THE WESSEX NEWSLETTER Edited independently in three of the CTC Wessex member group areas and published quarterly. Please contact your nearest member group or access the club website for information on any events CTC WESSEX SECRETARY Peter Loakes, Church Cottage, West Stafford, DT2 8AB (01305) 263272 CTC BOURNEMOUTH & DISTRICT David Chesworth, 52 Newstead Road, Bournemouth BH6 3HL (01202) 432852 CTC SALISBURY Alan Clarke, “Hill House”, Kelsey Road, Salisbury SP1 1JR (01722) 322188 CTC WEST DORSET Mike Durham, 74 Westhill, Wyke Regis, Weymouth DT4 9NE (01305) 770140
Main Calendar Dates For 2009 Sunday 5th Apr Sunday 5th Apr
Dorset Coastlet 100km Dorset Coast 200km
Peter Loakes Peter Loakes
01305 263272 01305 263272
Sunday 12th April
50 in 4
Shawn Shaw
01202 685014
Sunday 26th April Sunday 26th April Sunday 26th April Sunday 26th April
New Forest Challenge 50km New Forest Day Out 100km New Forest 150km New Forest Excursion 200km
John Ward John Ward John Ward John Ward
01590 671205 01590 671205 01590 671205 01590 671205
Sunday 17th May
Dorset Downs 100km
Mike Walsh
01202 429985
Sunday 12th Jul
100 in 8
Shawn Shaw
01202 685014
Sunday 6th Sep Sunday 6th Sep Sunday 6th Sep Sunday 6th Sep
New Forest 50km New Forest and Coast 100km New Forest 150km New Forest On & Off Shore 200km
John Ward John Ward John Ward John Ward
01590 671205 01590 671205 01590 671205 01590 671205
Sunday 13th Sep
Dorset Dirt 50km offroad
Ken Reed
01305 772654
Sunday 20st Sep
Bournemouth Square 200km
Brian Callow
01202 526606
Sunday 11th Oct
Gridiron 100km
Terry Walsh
01202 247888
ALL WESSEX ACTIVITIES CAN BE FOUND ON:
www.wessexctc.org
At the AGM we gave a sincere vote of thanks to Dave Chesworth who has been our able secretary for several years. Cheryl Owen, who rides with the BJW as well as with CTC was voted in and takes over immediately. We all wish her well in her new job. Terry Walsh remains as our Chairman and guides things along with a light control on the rudder as well as organising the ever increasing “Gridiron” each year. You can read all about this year’s bad weather on page 17! Terry, pictured right, is shown holding his chocolate lollipop which he was awarded for good work at the Gridiron. He can eat it now with a clean conscience.
Mr. Chairman
Also we must give some more thanks to Jean Trill who has now reluctantly given up the quarterly task of Newsletter distribution. Over the years, she has held just about every post in the club that you can think of, and folding up and posting all these Newsletters and taking in the renewals was her last service for us. Thank you Jean. Janet and I will be taking over this task in future, so if you’d like to receive the Newsletter by post and are not already subscribed, you can get on the mailing list by downloading the form from the website and send it in to Janet. www.bournemouthctc.org/Newsubs1.pdf Happy Christmas to all and good cycling in 2009
Keith Matthews - Editor 3
Cycle Ink #151
Palmares At the AGM we make a small number of awards each year, the most valued on which is the Sartain Trophy. This is a neat little hallmarked silver cup named after a past Chairman of the section back in the mid-1950s and is awarded for exceptional service to the section. This year the committee awarded to Ralph Huckle. Over the last 2 years Ralph has worked on the design of the new section clothing, organised its production and also the sales and distrubution. In all, a most sucessful exercise.
