CHAIN by Ross Linton

S O U T H

W E S T

R E G I O N

O C T O B E R I

Contents Rider of the month Profile Broadway/Fish hill/Sedgeberrow To work Swindon Village/Hatherley Tirley/Upton-upon Severn Tirley/Upton-on Severn Brockhampton/Winchcombe/Stoke Orchard Winchcombe/Gretton Top ride of the month

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Rider of the month

Ross Linton Road rider Ross Linton from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire is this months CHAIN rider of the month. We have followed his rides throughout September, seeing where his strong and weak points lie. Ross has been getting into his road cycling much more since he has purchased his new ride, 2012 Wilier Trestina 105 which had upgraded from a 2012 CBoardman Comp. We asked him what he thought of his new bike, ‘I love the feel of my new bike, you can really feel the quality of Wilier. It seems to handle so well and the best bit about the race frame is that its extremely comfortable which just makes riding more fun and wanting to go out and ride my favourite route which heads out to Upton-upon Severn and back through Tewkesbury, its a nice fast flowing ride‘. After following Ross throughout the month and his riding, we noticed progress throughout his rides, setting and improving his segment times on every route. He’s even making that much progress he’s even setting KOM times on his favourite route.

route which “myheadsfavourite out to Upton-upon Severn and back through Tewkesbury, its a nice fast flowing ride

”

Ross’ Wilier Trestina 2012 race bike

Broadway/Fish Hill/Sedgeberrow 04/09/2012 Late morning/Sunny/Damp/Strong headwind Distance 40.0 mi

Duration 02:14:36

We started by following Ross with his first ride of the month, heading out towards Morton-in Marsh through the open country lanes and being attacked by the strong headwind. With the route being 40 miles from start to finish this would give Ross a good idea of the pace he would need to set himself on the average climbing route. So how did the ride go? “This is a route which I haven’t ever done but I have ridden in both of the areas that I went through, therefore I thought I would give it a go and do it all in one, its was only going to benefit me. I set off nicely making sure that I was warmed up so there was no chance of any injuries of pulled muscles throughout the ride. It’s a riders worst nightmare. As I was coming through the fast flowing lanes of Gotherington and Gretton I felt comfortable with the pace I was riding at but also bearing in mind I had much more to go until I was finished, therefore I didn’t want to over do the pace I was riding at. Once I had come through the village of Gretton I then headed onto the B roads in which I followed the B4632 through Little Buckland and then coast into a little village of Broadway, watching out for the pedestrians coming from all directions. Coming out of the other end of the village the level of traffic soon increased which I’m never to keen about, having cars and lorries coming close by. As I veer onto A44 (known as Fish Hill) the intensity of the climb soon started to take its tole on me and my energy, meaning I was quick to come off the saddle and make the climbing easier. Once I had got in the rhythm of the climb I was feeling strong, however keeping consistent was made difficult by the hills incline rising after each bend and the high speed traffic going much more faster than it should be. It was quite a relief to get to the top, taking it at a slower pace and giving my body chance for recovery for the rest of the ride. The plan was to carry on the rest of the ride into the village of

Calories Burnt 1332 c

Feet Climbed 1,607 ft

Morton-in Marsh and see where it took me, however with the road leading that way I had vehicles coming past at high speed and only being a few inches from me, I felt the safer option was to turn back and find an alternative route. Always something to consider. It didn’t take much persuasion as it meant I could regain some more energy by going back down the A44 that I had just climbed reaching a 41MPH descent, this could of easily been nearer to 50 if the headwind wasn’t as strong. Once reaching the end of the A44 I took a comfortable ride back through Broadway and then up towards Sedgeberrow which I knew were nice and quiet roads to get me back home, however I did make the mistake of missing a turning so don’t make the same mistake as I did at the Cheltenham Road, on to Winchcombe road. This was a nice long lane that took me back through Alderton and linking back into Gotherington which had a low head wind, therefore it was in my favour. Overall I found this a good route and would recommend it, however with every ride be careful with passing vehicles as these are some fast flowing roads.”. Ever been out this way? If not then why not give it ago and see if you can beat Ross’s times and let us know how you got on via our social pages.

fast “ flowing lanes

of Gotherington and Gretton Back through Alderton by Gareth Bayliss

Gotherington Lane, coming to the end of the route

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To work

05/09/2012 Early morning/Sunny/Dry/Average headwind Distance 3.6 mi

Duration 00:12:46

Our busy cyclist is off again, unfortunately not for a nice long ride but to work, Leisure Lakes Bikes. The best way to wake up and feel good for the day is by exercise so why not ride to work or wherever you have to go?

