End of the year!

There goes another year.

We've found that the summer slipped through our fingers like a pro cyclist at a doping control, with summer holidays and the organisation of the fun run to do we just ran out of time to organise anymore rides.

All our rides are ridden by us first and fully risk assessed so we don't have any surprises on the day, and it's this that takes the time. We don't test the cakes...........honest.

The cycling group will be joining in with the Christmas Tree Festival in our church this year so ride on down and vote for our tree.

Also with the tree will be the schedule for rides this year, for interested riders to take away, so no more excuses from us!!

We're keen to hear requests for the style of rides people would like.

We've a plan for ladies only rides, as well as the scheduled rides over shorter distances to encourage those bicycles out of the shed, I'm a level one Cytech bike mechanic and am very happy to check your bikes over before you venture out, this is free with the support of Essex County Council.

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Merry Christmas.

Flower power bike ride turns into cake power bike ride!

Thanks everyone for coming this morning.

We welcomed two new riders this time, Jackie and Jane.

Eleven riders set off at 10am from the school amidst the preparations for Walthamstock.

We made our steady way over to Pleshey through High Easter and on to the Axe and Compasses at Ayethorpe Roding, it was quite breezy against us, but there are two good things about this one is that the ride home is easier and secondly the cake feast that awaited us could be consumed without guilt. The folks at the pub really did us proud laying on tea, coffee, marmalade cake and coffee and walnut cake. I believe some people tested both cakes.

Once fully cake powered we wafted back to town with a tail wind arriving in time for the first act at Walthamstock. another succesful pootle around the countryside.

Flower Power Bike Ride 25th June 2011

Our next ride will leave the school at 1000 am, this is the morning of Walthamstock so we will be back in time for the start of the music.

If its your first time its really helpful if you get there 15 minutes early as there is a quick form to fill in.

There will be a tea/coffee/cake stop at High Roding. The route as usual will be on quite roads at a gentle conversational pace and will cover around 17 miles.

Hope to see you there with flowers in your hair.

Led ride 22nd May 2011

Thanks to everyone for turning out this morning.

A group of twelve riders completed an 18 or so mile route. We headed north to Rayne station helped along by a strong tailwind. here we paused for a while to take on fuel like tea and cake.

We then headed along the very leafy Flitch Way and we could relax our formation a bit as its traffic free and a very safe place to ride your bike.

We had to battle a stout headwind on the way home, that's the price you pay for a friendly tailwind earlier I guess, but everyone did great.

Thanks for the positive comments at the end, planning is already underway for June's ride we'll let you know when we have a date.

See how they smile even though it was freezing.

Next led ride

Hopefully you've been reading the parish magazine and know about the next ride.

Just a reminder of our led ride at 10.30am this Sunday. The scouts are doing breakfast beforehand and then we’re off at 10.30 from outside the school. If you haven't been before then come at 10.15 please.

The ride is a little longer this time – around 18 miles but as always at the pace of the slowest rider so no pressure!

We’ll be heading out to Howe Street then Old Shaws onto a Bridleway and out the other side on quiet country lanes until we arrive at Rayne Station where there will be an opportunity to buy coffee and a cake if you like from their cafe. From here, we’ll take the Flitch Way to Felsted and then a return journey through Causeway End, Cocks Green, Littley Green and home to Great Waltham.

At Littley Green, we have the option of using the By-Road that takes us to Warners Farm, however, you and your tyres may wish to keep to the road in which case we’ll head back towards Hyde Hall Lane, Chattam Hall Lane and return via Howe Street.

Hoping that you and the sun will join us!

First ride of 2011

Cycling events in our village are in the ascendancy since Steve put together the cycling day last summer; we now have three ride leaders who are here to see that we complete our rides together safely and enjoyably.

It's now a great time to build on the enthusiasm and plan some more rides over the coming year when hopefully the wind will not be as chilly as it was today.

It would be great if people would use the comments section on this blog to say how far they would like to go and where they would like to take tea and cake or a pint.

These are rides for everyone though and we should do all we can to encourage as many people as possible to join in, we would prefer riders to think it has been too easy rather than too hard.

Twelve riders joined on the ride today ages ranging from 30 ish to 60 ish. We met at the school in a freshening wind which sent a couple of people home for their gloves, a good move on their part. Once we were assembled we set off two abreast and made our way to Pleshey at a pace comfortable for everyone, filled our lungs with fresh air and chatted about all kinds of subjects. the natural circulation of the pairings means that you get someone new to chat to every few miles or so. Our route was circular and we saw few cars on the whole ride.

54 minutes later we were back at the village hall with rosy cheeks ready for soup and bacon butties, part of the winter warmer event. It is worth pointing out at this stage that we covered twice the distance of the ramblers in less time, clearly giving a better countryside viewed per minute ratio.

Soon we will select a date for March's ride and try to incorporate a refreshment stop so let us know what you would like to do, where you would like to do it and for how long.