Cycling UK Wantage | Programme of Rides and Events

Past Rides

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Wed Apr 1st 2009

Turbo Session - Social Session

Leader: Chris Walters	Start Time: 6:15 pm	Start Location: Dotbike, Stanford-in-the-Vale
Description: Join us in Stanford in the Vale. The purpose of this session will be more leisure-oriented, with more generic turbo exercises allowing participants to tailor their training to their own needs, and have a social too! If you'd like to try turbo training, this is an ideal way - bring along your bike (and turbo if you have one) and cycling gear to DotBike and we'll get you started. We have several extra trainers for loan. The venue is at the Dotbike premises - see http://www.dotbike.com/ for details. Note, if you bring your bike on the roof of the car, check the headroom when entering the courtyard. We will be there from 6:15pm, the formal structured session will start at 6:30 prompt (please allow time to set up your bike & trainer) and last for approximately an hour including warm-up and cool-down time. Free tea and coffee and shower facilities afterwards. Note that this session is only available to paid up CTC members due to insurance requirements - attendees will be asked to prove membership.
Riders: Chris Walters Henk Altmann (deceased) Sorrel Williams Riders = 3 Report: An interesting end to the year! Henk's "contraption" made its first public outing, and through pure legpower, we boiled our own water for cups of tea. It was only later that Henk told me that he hadn't quite calibrated it right, and that it should have heated the water quicker.... A very virtuous cuppa nonetheless
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Sat Apr 4th 2009

Regular Saturday 3* (was Moderate) ride	3*

Leader: Stephen Quartermain	Start Time: 1:00 pm	Start Location: OMH
Description: Approx 40 miles run at 3* pace (20-22km/h, 13-14mph) - a couple of hills at Coleshill and Buckland, but otherwise reasonably flat. Grove, Denchworth, Goosey, Baulking, Fernham, Little Coxwell, Great Coxwell, Coleshill, Buscot, Kelmscott, Clanfield Bampton - Tea stop at Bampton Coffee House Aston , Buckland , Charney Bassett , Denchworth , Grove
Riders: Bryan Charleston Chris Walters David Bridge Des Higgs Edith Hipwell Geoff Neill Ginny Henderson Henk Altmann (deceased) Jan McCabe John Tranter Matt Chambers Nick Altmann Nick Dunton Roland McIldowie Stephen Quartermain Tony Smith Riders = 16 Report: Route as described on the website prior to ride Distance: 40 miles (approx) Weather: Sunny Number of riders: 16 Sweep: John Tranter. It was great to see so many riders out for this ride especially some old faces and a couple of new ones. Seemed to be a lot of racing bikes in the group. Weather was quite sunny, reasonably warm (most people in shorts) although on the way out of Grove there was a bit of a headwind which slowed the pace a bit. The ride progressed along at quite a reasonable pace with the occassional stop to let riders catch up. Four people had mentioned that they would only be joining for part of the ride - namely Ginny, Tony, Jan & Edith. At Great Coxwell the sweep, John T, came off his bike. Thankfully he was ok to continue. Hopefully not too many bruises. I suffered my first puncture of the day a mile or so up the road on the way to Coleshill. My pump turned out to be pretty useless and was grateful for help from Chris. We soon got going again but the as we started to descend the road surface was pretty rough and sent my bike all over the place - it is quite new and it appeared to handle a bit differently to my old bike. The next event was at the turn on the descent into Coleshill at which I lost the 4 people at the back. Apologies for this, I should have waited at the junction!! Anyway all the riders re-grouped at Buscot and headed towards Lechlade turning right by the pub towards Kelmscott. Unfortunately not far along I had my second puncture and no spare tube!! Thankfully I was loaned a tube and with Chris W's help was soon on the way. Turned out to be a knackered tube. The ride then picked up pace as we had a fantastic tail wind for the next few miles towards Clanfield. We arrived at Bampton coffee house for well earned refreshments. Leaving the stop at about 4pm we saw Eve pass by in Bampton. We headed for Aston, over Tadpole Bridge, and then climbed up towards Buckland. We passed Eve at Gainfield. The rest of the ride was quite uneventful. A couple of riders turned off towards Hanney on the way back. We arrived back at Grove about 5pm. Thanks for everbody's help on the ride. I have now two new tyres and a couple of new spare tubes! Steve Q
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Tue Apr 7th 2009

