cycle THE MAGAZINE OF CYCLING UK
LESS TRAFFIC, MORE CYCLING
On test
GENESIS LONGITUDE FOUR-SEASON ROAD TYRES SEE.SENSE LIGHTS VECNUM STEM & MORE
DECEMBER 2023/JANUARY 2024
BACK IN THE SADDLE
Returning to cycling after a life-changing injury
TWO-GRAND GRAVEL BIKES Specialized Diverge Whyte Friston
WHY FEWE R C ARS I S B ET TE R FO R EVE RYBO DY Page 38
A HANDCYCLE UP KILIMANJARO P lu s CHRISTMAS STOCKING FILLERS A NOVEL ADVENTURE WITH HG WELLS CENTRAL LONDON RIDE GUIDE AND MUCH MORE
MOUNTAIN TRIKING AFRICA’S TALLEST PEAK
MEMBERSHIP FROM JUST £3.88 A MONTH!*
CONTENTS FEATURES
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30 A handcycle up Kilimanjaro Mountain triking Africa’s tallest peak
Welcome
DAN JOYCE Editor
Why fewer cars is better for everybody
49 Back in the saddle Returning to cycling after a life-changing injury
52 A novel adventure Riding the route of HG Wells’s Wheels of Chance
PRODUCTS
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16 Shop Window Christmas gift ideas
18 Gear up Components, accessories and books
60 Gravel bikes Specialized Diverge Comp E5 and Whyte Friston on test
66 Genesis Longitude A rigid MTB with big tyres and bikepacking potential
69 Four-season road tyres Tougher 28mm rubber for all-weather riding
REGULARS 04 Freewheeling Bits and pieces from the bike world
07 This is Cycling UK
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The 10-year anniversary of Wales’s Active Travel Act; 100 Women in Cycling 2023; Cycling UK Gift Membership; and more
14 You are Cycling UK
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90-year-old End-to-Ender Peter Langford
27 Letters Your feedback on Cycle and cycling
On the cover
Projection in London ahead of COP27 by Double Take, for Cycling UK
46 Weekender 13-mile sightseer around Central London
56 Cyclopedia Questions answered, topics explained
73 Travellers’ Tales Cycling UK members’ ride reports
CYCLING UK: Parklands, Railton Road, Guildford, GU2 9JX E: cycling@cyclinguk.org W: cyclinguk.org T: 01483 238300. Cycle promotes the work of Cycling UK. Cycle’s circulation is approx. 51,000. Cycling UK is one of the UK’s largest cycling membership organisations, with approx. 70,500 members and affiliates. President: Jon Snow Chief executive: Sarah Mitchell. Cyclists’ Touring Club, a Company Limited by Guarantee, registered in England No 25185, registered as a charity in England and Wales Charity No 1147607 and in Scotland No SC042541. Registered office: Parklands, Railton Road, Guildford, GU2 9JX. CYCLE MAGAZINE: Editor: Dan Joyce E: editor@cyclinguk.org Designer: Christina Richmond Advertising: Bevan Fawcett T: 0203 198 3092 E: bevan.fawcett@jamespembrokemedia.co.uk Publisher: James Houston. Cycle is published six times per year on behalf of Cycling UK by James Pembroke Media, 90 Walcot Street, Bath, BA1 5BG. T: 01225 337777. Cycle is copyright Cycling UK, James Pembroke Media, and individual contributors. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission from Cycling UK and James Pembroke Media is forbidden. Views expressed in the magazine are those of the individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or the policies of Cycling UK. Advertising bookings are subject to availability, the terms and conditions of James Pembroke Media, and final approval by Cycling UK. Printed by: Acorn Web Offset Ltd, Loscoe Close, Normanton Industrial Estate, Normanton, WF6 1TW T: 01924 220633 Founded in 1878
Top to bottom: Karen Darke, Shutterstock, Tom Bogdanowicz, Rebecca Mitten
The political slogans, tabloid front pages and toys thrown from prams on social media tell the same story: there’s a ‘war on motorists’. Standing up against this ‘eco zealotry’ is solidarity with Britain’s ‘hardpressed drivers’. It’s definitely not a naked attempt to leverage votes ahead of the next general election, after an anti-ULEZ candidate narrowly won a by-election… The casualties of this cooked-up culture war are wide ranging. The environment. Health. People’s freedom to choose transport other than the car… Frankly, who doesn’t benefit from there being fewer cars on the road? It even benefits drivers, who can enjoy faster journey times due to reduced congestion. It especially benefits active travel, more of which is good for individuals, society and the planet. When there are fewer