Work fleece

So why should you cycle? Your get to where your going faster by dodging the traffic, your sleep better due to more of a energetic day so more shut eye, increase your brain power, so you can be top form throughout the day, beat illness by making your immune cells more active so their ready to fight off infection, live longer, save the planet, help your heart, lose weight and for most people to save some money along with a load more benefits. Therefore by going for a ride it can provide a range of more benefits than just being lazy and just hoping in the car. Ross rides as much as he can, commuting to work being

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Feet Climbed 90 ft

one way. He has a speedy route through Woodmancote and Bishops Cleeve then turning onto the Cheltenham road which is a powerful leg burning straight up racecourse hill and then cruising into Pittville Street, town centre. “I love riding to work when I can, however I must admit I am one to put it off when its cold or raining as I don’t fancy spending the rest of the day with a chill or being damp. I do try and ride to work, as when I do I feel great for the rest of the day, waking me up and feeling ready to go. Its only a short ride to work therefore I can get there in less than quarter of an hour, I think my quickest time is around 12 and a half minutes. The benefit of me cycling is that I can leave home that bit later which works in my favour if I’m running a tad late as it can take me around 20 to 25 minutes to get to work by driving, so by the time I have got through the morning traffic and being stuck at every set of traffic lights that I go through, I’m usually late. As I’m only riding to work, it isn’t anything to speedy, but I like to set off steady to just make sure my legs are getting stretched and are warmed up especially when its cold outside. Once they are feeling a bit looser, I soon step up the pace and get a move on, I try to time the lights near Newlands park just right so I don’t lose my speed, making the incline of the hill that bit easier. Once I’m up and over the hill I average about 19mph into town if I’m not having to stop and start with traffic. When I arrive at work the kettle is flicked on and a nice lovely cuppa is brewing to start the day. If your a ridable distance from work and its practical for you to do so, I really recommend giving it ago as your be surprised of the beneficial impact that it has on your day. Getting up that bit earlier to get ready is never to appealing, however once your out and riding you seem to feel a lot more alert and fresh than you would by just getting into the car, I feel it sets me up for the day nicely, why not give it ago?.” CHAIN recommends that you get out on the bike and so does our rider of the month, what more encouragement do you need? Who knows, by getting out the bike and cycling to work, it may even lead to cycling becoming a hobby and then realising you had a talent which you didn’t think you had.

Hanging chain device

Loose chain waiting to be fitted

Selection of spanners

Swindon Village/Hatherley 06/09/2012 Late evening/Dark/Wet/Average headwind Distance 13.8 mi

Duration 00:47:49

Usually after a day in the office or being extremely busy anyone would rather get in and put their feet up, however if your as keen to ride your bike as our cyclist of the month, all your want to do when you get home is get changed and get out on the bike, perfect. Once Ross has had a day of studying Graphic Design at the University of Gloucestershire, he just wants to unwind and use his free time wisely. Not by doing more work, but to go out for a ride. We couldn’t agree more. CHAIN always encourage our riders to ride as much as they can, however we also want you to be safe. We recommend that you get a decent set of lights so that your seen by traffic as well as pedestrians. If you don’t ride with lights at night you will be breaking the law so be prepared to get stopped. Another aspect to consider when riding at night is reflective clothing, by having a Hi-Viz jacket or clothing with reflective strips it just makes you that bit more visible, which is only going to benefit yourself. You can get both of these products from your local bike shop or even online, look out for the bargains. So how was Ross’ night ride? “I was in one of those moods where I had been working hard all day and feeling a bit stressed but by the time I had got home I was also feeling rather bored. The only way to solve this was to get out on the bike for a nice night ride, therefore it was time to get changed, grab my reflective jacket and lights then time to get going. Whenever I go out riding and its chilly outside, I always like to put a bit of warm water with my drink to keep my going and wear my base layer under my jersey so that I don’t get a chill and struggle to keep my muscles warm. I never really do a route that I would do in the day at night due to the length of the ride being shorter, so I end up making up the route as I go along. However this route was nice and I would defiantly do it again. I started off by heading to Swindon Village as