Tuesday Evening Rides

Leader: Edith Hipwell	Start Time: 6:30 pm	Start Location: OMH
Description: They're back! Our popular Tuesday evening rides start again this week. the first week we will remain as one big group to blow off those cobwebs and then split into two groups (where possible) on following weeks. We will aim to have two rides leaders for 2* and 3* options.
Riders: Alan Price Angela Sanders Brian Hipwell Chris Walters Dean Douglas Edith Hipwell Ginny Henderson Henk Altmann (deceased) Jo Bindloss-Gibb Neil Warner Peter Busby Sorrel Williams Steve Joyce Steve Sanders Steve Swanton Riders = 15 Report: First Tuesday evening ride beautiful sunshine with just a touch of a head wind. However there was a good turn out of riders and we made the annual first ride out to Southmoor via Denchworth and West Hanney returning via Charney Bassett. Arriving back just in time before darkness fell. A great first ride of the season. Edith
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Tue Apr 14th 2009

Tuesday Evening Rides

Leader: Edith Hipwell	Start Time: 6:30 pm	Start Location: OMH
Description: We will aim to have two rides leaders for 2* and 3* options.
Riders: Alan Price Andrew Robertson Brian Hipwell Chris Walters David Bridge Dean Douglas Edith Hipwell Frank Schroer Geoff Neill Ginny Henderson Henk Altmann (deceased) Jo Bindloss-Gibb Kevin Fairs Maurice Bawden Peter Busby Philip Thornton-Evison Sorrel Williams Steve Joyce Steve Swanton Riders = 19 Report: Another good turnout! The 3* ride set off to the Letcombes, with a brief stop at the top of the hill to let Ginny wipe the pigeon deposit off her jacket We then rolled down through Childrey at a nice pace and through Goosey (where we passed the 2* group going in the opposite direction) to Denchworth and back home to Grove (where we caught the 2* group, having taken the slightly longer route). The ride stats are here: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/3828874.
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Sat Apr 18th 2009

Back-on-yer-Bike Ride 2009 (*)

Leader: Edith Hipwell	Start Time: 2:00 pm	Start Location: OMH
Description: A chance to blow off some of those cobwebs and actually realise that New Year's Resolution. This will be an easy-paced ride through the quiet lanes of the Vale (about 2 hours) heading up to Southmoor and back. It will be a great way to get back out on the bike, or join us for the first time - why not give it a go? This ride is suitable for all, but children must be accompanied by a responsible adult. Please note the later start time of 2pm NOT 1pm.
Riders: Brian Hipwell David Bridge Edith Hipwell Eve Thornton Jane Pearson Liz Buckle Marion Jones Steve Boreham Steve Swanton Susan Holdroyd Tony Hetherington Vanessa Simonite Riders = 12 Report:
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Sun Apr 19th 2009

Regular Wantage Ride (***)	3*

Leader: John Tranter	Start Time: 9:30 am	Start Location: WMP
Description: Our regular Sunday all-day ride - 100km or 64 miles hilly ride which will be run at a 3* pace (20-22km/h, 13-14mph). We head out to Uffington, with the opportunity for an optional loop up White Horse Hill, before definitely climbing Ashbury Hill. Down to Lambourne, then Chilton Foliat for lunch at the Wheatsheaf. Loop around Hungerford before heading home via Chievely and the Ilsleys. Finishing with a bracing descent of Chain Hill. Route is: www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=5911
Riders: Chris Walters Dean Douglas Ginny Henderson John Tranter Neil Warner Robert Shaw Sid Liddiard Steve Swanton Riders = 8 Report: As expected, this was a fairly tough route, but scenic and enjoyable. Weather a bit chilly to start, but warmed up nicely with lots of sun in the afternoon. For those who like the numbers, we covered 67 miles, averaged 13 mph and managed 1050m of vertical climbing. So, the longest and toughest Sunday ride so far this year. Well done to all for their efforts and enthusiasm, although strangely there was not a very positive response to my offer of an optional loop up Combe Gibbet!
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Tue Apr 21st 2009

Tuesday Evening Rides

Leader: Edith Hipwell	Start Time: 6:30 pm	Start Location: OMH
Description: We will aim to have two rides leaders for 2* and 3* options. Please bring lights for your homeward journey
Riders: Alan Price Chris Walters Dean Douglas Frank Schroer Geoff Neill Ginny Henderson Jo Bindloss-Gibb Maurice Bawden Philip Thornton-Evison Riders = 9 Report: The 3* ride went out via Goosey to Baulking, Fernham, Shellingford, Hatford, Charney Bassett and back to Grove. We kept up a good pace for most of the ride, stopping (some of us!) twice to pick up Alan's back light and also to sort out his noisy wheel just after the A417 junction - this meant a little chase to get back on to the group, which had considerately waited at Charney Bassett. Just after the railway bridge, we caught up and passed the 10 Mile Club (great to see so many folks on this ride - it looks like it could be the hit of the summer!) before the obligatory dash for the 30mph sign in Grove. Thanks to Ginny for leading the ride. You can see the ride route and details here: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/3965394.
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Tue Apr 21st 2009