Ralph Huckle receives the Sartain Trophy from Chairman Terry Walsh
The full list of awardees can be seen on our website: bournemouthctc.org/award1.htm
Having noted that the section holds two other trophies which are no longer awarded; the Attendance Shield and the B.A.R. (Best All Rounder) cup the committee decided this year to re-dedicate them. In the days when we had only one riding group it was relatively easy to decide who won in these categories, but these days it is almost impossible. The Attendance Shield has been renamed as the Tourist Shield and is to be awarded for the highest placed CTC Bournemouth Rider in the National CTC Tourist Competition (DATC). This year it goes to Peter Jones. Tourist Shield Peter Jones
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The old B.A.R. Cup is renamed the Rider’s Cup, and no, its not given out to the best golfer in the section, but for the most impressive cycling feat each year. This year it was decided to give the award to Ray Haswell in recognition of his Trafalgar to Trafalgar ride. Cape Trafalgar to Trafalgar Square at Audax standards was quite a feat of endurance. In Ray’s case could this also be awarded for the most impressive cycling feet in the section? If that is the case, watch out Eric or you might win it next year!
Rider’s Cup - Ray Haswell
Free Wheeling Competition Thursday January 15th 2009
Meet 09:30 at Wimborne Recreation Ground. FREE ENTRY ON THE DAY
Winning Solo holds silver cup for the year. Separate event for tandems
Viral Advertising On Youtube Take a look at this, brought to our attention by Shawn Shaw, and decide which side of the fence you are on! Don’t worry, Viral does not mean its a virus!
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=KY8cgsBwpho
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What’s On ? CTC Blackmore Vale Rides Cycle Rides arranged by the CTC Wessex member group in Blackmore Vale. All CTC members are welcome to participate. All rides meet at the Cafe at 10:00am for coffee, departing at 10:30am. Please note that some rides are on a Saturday and some on a Sunday. Details (01963) 32840 Sat 13th DEC Sun 28th DEC Sat 10th JAN 09 Sun 25th JAN Sat 7th FEB Sun 22nd FEB Sat 7th MAR Sun 22nd MAR
MEET: WINCANTON, Memorial Hall LUNCH: Mystery Ride MEET: GILLINGHAM, Waitrose Supermarket LUNCH: Shaftesbury MEET: STALBRIDGE, Dike’s Supermarket LUNCH: Sherborne MEET: EAST STOUR, Udder Farm Shop LUNCH: Compton Abbas, Airfield MEET: MERE, Angel Corner Tea Room LUNCH: Pythouse, Kitchen Garden (near Semley) MEET: SUTTON MONTIS, Bramble & Sage LUNCH: Yeovil, Brimsmore Garden Centre MEET: CASTLE CARY, The Old Bakehouse, High Street LUNCH: Shepton Mallet, Fish & Chips MEET: STOURHEAD, National Trust Cafe LUNCH: Longleat, Cellar Cafe
New!!! - Tuesday Rides 10:00 for 11:00 departure. 1st Tuesday of Month
Meet Café Central Wincanton
2nd Tuesday of Month
Waitrose Café Gillingham
3rd Tuesday of Month
N.T. Café Stourhead (Except Feb - Spreadeagle Pub)
4th Tuesday of Month
Wheathill Lane Garden Centre Milborne Port
Plus 31st March
Café to be arranged at Langport.
Contact (01963) 32840 for details
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The Six Ferries Ride
By Ralph Huckle
It was an early start for the Christchurch Bicycle Club's Annual Six Ferries Ride on the 19th June. The ride officially started from Highcliffe and would have involved a journey from home of over 100 miles; not wanting to travel this far we, being Colin Barrett, Paul Turner and myself, went by car to Pilley Village Hall and started our ride from there. With a very strong tailwind it was an easy ride of 10miles to Hythe arriving at 10.00am to join the others for coffee before taking ferry #1 from Hythe to Southampton. There were 29 of us in all. The weather was fair and everyone was in a jolly mood anticipating a good day to come. From Southampton Ferry Terminal we threaded our way through the city to the Itchen Bridge and from the bridge we took the coastal road running down Southampton Water eventually riding through the Royal Victoria Park using mostly traffic free roads and paths with good views of Southampton Water. Eventually we arrived at the village of Hamble where we would board the second ferry of the day to Warsash a short sea trip of no more than 5 minutes. This is a cute ferry painted in pink which cannot take any more than 11 bikes. This obviously necessitated three trips before we were all in Warsash where we had lunch at the Rising Sun on the Quay. This quay was one of the departure points for the D-Day Landings and there is an interesting monument to be seen. After lunch we made our way to the village of Hook and then on through the Chilling Estate enjoying lovely quiet roads and tracks. Eventually we emerged at Hill Head with fine views of the Solent and the Isle of Wight beyond. From Hill Head we followed the coastal road to