P 15-30kph Chris Tracey christrauk@yahoo.co.uk Christopher Tracey, 20 Salisbury Road, Seaford BN25 2DD 200 03 Oct Poynton, near Stockport Mountains and Moelhills 08:30 Sun BR 210km 1570m £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 200 03 Oct Surbiton Brace of Bramleys 07:30 Sun BR 205km 1800m £12.00 G L P R T S (60) (26/9) 15-30kph Kingston Wheelers laidbackaroundtheworld@gmail.com Richard Evans, 29 Somerset Avenue, Raynes Park, London SW20 0BJ 200 03 Oct Ulcombe, Kent The Fairies Crown and Anchor 08:00 Sun BR 210km 2150m £10.00 G L P R T (25/9) 15-30kph Change of Date San Fairy Ann CC bobwatts999@gmail.com Bob Watts, 13 The Grove, Bearsted, Maidstone ME14 4JB 100 03 Oct Ulcombe, Kent The Fairies Half Crown 09:00 Sun BP 106km 1150m £9.00 G L P R T (25/9) 15-30kph Change of Date San Fairy Ann CC bobwatts999@gmail.com Bob Watts, 13 The Grove, Bearsted, Maidstone ME14 4JB 100 09 Oct Dore, Sheffield Ring of Steel (City) 09:00 Sat BP 104km 1900m AAA2 £6.00 GLPRT (30) 12-25kph Sheffield District CTC cripps@uwclub.net John Cripps, White Gates, 8 Brincliffe Crescent, Sheffield S11 9AW 200 09 Oct Dore, Sheffield On to the Big Ring 08:00 Sat BR 205km 2148m [2045m] £6.00 GLPRT (30) 15-30kph Sheffield District CTC cripps@uwclub.net John Cripps, White Gates, 8 Brincliffe Crescent, Sheffield S11 9AW

09 Oct Dore, Sheffield The Little Ring 09:30 Sat BP 1044m AAA1 £6.00 GLPRT (30) 10-25kph Sheffield District CTC cripps@uwclub.net John Cripps, White Gates, 8 Brincliffe Crescent, Sheffield S11 9AW 200 09 Oct Newport-On-Tay, Fife Moulin Muirs 08:00 Sat BR 2166m £3.00 P X T R G (50) 14.4-30kph Audax Ecosse Niall Wallace, 5A Christiegait, Freuchie, Cupar KY15 7EG 100 10 Oct Carlton Colville, nr Lowestoft, Suffolk The Silly Suffolk 10:00 Sun BP £6.00 GNMPRT 15-30kph VC Baracchi johntommo6@btinternet.com John Thompson, 136 Dell Road, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft NR33 9NT 200 10 Oct Carlton Colville, nr Lowestoft, Suffolk The Silly Suffolk 08:00 Sun BR 1050m £6.00 FRTP 15-30kph VC Baracchi johntommo6@btinternet.com John Thompson, 136 Dell Road, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft NR33 9NT 160 10 Oct Carlton Colville, nr Lowestoft, Suffolk The Silly Suffolk 09:00 Sun BP 850m £6.00 FRTP 14.3-25kph VC Baracchi johntommo6@btinternet.com John Thompson, 136 Dell Road, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft NR33 9NT 200 16 Oct Alfreton Straight on at Rosie's. 2 08:00 Sat BR 204km 1120m £6.00 L P R T 15-30kph Alfreton CTC tomandsuefox@yahoo.co.uk ROA 10000 Tom Fox, 180 Nottingham Road, Alfreton, Derbyshire DE55 7FP 50 16 Oct Alfreton Victorian Post Boxes Re-Visited 09:30 Sat BP £4.00 L P R T 10-30kph Alfreton CTC 01773 833 593 tomandsuefox@yahoo.co.uk ROA 10000 Tom Fox, 180 Nottingham Road, Alfreton, Derbyshire DE55 7FP 200 16 Oct Corwen, N. Wales The Clwydian 08:00 Sat BR 212km 3150m AAA3.25 £7.50 P R T 30 15-30kph Chester & N Wales CTC daaavem@outlook.com ROA 10000 David Matthews, Hill View Cottage, Cross Lanes, Oscroft, Chester CH3 8NG 130 16 Oct Corwen, N. Wales The Clwyd Gate 08:30 Sat BP 138km 2200m AAA2.25 £7.50 P R T 30 12.5-25kph Chester & North Wales CTC daaavem@outlook.com ROA 10000 David Matthews, Hill View Cottage, Cross Lanes, Oscroft, Chester CH3 8NG

