Central London CTC blog

On a day of swirling cross winds, a decisive intervention by Bob created a split in the peleton before the train had even arrived at Princes Risborough. It was decided that he would take the headbangers off for some punishment in the hills whilst those of us less in need of pain cruised over to Benson under the escarpment. more »

Four photos, by James Blandford, of a sunny but very breezy walk along the Sussex cliffs last Saturday.

Map of the walk.

Seven riders set off from Welwyn Garden City and followed the cycle routes out of the Hatfield / Welwyn area. We continued along off road tracks and minor roads to the outskirts of St Albans skirting Symondshyde Great Wood. Lunch was at the Aylett Garden Centre, not elegant but quick and good value.

After a few more miles we reached North Mymms Park, a Jacobean house, surrounded by extensive gardens, that is now a conference and training centre. Once a year the grounds are open to the public in aid of the Red Cross. The sun shone, the band played and we had tea on the lawn – it really was a tough ride!

After that the ride dispersed. Three got the train from Welham Green, one rode home to North London and the remaining three took the cycle way alongside the old Great North Road back to Welwyn Garden City.

Sue and Simon warned of a sting in the tail, and so there was.  In just 34 miles we did 850m of climbing, so just for amusement, I have included the altitude profile of the ride.  Quality miles!

These pictures were taken on the last climb of the day up Hassers Hill between Biggin Hill and Warlingham.

Map of the ride

Some pictures from Peter Turner’s 2* Ride in the Chilterns on 5th July

Map of the ride

Central London’s Charlie Keep was today sensationally stripped of his finish on the Dunwich Dynamo. The thirty-five year old plodder finished the Dynamo at 5.15 last Sunday morning, but it has since emerged that he left early and did not start from London Fields as required. An embarrassed Keep admitted today, “I couldn’t be bothered to go down to the start so I just left straight from my house at about 7 o’clock, I didn’t consider it cheating, I just didn’t want to have to stand in the food queue at Great Waldingfield, I also quite fancied stopping for a cappuccino in Epping.” Sources close to the club expressed sadness at Keep’s actions but said they would stand by him as he attempted to rebuild his career.

Seven of us met up at Maidenhead station. It should have been eight but one rider missed out when her train from Ealing Broadway was cancelled. The group had a transatlantic flavour with an American, a Brazilian and a Canadian amongst our ranks. We left Maidenhead by a complicated cycle route and then crossed the bridge over the Thames and rode along the Thames Path. We made brisk progress and got to Eton before our planned lunch stop, “The Waterman’s Arms”, was open. So, instead, we followed the Jubilee River to Dorney and ate at “The Pineapple”, a pub that specialises in an enormous range of huge sandwiches. One of our number was not up to the challenge and needed a doggy bag. We continued along the Jubilee River. This is an artificial watercourse built to alleviate flooding by the Environment Agency but it has been landscaped to look like a natural river. Better still, they have put in a cycle path alongside it. more »

Dunwich Dynamo seems a relative newcomer to the calendar. I liked the sound of it and and went so far as to practise for it one year, perhaps even the very first. But it took place on the coldest July night for a century and I gave it a miss. Each successive year I thought I would do it. But it was a shock to find that this year’s edition was the seventeenth.

London Fields was heaving, not just with riders arriving, but with crowds of local people sprawled in the still-hot evening sunshine. The smell of barbecue filled the air. The départ at the Pub on the Park is rather constricted, but I was quickly able to fall in quickly with George, Jon and Richard. At the last moment Snuggsy showed up and we set off promptly at 8…only to be arrested by a text from Rory to tell us to hang on. more »