Lee-On-Solent passing the defunct naval hovercraft and on to Stokes Bay and eventually to Gosport for Ferry #3 taking us to Portsmouth. This was a most enjoyable ride essentially because we had a strong tailwind all the way, the sun was shining and we could enjoy fine views of the Solent and all the activity. On arriving in Portsmouth we booked in for Ferry #4 the fast jet to Ryde Pier. Unfortunately we had to wait three quarters of an hour for this ferry, which upset our schedule a little. From Ryde we hugged the coast road to Cowes now suffering a head wind rather than a tailwind and some hills to boot and having the feeling that at last we were doing some work. At East Cowes we boarded Ferry #5 to take us to West Cowes and from there we continued mainly along the coast to begin with before going inland to pick up the very quiet roads to Yarmouth, where we boarded Ferry #6. Fortunately there was no delay this time and we arrived at Lymington at 8:00pm. Most of the others were stopping for a fish and chip supper before riding the final leg back to Highcliffe and their homes. We, however, had a short ride to Pilley where we loaded the bikes and then enjoyed a very nice meal in the Fleur de Lys just down the road from the car park. Our grateful thanks to the Christchurch Bicycle Club organisers for an excellent day out - good riding, good company, interesting scenery and they even arranged good weather.
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Winter Riding
By Chris Hinchcliffe
The following article was first published in the Wessex Road Club Circular in early 1982. The main body of the text has been updated but remains largely unchanged. The morning of Sunday 13th December 1981 was a cold, dry and windy one. That morning the Wessex Road Club club run meeting place was at the Riverside Café (now long gone) in the Ham Car Park, Blandford. There were five attendees John Way, Mark Way, Charles May, myself and a new rider, David. David had, at the last minute, been persuaded by Charles to come on the run. We set off northwards at approximately 18mph, pushed on by a strong tail wind. None of us could possibly have guessed what lay in store for us over the succeeding hours. The run to lunch via Stourpaine, Childe Okeford and Motcombe was very enjoyable and fairly uneventful apart from one puncture, (Charles – who else?), which was announced with a cry of “Oh ****!”. On reaching The Kingsettle Pub (now, also long gone), on the outskirts of Semley, it was beer and sandwiches all round as we happily watched the snow starting to fall . . . pitch, and then drift on the road outside. After about an hour there was suddenly a general rush for the door to avoid embarrassment when Charles asked the barman if he could buy the pornographic Strongbow calendar, which was hanging blatantly on the wall. After searching for, finding and digging the bikes from a snowdrift, the intrepid five set off up the winding snow covered hill to Shaftesbury. The jokes and snowballs were flying thick and fast and a couple of us bit the snow as back wheels spun in the deepening drifts in which the cars were starting to grind to a halt. By the time we arrived in Shaftesbury we were pushing our bikes through the gusting ankle deep snow with an increasing gale force wind. A democratic decision was made which determined that we would rough stuff it directly across the roundabout to take the Lower Shaftesbury to Blandford Road which would be more sheltered and therefore hopefully less time consuming. Unsurprisingly none of us relished the unwelcome prospect of tackling Spreadeagle Hill and the exposed top Shaftesbury to Blandford road in the rapidly deteriorating weather conditions. On the hill down into Cann we lent our services to one courageous driver who had refused to abandon his car and was slipping and revving his way up the hill in the opposite direction and much appreciated the push which we provided, over the worst of the gradient. We set off once more, passing a bus shelter full of huddled, shivering, stranded motorists who looked on with a mixture of disbelief and bemusement as we marched down the middle of the road /ski slope singing, “I’m Dreaming Of A White Christmas”, “Snowdrops Keep Falling On My Head” etc etc. A second democratic decision in Compton Abbas determined that we would ditch the bikes at the nearest house so as to make it possible to make headway through the now calf-deep snow and blizzardous wind which was making it difficult to see. By jogging we managed to increase the pace to about 3mph and it was very noticeable that the
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snowballs had stopped, the humour had decreased somewhat and even Charlie’s outbursts of inappropriate giggles had been reduced to two an hour which was probably due to the fact that there was a half inch thick layer of ice on his glasses.
