Cycling UK Wantage | Programme of Rides and Events

Past Ride

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Sat Mar 1st 2003

Regular Saturday Ride from Grove

Leader: Steve Swanton	Start Time: 1:00 pm	Start Location: GMS
Description: To Abingdon. We will stay as one group to Chilton, then the led ride will use NCN route 5 (good quality off-road tracks) from Didcot. There will be an alternative longer on-road loop through the Vale for those who would like to go further and faster. 34/39 miles.
Riders: Alan Jones (dec) Alice Robson Andrew Moore Barbara Muritu David Newnham Des Higgs Diane Stuckey Eve Thornton (decd) Ginny Henderson Glen Paterson (deceased) Jan McCabe Jane Bruffell Kevin Fairs Nigel Stuckey Rex Belcher Richard Divall Richard Jenkinson Richard Page Robert Shaw Ron Dawson Roni Conyers Simon Dales Steve Bruffell Steve Swanton Teresa Belcher Riders = 25 Report: Numbers seem to just keep on rising. 25 today including newcomer Roni. Good to have Alice riding with us again too. We started in sunshine but it started to cloud over as we headed into the south-east breeze. Rain seemed to threaten but we only suffered the briefest shower before tea. After climbing past Lains Barn we headed East to Harwell via Ginge, the farm track and the Icknield Way. The surface on the latter has undoubtedly improved since recent resurfacing. At Harwell the ride split, 10 shooting off on the longer on-road loop through the Vale via Upton, Blewbury, the Astons, the Moretons, Appleford and Culham. The regular ride climbed Hagbourne Hill at steadier pace and we stopped to enjoy the views before wooshing down the hill into West Hagbourne. After a bit of urban Didcot, we picked up NCN route 5 on the edge of Milton Park and almost got lost due to the rather non-obvious signposting at a critical point. We found the section behind the power station to be newly tarmaced making a nice easy ride through to Sutton Courtenay. There, Barbara found she had a puncture, but tubes were changed and thorn removed in 10 minutes flat (excuse the pun). However, this meant that we were a bit later than planned at our tea stop, Poppies in Stert Street. Just room to squeezeus all in. We arrived to find that the "sportifs" had beaten us to the tea and fruit cake. After a leisurely hour's stop we returned via Shippon, Frilford and Fyfield, with ridings peeling off at various points. Alas at Gozzard's Ford the rain came in and stayed with us for the rest of the ride. Profound deafness seemed to descend on the group behind me when I stopped at Frilford to regroup, with everyone sailing past. It was tough riding back into a slight headwind and riders were by now tiring. The pace was then upped by Jane and Rob at the front stretching the group out so that the benefit of riding as a 'peloton' was lost (some day we'll learn!). We were back just as it was getting dark. Steve
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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