This week we ride on 5th November, bonfire night. Anyone who knows their history will remember that Guy Fawkes spent a lot of time in Spain fighting against the Dutch Republic, it was here that he developed his love of cycling, enjoying many a thrilling decent in the Pyrenees. Fawkes was a yorkshire man, so probably had a good grounding in hill climbing in his early years, many said he could have been a pro cyclist if he didn’t let politics get in the way. On the night of 5th November 1605 Guy’s cycling career came to an end as the plot to blow up the house of lords was uncovered. In January the following year, while his bike was still chained up outside the Palace of westminster he was hung drawn and quartered, sustaining injuries too severe to make a comeback.

Whilst you can’t always trust everything you read, we do promise the offer of three bike rides starting from Ivinghoe church on Sunday morning. Please arrive before the start of the rides and have a good idea of the route, or a version plumbed into your bike computer.

9am Skyrockets- quick climbs and then it’s great coming down https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37879524

10am Roman Candle: Pretty lights, a few bangs but hopefully no crashes https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44869845

10.30am Catherine Wheel, goes round and round and sometimes makes a pretty pattern https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44869915

Next week we will endevour to get rides to the church for 11am, for rememberance, so shorter local rides will be the order of the day

After an extra hour in bed this Saturday night, we meet at the church in Ivinghoe for riding fun. Three routes to choose from, short, medium and longish. The 9am heads north to Thornborough, while the 10am route tackles the long drag from Markyate to Dunstable Downs. Anyone who feels they missed out on Toms Hill last Sunday can tackle it on the 10am route this Sunday! The 10.30 route is an Eggington loop. So 52 miles, 30 miles or 21 miles, take your pick and enjoy the ride.

9am Great Horwood two ways https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44835174

10am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44771508

10.30am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44775410

The usual bits

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!

If we get very large numbers of riders the best option is to split into even sized groups to ensure we are not taking more than our fair share of road space. Also if riders have different pace requirements we also split into pace groups (light speed or supersonic)

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, however, most people ignore this, so it’s not really a true gauge on who you might find on the start line.

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.

Roll on Sunday

Rides

Three rides for your enjoyment this weekend, 56 miles, 32 miles and 21 miles. At 9am the route heads to Butlers Cross via Wingrave before heading down to Kimble, through Askett to Missenden and then back via the Lee and Aldbury. At 10am riders can enjoy a route out to Chequers and then up Frith Hill. At 10.30 it’s destination Eggington. Rides start from Ivinghoe church.

This week the 9am route has two options, the usual 9am start from Ivinghoe church for a non-stop ride as usual or I have a small group of visitors who belong to the John Lewis Velo club joining me to showcase my local roads. This group will be meeting at Pitstone roundabout, so be there at 9am if you’d like to take this option. There are TWO two coffee stops planned at Owlswick’s Orchard View and at Chiltern Velo @ Hawridge.

9am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44538857

10am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44775382

10.30am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44780666

Latest Kit Order

You have a small window of opportunity to place an order for some of our very stylish Ivinghoe Velos Kit. The shop will be open until the evening of Monday 23rd so please act now.

The way you place an order is different this time round as our supplier has a shiny new website that should be easier to use. Follow the instructions below to see the store.

You will need to create a new account with them as you check-out. Don’t be tempted to use the navigation at the tope of the screen to login with your old account as this might lead you to a dead-end.

1. Head to the website: https://www.champsys.uk
2. Click on TEAM STORE button at the top menu bar
3. Enter the (case sensitive) password: IV1

Note that you are not limited to just the clothing shown in the main page. You can select anything from their store and they will make it up in the Velos design. All orders are delivered to us here at the Ivinghoe Velodrome. We will send you a message to know when it has landed and can arrange for collection or local delivery.

If you hit any issues placing your order, please send us a message via our Facebook discussion group , the Rear Hub – https://www.facebook.com/groups/789658201073391

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!

If we get very large numbers of riders the best option is to split into even sized groups to ensure we are not taking more than our fair share of road space. Also if riders have different pace requirements we also split into pace groups (light speed or supersonic)

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.

Roll on Sunday

Three routes to select from this weekend, with each ride having a common final leg, so you never know, rides might meet up.

9am Classic Aylesbury Vale with a twist, a detour through the pretty village of Oving and then on through Hogshaw, small section on the Waddesden greenway. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44730785

10am climbs out through Wendover and then flat back from Terrick. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44730881

10.30am Through Marsworth then it’s destination Wendover. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44730932

All rides start from Ivinghoe church. Please arrive slightly before the ride start time, we may split into pace groups depending on rider numbers. Please look after those riders behind you and make sure you have a good knowledge or a working Sat nav with the route on, we do our best to leave no one behind but if you take a wrong turn things get tricky.

Three rides on the menu this week, with one starting from Cranfield High Street for an away day on roads not ridden on a velos ride previously. Cranfield is about a 40 minute car journey, or a 90 minute bike ride from Ivinghoe! Our route is 55.5 miles on quiet roads through well kept villages. As this is an away day the ride will start at 9.30am to give riders the chance to get over to the start. The starting point is the junction of Merchant Lane with the high street, plenty of local free parking is available. So if you fancy a chance to ride somewhere new and pretty, come along!

At 10am we travel to Chesham and then back through lovely lanes at South Heath and The Lee, there are a few climbs on the route but at 28 miles riders should be back soon after opening time at the pub!

The 10.30 option sees riders circle round Mentmore, Eaton Bray and Slapton, at 22 miles with 600 feet of climbing it’s the shortest option with the smallest climbing ratio.

9.30am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44523821

10am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44660400

10.30am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44670078

Our stylish bespoke blue kit is the envy of many other clubs, you can have a chance of getting your hands on some as we are about to open a new kit order. We will open the order for a period of time to allow everyone the chance of adding their requirements.

The weather looks very kind for cycling on Sunday, so get out and enjoy the rides!