cars, people cycle more. We saw this during the pandemic. A survey by Sustrans found that 62% of people would cycle more if there were fewer cars. Measures such as low-traffic neighbourhoods, 20mph zones and better facilities for walking and cycling meet with loud objections from a vocal minority but are consistently more popular than not with the wider public. Safer roads and cycle tracks don’t hinder people driving to work or the supermarket. We’re all just people trying to get somewhere. We don’t need this fabricated divisiveness. Less traffic and more cycling doesn’t create a downtrodden country of disenfranchised drivers. It creates a better, more sustainable transport network, like they have in the Netherlands. One day, eh?
38 Less traffic, more cycling
you are
Oldest E2E cyclist
PETER LANGFORD
At the age of 90, Cycling UK member Peter Langford became the oldest cyclist to complete the End to End. Jennifer Young spoke to him
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any members of Cycling UK have undertaken the challenge of the End to End: riding from the UK’s southern tip at Land’s End to the northernmost point of John o’ Groats. For Peter Langford, arriving at the famous John o’ Groats signpost in September had special significance. Not only was it the fourth time he had completed it but he did so at the age of 90, becoming the oldest known End to Ender! Retired vicar Peter, from Beccles in Suffolk, considers it his most enjoyable trip yet, thanks to the combination of support from family and friends, the kindness of strangers and favourable weather. Peter’s first LEJOG was at the age of 75, when he raised £25,000 for Ringsfield Hall Trust, a residential centre for church and school groups, which he set up with his wife Sally in 1972. Peter completed the ride despite discovering that his bike was not really up to the job. “It was quite an old bike with inadequate gears and too wide a saddle that made my backside very sore,” he said. “It was a relief when I had to get off on steep hills and could give my bottom a rest! As I went along I kept muttering to myself, ‘never again’.” However, five years later, with extra gears and a better saddle, Peter was back, raising more money for charity in the process. Then in 2018, at the age of 85, Peter rode LEJOG for a third time, once again raising funds for charity and benefitting from a new bike with much better gears. And once again he vowed that it would be the last time – although his family suspected otherwise. “Sure enough, I was tempted as I approached 90 to have one more go!” he said. “I decided to do it in aid of the homeless.” Riding nearly 3,500 miles in training at the start of the year prepared Peter well for the road ahead. He was also supported on the ride by family and friends – the highlight of the trip for him. “Getting to spend time with my family and friends made this trip the most satisfying and fulfilling of all four. They
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Your own E2E
This was Peter’s fourth E2E. He also rode it aged 75, 80 and 85 Below: Leaving Innerleithen, en route to Edinburgh
carried my panniers between them almost all the way. I had time with each of my three children, two of whom cycled with me for parts of the route, along with two of my three granddaughters [one of whom is expecting Peter’s first great grandchild] and their husbands.” The support of strangers was another highlight of the trip, with many people donating after spotting Peter’s eyecatching, bright yellow T-shirt emblazoned with ‘Land’s End to John o’ Groats at age 90 in aid of the homeless’. Peter said the T-shirt was “worth its weight in gold!” From people handing him money through car windows, to a woman who secretly paid for brake repairs, to the owner of a bed and breakfast who provided accommodation and a meal for free, Peter feels huge gratitude for the kindness he experienced. He has now raised over £40,000 of the £50,000 target for the Salvation Army and Access Community Trust. And gratitude was what Peter felt when he arrived at John o’ Groats after 30 days and 1,100 miles to be met by cheering family members. “When I got to John o’ Groats I embraced the post and then knelt down on the ground and thanked God. All wonderful – but don’t put any money on my doing it at 95!”