At Iwerne Minster it was agreed that Charles would stay at my house, so the group split into two. The larger group, consisting of John, Mark and Dave, who now wished he hadn’t been so easily conned into coming on a Wessex Road Club “cycle ride”, headed straight on, Blandford bound. The smaller group consisting of Charlie and myself, turned left up the hill, heading for the top of the Tarrant Valley. Here the snow in the road was chest height. Needless to say, we took to the fields, clambering through hedges and over fences, which, on more than one occasion induced cramp. By this time it was dark and as we lost height into the more sheltered Tarrant Valley the snow depth decreased, so we rejoined the road in the lea of a forest. Here we were abruptly startled by a sudden flash as a set of overhead power cables shorted out, showering us with sparks. The temperature was well below freezing with added windchill, and the water, which had penetrated four layers of clothing, was freezing hard, further hindering our progress and increasing shivering by a very noticeable factor. Charlie stated that he would rather be sunbathing! At this point main topics of conversation included apple crumble, Kendal mint cake and hypothermia. On reaching Tarrant Gunville we saw a set of headlights approaching us, which proved to be a tractor. Our hopes were temporarily raised and then dashed as the tractor drove on by, the occupant ignoring our vigorous signalling and apparently oblivious to our predicament. We trudged on, hungry and fatigued. Our silent progress was interrupted by the sound of a vehicle coming up behind. Having previously learnt a lesson from the tractor experience, Charles stood in the middle of the road, waving frantically, managing to belt me in the eye in the process. The Landrover slithered to a halt and a friendly voice
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called out “Where you wanna go mate?” “Tarrant Hinton” we replied in chorus. We both fell gratefully into the back of the Landrover and travelled the remaining mile in relative style to complete the fourteen miles hike! Many retrospective thanks to my mum (Vicki) for administering First Aid, upon our arrival, in the form of urgently required piping hot tea, hot food, hot baths and warm, dry clothes. Charles May’s hobby as a cyclist survived and he went on to create a bespoke bicycle frame building business called De Mayo Velo Systems, advertising regularly in the Wessex DA Newsletter. He cycles regularly, is now semi-retired and lives with his partner, Anne in a cottage in the Blackdown Hills, Somerset. As for Dave? He never attended another Wessex Road Club club run. Rumour has it that he was buried that day, where he fell at the side of the A350 on his return journey from Iwerne Minster to Blandford. And myself? Well, I tried to be philosophical and accept my snowy experience as just one more character building Sunday club ride. I still cycle from time to time but ironically, I have taken up walking for a pastime and can be found most Sundays tramping the footpaths and bridleways of Dorset. Does anybody else have any vivid memories of their experiences on this particularly atrocious day in December 1981? Surely we weren’t the only ones out on our bikes that day in Dorset.
OBITUARIES Dorothy Palmer Long standing club members, especially Wednesday Wanderers, with fond memories of Dudley & Dorothy Palmer, will be sad to hear that Dorothy passed away peacefully at Whitway House Nursing Home on Monday 8th September 2008, aged 93. Beloved widow of Dudley, Dorothy was a long standing member of the West Dorset section and in latter days was always willing to help with organisation and marshalling. Often allowing their Weymouth home to be used as a control point.
John Rowland
was cremated at Poole on 23rd October. John was a long-term Wessex member and one time Wessex DA President and our CTC Councillor.
Mabel Andrews
from cancer of the pancreas on 25th October aged 72. Older West Dorset members will remember her as one of the well known cycling Toop family.
Marguerite Statham
well known West Dorset member, was cremated at Yeovil on 23rd October.
