With a drier spell of weather on the way we dare to dream that we might complete a whole ride without the rain jacket close to hand! This week in addition to our usual road options Dave H will be leading an off-road adventure, nearly 40 miles of trials, byways and quiet lanes. Anyone is welcome to join us, including any new faces who don’t do road biking, on a relaxed morning away from the traffic. So if you want a dope route, with your pimp MTB, or even a BSO come along, dab if you need to, it’s not too gnarly, no booters planned, we won’t be too shralp but hopefully it will be a sick ride. Expected finish time is 1pm

The 9am road option is a 55 mile trip through Evershot and Woburn, back via Stewkley, ending with a kicker in the back end of the route with an assent of Marlin hill.

We also have a guest route suggestion with Mark Wilson’s Waddesden Greenway special at 10am. This is mainly a reasonably flat ride which includes the cycleway from Aylesbury to Waddesden which is road bike friendly but does have the odd bit of gravel and is a multi-use path so care is needed. This route bypasses the track through Eythorpe which we found recently was closed to cyclists.

Our 10.30 route is a 22 mile route with mostly gentle slopes, a climb through Drayton Beauchamp will test the legs

9am long road, 55 miles trip to Woburn https://ridewithgps.com/routes/36153695

9am MOUNTAIN BIKE route Chennies and Latimer https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35993553

10am Waddesden Greenway https://ridewithgps.com/routes/36013353

10.30am Drayton Beauchamp climb https://ridewithgps.com/routes/36181799

Please arrive ready for your expected route start time with a good idea of where you are heading, look out for all members in your group and have a great ride!

There will, as always through the summer months, be a Tuesday evening ride from Pitstone roundabout at 6.30pm. We have been suggesting the rides in advance while there has been a need to break into groups of six or less. There was only 4 riders out last Tuesday so no need to worry about group sizes! This week the forecast is for showers clearing by the evening so we will meet and head towards the most promising blue patches of sky. With the light levels now ok to ride until around 9pm the routes can get a bit longer for those wishing to vary the routes slightly.

This Sunday we have a big one on offer. The 9am route takes us to Windsor Castle on a 78 mile adventure. As the distance is beyond our usual “sprint” to the pub we will be riding at a sensible pace and will include a coffee break. Anyone who usually rides comfortably at 15mph will be fine. The route journeys through the AONB chiltern hills, then past Dorney Lake, the site of the 2012 olympic rowing, a quick wave to the Queen at Windsor and a nod to Heston at the fat Duck in Bray, before returning through Cookham and Marlow and back up through the Chilterns. We meet at 9am at Ivinghoe church https://ridewithgps.com/routes/36014336

If you are lacking in the time or energy to get to Windsor and back, we have the usual medium and short options. Please arrive before the planned start time and identify the group you are riding with, looking after all members so you complete the course as a well oiled peloton machine. Having a good knowledge of the route will help you make the correct turns during your time at the front of the group. Thanks to Dave B for putting these routes together.

10am ride to Horwood and Winslow, this 36 mile route has little by the way of climbs so should be easy for the group to keep together https://ridewithgps.com/routes/36067897

10.30am ride to Stewkley , 23 miles will less than 1,000 feet of climbing, idea for those getting back to fitness or joining group rides for the first time. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/36067959

If you fancy something a bit rougher, the following Sunday (30th May) will include a mountain bike option at 9am, out to the Chess Valley and back to the pub for 1pm.

Enjoy the rides and stay safe.

As lock down restrictions ease, allowing larger groups to meet outside and the changeable weather continues we will send out a proposed ride for Tuesday 18th May but versions and varieties of this can be worked on through the usual channels of social media, whatsapping, brown envelopes passed under the desk or even face to face conversions (with social distancing considerations). We meet at Pistone roundabout at 6.30pm.

This route, on quiet lanes South then North of Tring, has a couple of challenging climbs but as the evening light has extended past 8.30pm there should be enough time for everyone to get round the 23 miles with 1,163 feet of climbing. This route can be reduced by 5 miles by not turning left onto Rays Hill and then taking the next right back onto the route on Cholesbury road heading back towards Tring. At the time of writing all the roads appear to be open!!!

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/36058777

Three routes for you to chose from this Sunday. Last week the 9am route took us through Gerrards Cross, the third wealthiest post code in the UK (behind Oxshott and Totteridge) This Sunday we continue the glamorous theme with a trip to Luton.