More Info Peter’s fundraising page is: j ustgiving.com/campaign/peterlangford
If Peter’s story has inspired you to consider doing an End to End yourself, you can find all the tools you need to plan it on our website at cyclinguk.org/ lejog. Whether you prefer to complete the route as quickly as possible or take your time on quieter roads, our information pack has the right route for you, with GPX files and ideas for accommodation along the way. Find out the best time of year to attempt the ride, and whether you should go from south to north (LEJOG) or the opposite (JOGLE). And don’t forget to check out the Cycling UK Forum (forum. cyclinguk.org), where LEJOGers past, present and future share information and experiences.
P roduct news
SHOP WINDOW Christmas is coming so you’re about to receive a present of ‘something with a bike on it’. Dodge that fate by sharing Dan Joyce’s last-minute gift list
Save more this Christmas
As a member, you can save up to 50% on a wide range of cycling products and services. Visit cyclinguk.org/ member-benefits
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Wera 3950/9 HexPlus Multicolour Stainless 1 L-key set
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Just Ride £10.99
Grant Petersen’s book isn’t new but is still a muchneeded exposition and validation of everyday, practical cycling. It’s also ideal for any roadie you want to annoy! workman.com
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Stolen Goat Iowa Thermolite Crew Socks £15 A gift of socks can be for her as well as him – these cosy, cooler-weather socks come in sizes S-XL. Cycling UK members get 15% off at VeloVixen. velovixen.com
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Season: A letter to the future £20.99+
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Tour de France 2024 calendar
A computer game where you only shoot things with a camera, Season is a bittersweet adventure whose cycling heroine tours and documents her imperilled world. For PC (£20.99) or PS4/5 (£24.99). scavengers.ca
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£39.99 Workshop perfection: a nine-piece, stainless steel Allen key set with sizes from 1.5-10mm. They’re colour coded to save time and stored in a handy clip. www-uk.wera.de/en
Beeline Velo 2
£99.99 This user-friendly computer offers turn-by-turn navigation for up to 11 hours. It works as a handlebar display for the Beeline app running on your phone (screen off, saving power). beeline.co
Cycling UK gift membership £40
A Cycling UK gift membership is guaranteed to bring smiles on Christmas morning. As a seasonal promotion, you can enjoy 20% off – which means more value for less. cyclinguk.org/ christmasgiftmembership
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£10.99 Calendars are another staple gift. Instead of landscapes or kittens or whatever, how about photos of cyclists racing Tour de France stages? danilo.com
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More online Check out our in-depth reviews of the latest bikes and gear online at: cyclinguk.org/cycling-advice
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G R E AT R I D E S
KILIMANJARO
Great Rides
A HANDCYCLE U
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KILIMANJARO
G R E AT R I D E S
NICK AND DICK CRANE CLIMBED AFRICA’S TALLEST PEAK WITH MOUNTAIN BIKES IN 1985. LAST SUMMER, KAREN DARKE REACHED THE SUMMIT ON HER ICE FULL FAT TRIKE
UP KILIMANJARO
C Y CL I NGUK . O RG cycle 31
F E ATU R E
C A M PA I G N S
Feature
LESS TRAFFIC, MORE CYCLING
C A M PA I G N S
F E ATU R E
JIM DENSHAM Cycling UK campaigns and policy manager – Scotland
C Y CL I NGUK . O RG cycle 39
Main photo: Double Take
THIS ISN’T A CULTURE WAR. IT’S A WAY TO IMPROVE OUR TRANSPORT NETWORKS, OUR ENVIRONMENT, OUR HEALTH AND OUR QUALITY OF LIFE, AS JIM DENSHAM EXPLAINS
CYCLOPEDIA
r e d n i f Bike Which bike should I buy? Ask us at cyclinguk.org/bikefinder
High-torque e-bike For: Trevor Appleton, aged 70, from the North York Moors. Bike needs: The ability to go up the steepest hills there are, such as Rosedale Chimney Bank. Off road I shall largely be on tracks suitable for vehicles. I am interested in touring and have panniers to go on. I need the motor to kick in as soon as I put pressure on the pedals, plus high torque (85Nm?). Low lowest gear and high highest gear, preferably. Must have: Pannier rack, mudguards. Frame suitable for 6ft 4in, 13st 7lb male. Need to remove battery and carry a spare. High range. Must not have: Handlebar higher than seat. Budget Whatever fits my requirements.