16 Oct Corwen, N. Wales 'The Bala Mini- Bash' 09:00 Sat BP 700m [650m] £7.50 P R T 30 10-25kph Chester & North Wales CTC daaavem@outlook.com ROA 10000 David Matthews, Hill View Cottage, Cross Lanes, Oscroft, Chester CH3 8NG 200 16 Oct Selkirk Scottish Borders Randonnee 08:00 Sat BR 204km 2168m £7.50 X 15-30kph Change of Date Scottish Borders Randonneur 01750 20838 russellacarson@gmail.com Russell Carson, 21 Ladylands Terrace, Selkirk TD7 4BB 140 16 Oct Selkirk Scottish Borders Populaire 08:00 Sat BP 145km £7.50 X 12-30kph Change of Date Scottish Borders Randonneur 01750 20838 russellacarson@gmail.com Russell Carson, 21 Ladylands Terrace, Selkirk TD7 4BB 100 16 Oct Uckfield, East Sussex Mid SusseXX Hillier 08:30 Sat BP 108km 2012m AAA2 £3.00 F L P R T 40 12.5-25kph Horsham Cycling malinseastg@tiscali.co.uk Martin Malins, NO POSTAL ENTRIES DUE TO COVID Fulham Palace Road, London W6 8RF 100 16 Oct Uckfield, East Sussex Mid SusseXX Hilly 08:30 Sat BP 108km 1600m AAA1.5 [2000m] £3.00 F L P R T 40 12.5-25kph Grimpeurs du Sud malinseastg@tiscali.co.uk Martin Malins, NO POSTAL ENTRIES DUE TO COVID Fulham Palace Road, London W6 8RF 200 17 Oct Cranbrook Mad March, A river too far 08:00 Sun BR 2800m AAA2.75 £5.00 YH F P R T X 14.3-30kph Change of Date Exeter Whs 07443 471140 shbritton@outlook.com Sarah Britton, 17 Copse Close Lane, Cranbrook EX5 7AP 100 17 Oct Cranbrook Mad March, Up and Blackdown 09:00 Sun BP 1150m £5.00 YH F P R T 12-25kph Change of Date Exeter Whs 07443 471140 shbritton@outlook.com Sarah Britton, 17 Copse Close Lane Cranbrook, Devon EX5 7AP 200 17 Oct Kendal Tour of Rheged – Grimpeur 08:00 Sun BR 204km 2940m AAA3 [2800m] £10.00 P R T C G 13/10 (30) 14.5-30kph Kent Valley RC Stephen Scott, Watercrook Bungalow, Natland, Kendal LA9 7QB 200 23 Oct Carlton le Moorland Bomber County 07:00 Sat BR 211km 950m £5.50 C,G, T 15-30kph Audax Club Lincolnshire 07939095821 lincsaudax@gmail.com Richard Parker, 28 High Street, Carlton-le-Moorland, Lincoln LN5 9HT

200 23 Oct Galashiels Etal-u-Can- Revised 08:00 Sat BR 204km 1900m [2379m] £10.00 P G X 15-30kph Scottish Borders Randonneur pedaller1@sky.com ROA 25000 Lucy Mctaggart, 30 Victoria Street, Galashiels TD1 1HL 110 23 Oct Galashiels Ride of the Valkyries 09:00 Sat BP 114km 1670m AAA1.5 [1530m] £10.00 P G X 12-30kph Audax Ecosse pedaller1@sky.com ROA 25000 Lucy Mctaggart, 30 Victoria Street, Galashiels TD1 1HL 100 24 Oct Berkswell station, Balsall Common Autumn in the Shire 08:30 Sun BP 109km 950m [900m] £4.00 X P G 12-30kph West Midland Randonneurs pcoppo@gmail.com Paolo Coppo For postal entries contact me via e-mail 200 30 Oct Aberdeen Deeside Dawdle 08:00 Sat BR £5.00 X G (30) 15-30kph Audax Ecosse rfargo@gmail.com Robert Fargo, 20 Gordon St, Flat H, Aberdeen AB11 6EW 200 30 Oct Morton Park, Darlington Peculier Old 200 08:00 Sat BR 2000m £5.00 G NM P T 14.3-30kph VC 167 dean.clementson@icloud.com Dean Clementson, 10 Redmire Close, Darlington DL1 2ER 200 31 Oct Pound Street Car Park, Petworth, W Sussex The Petworth End of Summer Time 200 08:30 Sun BR 210km 2196m [2006m] £9.00 F G P T M 15-30kph Anton Brown abaudax@btconnect.com Anton Brown, 19 Northlands Avenue, Haywards Heath RH16 3RT 110 31 Oct Pound Street Car Park, Petworth, W Sussex The Petworth End of Summer Time 100 08:30 Sun BP 111km 1389m [1350m] £11.00 F G P T M 15-30kph Anton Brown abaudax@btconnect.com Anton Brown, 19 Northlands Avenue, Haywards Heath RH16 3RT 200 06 Nov Cholsey, E of Didcot Upper Thames 07:30 Sat BR 209km 1750m £7.00 L P R T M G 15-30kph Phil Dyson 01491 651 284 phil@thamesvalleyaudax.co.uk Phil Dyson, 25 Papist Way, Cholsey, Wallingford, Oxon OX10 9LL 200 06 Nov Galashiels The Long Dark Teatime of an Audax Soul 09:00 Sat BR 2000m £12.00 P G X(30)(8/10) 15-30kph Scottish Borders Randonneur pedaller1@sky.com ROA 25000 Lucy Mctaggart, 30 Victoria Street, Galashiels TD1 1HL

