Past Ride
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].
Sat Jun 16th 2018
| CUK Oxfordshire 125 miles - Follow the Thames | 3* |
|---|
Leader:Robin Tucker |
Start Time:8:00 am |
Start Location:Wallingford Market Place |
Description:Follow the Thames from its source all the way to Wallingford. At 125 miles 200km, this is a great way to stretch beyond the regular Century distance and set a new benchmark.We will ride from Wallingford, upriver through Abingdon, Oxford, Eynsham (25 miles/coffee) and Lechlade (50 miles/lunch) to the source of the Thames near Cirencester. Ideally, we'll have time stroll the few hundred metres of footpath off the road to the official source - at about our 75 mile point. Then, after taking some more refreshments in Kemble or nearby we'll head East towards the Ridgeway and roughly follow the spring line. We'll stop for a meal at the Fox & Hounds at Uffington before returning to Wallingford. In theory it's all downhill - in practice, there may be a few small undulations, but the route overall is quite flat. We'll stop every 25 miles for refreshment and ride at a moderate pace, similar to the Century rides. So this will be a long day - 10pm even if everything goes exactly to plan. The late finish is also why it's on a Saturday. We will finish in the dark so bring lights and money for food & drink. Please let me know you are coming so I can book the main food stops for the right number of people. NOTE it is the day of Wallingford Carnival. Please do not park in Wallingford on the carnival route: http://www.wallingfordcarnival.org.uk/about.html |
||
Riders:Andy EllisDavid Green Karl Blake Olivia Pile Peter Hallowell Robin Tucker Steve Swanton Ursula Hallam Zoe Young Riders = 9 Weather: Report:The Follow the Thames 125-mile ride in June was a strange beast. With 9 of us riding, I’d booked lunch and dinner venues, and had a schedule for us to follow. We started at 8am in Wallingford and the first section aimed to follow the Thames as closely as possible, including riverside paths in Abingdon and Oxford. This inevitably slowed us down a bit and we were a bit later than planned to our first coffee stop in Eynsham.From there the time pressure seemed to be on us, or on me, and I was conscious of driving the group on at ‘a fair old pace’ for most of the day – maybe what you would think of as a 3* pace for a 50-mile ride, rather than a typical Century pace. I’m glad to say that the group was in very good shape and responded well. We were helped by the largely flat route and various helpers on the front. That gave us time for some sightseeing to see ‘Old Father Thames’ (a statue just outside Lechlade), and a half-mile walk to see the official (but very dry) source of the Thames near Kemble. The railway café at Kemble turned out not to be open so we rode at pace to the Cotswold Water Park café, catching it just before it closed, but just after it stopped serving hot drinks. That made a proper break and a hot dinner at the 100-mile point in the Fox and Hounds at Uffington even more welcome. After that, the final 25 miles to Wallingford, arriving just before 10pm, weren’t too bad. The ride was hard work, but we all felt good for having kept up such a pace. Picking the target had constrained the route, so we sometimes were on busier roads then you would otherwise choose. But overall it was a ride we’ll all remember whether it was the peak of our 2018 or just ‘training’ for the next one  (the 200 mile County Boundary ride in July). | ||
Distance:203.26 km (126.30 mi) | Ride Details:http://cyclingukoxfordshire.org/rides-and-events/follow-the-thames-125-mile-ride/ | |
| Proposed Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27724570" | ||
Comment on this ride | ||
- Ride Filter
- 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
- Recent Rides
Thu Apr 3rd 2025 —Daytime 1* Thursday Ride
24km 5 riders—Daytime 2* Thursday Ride
Tue Apr 1st 2025 —Off Road Tuesday Evening Ride
18km 3 riders
—Tuesday Evening 2* Ride
26km 10 riders
—Tuesday Evening 3* Ride
32km 13 ridersSun Mar 30th 2025 —3* Sunday Shortie ++
86km 5 ridersSat Mar 29th 2025 —5th Saturday Special - away day from Lechlade
52km 9 riders
Thu Mar 27th 2025 —Daytime 1* Thursday Ride
21km 8 riders—Daytime 2* Thursday Ride
54km 13 ridersTue Mar 25th 2025 —Virtual Turbo
Sun Mar 23rd 2025 —3* Sunday Shortie
47km 4 ridersSat Mar 22nd 2025 —2* Saturday Half Day Ride to Lechlade
68km 9 ridersThu Mar 20th 2025 —RIDE CANCELLED - Daytime 1* Thursday Ride
—Daytime 2* Thursday Ride
18 ridersTue Mar 18th 2025 —Virtual Turbo
7 riders
Sun Mar 16th 2025 —Regular Wantage Ride
97km 6 ridersSat Mar 15th 2025 —1* Saturday Half Day Ride to Steventon
33km 5 ridersThu Mar 13th 2025 —Daytime 1* Thursday Ride
21km 5 riders
—Daytime 2* Thursday Ride
50km 6 ridersTue Mar 11th 2025 —Virtual Turbo
5 ridersSun Mar 9th 2025 —3* Sunday Shortie. Seven Barrows
37km 4 riders
Sat Mar 8th 2025 —2* Saturday Half Day Ride
55km 5 ridersThu Mar 6th 2025 —Daytime 1* Thursday Ride
19km 8 riders—Daytime 2* Thursday Ride
40km 11 ridersTue Mar 4th 2025 —Virtual Turbo
7 riders-
Ride has photos
-
Ride has
comments
-
Ride Archive
*
© Cycling UK Wantage 2025, PHP v7.4.29