Richard Peace For once I feel spoiled for choice in selecting bikes to recommend because ‘all-trail’ or SUVtype e-bikes are a rapidly growing segment – and as you haven’t specified a maximum budget that really opens out the options. So I have two suggestions for you. A standout option has to be the Whyte E-506 SUV (£3,599, whytebikes.com) – not just because of the powerful (85Nm torque) Bosch Performance Line CX mid-drive and removable 500Wh battery but because there are some tremendous discounts around (for example £2,499 from House of Fraser). It has wideranging 1×10 derailleur gearing, mega-powerful four-piston hydraulic disc brakes, hardwired front and rear lights, a rear pannier rack and a dropper seatpost. At the opposite end of the price scale, if you want a virtually indestructible model, you can drool online over Riese & Muller’s Superdelite Mountain (approx £10,000, r-m.de). It boasts the same powerful mid-drive as the Whyte but also has super highquality full suspension and the option of a 14-speed Rohloff hub gear with electronic shifting, plus front and rear racks. If large range is important, best of all, you get Bosch’s 1,125Wh dual battery system. There is a whole spectrum of choice in between these two options, including Haibike’s Advntr FS9, Canyon’s electric Pathlite range and the Trek Powerfly Sport Equipped range.
WHYTE E-506 SUV £3,599
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Trevor Appleton
Dan Joyce Chimney Bank is one of the steepest tarmac roads in the UK, with a maximum gradient of about 33%. The optimum e-bike for climbing such hills is one with a high-torque midmotor (85Nm, as you surmise) and low gears, which will enable both the mid-motor and your legs to work less hard. You only tend to find such motors and gearing on e-mountain bikes (aside from some e-cargo bikes). An e-gravel bike would have sufficient off-road capability for what you describe but would come with too-high gearing and a motor with too little torque. There are plenty of e-MTBs to choose from. Like Richard, I’d suggest a fully equipped hardtail – specifically, the Trek Powerfly Sport 7 Equipped Gen 4 (£4,625, trekbikes.com). That’s not discounted on Trek's website but you may be able to find a very similar Gen 3 version for less. Like the Whyte, it has a pannier rack, mudguards, hardwired lighting, fourpiston hydraulic brakes and a dropper seatpost. Its removable battery is even bigger (625Wh) and its gears are lower. A 36t chainring drives a 12-speed 10-51 cassette, compared to the Whyte’s 38t chainring and 10-speed 11-43 cassette. The XL model is designed for riders between about 6ft 2in and 6ft 5in, so should fit you well. You have a Trek dealer nearby (Big Bear Bikes in Pickering), which will be helpful for test riding and for having local backup if you do buy.
