Cycling UK Logo
  • Home
  • Rides
  • Statistics
  • Route Sheets
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • Cafes
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • Log in

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 Sep 1st 2007
Moderate Saturday Afternoon Ride from Grove - "Tour de Didcot"
Leader:
Chris Walters
Start Time:
1:00 pm
Start Location:
OMH
Description:
A kind of mini Tour de France, all in an afternoon, starting with the flat north, heading to the Alpine southeast and returning through the Massif Harwell to the finishing circuit of the Champs Old Mill Hall. Yellow, green and polka-dot jerseys mandatory!

The first third of the ride will be flat and quick (wind dependant) out through Denchworth, Hanney, Steventon, Drayton, Appleford, and the Wittenhams to the mountain section up Wittenham Clumps, to the Moretons, the Astons and the Hagbournes and the final top category climb to Chilton garden centre (KoM gets to buy the teas for all the stragglers!) for a well deserved cake and cuppa. Returning through West Hendred, Ginge, Ardington and Lains Barn for a final bunch sprint finish back to Grove (OK, I exaggerate, but I wrote this after watching le "real" Tour!)

Overall a shade under 70km, all on road, and aiming to keep up a strong moderate speed for the whole ride (climbs excepted).

Click here for route map.
Riders:
Brian Hipwell
Bryan Charleston
Chris Lea
Chris Walters
Edith Hipwell
Geoff Neill
Ginny Henderson
Jo Bindloss-Gibb
Kevin Fairs
Nick Dunton
Richard Page
Stephen Quartermain
Steve Swanton
Tom Millar
Riders = 14
Report:
A warm welcome to Eamonn from Oxford City Section - hope it was a nice change from your normal rides and that we see you again some time! We left Grove and set a cracking pace right the way to Wittenham. Kevin and Tom were the first to leave us, heading back over to Stanford when we got to Steventon. Bryan proved to have excellent local knowledge and guided us expertly over to Chilton, where we "lost" Bryan, Richard (going back to Twyford), Brian and Edith (Sustrans route back to Wantage), Nick and then eventually Ginny for her short cut back to Hanney. The remaining souls pressed on through Ardington and for the first time encountered a slight headwind just going into Grove.

As advertised, a shade under 70km, we arrived back dead on 5pm, and I think Steve Swanton's yawning summarised how everyone felt! This was a ride very much on the "brisk" side of "moderate" - everyone coped really well, a sure sign that the rides over the summer have generated pretty solid fitness!

The stats: Rolling average speed 23.1km/h, 350m of ascent, 69.0km. The first 29.5km to Little Witteham, covered in 70:43 minutes at a rolling average speed of 25.5km/h

Chris W
Comment on this ride

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
Ride Calendar
« Jul 2025 »
MoTuWeThFrSaSu
123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031
Recent Rides
Sun Jul 6th 2025
—The Betjeman Ride
32km 11 riders

Sat Jul 5th 2025
—3* Saturday Half Day Ride - Ox Shed Cafe.
74km 8 riders Ride has photos

Thu Jul 3rd 2025
—Daytime 1* Thursday Ride
29km 6 riders Ride has photos
—Daytime 2* Thursday Ride
37km 8 riders

Tue Jul 1st 2025
—Tuesday Evening 1* Ride
22km 4 riders
—Tuesday Evening 2* Ride - combined with 1* this evening
—Tuesday Evening 3* Ride

Sun Jun 29th 2025
—Summer Off Road Ride - Cancelled - No Takers!
—Oxfordshire Tri-Vets and Annual Century Ride
161km 8 riders

Thu Jun 26th 2025
—Daytime 1* Thursday Ride
16km 2 riders
—Daytime 2* Thursday Ride
56km 8 riders

Tue Jun 24th 2025
—Tuesday Evening 1* Ride & Pub Night
24km 7 riders
—Tuesday Evening 2* Pub Ride
37km 5 riders
—Tuesday Evening 3* Pub Ride
38km 11 riders

Sun Jun 22nd 2025
—RIDE CANCELLED - Summer Solstice Ride

Sat Jun 21st 2025
—1* Saturday Half Day Ride Special!
26km 7 riders

Thu Jun 19th 2025
—Daytime 1* Thursday Ride
3 riders Ride has comments
—Daytime 2* Thursday Ride
43km 11 riders

Tue Jun 17th 2025
—Tuesday Evening 1* Ride
21km 5 riders
—Tuesday Evening 2* Ride
35km 5 riders Ride has photos
—Tuesday Evening 3* Ride
48km 11 riders Ride has photos

Sun Jun 15th 2025
—RIDE CANCELLED - Off Road Sunday Ride
—3* Brunch Ride
77km 3 riders

Sat Jun 14th 2025
—2* Saturday Half Day Ride to Ashbury
54km 5 riders

Thu Jun 12th 2025
—Daytime 1* Thursday Ride
28km 6 riders

Ride has photos Ride has photos
Ride has comments Ride has comments

Ride Archive

*

© Cycling UK Wantage 2025, PHP v7.4.29

Our Facebook Group Blog RSS Feed

Valid XHTML 1.0 Strict