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Feet Climbed 246 ft

their is a nice quiet back lane that is around a mile long, this is a little daunting considering the lane is pitch black even with a Smart 35 Lux light beaming in front, however this only made me ride faster to get to the other end. Coming out of the village at the other end, I headed past Kingsditch retail park and towards town, the level of traffic wasn’t to bad at this time but I wouldn’t ride this way in the day as it would be manic. From here I was heading up to Montpellier where the quality of the roads are nice and you can really pick up the pace and get the heart going instead of having to stop and start at the traffic lights every 5 minutes. Heading back into to town from Hatherley, I got onto the one way system past work and down towards racecourse hill and back towards home through Bishops Cleeve. This was the best part of the route due to pace hitting an average of 19mph and being able to keep consistent cadence. Overall the night ride was a nice flowing route and if anything it could of been that bit longer, but I always like to try and stick to the well lit roads just for my safety, even though it isn’t practical for us roadys! I shall be keeping up to date with the CHAIN social pages for anyone else’s night routes, I think its always a good idea to vary your routes so you don’t get bored of doing the same one over and over again.” So thats what Ross thought of his route, why not give it ago? Alternatively if you have a route that you love doing at night, then share it with us and post it on our social pages, let other riders challenge your times.

that you “ Weget recommend a decent set of lights”

The dark daunting lane to Swindon Village

Night riding equipment ready to go

Tirley/Upton-upon Severn 11/09/2012 Early morning/Sunny/Wet/Low headwind Distance 35.4 mi

Duration 01:54:08

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Feet Climbed 718 ft Today CHAIN’s rider of the month is out on his favourite route, out through Tirley and up into Uptonupon Severn and back through Tewkesbury. With minimal wind, the conditions were looking good for riding, but would it start raining?

roads were becoming a “the layer of mud which I didn’t

appreciate due to my bike being sparkling clean before I left

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Repaired tyre, almost ready to go

It was the first time Ross had ridden his favourite route this month, therefore there was potential to get some good times down with the weather conditions being on his side. By setting off early the roads were still damp from the cold night before, winter was starting to show early, meaning Ross was bringing out the warmer clothing. The route is a nice 35 miles which is fairly flat, meaning no drastic climbs or descents, by the route being flat Ross had potential to get a good average speed which he did with 18.6 mph this being slightly higher than the previous time doing this route. As this is Ross’s favourite ride we thought we would just let him tell you how it went. “I absolutely love this route, simply because I feel its just pure riding and your rarely stopping and starting at traffic lights, junctions or getting passed by cars at 60 mph. It seems to just lead to nice quiet back lanes that are open so that you get a great view of the local scenery, its always nice to be able to ride on decent tarmac that doesn’t send vibrations throughout the bike as well. The route I do seems to flow

nicely, therefore starting the ride steady and getting warmed up coming out of Bishops Cleeve, usually by then I’m feeling better and ready to go, picking up the pace through Stoke Orchard, which I managed to set myself a PB of 5:36 placing me 22nd amongst 147 other riders, this is always a good start to a ride, however I had to bare in mind that I still had another 30 miles of the ride left to go. Heading into Tirley once I had come out the other end of Stock Orchard, the level of traffic was pretty low until I got into the main part of the village, where I started finding myself being surrounded by tractors with trailers of mud, I think I may of counted around 20. As these were going in and out of the wet fields, the roads were becoming a layer of mud which I didn’t appreciate due to my bike being sparkling clean before I left, so as well as getting sprayed from the wet road I was also being splattered by mud. Apart from the dirty road conditions, the ride was going well so far, staying strong and average a comfortable pace. However all good things come to an end when I realise a dramatic change in the front

