In July 2010 “The Vinghoe Velos” sent out their first invitation to join a ride from the Rose and Crown pub. The ride started at 10am on a Sunday, no different distances, no pace groups, just a bunch of friends riding an array of different style bikes!

Over the last sixteen years the rides have changed somewhat in their makeup and participants. We have extended to three Sunday rides and also regular planned mid-week rides.

The longer Sunday ride is in rude health thanks to the ongoing dedication of the likes of Trevor and Pete who show up week in week out, joined by a fairly regular crew. Over the winter months we have dropped our milage and pace to enable others to join. There is no worries that this group will continue and most likely extend distance and also slightly up the pace over the summer months.

The 10am group is now on the endangered list due to low or no participation. Everyone can make very legitimate, fully understandble choices to not ride with the group, such as riding indoors rather than with the group, deciding you don’t like the route or riders on it and doing your own thing, chosing to do something else with your time on Sunday mornings, spend half the year on holidays, going to work on a Sunday, preferring to ride during the week and having a day off…..These along with a doctor “not fit to ride” note means 10am rides go out with a couple of riders on, or no one riding at all.

All the reasons to not cycle with the group are personal, valid and very legitimate, but understand this- if you don’t turn up the few that have been on rides will lose interest, go to a different club with a guarentee of people to ride with, take up a different hobby or discover they prefer riding solo. New people will turn up and have no one to ride with so will look elsewhere. There won’t be a group to ride with at 10am. The rides from Ivinghoe are not public service offerings or sponsored mass participartion events, they are made of and by those who take part. Our friendly relaxed (no rules!) approach is a unique selling point.

As we move into the warmer months the 10am ride may grow in popularity, or we may find that actually not enough people want that time and distance. This will be a shame for the few who would like it to continue. So lets see how the next few weeks go!

A great reason to ride this Sunday……. the Rose and Crown will be saying goodbye to landlord Mick, who has been serving up the best cheesy chips for the last 9 years! All our rides will finish there, a great opportunity to say goodbye in person.

At 9.30am we have “follow me I know a shortcut” which takes in New Road Weston Turville which has been remodelled as a twisty race track which will flow nicely on a bike. This is a 40 mile ride, flat to start and then a couple of hills on the back end.

9.30am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/54280524

At 10am the route is “shortcut shortcut” where we head out in the same direction but cut out the hills on the way back making this a very manageable 31 miles

10am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/54286000

At 10.30am you guessed it the route is “shortcut shortcut shortcut” which shaves off some more of the route and should have riders banging on the pub door at 12 O’clock

10.30am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/54286025

Three routes to choose from on Sunday. The long route heads south and back through Missenden and Wendover and the shorter routes are mini versions of this.

9.30am 36 miles Mother Earth https://ridewithgps.com/routes/54225776

10am 29 miles Mother Nature https://ridewithgps.com/routes/54226366

10.30am 21 miles Mother of God https://ridewithgps.com/routes/54226401

The forecast for Sunday is sunny spells and light winds, the idea conditions for a cycling outing. Hopefully waterproofs and boats are not needed.

As Grant has provided a short ride and Bob has provided a “middle ride” we are spoilt for choice this Sunday and will move the longer ride to 9.30am to ensure riders are with the right group.

23 miles 10.30am GD Sunday 08 26 March Short https://ridewithgps.com/routes/54141003

28 miles 10am Marsh lane open again at last https://ridewithgps.com/routes/54147902

38 miles 9.30am Gadesden Row Row Row The Boat https://ridewithgps.com/routes/54153337

We aim to keep groups together during the rides. Having a good idea of the route and looking behind you to moderate your pace to the rider behind you is important to make this happen. New riders and old friends are welcome to join any of our rides. As we are a group of friends riding together and not an organised club we cannot guarantee leadership or if there will be riders on every ride, a facebook poll is provided to help riders to see if they are likely to have company on the day. If you add your name to the poll in might encourage others to join.

Two routes for your enjoyment this Sunday, with it being the first Sunday of the month a coffee stop is scheduled in on the route at Home Ground, Long Marston. For something a little bit different on this weeks route there is a little “treasure hunt” which kicks in for the final 10 miles of the routes. Riders can stay together for the first part of the route and then if riders don’t want to stop for the clues around Tring they can head on to complete the route either at the coffee stop or straight to the pub.

As always with our routes, we aim to leave no one behind and early season non drop pace is employed.

10.30am 21 miles Mini Pirates https://ridewithgps.com/routes/54059799

10am 33 miles The Pitstone Pirates https://ridewithgps.com/routes/54038466

The clues for the hunt will be provided nearer the time. Coffee stop is Home Ground in Long Marston. If you are doing the hunt, this will be a good place to review your answers and check the map.

It was a dark and stormy night, a long long long time ago, the Portland Tunnel Cement Company in Pitstone had been supplying cement for the expanding Heathrow airport, deals had been done and cash was hidden on site, the business was just about to change name and ownership so some wily workers knew this was their only opportunity to make good with the proceeds of bribery money. The heist was to steal the cash and bury it locally under said cement. 

