Ivinghoe Velos are a bunch of cyclists who enjoy getting out together sharing rides on local roads as well as the odd trip away. We are a non-competitive group who pride ourselves on our friendly appoach to road cycling, enjoying the health and social benfits that go along with regular exercise as well as the odd well earned beer after a ride (optional!) The group has no fees or membership and has been planning routes on a purely voluntary basis for every Sunday since 2010. It’s great that 12 years on we still get over 20 riders show up for a windy winter ride (last Sunday).
At the time of writing the forecast for Sunday’s rides is dry with light winds and above freezing. While the guys at Velos Towers try to plan rides based on the weather conditions, we can’t make a decision on your own safety, so please keep an eye on the conditions and only come out if the conditions are safe for you. If the weather takes a turn for the worse we will flick the MTB switch and move to the fat tyre alternative via our social media channels.
Riding together makes the miles a bit easier with some shelter from head winds, some conversation (when not completely out of breath) and a group to latch on to when every part of your body is telling you it’s time to stop! Usually when riding in a group you have a higher average speed as you spend less time pusing against the wind- unless you are super-fit and ride at 17mph+ on your own, in which case we are probably not the group for you.
During January we have a new starters and re-starters ride option for anyone wanting to try riding road bikes in a group, maybe you usually ride solo and would like to try something different, or maybe you’ve got a bike gathering dust that you really should be putting to use!
We organise rides into pace groups so riders can either feel comfortable at their usual pace, or push themselves to ride a little bit quicker. With this in mind we need riders to be realistic in the group they set out with. Steady is a pace that ensures no one gets left behind, medium is generally around 15mph and pacey is over 16mph. It’s not fun being miles behind everyone else so we try to moderate the group pace to stay together but if you are riding at 12 miles per hour in the pacey group we might come to an agreement that the group will push on without you. Equally if you are riding off the front of the steady group at 17 miles per hour, you probably should re-think your group choice!
On the flat and shallow hills we try to ride close together as the group will function better as a cohesive unit rather than dropping riders and stopping for them to catch up, The sum of the parts should be greater than the individuals. Teamwork makes the dream work! On steeper hills everyone has their own pace, so we will regroup once the hill has been completed, either stopping completely or slowing the pace to allow everyone to catch up. No one should be left behind until we get to the final sprint a mile or so from home and then if you have anything left in the legs you can push on!
This weeks rides all start from outside Ivinghoe church and finish around the same spot, conveniently close to the Rose and Crown public house. Most routes head through Berkhamsted, over to Potten End and up to Gaddessen Row. Returning via Studham and over the Beacon.
10:45am 19 miles for New Starters and Re-Starters https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41805901
10:30am 23 miles https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41812778
10am short cut (30 miles) https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41812756
10am 35 miles https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41811790
10am 20 miles MTB icy conditions alternative https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41812851
Please have the route burned into your memory or plumbed into your garmin, there are sometimes sharp turns which can easily be missed, we don’t want to lose you! Rides leave on time, so arrive early to get set to go.
Roll on Sunday