Long road leading into Apperley and Tirley

The handy saddle bag, holding a spare tube and tyre levers

end of my bike, yes I got a puncture. Luckily I carry a spare tube in my saddle bag along with tyre leavers and a pump in my back pocket, therefore this meant road side maintenance. Due to being a cycle mechanic, this didn’t take long, however this was a pain as now I needed to get back on with the ride and regain my pace meaning no PB on this part of the ride. Setting off I soon got back in the rhythm and powered on up to Corse Lawn, this is a open road which goes on for around 3 miles, you can really pick up the speed without feeling drained of energy at the end of it, therefore hitting around 26 mph which is strong for a flat road. At this point, the gradient of the road starts to increase which is really the only part of climbing throughout the whole route, this leads up into Longdon where I came across a goose within the windy lanes, I must admit I did speed past it to avoid being attacked! As soon as I made my speedy escape, I veered down into the village of Upton-upon Severn, again the level of traffic was low which makes a ride that bit more better. I knew that once I arrive on the other side of

the village, therefore was a 6.6 mile segment that started at the roundabout in the village and finished all the way across to the Tewkesbury roundabout off the A38, I was still feeling pretty good at this point so I wanted to test my limits and pick up the pace and see how fast I could get this segment done. When I had come into the Tewkesbury, my legs needed some time to recover therefore by taking a steady ride back through the village I could recover and then feel comfortable riding back home. When I got home, I was able to load up my data as I do from every ride, coming to my attention that my hard work and the pain running through my legs were worth it as I had become the fastest person to do the Upton to Tewkesbury segment getting a time of 00:20:11 being 6 seconds faster than second place. This is currently my biggest achievement yet, lets see how long I can hold it though. Along with this I had managed to get a PB on the B4213 kick with a time of 00:0048 placing my 36th of 156 and 2 second best times and a third. Overall I was very happy with todays ride, I felt

At a standstill, however a good tube change time

like my training was starting to pay off and that I was starting to become a more powerful and stronger rider, only thing I would need to do now is to stay consistent and keep it up throughout the winter, who knows it may lead to doing some races. I really enjoy riding this route if you hadn’t already gathered, but I recommend you give it ago, whether its just a Sunday ride or whether your training to build up your stamina” Thats Ross’s review of this ride, we at CHAIN think it’s clear to see that he loves riding this route and it obviously shows that his training is starting to show. If you fancy giving this route ago then you can find it on our social pages and get the download for your GPS.

Repaired tyre, almost ready to go

Tirley/Upton-upon Severn 17/09/2012 Early morning/Cloudy/Wet/Low headwind Distance 35.4 mi

Duration 01:54:08

A further 6 days later from Ross’s last ride and he is eventually back on the bike, about time. He is back off on his favourite route heading out to Upton-upon, question is can he improve on the great times that he set himself last week? His previous time of this route was 01:54:08, can he knock a few more seconds off the time today? Following Ross on this ride, he seemed to start the ride a lot more comfortable than the previous, this could of simply been down to the fact of him warming up that few more minutes longer, therefore being ready to go straight away. Is this what he has been losing time on with each ride? “Due to warming up that little longer due to the temperature being that bit colder, I thought I should have a more

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thorough stretch, therefore making my muscles feel looser than they usually do, why didn’t I do this before? Once I had got going on the ride I could feel the benefits straight away from this simple procedure, therefore I was feeling comfortable to get straight into the ride and start holding a higher average speed from the start. At the same time I also didn’t want to burn myself out so I was careful on the level of power I was putting into the start of the ride. Coming through the lanes of Stoke Orchard I was going well and the fact that there was very little traffic again worked in my favour along with the very low headwind. I felt comfortable with how I was riding all the way up into Longdon, where I had currently knocked off 46 seconds off my current segment times, which I didn’t actually know until I got back home. I thought I was going well as I was feeling much more comfortable riding, however coming through the village of Longdon there was a segment that I was aware of so I felt I should push myself that bit more harder considering I was feeling good throughout the ride so far, yet again this had paid off due to realising that I

