Three routes for your deliberation this Sunday, starting at 10am or 10.30am. Remember if you forget to put your clocks forward at 1am on Sunday you run the risk of missing the group rides which leave Ivinghoe church on British summer time.

Once again this week we have a 10.30 route suitable for beginners and rejoiners, so if you are new, returning or just a bit unfit this is the ride for you! We leave no one behind.

Naismith’s rule (1 h / 3 mi + 1 h / 2000 ft) helps with the planning of a walking or hiking expeditions by calculating how long it will take to travel the intended route, including any extra time taken when walking uphill. This rule of thumb was devised by Willian M Naismith, a Scottish mountaineer 1892. We all know when route planning on the flat it’s easy to work out how long a journey will take but add in hills and the time taken on any distance can vary.

Over the years several adjustments and recalculations have been made and Tranters corrections added a level of fitness to the equation. When walking, going downhill can also take longer than walking on the flat, luckily this is an area when cyclists can gain a bit of time back!

In Howe’s rule I’ve added five rider characteristics to a cycling equation to help work out where individuals fit on the scale, working hard to ensure riders arrive at the Rose and Crown at a similar time!!! The five charateristics are as follows; 1) Goat- loves a mountain and handles any slopes up or down well, 2) Feather- doesn’t weigh very much but lacks power, tends to float around on the wind not going up or down at any pace, 3)Rock- heavy, quite an effort pushing up, but once crested get out the way! 4)all rounder- keeps a reasonable pace on all but the steepest of slopes 5)sofa rider- stays home and rotates through poor weather, less important hobbies and other commitments as excuses, when they do go out they get left behind by the goats, feather, rocks and all-rounders.

This is how the equation unfolds: 30 miles with 1,500 feet of climbing: goats-16mph 1hr 52 minutes; feathers- 14.5 mph 2hrs 4 minutes: rocks- 14mph 2hrs 8 minutes; allrounders-15mph 2 hrs: sofa riders- toast, coffee and the Sunday papers.

At Velos Towers we know the whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts (not every cycle group has Aristotle quotes in it’s weekly posts) So we welcome goats, feather, rocks, allrounders and even sofa riders looking to get back on two wheels, so come along and enjoy the ride.

10.30 beginners/returners https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45415357

10am medium ride https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45990528

10am longer ride https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45990496

Routes have been wind checked and characteristics applied, so back for a beer and cheesy chips in good time.