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A Road Atlas . . . By Brian Charles A Swinging Compass . . . And a Pound of Sausages Although I am reluctant to ride on my own, the obvious advantage over cycling with a group is the total freedom that is gained and sometimes too tempting to ignore. When, some years ago, I found myself on the sleeper, crossing the border on the way to Perth in Scotland, I realised that few would want to accompany me on this little jaunt anyway. Driven by an eccentric ambition, my aim was to complete a solo crossing of the Cairngorms by way of Glen Tilt and the granddaddy of all the traditional British rough-stuff mountain passes, the Larig Ghru. The 32 miles off road on a road bike was to take me two days. After a good nights sleep I was on my bike speeding through the Pass of Killecrankie to the start of my real ride some 37 miles away. I did have three companions of a sort however, in the form of firstly, a road atlas of Great Britain (well an ordinance survey map might not pay its way because I didn't expect to go there again). The atlas suggested that Glen Tilt was in a north-ish direction from where I left the surface road at Blair Athol. Secondly I carried a compass that swung crazily, but was really surplus to requirements anyway with that glorious midday sun behind me and so indicating that north was in front of me. Thirdly, since the Youth Hostel that night would not supply meals, I invested in a pound of sausages from the local butcher. In fact this venture was not so irresponsible as it would seem, I had served a comprehensive apprenticeship with the Rough Stuff Fellowship in the North of England. I was inspired by founder members like Albert Winstanley the cycle touring journalist who, together with his family, introduced me to my first of many Lakeland crossings. Another Rough Stuff specialist was Wilf Cooper with whom I shared many adventures in the hills. He once led a group with their bikes up Striding Edge to the summit of Helvelyn in the Lake District and, on another occasion gave a slide show
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“The Cairngorms by bike above 3000 ft”. These two and others encouraged me to gain further experience and confidence in mountain terrain. Glen Tilt was a bit of a doddle really, having a fairly well defined path, and one or two half decent bridges crossing the burns rushing down the side valleys. One bridge however appeared to be too far up a tributary, the path I was on was leading perhaps to a bridge out of sight around the mountain side so, knowing that the shortest distance between two points was a straight line, the bike was shouldered and I crossed the young river the hard way. The water level was not much above my knees but it was cold and the botttom was uneven and slippery. I cursed my impatience and staggered on to the far bank. The River Tilt continued for mile after mile in a straight northeasterly direction with wild dramatic mountain scenery all around and by early evening I had reached the northern end of the glen. The hostel I was aiming for was a self-catering one at Inveray near Breamar. Suddenly I was on a surfaced road, glory be! My elation was however short lived because the Youth Hostel appeared after a mile just when I was getting used to the easy riding. The Warden's cottage was a mile or so further on and when I collected the keys I was told that nobody else was expected that night. I trekked back to the hostel and was met by an eerie silence as I let myself in. After all day on my own I had been looking forward to some company that evening! As I opened the kitchen door to cook my sausages, I was confronted by the sight of a large picture on the facing wall. The magnificent stag shown there in it's Highland background was so realistic. Suddenly the picture became blurred, it's frame was transferred into a window frame. Yes, the solitude of the deserted hostel had got to me. That ten-point monarch of the glen was no work of art at all. If he had been expecting food, standing there by the window he was to be unlucky, my sausages would not stretch that far. Surely the Scottish red deer were not that tame. Was my imagination playing games? The “solo cycling with total freedom” theory was starting to wear a bit thin.