110 06 Nov Galashiels Home in time for Teatime 10:00 Sat BP 116km £8.00 P G X 12-30kph Audax Ecosse 01896 758 181 pedaller1@sky.com ROA 25000 Lucy Mctaggart, 30 Victoria Street, Galashiels TD1 1HL 200 07 Nov Cheadle, Stockport Eureka! 08:00 Sun BR 210km 1250m £7.00 P R T M 50 15-30kph Peak Audax CTC hamhort84@talktalk.net Peter Hammond, 3 Dorac Avenue, Heald Green, Cheadle, Stockport SK8 3NZ 200 13 Nov Droitwich Spa Salt and Cotswolds 08:10 Sat BR 212km 2142m [2193m] £4.00 X,T,P 15-30kph Droitwich Cycling Club 01562 731606 p.whiteman@bham.ac.uk Dr Philip Whiteman, 2 Drayton Terrace, Drayton, Belbroughton, Stourbridge DY9 0BW 100 20 Nov Cranbrook, Exeter Breakfast in Bampton 09:00 Sat BP 1200m £5.00 NM 12-30kph Change of Date Exeter Whs shbritton@outlook.com Sarah Britton, 17 Copse Close Lane, Cranbrook, Devon EX5 7AP 100 21 Nov Carlton Colville, nr Lowestoft, Suffolk The Waveney Wander 09:00 Sun BP 550m £6.00 LPRT 12.5-25kph VC Baracchi johntommo6@btinternet.com John Thompson, 136 Dell Road, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft NR33 9NT 200 04 Dec Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, HP9 2SE The South of Bucks Winter Warmer 08:00 Sat BR 208km 1550m £5.00 YH A1 G P T S X (100) 15-30kph Terry Lister lister4cycling@btinternet.com Terry Lister, 4 Abbey Walk, Great Missenden HP16 0AY 200 04 Dec St Andrews, Fife Tour of the Ochils 08:30 Sat BR 1650m £3.00 X G P (30) 14.4-30kph Change of Date Audax Ecosse Niall Wallace, 5a Christiegait, Freuchie, Cupar KY15 7EG 200 19 Dec Bredbury, Stockport Winter Solstice 08:30 Sun BR 202km 700m £5.00 G P R T (100) 15-30kph Peak Audax CTC peakaudax@hotmail.co.uk ROA 10000 Mike Wigley, Higher Grange Farm, Millcroft Lane, Delph OL3 5UX 100 27 Dec Dalkeith Post-Xmas Tour of Midlothian 09:00 Mon BP 991m [1200m] £5.50 X F P G P R (20) (13/12) 15-30kph Scottish Borders Randonneur Ross Connell, 1 Viscount Drive, Dalkeith EH22 3FX

100 12 Mar Hope, Derbyshire Occasionally Hilly 09:30 Sat BP 106km 2100m AAA2 £4.00 P R T G F 12.5-30kph Common Lane Occasionals 07805100988 owright@mac.com ROA 3000 Oliver Wright, Townhead Farm, 345 Baslow Road, Sheffield S17 4AD 100 19 Mar Bolsover Bolsover Jester 09:30 Sat BP 760m £8.50 G L P R T (100) (14/03) 15-30kph Audax Club Bolsover audaxbolsover@castlecycles.co.uk Malcolm Smith, 14 Highfield Road, Bolsover, Chesterfield S44 6TY 200 03 Apr Clitheroe, Lancashire Delightful Dales 200 08:00 Sun BRM 205km 3150m AAA3.25 [3600m] £7.70 L P R T X 15-30kph Burnley CC burnleysportiv@yahoo.com Andy Corless, 31 Castlerigg Drive, Ightenhill, Burnley BB12 8AT 400 15 Apr Anywhere, to York Easter Fleches to York Fri BR £15.00 X 15-30kph Audax UK andrewuttley155@outlook.com Andy Uttley, Suil Na Mara, Wester Cullicudden, Balblair, Dingwall IV7 8LL 200 16 Apr Leominster The Cambrian 07:00 Sat BR 210km 3500m AAA3.5 £6.00 X 14.3-30kph Hereford & Dist. Whs cambrianaudax@gmail.com Daryl Hayter, Weir View, Breinton Common, Breinton, Hereford HR4 7PR 140 16 Apr Leominster The Cambrian – Minor 08:00 Sat BP 148km 2035m AAA2 [2250m] £6.00 X 12.5-30kph Hereford & Dist. Whs cambrianaudax@gmail.com Daryl Hayter, Weir View, Breinton Common, Breinton, Hereford HR4 7PR 1000 29 Apr Harrowgate Hill, Darlington Highland Fling 14:00 Fri BRM 10610m AAA7.25 [7180m] £60.00 F G L R T Z (103) 13.3-25kph VC 167 dean.clementson@icloud.com Dean Clementson, 10 Redmire Close, Darlington DL1 2ER 200 30 Apr Bolsover Clumber to Humber (John Kerr Memorial Ride) 08:00 Sat BR 214km 1450m £6.00 L P R T G (100) 15-30kph Bolsover & District CC 01246 825 351 matt.connley@talktalk.net ROA 5000 Matt Connley, 7 Eskdale Close, Bolsover, Chesterfield S44 6RL 110 30 Apr Bolsover An NCN Audax 09:00 Sat BP 117km 1036m £6.00 G L P R T (50) 10-20kph Audax Club Bolsover 01246 825 351 matt.connley@talktalk.net ROA 5000 Matt Connley, 7 Eskdale Close, Bolsover, Chesterfield S44 6RL