Feet Climbed 718 ft had knocked a further 24 seconds off my current time, therefore meaning I had set myself a new PB which I was happy with, therefore it showed that by pushing myself it can pay off. Being unaware of the amount of time I had already saved myself, I carried on riding as I was due to feeling great and wasn’t showing any signs of tiredness so far. As I come down the hill and into the village of Upton-upon Severn, the segment that I previously got the current fastest time on was soon approaching so as I was feeling good I only wanted to better myself. From the starting point of the segment I needed to get an average speed higher than 19.7 mph and beat the previous time of 00:20:11, this meant keeping strong and getting up to speed. As soon as I had gone through the village of Ryall I would be back on the fast A road, the A38. Due to the low headwind I was able to get my head down and just keep going, for the 2 miles I could see that I was averaging around 22 mph which was great but I didn’t want have a poor finish therefore I toned it down a little so I could still stay strong. As I passed the motorway turnoff, therefore was a slight incline which

up off the saddle climbing strong with “ Imywaslegsstraight feeling like they were sizzling ”

Powering off the saddle towards the incline

Reflection of the puddle summing up the conditions of the ride

dramatically reduced my speed, but as I got over this it was powering on past the Puckrup I wanted to push myself further putting more power into each pedal, looking at my cycle GPS it was showing that I was currently ahead of the time but I didn’t want to give up. There was one more incline till the end of the segment, this being over the Mythe Road, I was straight up off the saddle climbing strong with my legs feeling like they were sizzling, I wasn’t

going to give up. As soon as I was over the hill I increased the power until I couldn’t go anymore all the way down the hill and even standing up once I was on the flat all the way to the roundabout, done. It was such a relief to finish the segment after so much effort going into it to beat my previous time, I knew I had done it, however not until I got home I realised that I had beaten it by 50 seconds which was a dramatic difference therefore making me lead the segment by a

huge 54 seconds. From here I was defiantly taking it a bit steadier through the town and then taking a steady ride back home. I was so happy with how I rode today, I feel I have made a lot of progress in a short space of time, however it does show that by trying harder on each ride and just simply riding when I can that it does make the difference on each ride, overall a good result.”

Brockhampton/Winchcombe/Stock Orchard 20/09/2012 Morning/Sunny/Damp/Average headwind Distance 23.9 mi

Duration 01:18:19

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Feet Climbed 1,211 ft

For the first time this month, Ross is heading through Winchcombe, this being a village within 6 miles from his home in Woodmancote, this leading to a number of great challenging routes.

reaching “ this up to 17.9%

gradient, it felt vertical

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Cordean Lane, Descent from Guiting Power - Photo by Gareth Bayliss

On this ride Ross is only passing through the village as he comes through Whittington, Guiting Power, Syreford, Sevenhampton and Charlton Abbots, all of which are great for not only roadys but also the mud thirty mountain bikers. On this route Ross was riding with ‘Leisure Lakes Bikes’ colleges Ryan Machin and John Maxwell who are also keen cyclists and up for challenging themselves, “I usually like riding on my own as its a way that I can relax and not worry about a thing, however I do also like to ride with others as it allows me to better myself and see how my progress compares against other roadys.” If your interested in getting into cycling or you fancy cycling with a group/club the easiest way to find it will be in your local bike shop or searching the internet. If your in the same area as our rider of the month, then the main cycle club in Cheltenham is the CCCC (Cheltenham County Cycling Club), let the competition begin. “During this ride I was going to keep a steady pace at the start so that I could prepare myself for the steep climbs that I knew were on their way early on in the ride which were going to test my stamina, I knew this would also show me where my fitness was in comparison with my colleges. Once getting to the bottom of harp hill, it was looking a bit daunting, however I could feel the intensity of the 12.5% gradient instantly, therefore off the saddle and up standing soon gave myself the drive to proceed up the hill. I felt that my climbing ability was strong, however this was only the start of the ride and only round the corner was the Ham Road climb, this reaching up to 17.9% gradient, it felt vertical. I felt strong whilst climbing, leaving both of my colleges behind from the start of the climb, however when this started to incline further John’s stamina soon showed powering up the hill and