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Next day dawned bright and clear which was just as well with my ambitious, some would say foolhardy aims. The route lay, broadly speaking, from Breamar to Aviemore over the Cairngorm mountains by way of the notorious Larig Ghru. After breakfasting on sausages I prepared for the road (well track). Yes my faithful compass was still swinging madly so I knew that it was working. Then I consulted my road atlas of Great Britain, and at this stage I must admit to having a little booklet called “Hill Path Contours of the Chief Mountain Passes of Scotland” price one shilling (5p editor). I needed this to boost my morale so I re-read my favourite passage; “Every few years a cyclist takes his bicycle to speed the journey, although warned not to do so, invariably makes the attempt. As the bicycle has to be carried for about three miles, it is difficult to understand why this is done”. Looking back on those days I am tempted to smile when I hear about the current “challenge rides”. But for me, all those years ago, this was no challenge. I saw it as being the only way for a cyclist to experience the true grandeur of the Scottish Highlands and adopting the Rough Stuff Fellowship principle of using a road bike, meant that when I got down off the mountain I could eat up the miles with relative ease, compared to overcoming the energy sapping rolling resistance of mountain bike tyres. For a few miles the path (fit only for a mountain goat) was rideable. Putting to the back of my mind the metallic clanging of rims on rocks, I made good progress so after a couple of hours I got the primus out and had a drum-up and took time to absorb my surroundings. The Larig Ghru loomed over me and although it was early June there was plenty of snow up there! I knew that I was approaching the summit when the boulder field began. With the bike on my shoulder I leapt from rock to rock, an ordeal that lasted for nearly a mile. Had I climbed higher on to the scree slopes I could have avoided the boulders, but the late snow looked too treacherous for leather cycling shoes. After some time there began a discernable downward inclination to the path and far below me the valley of the River Spey started to emerge and I knew that the surfaced road leading to Aviemore would be under my tyres within a few hours. I decided to celebrate with a feast. Having endured a staple diet of sausages for the last two days I was getting a bit browned off with the beasts, but the eagerly anticipated three course meal at the hostel was some way off yet. The remaining two looked a bit lonely sizzling there in the pan but I was glad to see the back of them. It began to look as if my eccentric ambiition was about to be achieved. My road atlas of Great Britain had confounded criticism of the faint hearted and had got me within sight of my destination. The swinging compass had now settled down, although the indicating pointer was now showing that the mid-day sun was in the north! Baring a sudden downturn in the weather I could now safely hurl the thing down the mountainside. The track was now rideable and soon I was eating up the miles on a surfaced road. This had been a glorious ride over the Larig Ghru. It had been two days of cycling at it's most rewarding. I had experienced a traffic free ride and had enjoyed the solitude of the Scottish Highlands at their very best. However, I was glad of the company at Aviemore Youth Hostel but when I sat down to my evening meal I had a bit of a shock. I stared down at my plate. My worst fears had been realised. Sausage and mash!
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Semaine Federale 2008
By David Chesworth
August 2008. Saumur. La Semaine Fédérale. What a great week that was, eh? For those who aren’t quite sure what the event is, it is a week’s cycling rally in France, organised by the FFCT and similar to the CTC Birthday Rides, but on a much larger scale. The host town changes each year and moves up and down the country to give a change of scenery and to give, I suppose, cyclists the opportunity to attend without travelling too far. It is also a good way to promote tourism in the area in question.
This year eight of us from the Bournemouth Section, me, Mike, Colin, Pete, John, Rosie, Paul and Mary decided this would be a good year to go for the first time. Paul and Mary made their own way in their camper while the rest of us took the official CTC tour with Pam Pilbeam starting from Denmead (Portsmouth) and making our way to the ferry by coach with the bikes on a covered trailer behind. There were 24 of us plus Pam and we took the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Ouistreham and arrived on the Sunday to check into our hotel which was situated in the centre of Saumur and overlooked the Loire. Following registration, we had a browse around the “Permanence” an enclosed area in the town centre which contained many trade stands and eating facilities for those who had registered for meals. After a good meal at our hotel we were looking forward to our first ride the following day . There was a choice of 4 or 5 rides each day ( except Thursday - the picnic day ) the distance varying between say 50 and 190 km. The rides were “ free choice “. There was
