Past Rides
Important announcement:
Due to the Government advice on the current Covid-19 outbreak, we have regretfully decided to suspend the current year's ride programme with immediate effect. We will resume the programme as soon as it is deemed safe to do so and inform member riders directly.
We send details of upcoming rides in a weekly email newsletter. If you would like to be added to our mailing list please contact [javascript protected email address].
Sun Dec 8th 2019
| 2* Mince Pie Ride | 2* |
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Leader:Jon Townsin |
Start Time:9:30 am |
Start Location:WMP |
Description:The 2* route takes us out via Denchworth and Charney Bassett, along Fernham Road through Shellingford and on towards White Horse Hill via Uffington.Well fuelled, we'll be coming back via Baulking Lane and Denchworth where those of us who are dining at The Fox, stop here whilst the others can head back to Wantage via the plane on a stick. Our annual festive ride, which again is in aid of Whizz-Kidz, the children's mobility charity. |
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Riders:Brian HipwellDavid Jackson Des Higgs Gareth Smith Jon Townsin Julie Haynes Karen Townsin Karl Blake Martin Casey Nicole Pethybridge Pauline Casey Stephanie Haddrell Val Smith Riders = 13 Report: | ||
| Proposed Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/31567397" | ||
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Sun Dec 8th 2019
| Off Road Mince Pie Ride | 2* |
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Leader:Robin Tucker |
Start Time:9:30 am |
Start Location:WMP |
Description:Our annual festive ride, which again is in aid of Whizz-Kidz, the children's mobility charity.This is the off-road ride, about 9 miles up to and along The Ridgeway to White Horse Hill - splendid views! We'll leave at 9:30am to give plenty of time to arrive for the pies and wine. Afterwards, some will ride on to the pub lunch others will return to Wantage - possibly by road. Guests and other cycling clubs are very welcome to cycle with us from Wantage Market Place from 9:30 onwards or join us at White Horse Hill NT car park (grid ref SU 293866) from 11:15 to 12:00 for mince pies and mulled wine. All proceeds on the day will go to Whizz-Kidz. Car parking: If driving in to join rides from Wantage, there is free car parking in the Portway car park (by the Beacon hall) on Sundays, OX12 9BU. See http://beaconwantage.co.uk/contact |
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Report:A windy day, even before the Brussels Sprouts! The forecast had a WSW wind of 20mph gusting to 35 and that felt about right. So we picked a route up to the Ridgeway via Gramps Hill that kept us protected as long as possible.There were only two of us tackling the off-road route, although a few more had showed up on mountain bikes. (They have advantages over pot-holed roads in any case if you are not travelling too far!) So, the two of us set off in sunshine, out through the Letcombes and up the steep tarmac of Gramps Hill. At the top, we turned right into the full blast of the wind, and had to pedal to maintain any reasonable speed downhill. The effort continued over a few miles to Hackpen Hill. At this point we still had enough energy to agree a diversion south to Seven Barrows. The road south was a slog, the woods were a relief, the slick chalky top of the descent had me off and the ruts were particularly bad. Worse, at the bottom, Richard was losing air from his front tyre despite being tubeless with sealant. He pumped and we spun the tyre and it seemed to hold, so we turned north and had the benefit of the wind blowing us back to the Ridgeway. There we turned back into the wind - another pump was needed, but that got us the remaining 3 miles to the White Horse where we enjoyed the descent on the trail before turning in to the car park to enjoy our mulled wine and mince pies. After milling with the throng, we set off off-road again, retracing our tyre-prints to Sparsholt Field where we enjoyed a somewhat sketchy descent to the road, and worked our way through the villages to Denchworth. We were rewarded with a rare sight - a Kingfisher flying along just ahead of us by the A417 at West Challow. Total mileage 25 (12 to the White Horse, 9 to Denchworth and 4 back to Wantage) | ||
Distance:40.23 km (25.00 mi) | ||
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| Proposed Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/31513259" | ||
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Sun Dec 8th 2019
| 3* Mince Pie Ride | 3* |
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Leader:Eddie Little |
Start Time:9:30 am |
Start Location:WMP |
Description:Our annual festive ride, which again is in aid of Whizz-Kidz, the children's mobility charity.Secondary ride leader, Jo Little. We'll head out of Wantage passing through the Letcombes, then we'll have a nice descent into Childrey, from this point the ride becomes flat & we'll pass through some nice villages, Sparsholt, Westcot, Kingston Lisle, Baulking, Fernham, Longcot & Woolstone. From Woolstone we'll have our first short but sharp climb up to the spring Line, turning left then right & head for our big climb, Dragon Hill!!  ETA for White Horse Hill car park, 11:20am. This is where we'll all indulge in mulled wine & mince pies.  + catch-up with old friends!Ride distance, 33km/ 20mi/ Route Checked. Please arrive at least 10 minutes before the departure time for regerstration + briefing! Ride departs 09:30am. I will be leading a ride back via Baulking & Goosey, stopping at the Fox at Denchworth for our Christmas dinner, those who are not dining with us can carry on through to Grove & Wantage. The weather can be a little unpredictable at this time of year, so this route may change or the ride cancelled! So please keep an eye on this website & Facebook on the day of this ride for updates! Look forward in seeing you on the ride,Ed.  |