TREK POWERFLY SPORT 7 EQUIPPED GEN 4 £4,625
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BIKE TEST
G R AV EL B I KES
Bike test
Gravel bikes KATHERINE MOORE Katherine is a keen bikepacker and off-road rider who created the East Devon Trail (eastdevontrail. com). She is 165cm tall (5ft 5in)
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You can get a very capable on/off-road all-rounder for £2,000-plus. Katherine Moore tests the Specialized Diverge Comp E5 and Whyte Friston
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ntry-level gravel bikes from big-name brands tend to cost between £1,000 and £1,500. Spending £1,000 more buys you a lighter-weight, bikepacking-ready bike with significant upgrades. Instead of mechanical disc brakes you can expect hydraulics. The groupset will be higher tier. Wheels and tyres are more likely to be tubeless ready. You may also get technology that doesn’t appear on less expensive gravel bikes, such as the dropper seatpost of the Whyte Friston or the proprietary fork-steerer suspension that the Specialized Diverge Comp E5 has. ‘Gravel’ is a broad category. At one end of the spectrum are fatter-tyred adventure bikes (cyclinguk.org/adventure-bikes) that will tackle the kind of terrain you'd otherwise use a hardtail mountain bike for. At the other end are all-roads bikes that are better suited to tarmac and the sort of unsurfaced tracks that a car would cope with. Our test bikes have significant differences in scope. The one that appeals to you most may depend on your cycling background. Are you coming to the world of drop-bar, off-road
riding from the discipline of road cycling or mountain biking?
Frame and fork Both the Specialized Diverge and Whyte Friston have aluminium gravel frames, paired with carbon forks and compatible with modern 12mm thru-axles and threaded bottom brackets. Built for adventure, both bikes’ forks feature cargo cage mounts. The Friston frameset is 1×-specific. While the Diverge is also built with a single chainring setup, you can opt to run a double chainring on it. The two bikes share some similar geometry figures, with 70.5- (Specialized) and 70-degree (Whyte) head tube angles, and almost identical wheelbases. The head tube is considerably longer (130mm) on the Whyte Friston than the Specialized Diverge (104mm). The Diverge is built with Specialized’s Future Shock 1.5 suspension, giving 20mm of fork steerer travel. An internal spring enables the handlebar (and stem) to move up and down, giving much the same effect as a suspension stem; it’s not like a conventional suspension fork, or even Cannondale’s Headshok, where
G R AV EL B I KES
BIKE TEST
First look
Thinner-tyred gravel bike with fork steerer suspension that suits smoother trails and tarmac
An internal spring enables the handlebar (and stem) to move up and down, giving much the same effect as a suspension stem
Tech spec
SPECIALIZED DIVERGE COMP E5 the suspension is for the and hydraulic disc brakes, front wheel. The Future though neither has a full Shock is designed to series build. The Friston smooth out bumps in your and Diverge each have a ride rather than take big (heavier) Sunrace cassette, hits or track rough trail presumably as a cost surfaces like a mountain saving, and the Diverge also bike fork. The Diverge comes uses a KMC chain and Avid with a choice of four coil G2 rotors. The Friston has a springs so you can adjust non-series chainset: an alloy how supple or firm it feels. own-brand offering with The Friston takes a a 38-tooth chainring that’s more traditional approach slightly smaller than the to frame design, though Diverge’s 40-tooth one. with some cues from the As you’d expect at this Top: It’s sold as a 1× bike but mountain bike world. Like price, the finishing kit is there’s a front derailleur mount contemporary MTBs, the all alloy and designed in Bottom: These 38mm tyres roll well on road and easy tracks but Friston aims for improved house. The Diverge uses lack off-road grip and plushness off-road stability with a Specialized’s Adventure shorter-offset fork (more Gear Hover handlebar with trail), a longer-reach frame that puts a subtle 12-degree flare in the drops, a the front wheel further out front, and a Future-Shock-specific stem and a standard shorter stem. Generous tyre clearances seatpost topped with the popular shortenable you to run wider 700C rubber for nosed Specialized Power cutout saddle. rougher trails. While the Specialized can The Friston has some obvious take up to 42mm tyres, the Friston can mountain bike influences when it comes accommodate tyres up to 50mm (2in). to components, including a very wide Both bikes feature internal cable and handlebar (50cm!) and a Trans-X dropper hose routing, although only through the seatpost with 70mm travel. This is frame and fork, and not, home mechanics activated using the left-hand SRAM shifter will be pleased to note, through the that would otherwise operate a front handlebar, stem and/or headset. derailleur. Both bikes roll on 700C alloy Components wheelsets, set up with innertubes. The Both bikes are equipped with SRAM major difference, apart from the tyres Apex, with single-chainring drivetrains themselves, is that the wheels and tyres