600 11 Jun Alfreton 9 Counties 600k 06:00 Sat BR £5.00 X P 14.3-30kph Alfreton CTC oggy.dude@gmail.com Stephen Ogden, 12 Primula Grove, Kirkby In Ashfield NG17 8SD 200 02 Jul Bolsover Rutland and Back 08:00 Sat BR 212km 1532m £8.50 G L P R T (75) (18/06) 15-30kph Audax Club Bolsover 07936099268 audaxbolsover@castlecycles.co.uk Malcolm Smith, 14 Highfield Road, Bolsover, Chesterfield S44 6TY 200 02 Jul Cutty Sark Gardens, London The Way to the Sea 08:00 Sat BRM 209km 1900m [650m] £8.00 F P G T R (140) 15-30kph Audax Club Hackney 07811976853 Adam Young, 15a New Cut, Hadleigh IP7 5DA 1400 03 Jul Land's End, Cornwall LEJOG 1400 09:00 Sun BRM 1402km 12000m [6000m] £146.00 BD C F R S T Z 500 12-30kph Change of Date Burnley CC burnleysportiv@yahoo.com Andy Corless, 31 Castlerigg Drive, Ightenhill, Burnley BB12 8AT

www.audax.uk

PRIZE CROSSWORD No.6 by Sprocket

WIN

£5r 0 of your

e e vouch choic drawn will be the winner he correct from all t ed by iv entries rece 2021 31 October

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, 1d Old fellowship for wandering cranks? 8,7,4 9 Faze a French bloke 5 10 Fudged data once, left without hard evidence 9 11 Underwater undertakers? 14 13 Girl, centre of attention, chased by unknown agent 8 15 Sprocket's boss rode it around 6 18 Gone around metropolis, no matter what 6 19 Repair wagon and reach ancient land 8 21 Climb encountered before lights-out, or immediately after? 5 25 Better off inundated, losing heads in storm, for instance 9 26 Six-nil against the French; one takes a bow 5 27 Get a round in then go for a spin, hoping others take the lead? 7

DOWN 2 Tribe holds shire, settling through 2001 3 Bond formed with coin I tossed 4 They help you go quicker on the bike – or off it? 5 Great idea in article found near back of loo 6 Nice dude wastes day on the fence 7 First phase: operators wanted in trousers 8 Current Giro leader hangs on with masterful shifting 12 Draw people in motion – that's one way to get around! 14 A kind of Western dish? 16 Ferry via parade, after Sprocket thrown off train 17 Piece of music is mostly coconut-smashing (you're excluded for hesitation) 20 England's top cat, bold at heart 22 Slimy things are after promotions 23 New "velo-cycling" book 24 Sprocket covering start and finish, fun lost in hedge

Arrivée153Autumn2021

Solution for No.5

Congratulations to the winner of our crossword No.5: Izabela Spaleniak AUK members 22350

9 5 8 6 9 5 4,6 5,5 9 9 8 6 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 154 – WINTER 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 October 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 153 – Autumn 2021

Articles inside

AUK calendar

AUK contacts

Prize crossword No. 6

The baking biker

Scrambled fried and frozen on a hard-boiled ride

Finding new friends in the darkest places

A blessed change

From suspicious seafood to radiant rainbows a year to remember or forget

Iceni warriors go hunting for hills in 'flat' Norfolk

Dreaming spires

Loitering in a land of lakes

Double trouble

Road-rage replies

Just a Sec

Membership matters

Living off the flat of the land

Cycling shorts

Cycling shorts 2

River deep and mountain high

Letters