Central London CTC blog

Dunwich Dynamo, the midsummer overnight jaunt from Hackney to the Suffolk coast, has been extensively blogged, including in these pages. So it is at Jon ‘Routemaster’ McColl’s request that I write this, a posting of record rather than the customary extravagant whimsy.

Jon’s circular to the usual suspects prompted a mere 5 to show at London Fields, 2 of whom, Keith (injury) and our secretary Stephen (‘otherwise engaged’) were the send-off committee, leaving only Naomi, Jon and me to ride the course. We set out at 8 sharp and Jon’s familiar escape from East London route got us clear of the enormous crowd of riders, on a warm but overcast evening.

The long drag through Epping Forest saw Suffolk-bound riders lined out as far as the eye could see. For the most part car drivers left us alone, though the we did note a Lamborghini driver nailing it. But that’s Saturday night out in Epping for you. more »

Yippee! It looked like it was going to be the first day of Spring, with good weather forecast. Off I set to meet Geoff Thomas at Golders Green clock tower at 08.00., not wanting to be later for the ride out to Hertford North – which needs to be as early as possible to avoid early Sunday traffic- where we were to meet the trainers from Kings Cross.
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“I counted them out, and I counted them in again…”

It could all have been so different if we had got unlucky.

A surprising nine of us took the train to Twyford for another of Keith’s South Chilterns routes hinging around the marvellous Reformation pub in Gallowstree Common, Oxon. Most of the lying snow had gone but it was very frosty, so we rode gingerly on some of the bigger lanes. The pace was pretty slow as we kept a sharp eye out for patches of frost, but though freezing, the weather was glorious, banishing that frowsty feeling of the too-many days of Christmas. more »

Jon McColl organised a wind-down *** for post Christmas, and we met at Highbury corner for a ride out into Essex aided by a following wind. Roger Cline did the first 30km before his cold got the better of him, leaving Dawn, me and Jon to be pushed across the flat and relatively car-free lanes to lunch at Green Tye.
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I was absolutely certain I wasn’t going out when I work up – shivering, temperature, sickness, the whole business. I was on the brink of just going to the station by tube to tell people they were on their own and would have to elect a new leader for the day. But no, I thought, I’ll ride down there just to show willing and make absolutely sure I’m in no state to do the ride. So with a generous handful of pharmaceuticals inside me I set off in the driving rain. “This is a bad business” I thought as a truck showered me with filthy water on the Holloway Road, “If I get pneumonia, it’ll be nobody’s fault but my own”. But even as I rounded Highbury Corner, the first faint glimmer of enthusiasm ventured tentatively forward from behind the dark clouds of achey sickness, and I began to think I might just be OK. By the time I got to Liverpool Street I’d virtually forgotten what I’d been moaning about just two hours previously, and by the time we arrived at Shenfield and the literal clouds had parted alongside their metaphorical equivalents, I was revelling in the bleak December Essex-ness of it all. more »

Rory’s début ride lead looked like it would be zapped by the weather. ‘The worst storm of the year’ piled in on Saturday afternoon, tearing bits off trees and sending scaffolding crashing to the ground. Shortly before my alarm went on Sunday morning, rain was still falling heavily. But by the time I got out of the door, there was a perfect calm and the sky was clear blue and cloudless.

Five of us entrained in the grubby end of Paddington, heading for Twyford: Rory, Stephen, Keith, Bob, and I. At our destination, a cheery newcomer, Tim, joined us. One could see Bob sceptically eyeing up Tim’s brown Dawes Galaxy with its baroque Brooks saddle and heavy Schwalbe tyres.

In the event the equipment was well chosen. more »

The day didn’t start promisingly.  The weather looked dull and there was a chance there might not be any trains.  First Capital Connect were having trouble finding drivers to cover their shifts today but luckily this seemed to be confined to their services from Kings Cross.  We were next door at St Pancras where the problems seemed to be less severe.  In any event we managed to catch a East Midlands Trains train.

This got the five of us (myself, Keith, Charlie, Rory and 3 star virgin, Terry) out to Bedford and on the road in record time. more »

The weather forecast was quite definite. It was to be the end of any Indian summer – autumn with a vengeance. At least the morning would have heavy rain and high winds, if not the whole day.

But I resolved to fulfil my duty by at least turning up to see if there were any takers at Kings Cross. The ride over had only a few sprinklings of light rain, which could mean that the forecasters were wrong. Or that the promised rain would come a bit later and persist throughout the day.

As soon as I got to Kings Cross the threatened downpour started in earnest. Oh dear. And nobody turned up. Oh dear again. I wasn’t going to turn back home (too late to get more sleep) and what would I do without a bike ride of some sort? Best to at least get out into Hertfordshire and see what might happen.

Then at Finsbury Park Jon McColl entrained and the vital ingredient of companionship was present. We resolved to go to Knebworth, have a cup of tea and see what was happening weatherwise. more »