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no formal start/finish. You started and finished as suited you and if you wanted a day off, no problem. Six of us rode together, John and Rosie and Paul and Mary doing their own thing , sometimes joining us and sometimes not. For most of the week we were also accompanied by Valerie and Brian two of the others in our group and good company they were too. We had received on registration a series of IGN maps indicating the routes ( each route colour coded ) and each map indicating the villages through we passed, distances and refuelling stops etc. The organisation was superb. In addition to Marshalls there were also Gendarmes at difficult crossing points. Saumur was certainly in festive mood. There were signs everywhere “ bienvenue aux cyclos” , “menus cyclos” . The Town Hall had a bike in front decorated with flowers, Several local pharmacies had bikes in their windows and we even saw three flower decorated bike frames suspended from a building! I believe that there are somewhere in the region of 12/15000 people who attend each year but despite this Saumur seemed to cope very well and swallowed up the cyclists without difficulty. The rides were arranged each day in a cloverleaf pattern around Saumur to show the surrounding countryside. The “ Points d’Accueil” (welcome points) had tented seating areas and all provided cold drinks ,coffee beer, wine and food, generally snacks and light lunches. There was also music, sometimes recorded, sometimes an accordian or other live group entertainment and the atmosphere was always lively. At Longué, for instance, there was even a troup of local ladies of a certain age giving a dancing display, which went down very well with the substantial audience clapping and cheering for more. What courage! How long you stopped was up to you but we chose to do rides around the 100 k mark which gave us time to see the sites en route and experience the fun of the day. Sights of the Loire figured regularly throughout the week .but for me the most impressive was the view on the first day when we left St Rémy to cross the bridge to St Mathurin-sur-Loire. The Loire in winter or after heavy rain can be wide, fast and dangerous but that day in August with the sky bright blue and the temperature in the mid 30’s it was shrunken and quiet.Huge banks of sand arose from the riverbed and with no obvious development on the riverbank to spoil the view the sky seemed enormous. We bowled across the bridge and,full of adrenaline and joie de vivre, shot off on a dead straight road to the chateau of Mazé and the next Accueil. The next day was my birthday and ,going east from Saumur, and after a ride through vineyards and fields filled with sunflowers, we reached Bourgueil to find a large bike jam at the main crossroads, This was not helped by the fact that it was market day. The streets were filled with stalls and large numbers of people and the whole place was buzzing. It seemed a good place to stop and we had a very relaxed half hour or so drinking coffee and eating a celebratory gateau in the sun-drenched square. And so the week continued. Hot sun, good riding and interesting sights. We visited the troglodyte caves at Louresse-Rochemenier (no problems with Health and Safety there;
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“wheel your bikes through with you, monsieur”) and the wine caves at St Cyr en Bourg. No problem there either. The entrance led into a large dark tunnel lit at the side with coloured lanterns. and looking like Santa’s Grotto. The crowd surged forward in the gloom to the little table dispensing small cups of the vineyard’s wine. At the side was a portable oven with a fire roaring inside and fed by wooden logs beneath. The local baker was making “ fouées’, something like a pitta bread which was filled with either jam or goats cheese. These cost a couple of euros and there was quite a queue. We all gradually made our way through the caves after the excitement of this foray and continued our way back to Saumur through the vineyards to have our last evening meal. Before we went to Saumur I had arranged with one of our friends from St Lô to meet if possible and we did in fact manage this during the week. Their group, who were staying on the official camp site, invited us over for a drink before dinner and we had a very convivial hour or so with them. We never saw them on the road though and it was surprising how the countryside swallowed everybody up. Sunday was the day of the final parade and many riders took part, either in club kit or national dress groups riding on a short circuit through the centre of town. For our part we were interested onlookers while our bikes were loaded on to the trailer ready for our journey home. It had been a great week with good companionship and lovely weather and Saumur, the FFCT and the local helpers had done us all proud. This is an event well worth attending at sometime in one’s cycling life. Many French cyclists attend pretty much every year. It is , however, worth bearing in mind that, while the organisation etc. will be similar, the style and ambience (and weather) will reflect the host town and if you are intending to stay in a hotel and make your own arrangements, you will need to think about this a year or so in advance. Bonne chance!
From Norman Payne
More French News
This afternoon I received some expected news from René Laffaiteur - that at their AGM this week, Loïc stepped down from the presidency and was replaced by Marc Colasse. This is good news for our connection. Marc is a longstanding twinner and can be regarded as a good friend of ours together with the delightful Sylviane and their equally delightful daughters. Also they have a new secretary, Marie-Jo Lomi, who apparently has arrived in the area from Dijon where her husband was President of a cycling club.
