This week our rides depart from Ivinghoe church at 9.30am, 10am or 10.30am. After this we will be switching to “summer mode” when Tuesday evening rides will start at the roundabout in Pitstone at 6.30pm and the longer Sunday rides will start at 9am.

Thanks as always to Dave Bembridge for providing the 10am and 10.30 routes. This week a 31 mile ride takes us to Soulbury while our 21 mile offering loops out to Tottenhoe

Our 9.30am route https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42687782 The Kimpton Kracker, 47 miles with the hills in the right direction (shallow side up). Kimpton is bypassed by two Roman roads, Watling Street and Ermine Street and there is evidence of a network on minor Roman roads through the parish. A chariot bell was found at Blackmore End, a spot we cycle past. This could have been a relic from the bloody encounter between Boudicca, queen of the Iceni and Roman governor Suetonius. Kimpton recieved 138 children from the great evacuation of London in 1938 and two years later this forward thinking village decided to allow female voices to be heard in the church choir!

10am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42673480 This week a 31 mile ride takes us to Soulbury. Soulbury in an Anglo Saxon name meaning “stronghold in a gully” it was mentioned in the doomsday book as Soleberie. Just before we turn left out of Soulbury there is a road on the right called Chapel Hill, close to the junction with the high street there is a glacial rock on the middle of the road. It is said that the Devil himself once came to the village, but the villagers came together to fight him off. One of them took his sword and cut off the Devil’s foot and as it fell to the ground it turned to stone. The stone came to be known as the Soulbury Boot and the pub being named the duke of Wellington is a nod to the boot! Soulbury has a dark past, with a strong association with the cottage industry of straw plaiting. The Plaiting saw girls as young as 4 years old introduced into long working hours, working with bleached straw. Death rates in the 19th century were 50% higher amoung straw plaiters than the general population due party to having to lick the sulphur covered straw to make it workable.

10.30am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42673499 21 mile offering loops out to Tottenhoe. Tottenhoe was named in the Doomsday book as Totene Hou meaning look-out house and spur. The knolls were part of a Norman Keep and it was considered to be a fine Motte and Bailey Castle. The stone quarried from the knolls end of the village has been used in many local churches and also St Albans cathedral and Woburn Abbey. At the start of the 20th century Tottenhoe was served by a railway line with the station down at Stanbridgeford, there was a siding for the local lime works and the line attracted many day trippers from the big towns for a day in the country at Tottenhoe. The line was cut during the beeching reforms and is now the “Sewell Greenway” a pleasant cycle route, but maybe not on your best road bike.

In a future week we will be putting out a treasure hunt style ride with some more historic facts to look out for, so keep your eyes peeled and enjoy the rides!

This sunday our longest route heads South to Chorleywood, Chalfont St Giles and Holmer Green, just over 50 miles with some stunning Chilterns coutryside, we tackle the hills shallow side up, so climbs are longer but not too steep. We meet at 9.30am at Ivinghoe church. Last week the longer ride split into three groups with +16mph, +15mph and +14mph groups, depending on numbers we will do something similar, if rider numbers are lower we will default to “no one gets left behind” pace.

At 10am from Ivinghoe church we head in a similar direction and loop in and out of Chesham with a trip to the lovely village of Hyde Heath. The decent into Chesham from Hyde End is a good one and the wind should give riders a good push in the right direction!

At 10.30 the shortest route also heads South before heading back past Chiltern Velo.

9.30am 51 miles, 2,631 feet of climbing https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42590969

10am 31 miles, 1,469 feet of climbing https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42591271

10.30am 20 miles, 1,077 feet of climbing https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42591390

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.

We had some great outings last weekend with three rides going out from Ivinghoe church, there was a bit of gravel on the roads so it felt a bit like that crazy “Hell of the North” race over the channel. We enjoyed last week so much we are going to do it all again this Sunday! So whether you are a regular, a new comer, or possibly someone who has moved away but is back for a special guest appearance get yourself on two wheels this Sunday.

We aim to keep our groups together to share the wind, last week the 9.30 ride came in at 15.3mph. The shorter routes have recently been ridden between 13 and 14mph.

Our 9.30am ride takes the high roads to Haddenham before a flat route home, taking in Hastoe Hill and Dunsmore it’s a good training ride for our Holmfirth event coming next Month. At 10am riders will head north and turn back at Drayton Parslow, watch out for all the little lambs in the fields around the roads up there. At 10.30 the option is a repeat of last weeks short ride, a great starting point if you’re just starting out.

9.30am 45 miles, 2,160 feet of climbing https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42509350

10am 34 miles, 1,344 feet of climbing https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42498545

10.30am 18 miles 550 feet of climbing https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42426287

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.

Easter Sunday, also known as Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian holiday that celebrates Jesus Christ rising from the dead. I’m fairly certain bikes hadn’t been invented back then so Sundays would have been a bit different. Luckily for us we only have to rise from our comfy beds in time for one of the Ivinghoe Velo routes leaving Ivinghoe church on Sunday morning. With shops and garden centres closed the roads should be quiet, the weather forecast is good, so resurrect your trusty steed and see you there!

The 9.30am ride takes us past Redbournbury Mill over a couple of rivers, there are bridges so no need to ride through! We then return via the Luton busway. The 10am tackles Toms Hill and Pedley hill, then over Dustable Downs. At 10.30 it’s 18 miles of flatness apart from the climb through Dryton Beauchamp.

Fuelled by hot cross buns and chocolate the energy levels should be pretty good.

9.30am 45 miles 1,800 feet of climbing https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42432465

10am 29 miles 1,600 feet of climbing https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42426225

10.30am 18 miles 550 feet of climbing https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42426287

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.