10-mile Club Starts (*)

Leader: Steve Swanton	Start Time: 6:30 pm	Start Location: OMH
Description: The first of our easy evening rides aimed at newcomers, irregular cyclists and families will start with a gentle ride out to Charney Bassett and back via Denchworth, a distance of about 9 miles. All welcome, although under-18s must ba accompanied or have parental consent.
Riders: Amelia Preece Brian Hipwell Colin Appleton Derek Bolt Edith Hipwell Elaine Opara Gareth Smith Jane Bruffell Kevin Fairs Lorna Swanton Richard Preece Shirley Punshon Sorrel Williams Steve Bruffell Steve Swanton Susan Holdroyd Val Smith Vanessa Simonite Riders = 18 Report: A lovely sunny evening to start our new 10-mile club, and what a great start we had, with 11 riders including newcomers Derek and Richard's youngest Millie - welcome. Good to have Lorna and Jane out again and to have the support of more experienced riders Steve, Kevin & Sorrel. Traffic was quite busy leaving Grove and it wasn't until we got beyond Denchworth that we got into a good rhythm. Millie quickly got into the swing of "car up" and "car down" and we soon had timely warnings ringing out from the middle of the bunch. We reached Charney Bassett without incident and stopped for a short breather. Here Edith's group caught us up and they stopped for a brief natter too. As the evening was cooling we did not linger and returned as planned by way of Asti Stud. The colours of the setting sun were gorgeous, casting long shadows on the road in front of us as we returned to Denchworth. Everyone kept together at a steady pace and we did not need to stop until we were back in the car park. The Moderate group passed us just before we entered Grove. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and said they'd be along next week. A really enjoyable ride. Steve S The 2* ride had 7 riders 2 new young Ladies and three returning riders from previous Tuesday evening . We headed out of Grove,through Denworthworth,past Asti-Stud, Charney Bassett returning via West Hannery.!^.2 miles at an average of 13 miles per hour. Ride enjoyed by all with promises of returning next week. Edith
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Sat Apr 25th 2009

Regular Saturday Afternoon Ride (**)

Leader: Richard Divall	Start Time: 1:00 pm	Start Location: OMH
Description: Our Leisurely Saturday afternoon outing, covering 45-55km including a tea stop. While covering a fair amount of distance, the pace will be more relaxed with plenty of time for chatting on the way. This month we are heading for Roves Farm at Sevenhampton, out via Uffington and Watchfield, back (possibly) via Coleshill, the Coxwells and Fernham. A round trip of about 35 miles (55 km) with some up and down on the way home.
Riders: Alex Gaberscik David Bridge Edith Hipwell John Tranter Kevin Fairs Richard Divall Stephen Quartermain Steve Swanton Tom Millar Riders = 9 Report: A lovely Spring day saw 7 riders heading out West from Grove following the above route into a noticeable breeze. Ascending towards Fresden from Watchfield, we gradually caught up with Kevin and Tom (the latter on tag-along). The driveway into Roves Farm seemed as long as ever. We returned via the hilly route, but the expected tailwind did not materialise as the wind veered South (rats!). After 37 miles, we were back in Grove at 5:10. Thanks Richard for an enjoyable ride. Steve S.
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Sun Apr 26th 2009

MTB Skills training - COURSE NOW FULLY BOOKED

Leader: Chris Walters	Start Time: 10:00 am	Start Location: Milton Keynes
Description: A day of MTB training. Cost £50. Deposit of £10 to Chris Walters secures place - if we have enough people on a reserve list we can schedule another date (there's a miximum of 6 per course). Syllabus here: Bike safety checks (things break a bit easier on a mtb compared to a road/touring bike) Bike set up (always interesting for road riders as quite a few differences to road bikes dues to the technical nature of trail obstacles- and amusing to see how low the saddle should be for technical riding!) Basic off road positioning Hills - both up and down them (includes braking techniques line choice and variety of hill climbing techniques) Drop offs - rolling them at slow speed then dependant on ability and confidence possibly rolling higher drop offs and also jumping drop offs Lift the wheels - front wheel lifts then onto bunnyhops and looking at lifting the front wheel over tree roots etc. Cornering - the basic technique (recap as similar to road techniques) Then looking at berms and more advanced cornering techniques) *Balance - trackstands - also useful for road technique (may not be needed if riders are already happy with trackstands) All attendees need to complete the form here: http://www.getmountainbiking.co.uk/booking form.pdf.
Riders: Chris Walters Nic Rouart Robert Shaw Sorrel Williams Riders = 4 Report: One day on and I ache all over! Where road riding is all about steady effort, I can honestly say that what we went through on the course was totally contrary to that. The good news is that we're all confident lifting wheels, bunny-hopping, doing drop-offs, and have a variety of techniques at our disposal for climbing and descending in control. The bad news is that these techniques all require practicing to perfect them! Highlight of the day was the entertainment from Nic, who wheelied, trackstanded and endo'd at every opportunity, with a large proportion of attempts leading to either a speedy dismount or a crash If you ride offroad, I really encourage you to do a course like this - you won't be so expert that you don't learn anything, and if all you do is ride offroad as if you're on the road, you're missing out on a whole world of performance and fun!
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Tue Apr 28th 2009