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Gridiron 2008
From Terry Walsh
The rain forecast, and then the rain itself had a big effect on the numbers riding. Last year we had 310 enter on the day. This year we had 89. That is 221 less which equals £1,105 in lost fees. Postal entries were up by 104 which equals £364. 548 Entered 280 Started 267 finished. Not the same as last year but we still made a profit. Those that rode it enjoyed themselves. I have a couple of Emails as evidence. Jimmy Walker our ex DA president led out at 9.30 and took some photos of the event as he went round. They are on our website. www.wessexctc.org Click on "Bournemouth" then on "Gallery" then "Gridiron". They are worth a look. My brother's sons persuaded a good number of their friends to come down from Basingstoke to ride, which helped the numbers. They were not allowed to pull out! Then they had a knees-up in the pub after. Just to make a day of it! We had about 20 people helping, Ralph sold Gridiron caps and medals at Boldre and took £407. Keith did the advertising and the printing. I overestimated that by a mile. Most people download the entry form from our website and Keith sees to that too. 280 riders are still hard work. So thank you to all who helped. I also think that with 280 riders it can be counted as a successful event. Next year's Gridiron is on the way. The halls are booked; Sunday 11th October 2009.
Bournemouth Square 2008
From Brian Callow 36 riders entered the first Bournemouth Square 200km Audax randonnee on September 21st. The four who failed to turn up were exactly balanced out by the four who entered on the line and all but one finished. The one unlucky rider stripped his pedal climbing out of Middle Woodford. Araldite, and a coach bolt from Warminster B&Q, got
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him to Bruton and back to Gillingham before he finally, and very reluctantly, gave up. It was his second attempt to complete a 200km ride. It appears that the route was reasonably accurate as everbody else found their way back. Congratulations to Jeff Mogg who did successfully complete his first 200km despite being led astray by his sat nav, missing the checkpoint. A big thanks to Pete Loakes and Shawn Shaw for their help in getting this event off the ground. It would have gone a bit flat without their input! There was more traffic on the Salisbury road than when Pete and I checked the route on a Thursday morning in August. I can only think that the fine weather brought out the tourists. Next year’s event is on the 20th September. There will be official diversions with the route-sheet for those who prefer hills to traffic. I am also working on a scenic variation that cuts out all the main roads by going cross country to Wilton and then back home via Corfe Castle. Watch out for the Dorset Knob in 2010!
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From Eric’s Memory Banks
From Eric Watson
General Section Riders from days of yore! This is what we looked like in the mid 80s! These and more on the website at: http://www.bournemouthctc.org/gallery.htm
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News from Netanya Bournemouth’s Twin Town in Israel
From our reporter Eric Watson
Hi Eric, Just to share with you some news about Netanya, published in the Israeli cycling magazine. The Mayor, Miriam Feierberg, has declared Netanya as a bicycle-friendly city, with construction of many kilometers of bicycle lanes, including a trail between Netanya and Tel Aviv. A unique park for cyclists will also be constructed. To demonstrate her commitment she was photographed with a bike and helmet. Moshe Shamir
You may, or may not, be aware that there is an current application to increase fares to cross the (at most) 400 yards of water separating Sandbanks and Shell Bay. (see weblink below)
http://www.sandbanksferry.co.uk/toll_application/toll_app.pdf I wasn't aware of this myself and only stumbled on the information from searching the web to find details as to the ferry's reopening. As you will see, objections are invited and I have written to the DofT. I know that Michael Evans has written similarly on behalf of the Dorset Cyclists' Network. If you wish to convey your own comments to the Department, please do so.
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ADVERTISEMENT
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Informal Wayfarers Rides to Burley This ride happens every Saturday and is completely informal. There is no leader and no back up, but generally an experienced cyclist somewhere around. The route is designed for beginners but joined in by all abilities.
Start 08:45 at Pioneer Supermarket, Christchurch every Saturday
Or just make your own way to the New Forest Tea Rooms, Burley for 10:00
Contributions and Photographs The committee meeting date is the deadline for Newsletter contributions. Editorial policy is to print all contributions, with minimal editing for the purposes of layout only. Contribute by any way you like. Photographs are welcome in any form.
http://www.bournemouthctc.org “CycleInk” is the Newsletter of CTC Bournemouth & District Member Group a group within the CTC Wessex Area of the Cyclists’ Touring Club. Published four times a year for members. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the club.
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