Three routes For riders to enjoy this Sunday, all starting outside Ivinghoe church at various times on Sunday morning! I can give you a “Dave is working ,so the weather will be ok” guarenntee again this week, so get out and enjoy!

9am Sunny Sunday Sundon https://ridewithgps.com/routes/53111517

10am Wing Cublington Wing Loop https://ridewithgps.com/routes/50340017

10.30am Sunday 26th Oct Short https://ridewithgps.com/routes/53039443

Thanks to Bob and Grant for sending in the short and medium routes to ivinghoe Velos Towers.

The clocks go back this week, so on Saturday night you have an extra hour in bed, or take my advice and get up after the usual sleep time and ride for longer.

The Ivinghoe Velos is 15 years old. The first ever ride was planned at the Rose & Crown back in July 2010 and the first actual route published was on 1st August 2010, there were two route options- a medium (14 miles) and a long (21 miles) Riders were invited to dust off their choppers and remember to pack a puncture repair kit as well as a drink in the ruck sack.

Always a group of friends, never a club, we have been on many adventures over the years, cycling has enriched all our lives and riding with others has added to the fun, so if you can join one of our group rides you will be continuing the traditions. The motto is no one gets left behind which requires riders to moderate the pace to accommodate all riders in the group as well as riders being realistic about the ride they join. We welcome new riders who are keen to try riding on the roads in a group, if you can maintain 15mph on your own you should be fine to ride in our longer group rides….. If you can maintain 17mph on your own we are probably a bit slow for you! The group will only continue with your participation, so if you want a group to ride with in the future, come out when you can!

Roll on Sunday.

Three route options for riders to enjoy this Sunday. The longer route is going to a public vote, think of it as a cross between Sports personality of the year and Britain’s got talent. The 10am and 10.30am are set in concrete (that makes them sound like they won’t be too rapid) All routes will commence from Ivinghoe church and return to the Rose And Crown.

Bob and Grant are guest route planners this week, so thanks for the routes guys and enjoy!

10.30am 23 miles, getting as far as Stewkley https://ridewithgps.com/routes/52936898

10am Owlswick 34 (although the route doesn’t quite reach Owlswick) It’s a flat one so back at the pub for opening time! https://ridewithgps.com/routes/52869975

9am The Public vote: one of these three options will be confirmed via our socials on Saturday morning, the ride will leave the church at 9am and will go North, South or West. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/52949263 or https://ridewithgps.com/routes/52939116 or https://ridewithgps.com/routes/53029276

Three route options for Sunday. Current forcast is for an India summer like day, so get out with one of our groups. Remember if you don’t ride with a group when you can there may not be a group to ride with when you want to, your participation may encourage other’s participation.

Rides start from Ivinghoe church at the stated times, we aim to leave no one behind.

9am The Flat One https://ridewithgps.com/routes/52949162

10am Ballinger And Back https://ridewithgps.com/routes/52778889

10.30am Halton 22 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/52946033

Three rides to choose from this Sunday! With it being the 1st Sunday of the month, we have a coffee stop option on the longer ride. The stop will be in Chinnor.

All rides start from the bus sheter outside Ivinghoe church, be there, or miss out!

Thanks to Richard F for providing us with route options for 10am and 10.30am

10.30am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/52870146 off to standbridge and back via Dagnall, 22 miles, fairly flat to start and then the climbing comes in towards the end of the ride

10am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/52869975 Out to Kimblewick the flat earthers will love this one.

9am coffee ride https://ridewithgps.com/routes/52886744 “Four-mill-ity” a tour of four local windmills with some early climbs and a flat second half after the cofee.

Pitstone windmill is an early 17th century windmill currently owned by the national trust. 1627 is carved on a piece of the framework, believed to be the earliest year of any windmill in the British Isles still standing. Indeed some of the wood heralds from a tree felled in 1595. The Pitstone mill is a post mill design meaning the structure is resting on a central post and the whole mill turns to bring the sails round into the wind. 

Hawridge Mill was built on the current site in 1883 at a cost of £300 by Hillstons of Tring, the design superseded an unprofitable smock mill. This is a tower mill meaning it’s strong brick construction could support bigger sails and house the sails at a greater height. The mill operated until 1912 when it was converted into a private residence. The author Ben Hatch lived in the mill during his teenage life, his nickname at Chesham school was “Windy Miller”  in his book “are we nearly there yet?” he mentions living in the mill and working in the legendary Macdonalds in Chesham. Ben’s book “road to Rouen” is also worth a read.

The Lacey Green windmill sits prettily on top of a Chiltern hill, built around 1650. For a number of years in the 20th century it had a now disproven claim from Chesham folk that it had been moved the 9 miles east from Lownes Park. In operation until 1915 the mill was then turned into a weekend cottage. After years of neglect, in recent times the mill has been restored to be a stunning example of a smock windmill, which means only the top, or cap rotates to bring the sails into the wind. The name smock was given to mills like this due to the visual likeness to the garments worn by farmers. Construction was generally sloping weatherboards.

Chinnor Windmill, another post mill, was first constructed in 1789, although it’s likely there were mills on the site for hundreds of years before this one.  It was demolished in 1967 to make way for housing but luckily most bits were kept and moved to Essex, where they were discovered in 1980 and  a group of dedicated volunteers rebuilt the mill around 150 yards from the original site in Whites Field. 

We will aim to have a coffee at the windmill at Chinnor, if this is not possible the biker bean cafe is just around the corner.