Down Bella’s Knap - Photo by Gareth Bayliss

eventually waiting for me and Ryan at the top, show off. Once we had accomplished the huge climbs up to Whittington, our average pace soon started to increase going along around 22mph. This speed almost doubled as soon as we hit Cordean Lane, hitting almost 40mph down the tight windy, wet, greasy lane, I was just hoping a vehicle wasn’t coming our way. Almost at the bottom to Bella’s Knap we came flying past a family of cyclists, I’m pretty sure they wasn’t expecting us. Coming through the village of Winchcombe, we started to drop down into Gretton which were nice open roads allowing us to keep a strong pace and holding on the back of each others wheels and taking it turns at the front to break the slight headwind. Once we had come into Gotherington about 17 miles into the ride, I had the opportunity to either head down Gotherington Lane or carry on up through Stoke Orchard making the route another 5 miles longer, which is what we all did finishing off the ride nicely.” Ross managed to set a numerous of segment times, 3 of which were a 3rd from 145 riders, 4th from 36 and 10th out of 75. If you think you can beat these brilliant times, then go onto the CHAIN website and see if you can set the bar higher.

Winchcombe/Gretton

25/09/2012 Early afternoon/Clear sky/Damp/Low headwind Distance 11.4 mi

Duration 01:37:03

This being Ross’ last ride of the month, finishing with a short but fast climbing route through the open lanes of Cleeve Hill, Winchcombe, Gretton, Gotherington and Bishops Cleeve.

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With the weather being the best it could on a winter afternoon, why would Ross not go for a ride? With the conditions being perfect for riding and barely any wind, it only makes the climbing routes that bit better, along with afternoon sunshine. Going out on short rides is a great way of releasing your stress and just another

Feet Climbed 683 ft way of developing on your fitness which is exactly what our rider of the month is doing. Is this something that Ross does regularly? We asked him. “I love riding my bike, so I like to take every opportunity that I can to do so. Therefore, when I’m feeling stressed this is my way of releasing any tension by taking it out on my bike, if anything I ride stronger

and to my limits. I thought I would head out up Cleeve hill as this is the perfect way to take out any tension, I have a short fast route out to Winchcombe which takes me around 35-40 minutes on a good day, otherwise 45-50 minutes. It depends on the weather and the mood I’m in. Even though I was feeling good to get out the bike and head straight off, I made sure I was stretched and warmed up, especially as the distance from my house and Cleeve Hill climb isn’t to far, pulling a muscle half way up wouldn’t be a good start to the ride. Once I have tackled the hill and had traffic flying past at 60mph, I started to drop down into the open lanes of Winchcombe, giving me plenty of time to recover from the leg crunching climb. Once I’ve come into the village, I have a really

nice route where there’s minimal traffic and the country roads have a great view whilst heading into Gretton. These are fast open roads which are always great to test my ability to hold a higher speed. However this soon changes when coming up to Prescott where the slow dragging climbs arise, this always catching me out. Finishing off the ride, I come down into Gotherington lane which are windy lanes and taking in the unpleasant smells from the local farm. From here its a nice steady ride home. I recommend that if your feeling stressed, had a hard day or if you even have a spare hour, get out on the bike and release it all. At the end of the day its only going to benefit you and make you stronger for your next ride.”

down into Gotherington “Ilanecamewhich is a windy lane and taking in the unpleasant smells from the local farm

Gotherington lane, last main part of the ride.

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Feeling stressed? Then we suggest you get out the bike and give this route ago and release those bad vibes. Go onto our website to get the route and find out more great rides that we and our riders suggest.

Speed (mph) 20 Elevation (ft)

60 300

40 200

2 2

5 mi 10 mi

15 mi

20 mi 25 mi

6 2

30 mi

Stoke Rd Sprint 00:02:30

Tredington Tumble 00:04:32

2 Town to Odessa 00:14:03

Upton to Tewkesbury 00:19:21

A438 Longdon A4104 00:14:03

B4211 to A438 00:10:06

B4213 Kick 00:00:54

Stock Orchard Rd 00:06:04

Two Hedges Rd bridge 00:00:13

Top ride of the month

Tirley/Upton-upon Severn 17/09/2012

100 35 mi

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