Tuesday Evening Rides / Fast and Furious

Leader: Edith Hipwell	Start Time: 6:30 pm	Start Location: OMH
Description: We will aim to have two rides leaders for 2* and 3* options. In addition, there will be a "Fast and Furious" ride this evening - please only consider joining in if you are comfortable riding at 25km/h in a group - route is http://bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=6038.
Riders: Angela Sanders Brian Hipwell Chris Walters Colin Appleton Dean Douglas Des Higgs Edith Hipwell Frank Schroer Gareth Smith Ginny Henderson Jo Bindloss-Gibb Kevin Fairs Michael Tayler Peter Busby Philip Thornton-Evison Richard Anstis Sorrel Williams Steve Joyce Steve Sanders Val Smith Riders = 20 Report: 2*ride headed out of Wantage in the direction of the Letcombes. 12 cyclists headed through the villages in a shower of rain but on reaching the top of the hill there was a lovely rainbow that stretched from the Letcombes back down into the vale. We have three cyclist out withn us on training for London to Brighton Ride so we thought we would start with some small hills as a taster for them. Edith The Fast and Furious group started off by practicing "through and off" in the car park at Grove. Once we were clear, off we went through Denchworth before putting theory into practice. After a while (Baulking) we'd pretty much got the hang of it although Angela and Sorrel both complained that there was always a hill when they were on the front! We managed to dodge the rain on our shortened F&F route, stopping to don jackets between Hatford and Gainfield, having seen the clouds and the lightning. There was a bit of hail by Charney Bassett, but not much, as we expertly (or was that luckily?) threaded a route between the rainbows, lightning and downpours. A big "well done" to everyone - we started as a ragged bunch, and ended like a smooth professional peloton (OK that's a bit of an exagggeration). Special kudos to Angela (who persevered and nailed the timing after a while), Peter (who overcame his dislike of being boxed in) and Dean (who was a real gentleman in the bunch). Ride details here: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/4402475. Chris
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Tue Apr 28th 2009

10-mile Club (*)

Leader: Steve Swanton	Start Time: 6:30 pm	Start Location: OMH
Description: The second of our easy evening rides aimed at newcomers, irregular cyclists and families will start with a gentle ride out to West Hanney and Lyford via Denchworth, a distance of about 11 miles. All welcome, although under-18s must ba accompanied or have parental consent.
Riders: Derek Bolt Jane Bruffell Liz Buckle Lorna Swanton Steve Swanton Susan Holdroyd Vanessa Simonite Riders = 7 Report: Despite threatening clouds at times during the day, it had stayed dry and it was a lovely sunny evening when 7 10-mile clubbers set off from Old Mill Hall. To avoid the evening traffic on Main St, a spot of innovation - we turned right onto the Mary Green path, then into Waylands Road and cycled through to Brereton Drive where there was no traffic. Much more pleasant... Ominously large showers could be seen looming ahead and behind as we cycled north from Denchworth, but we kept the sunshine as we meandered on to West Hanney. We found a patch of sunshine in front of the church for a short rest and natter. With the sky darkening we continued on northwards along Winter Lane turning left at the first crossroads towards Lyford. Here we could start feeling the dampness in the air with clouds above. Then there was a clatter and one came off in the grass on the corner - fortunately bike and rider were ok. A few drops of rain and then large lumps of hail. So there was a bit of an edge as we returned to Denchworth. But the shower didn't last long and the colours of the trees and rape fields wer gloriously vivid in the evening sun on the way home. 11 miles in 75 minutes. A thoroughly enjoyable ride. Steve S.
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Ride Filter

Start Locations: WMP
Wantage Market Place; OMH
Old Mill Hall, Grove

Categories: 1* - Suitable for irregular, social, beginner or family riders, pace will match the slower riders. Not hilly or long. Expect rides up to 3 hours. Gentle exercise.; 2* - Suitable for regular riders who prefer to cover some distance but at a more relaxed pace. Likely to be half-day rides. Solid exercise.; 3* - Suitable for experienced riders, may be hilly, long, quick, or any combination! Likely to be half or full-day rides. Challenging exercise.; 4* - Suitable for athletic riders who can ride safely above the 3* standard. Quick rides for the fit.; More Information

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