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Daytime 2* Thursday Ride on a Saturday | 2* |
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Leader:Roger Postbeschild |
Start Time:10:00 am |
Start Location:OMH |
Description:Please pre-book for this ride by contacting the ride leader. Sociable rides from 24km-40 km (15-25 miles) at a pace of 16-19km (10-12 miles) per hour. Please check website on the morning of the ride (particularly if you have forgotten to book) if the weather is poor as the ride may be cancelled. Moved from Thursday to Saturday morning as the forecast is considerably less chilly. A well trodden route to Munch at Southmoor.You could even be back in time for the one star ride in the afternoon! |
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Report:The route was amended from the published one as a recce of the Denchworth Road at 9.15 revealed a mixture of melting and still frozen slush.I also broke one of my cardinal rules in that we went out with the chilly southerly wind! So, out via the A338 it was. We did see the odd icy patch at the road edge but, in general, the chosen roads were clear. Coffee was taken at Munch (a first for Roger T) and it was good to meet up with Karl. Turning back south on the A338 from Hanney, I was grateful to John for taking the lead, and to Des for taking over with his e-bike. The wind was quite stiff. Yours truly did have to work quite hard to keep up with the pace though! Three of us took further coffee at Costa on return to Grove. Not the longest ride, but something of an innovation to have a Thursday ride on a Saturday and club rides of late have been in short supply. | ||
Distance:31.00 km (19.26 mi) | Ride Details:https://ridewithgps.com/trips/143527668 | |
Proposed Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44484524" | ||
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1* Saturday Half Day Ride | 1* |
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Leader:Steve Swanton |
Start Time:1:00 pm |
Start Location:OMH |
Description:For what will hopefully be our first 1* ride of the year, an afternoon ride out to Ginge via Ardington and the Icknield Greenway, returning to Wantage for refreshments. We will make a tour of Kingsgrove on the way using some of the new tracks and paths around the north of the site. There is an optional route back to Grove via Locks Lane and Stockham after tea.Not essential, but if you are planning to come do let me know by text. Monthly 16-32km (10-20 miles) family and social rides, usually with a tea stop, at a riding pace of 12-16km/h (8-10mph). Occasional short or gentle climbs. |
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Report:It was good to be out in the window of more benign weather between the floods and ice and the gales of Storm Isha. It was great to see Nick P out on his bike again too.We headed out through Charlton for a tour of the ever-developing Kingsgrove estate, less familiar to Steve and Anke. We stopped to take in the arrangements at the new “bus gate” (still being used by all and sundry) before passing the school to reach the junction of Rutherford Road with Gipsy Lane. Beyond, the next phase of the estate is in preparation. We walked the short stretch of Gipsy Lane over the course of the Wantage Eastern Relief Road and through to the woodland walk. Even so, several of us picked up sufficient mud on our rims to require major degunking before we could continue. Awheel again, we enjoyed the views across the vale from the path before recrossing the new main road by the entrance roundabout to the shared path on the other side. It was then a few hundred yards around the eastern edge of the estate to the A417 roundabout and the road to Lockinge. In planning the route, I had hoped to avoid any ice, so it was something of a surprise to find a stretch of slush on the corner of the Icknield Greenway in West Lockinge. We carefully negotiated it on both outward and inward parts of the ride. We then followed the Icknield Greenway as planned through Ardington, over the Bridge of Lesser Doom to Ginge Road and continued up to Ginge, with Anke leading us up the hills. To avoid flooding on the road down to Lockinge, we turned off at Betterton and enjoyed the long descent down to Ardington, and then headed into Wantage. The Bear Hotel in Wantage is doing a deal of a free cake with a hot drink for £2.50 until 5pm each day and we thought we would give a try. The pub was quite busy and a little noisy but we were able to find a table in the corner and there was a good selection of cakes with ample portions. Afterwards it was feeling decidedly chillier as we left town via Locks Lane. We said goodbye to Anke before the four of us returned to Grove via Stockham, the newly resurfaced track by the Crown Research Centre and Downsview Road. Thanks everyone for your company on an enjoyable ride. Apologies for the belated report and thanks to Anke for the pictures. | ||
Distance:24.78 km (15.40 mi) | Ride Details:https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45399367 | |
Proposed Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45354424" | ||
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