Price: £2,500. Sizes: 49, 52 (tested), 54, 56, 58, 61, 64cm. Weight: 9.9kg (21.8lb). Frame and fork: Specialized Diverge E5 Premium Aluminum with Future Shock 1.5, threaded BB, internal routing, thru-axle, flat-mount disc, and fittings for rear rack, mudguard, three bottles and top tube bag/box. Carbon fork with fittings for mudguard and two cargo/bottle cages. Wheels: 38-622 Specialized Pathfinder Sport gravel tyres, Axis Elite Disc alloy wheels, set up with innertubes. Transmission: SRAM Apex 1× drivetrain Dimensions in millimetres and degrees
625 542 722
73.75˚
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432
614 70.5˚
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430
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with 40t chainring, SRAM GXP bottom bracket, KMC X-11 11-speed chain and Sunrace 11-42t cassette. SRAM Apex hydraulic shifters and long-cage rear derailleur. 11 ratios, 26-100in. Braking: SRAM Apex 1 hydraulic disc brakes, Avid G2 160mm rotors. Steering & seating: Specialized S-Wrap tape, Specialized Adventure Gear Hover bar with 12 degrees flare, Specialized Future Shock alloy stem and headset. Specialized Power Sport saddle with steel rails, Specialized alloy seatpost with offset clamp. specialized.com
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ROAD TYRES
GROUPTEST
Details
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
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Wider tyres can be run at lower pressures, which means more comfort on bad roads and more grip on wet ones. If your bike has sufficient clearance, embrace the fact that you can now buy proper 28mm (or even 32mm) road tyres.
Grouptest
Four-season road tyres
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Faster-rolling tyres are how Dan keeps up with fitter riders on club runs
Cycle’s test promise At Cycle, we are proudly independent. There’s no pressure to please advertisers as we’re funded by your membership. Our product reviews aren’t press releases; they’re written by experienced cyclists after thorough testing.
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Casing
A higher TPI number (threads per inch) means thinner thread, which gives a
more supple casing and a nicer (and usually faster) ride. A lower TPI means a stiffer casing made from thicker threads that don’t cut as easily. All tyres tested have lighter folding beads rather than wire.
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Puncture resistance
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Rolling performance
While a thicker tread will also improve puncture resistance, road bike tyres primarily use one or more synthetic anti-puncture layers under the tread, such as Kevlar. Some have similar protection for the sidewalls.
These may not be race tyres but rolling performance is still important in most road bike situations. Lighter, more supple tyres generally roll best but usually have less puncture resistance.
Right: conti-tyres.co.uk
DAN JOYCE
Tread
Tread patterns aren’t required for road bike tyres except as a visual wear gauge. Rubber can’t dig into tarmac and bicycle tyres won’t aquaplane in the wet. Compound is what counts. Dualcompound tyres have softer rubber on the ‘shoulders’ of the tyre for cornering, harder in the centre for longevity and efficient rolling.
Year-round riding demands road bike tyres that are tougher, grippier and perhaps wider than summeronly rubber. Dan Joyce tests four pairs inter means wetter, slippier roads with more puncture-causing debris, and more potholes due to frost cracking. A set of tougher tyres will make shivering at the roadside with a flat less likely. How tough? It’s a trade off. You can buy Schwalbe’s bombproof Marathon Plus in the same 28-622 size as the tyres featured here but it’s 750g. That’s not a problem for commuting but the weight, drag and ride feel will suck the joy from club runs, training rides or audax events. The tyres tested here are lighter and faster rolling. They’re all designed for use with innertubes. Fourseason tubeless road tyres do exist, and we’ll be testing some soon, but the benefit of sealant isn’t as pronounced as it is with fragile race rubber because tougher tyres don’t get as many holes poked in them in the first place. It’s also generally easier to get nontubeless tyres on and off non-tubeless rims than if the rims, tyres or both are tubeless – something you may appreciate with cold hands. I tested 28mm versions of all these tyres, fitting them to 17mm-wide Kinlin XC-279 rims. They’re the wheels of a Spa Audax Mono I’m reviewing for next issue, which meant a lot of out-of-the-saddle climbing on wet roads. I also did repeated roll-down tests.