Cross and double cross took place as the gang known as “The Pirates Of Pitstone” crumbled under the pressure (unlike their cement). There is talk that when you take off from the Southern runway at Heathrow you fly over the encasted bodies of the gang, who died leaving no living soul knowing the secret location of their buried treasure, although there was rumours that a set of clues had been left to indicate the best place to look.

When the cement works tunnels finally came down in 1999 it was thought that the secret to the lost loot was gone forever but recently while cleaning his bike in a Castlemead garden, an Ivinghoe Velos rider noticed a tattered old sheet in the dirt. The sheet contains clues only a local with a good knowledge of “our patch” could decipher, The location of the treasure is hidden in the coordinates on an OS map in the 100Km Square “SP”. It’s time to get on your bike and follow the clues to unearth the treasure!

As treasure hunters you have a list of co-ordinates to review, Eastings and Northings (horizontal and vertical) any that you find on your treasure hunt ride can be discounted as they are NOT the location of the treasure, this will leave just two co-ordinates within the SP 100km square on an OS explorer map where you can find the lost loot! 

10.30 ride: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/54011929

10am ride https://ridewithgps.com/routes/54028308

Two routes for Sunday, the forecast is for warmer temperatures with a wind from the west. Both routes should get riders back to the pub in good time. Your choice is 19 miles at 10.30 or 30 miles at 10am

As usual we meet at Ivinghoe church and new riders are welcome to tag along, we aim to leave no one behind with a non-drop approach to allow everyone to benefit from the group effort. Being strung out 10 bike lengths apart isn’t efficent- a herd of buffalos can only move as fast as the slowest bufffalo, so give our slowest buffalos a bit of wind reduction assistance. Of course friendly sheep run in a herd while the lonley lion runs alone, if you are a lion we will meet you at the pub, where we might speak to you.

Once we get past the slightly wintery conditions we will look to increase ride distances and if rider numbers are high enough, offer three route options, current conditions and also having “the Majorcan Magnificent Seven” away enjoying a holiday means we are keeping options limited to increase the chance of a groupetto forming.

This sunday it will be nice to see you, to see you nice on one of our two rides, You won’t be able to do both rides, you get nothing for a pair (not in this game), so come on down to Ivinghoe church at 10am or 10.30am for a super smashing great ride.

The shorter ride at 10.30 is 21 miles while the 10am ride is 33 miles, will you go higher or lower? Have a look at the map and say what you see. New riders welcome, you will need to tell us what’s your name and where do you come from. You can pop your ride on strava and we will say “didn’t they do well”. No one gets left behind- I’ve started so I’ll finish. These rides are non-drop so we will never say “you are the weakest link, goodbye”. At the end of the rides in the final mile you can sprint off towards the rose and crown, the chase is on, for the first pint.

There is usually a short biscuit stop around 11am. Can I have a P please Bob? So check out the routes, deal or no deal? This week you might get a soggy bottom without mud guards but keep dancing on those pedals! Our survey says riding together is more fun so 10am or 10.30, is that your final answer?

10am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/53958335

10.30am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/53323587

Two routes for this Sunday with 10am and 10.30 start times. Thanks to Grant for providing the 20 mile 10.30am route out to Stoke Mandaville. The longer option is 36 miles to Askett.

10am 36 miles South to Askett https://ridewithgps.com/routes/53895956

10.30am 20 miles to Stoke Mandaville https://ridewithgps.com/routes/53892933

Rides start from outside Ivinghoe church and finish at the rose and crown pub. This time of the year we encourage riders to join us for a non-drop ride with the pace of the ride depending on who shows up.

Last week we enjoyed a strong turn out of 8 riders at 10am, the route had a few hills and the group did well to stay together along the course until the final sprint over the beacon. The pace was an average of 14.5mph (that’s 23.3kmph for the continentals in the group). It felt good to have a cohesive bunch and catch up with the 10.30 riders at the pub after they completed their slightly abridged version of the route.

Still in winter mode we continue with two options this week, riders old and new are welcome to join our non-drop groups. On Sunday we head around Leighton Buzzard in the opposite direction to this usual route. The routes are flatter than last week AND incorporate an optional 1st Sunday of the month coffee stop at Pecks farm shop before we get to Eggington.

Rides start at Ivinghoe church and finish at the Rose and Crown pub for a debrief and some refreshments.

10am 33 miles, The other way round https://ridewithgps.com/routes/53840962

10.30am 26 miles, the other way round mini me https://ridewithgps.com/routes/53841012

The long of it and the short of it, we’ve not had many riders on rides recently, so this week we are offering up two routes to improve the chances of having some pals to ride with

10am route: 33 miles, The long of it, https://ridewithgps.com/routes/53782061

10.30am route: 24 miles, The Short of it, https://ridewithgps.com/routes/53790863

Rides will be NON-DROP riding to cater for the pace of all riders in the groups, ride start at Ivinghoe church and finish at the Rose and Crown in Ivinghoe, new riders as well as “the old guard” are welcome to join in the fun.

Three routes for Sunday, a slightly relaxed start time for the longer ride of 9.30 and the usual 10am and 10.30 options. Rides start from outside Ivinghoe church

10.30am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/52671776

10am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45037511

9.30am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/53729380