The 10am and 10.30am routes take us on country roads north of Chesham, these routes are off the beaten track and care will be needed after Whelpley Hill as shingle often washes onto the road before the climb back up to Berkhamsted.

9am Friends on friendless lane: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/36013722

10am route Holly Hedges: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/36014892

10.30am Whelp!: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/36019142

After this Sunday we can start to embrace some of the lockdown restriction easing with larger groups and visits inside premises. To celebrate this, the 9am ride on Sunday 23rd May is a long one with a coffee stop. The route will take us through Dorney to Windsor Castle before heading back from Marlow and cookham and up through the Chilterns. The pace of this ride will be reduced to be inclusive of anyone wishing to experience it so we can all get round safety and fresh! Expected return time to Ivinghoe would be 3pm.

Following on with the theme of variety, on Sunday 30th May we will be offering a mountain bike option which takes in the lovely Chess Valley. Nothing very technical, just some lovely quiet lanes and bridleways. So if you fancy something different dust off your mountain bike for a 9am MTB ride ridden at around 10mph for around 40 miles, back on Ivinghoe for 1pm.

The usual road rides will be available as usual on these Sundays.

Three routes to chose from on Tuesday evening, all starting at Pitstone roundabout at 6.30pm. All three routes are reasonably flat, (A and B have a climb towards the Beacon to warm up!) so groups should be good to stay together.

Ride A 24 miles with 900 feet of climbing https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35981346

Ride B 21 miles with 700 feet of climbing https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35981272

Ride C 16 miles with 400 feet of climbing https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35981409

Weather forecast is breezy and dry, groups on the road need to be split into a maximum of six riders, so picking riders of a similar pace to yourself is the best option. See you there!

Ivinghoe Velos HQ have received a call from an eagle eyed rider to let us know that the 37 mile route on Sunday 9th May proposes to use Marsh Lane after Stoke Mandaville which is closed. If this is the case the detour would be along the A4010 bringing the route back into Little Kimble. Our route planners use local knowledge to avoid closures where possible, while HS2 and East-West Rail works continue we may encounter some unexpected closures for the foreseeable future, riders joining our rides should be prepared to reroute as required.

A heads up for anyone wishing to ride a bit longer on Sundays, the 9am route on 23rd May will be a 75 mile and will include a coffee stop during the ride. Arrival back in Ivinghoe is expected to be at 3pm.

We have three rides to choose from this week. Please arrive before the expected start time with a fully functional road biking machine and a good knowledge of the route. Rides start from the church in Ivinghoe and we will split into groups of up to six riders dictated by how fast you’d like to ride or who you’d like to talk to. Once in your group please regularly look over your shoulder to ensure the rest of your group is within a few millimetres of your rear wheel, particularly at junctions. Don’t leave anybody behind (until maybe the final sprint)

10.30 start: 20 miles out to Wingrave and Wilstone https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35925789

10am start: 37 miles Out to Princess Risborough over the hill to Great Missenden and back via the Lee. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35925755

9am start: 56 miles Beautiful Bucks By Burnham Beeches https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35937002

We are getting pretty close to calling “last orders” on the team kit order, so please take the opportunity to furnish your wardrobe with some lovely Ivinghoe Velos kit by visiting the online store here: https://eucustom.champ-sys.com/teamstore/?May2021

One route for everyone to ride this Tuesday, if you are short of time or energy you could short cut after Cholesbury 10.6 miles into the ride going straight on rather than left on Shire lane. The meeting place will be Pitstone roundabout at 6.30pm. As usual we encourage you to split into groups of up to six riders riding at a pace you are comfortable with and that once in your group you keep an eye on all your riders with you so no one gets left behind (until the final sprint!)

Big thanks to Dave Bembridge for consistently coming up with routes for us to follow, including this one, it would be great to have some new perspectives for future rides, so if you would like to contribute to route planning feel free to send your suggestions to davehowe@aol and I will add them into future posts.

24 miles to Cholesbury: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35902557

Great to see so many of our group out enjoying the rides on Sunday. To really feel part of the gang why not invest in some lovely team kit!? The order cycle is currently open, so get in there now!

Kit order: https://eucustom.champ-sys.com/teamstore/?May2021