The usual three main group rides to choose from this weekend. As always rides start at Ivinghoe church and we will have a facebook poll to allow people to indicate when they are riding.
The 9am route gives riders a chance to complete 100km while celebrating the birthday of Thomas Fredrick Bidlake. Mr Bidlake was born on 13th March 1867 and was a racing cyclcist on bikes and trikes. At a time when bikes were even less popular on the roads than now (due to scaring horses) group racing on roads was banned. Bidlake invented a race to avoid this ban by setting riders off 2 minute intervals in reverse handicap order- the time trial had been invented! A memorial prize honouring contributions to cycling was set up after Bidlake passed away following a cycing accident, winners include Beryl Burton, Tom Simpson and Chris Boardman. As Bidlake raced on the Great North Road our destination on Sunday is his memorial at Sandy. It’s an out and back route rather than our usual circular fare. it’s not too hilly with 2,500 feet of climb and we will stop for a short break at the memorial so bring a biscuit!
9am Bidlake 2022: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38528018
We have a 10am and 10.30am options for shorter rides and also we’d like to point riders to the Berkhamsted CC reliability ride leaving Musette Cafe at 9am (£16 in advance, £20 on the day). Good luck to any Velos joining this reliability ride. Thanks as always to Dave Bembridge for coming up with the 10am and 10.30 routes!
The 10am route of 33 miles takes riders up to Heath and Reach and then Brickhill, up to Soulbury, through to wing, up to Wingrave and then a fast decent into Long Marston. It’s a little over 50km of lovely rolling country roads https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38734739
The 10.30 route of 21 miles climbs up to the back of Shootersway before doubling back towards Wiggington, taking in a loop at Hastoe and then a fast decent of hemp lane and through Aldbury, all good fun https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38734765
The usual bit
We are a group of friends who ride together rather than a club so we don’t have any hard and fast rules, preferring to enjoy the journey rather than worry about our sock length. There are no fees to ride with us, we just ask for some considerations to be made so everyone can stay as safe as possible and have a good ride experience.
If you get out and ride it will encourage others to continue, if you sit at home on a turbo trainer, or in front of the TV there may not be anyone to ride with when you want company in the future!
Ivinghoe Velos rides are routes suggestions based on local knowledge built up over years of riding. Suitable for road bikes and often using quiet road options. Occasionally we need to re-route due to road closures and mapping errors. As a group please solve these problems as safely as possible. Anyone is welcome to provide a ridewithgps course for us to follow in future weeks.
Those who lead out a group, the route planners, those who send the postings out each week in no way make any assurances as to the safety of any rides organised under the ‘ivinghoe Velos’ banner. Each participant is wholly responsible for their own safety, road worthiness of their steed, legal requirements to abide by the highway code and any insurances each individual feels are necessary.
Rides are usually between 14mph and 17mph depending on elevation. When rider numbers allow we split into groups based on pace. Generally our motto is ” we leave no one behind” but riders need to be realistic when joining a group with an expected pace, it’s no fun for anyone if one riders pace is considerably slower than all the other riders. Equally if a couple of riders push the pace beyond what is expected, the rest of the group might not be having fun.
When riding in a group the main benefit is the draft effect, saving around 25% effort when tucked in behind other riders. We expect riders to take a turn on the front when they able to do so and “hold the wheel” of riders in front on flat sections and shallow climbs. Looking over your shoulder and moderating your pace to ensure riders behind are still attached to the group is important wherever you are within your group and communicating if it looks like a riders has become detached (why not drag them back to the group rather than pushing on yourself?). On the flat the group should be close together so everyone benefits from the draft, work as a team, if there is a few bike lengths between riders you are not doing it right! On hills we wait at an appropriate safe spot to allow slower climbers to rejoin, you might want to make sure you are past the strava segment end!
Occasionally we have ridden in large groups with rider numbers in double figures. It’s important to remember we are quite a big obstacle to overtake, splitting into two small groups on main roads allows vehicles to overtake in stages. If you are mid-group take responsibility to manufacture this split- that’s you riding in position 7 in a group of 12. If a rider has manufactured a gap for this reason, don’t overtake and close the gap.
We have a stylish Ivinghoe Velos team kit which allows the public to identify us. Please be considerate, courteous and respect our reputation when riding in our groups. Shouting at motorists is unlikely to achieve anything other than a raise in your blood pressure. Smile and wave at other cyclists, even those too pro to wave back.
Occasionally due to traffic or mechanicals there can be splits in groups and we lose visibility of parts of the group. For this reason and for your time you spend on the front it’s important that every rider has a full understanding of the planned route.
Please arrive before the expected start time of our rides. We currently meet by the bus shelter outside Ivinghoe church. There is usually a poll on our facebook rear hub to establish who is out and riding which route.
Mudguards are much appreciated on winter rides, without them the rider behind you might as well be riding in the rain.
As we ride in a group, pointing out hazards is vital, riders within the group wont get much notice of dangerous pot holes, gravel and other slip hazards and maneuvers away from the usual line, please give visual and audible signals and also let other riders know if cars are unexpectedly close by.
Stay safe, have fun and enjoy the journey.
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