Width
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TRAVELLERS’ TALES
France
Pedalling to Provence For her club’s cycling week in the south of France, Becci May decided to get there by bike
In the hills above Ingram
Northumberland
4-day Sandstone Way This summer, Jane John and three companions cycled 120 miles off road from Berwick-upon-Tweed to Hexham
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o heatwave? Tick. Sandstone Way travel logistics sorted? Tick. Avon Skin So Soft packed? Tick. The four of us were ready for another off-road MTB adventure, although not a little unnerved by a previous Travellers’ Tales report of 170 or more gates to open… We planned to split the 120-mile journey into four days of riding: Berwick to Wooler; Wooler to Rothbury; Rothbury to Bellingham; and Bellingham to Hexham, staying in pubs and B&Bs en route. The route was easily plotted using the Sandstone Way GPX file and the paper map. Our luggage was transferred by a kind husband in a campervan. He was also our backup if anything major went wrong. Looking back at our mostly sunny photographs, I’ve almost forgotten the few short, sharp showers, especially as one came just before the café at Ingram. It was easily put right by a large slice of border tart and a flat white. Our spirits weren’t even dampened by the lack of sleep due to the noisy Kiwi sheep shearers in Rothbury, the evidence of their celebrations hosed away the next morning… Mostly we just rode along bridleways up and down hills with no
Stay connected 74
one else in sight, over farmland, in forests and woods, and between sparse villages. With technical descents challenging us, accompanied by plenty of whooping, perhaps it’s not surprising that we don’t tend to see much wildlife. There was more squawking as we found ‘something nasty in the woodshed’ when we put our bikes away in the Old Mortuary at Fountain Cottage B&B. All part of the welcome, apparently. It’s a fantastic route – well signed, stunning landscapes, isolated and incredibly quiet (apart from us). We didn’t meet any other cyclists, just a few local walkers, on the whole route. As for the total gate tally of 123, we did only count the ones we had to open. Maybe someone knew we were coming?
facebook.com/CyclingUK
cycle DE C E MB E R 20 2 3/JAN UARY 2024
CYCLING IN PROVENCE was a delight in June. We were there for a week of riding, organised by Alton Cycling Club, after having travelled there through France in cars, trains or by bike! One of our club members, Seb, thought: “What better way to join a club cycling week in Provence than by getting there by bike?” For those of us who joined him, that meant 14 days and 1,400km of cycling. We rode from Normandy to Angers and then up the Loire until it becomes a stream. Then down idyllic valleys in the Ardèche – the so-called Dolce Via – down to the Rhône and, at last, Provence. Our base in Provence was a comfortable and friendly hotel in Buis-les-Baronnies, with spectacular views and access to a variety of mountain climbs (Mont Ventoux being the ultimate), multiple cols and dramatic gorges (such as the Gorges de la Nesque). There were interesting rides in all directions from Buis. Ventoux loomed over us throughout the week, and by the end of it many of us managed to climb to the summit, which has three different ascents. The climb was followed by a treacherous windy and winding whizz down. It was 10 degrees colder at the top, and we loved feeling the warmth build on the long descent to Malaucène. Stormy weather during the week added to the drama, with thunder, lightning and rising river levels adding to the evenings’ entertainment. A fantastic week of good fun, good company and good rides.
More online Hexham, journey’s end
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