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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
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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