Past Ride
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Sun May 1st 2022
| Oxford Special Sunrise May Day ride | 3* |
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Leader:John Tranter |
Start Time:5:30 am |
Start Location:OMH |
Description:This year May Day falls on a Sunday and it is great that the ancient Oxford tradition of the choir singing at sunrise from the tower of Magdalen College is back. So I am repeating last year's slightly bonkers idea of putting on a May Day sunrise ride to Oxford and back. The bad news is - it starts at 5.30. The good news is this means we can catch the wonderful early morning light on the river and the ancient buildings of Oxford, as well as hopefully getting at least some sense of the occasion. I can't guarantee that we will be able to get anywhere near the Magdalen tower - I suspect the whole city will be going crazy - but it should be an adventure!We head out to Fyfield, under the Tubney tunnel and across to Sunningwell before joining the river by Kennington for a lovely route into town past the College boathouses with views across Christ Church Meadow. Then we will take a look at some of the best buildings Oxford has to offer (including my own St Cross College) before heading out of town again to Wolvercote for a big loop around Port Meadow. Finally we conquer Cumnor Hill and head for home. It is just over 40 miles and my plan is to be back in Grove by just after 9. Costa in Grove will be open for post-ride refreshments and facilities. This is a pre-bookable ride only. To book your place please text the ride leader no sooner than the Monday before the ride. |
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Riders:Andrew RimmerChris Bailey Jo Little John Tranter Joy Arthur Katherine Boyce Sally Bensoussis Sharon Bedford Simon Wysocki-Jones Riders = 9 Weather: Report:After a week of varying weather reports, things ended up OK. Overcast, so no perfect sunrise on show, but it was dry and clear and we made good time over to Kennington and the river. Simon's rowing knowledge was helpful as we cycled past the college boathouses, and we heard the bells of Magdalen tower across the meadow. Once we got into town, we hit various crowded hotspots - the pubs were open and all sorts of merriment was underway. We got through to St Giles for a cake stop (thanks again to Simon for the home made cake) and a VIP loo stop at St Cross College. The loop around Port Meadow was as nice as always and everyone conquered Cumnor Hill without too much difficulty. Then we were back on familiar roads heading for home.Thanks to all for great company on a nice ride. | ||
Distance:70.81 km (44.00 mi) | Ride Details:https://ridewithgps.com/trips/88734461 | |
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| Proposed Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35762947" | ||
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