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Riders:Andy CowanDavid Smith Eddie Little Jane John Jo Little John Davies 2 Joy Arthur Lee Ann Norris Lisa Footner Nicole Pethybridge Peter Brodie Peter Cowan Roger Turnbull Sharon Bedford Simon Atkin Ursula Hallam Yvonne Bird Riders = 17 Weather:   Report:An excellent turn out for this ride, 23 riders. 17 from our cluband 6 guest riders, CTC & Abingdon Wheeler's. Tony Long Andy Pope, Andy Raturidge, Mary Jane Hicks, Morris - Allsworth & Thomas Hardcastle. Thank you all for joining us on this ride. Hope to see you all next year! We ran two groups for this ride with Jo leading the second group & Jane & Yvonne acting as sweeps. We were lucky that the sun was shining, but we all had to contend with a very strong head wind which proved to be very testing for all of us!!Hats off to all riders. We all arrived at the White Horse NT car park in good time to enjoy Carins home made mulled wine & some very tasty mince pies. We all made our way through to the Fox at Denchworth where 30 of us enjoyed a festive meal. Many thanks to Jo for being secondary leader & many thanks to Jane & Yvonne for sweeping. Happy Christmas & have a fantastic new year! hopefully see you on a ride next year, Ed. | ||
Distance:45.06 km (28.00 mi) | ||
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| Proposed Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/31465127" | ||
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Sun Dec 8th 2019
| 1* Mince Pie Ride | 1* |
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Leader:Steve Swanton |
Start Time:9:45 am |
Start Location:WMP |
Description:Our annual festive ride, which again is in aid of Whizz-Kidz, the children's mobility charity.Ride out with us to the NT car park at White Horse Hill, Uffington, for mince pies and mulled wine. For full details of the event see the "Annual Mince Pie Ride" entry. Meeting from 9:45 for a 10:00 start, the 1* ride will be a sociable ride at a leisurely pace leaving after the other groups. Please arrive at least 10 minutes beforehand to register. The 1* ride will follow the most direct route (about 8 miles) along the foot of the Downs through East Challow on to Childrey (via the track and bridleway), Sparsholt, Westcot and Kingston Lisle. There are some ups and downs along the B4507 before we reach the foot of Dragon Hill. Everyone will be able to have a go at cycling up. Even if you get off and push, it's worth it for the fantastic views over the Manger and the Vale below. We'll drop down into the main NT car park to join the other groups for mince pies and mulled wine. There will be a led ride retracing our tyre tracks back to Wantage after the meet. |
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Riders:Katie GillibrandKerry Tucker Liz Snook Martin Bate Martyn Wigmore Mitchell Purvis Nick Portsmouth Patrick O'Leary Peter Hallowell Roger Postbeschild Ros Hallowell Steve Swanton Tony Botto Riders = 13 Weather:   Report:Report and a few pictures to come. | ||
Distance:25.75 km (16.00 mi) | ||
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Sun Dec 8th 2019
| Annual Mince Pie Ride to White Horse Hill |
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Leader:John Tranter |
Start Time:11:15 am |
Start Location:NT car park, White Horse Hill |
Description:Our annual festive ride, which again is in aid of Whizz-Kidz, the children's mobility charity (see http://www.whizz-kidz.org.uk/).Guests and other cycling clubs are very welcome to join us at White Horse Hill NT car park (grid ref SU 293866) from 11:15 to 12:00 for mince pies and mulled wine. All proceeds on the day will go to Whizz-Kidz. If you would like to cycle with us, guest riders are most welcome. There will be on-road rides at 1*, 2* and 3* grades and an off-road ride to choose from, leaving Wantage Market Place between 9:30 and 10:00. Further details of the rides will appear under the individual ride entries closer to the date. This is a very popular event, so please arrive in good time for registration, at least 10 minutes before your chosen ride. Afterwards the rides will continue for an optional pub lunch at the Fox in Denchworth. Please contact Di Whidborne to book a place (diana.whidborne@cyclingukwantage.org.uk). There will also be a ride directly back to Wantage. Car parking: If driving in to join rides from Wantage, there is free car parking in the Portway car park (by the Beacon, the former Civic hall) on Sundays, OX12 9BU. See http://beaconwantage.co.uk/contact and scroll to bottom of page for map. If you are unable to cycle, we would still love to see you at White Horse Hill. If driving, please use the road directly up to the NT car park from the cross-roads above Woolstone rather than the narrow Dragon Hill road being used by those cycling. This will be the 30th running of the Mince Pie Ride. It was started by Abingdon Wheelers in 1990 and we took over the event in 2000 when the previous organisers Val and Jim Worsley moved away from the area. From about 40 riders joining us in the car park in 2000 we now regularly host around 150. |
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- 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.
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