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.

Spring is here, the nights are drawing out, the time to increase cycling activity has arrived! So get yourself out on two wheels this weekend and enjoy a ride with the Ivinghoe Velos! We have three routes all starting from Ivinghoe church and returning to the same point before 1pm. We welcome new riders and our groups have several different pace options, the longer ride is often ridden in excess of 15mph, the shorter routes are usually between 13mph and 15mph. It would be great to see some of the mailing list who have not ridden with us before. Riding in a group is a great experience and we leave no one behind, unless they really want to do their own thing!

This weeks rides are 9.30am 42 miles, 10am 32 miles 10.30am 21 miles.

9.30am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42375511

10am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42298322

10.30am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42298464

The most important thing to do on Saturday night is reset your clock as we lose an hour this weekend, you can then stay awake all night worrying if the clock will then reset itself back again, so take it’s own hour off, by the morning you won’t know where you are. Luckily we will provide routes to get you back on track!

Talking of getting on track this Sunday we have an adventure ride, jump on the train and head North to Northampton and then use your bike (which you hopefully remembered to put on the train) to get back home. We have a lovely route suggested by Jason which involves 57 miles with the wind behind you, I call that great planning! After leaving Northampton via the Nene Valley way we head through lots of lovely villages, via Salcey Forest and the canal centre of Stoke Bruerne on through Iconic Sliverstone and picturesque Buckingham. The train times are Berkhamsted 8.57, Tring 9.02, Cheddington 9.07 and Leighton Buzzrad 9.14. Arrival in Northampton will be around 9.50 and then it’s a steady group ride back with the potential of a refreshment stop along the way.

For those wanting to stay local Dave Bembridge has crafted two routes, a 32 mile ride via Heath and Reach at 10am or a 21 mile outing to Cublington at 10.30. These are our usual Sunday offerings starting from Ivinghoe church, we may split into pace groups if rider numbers are big.

Northampton train station 9.50am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42058942

10am Ivinghoe Church https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42298322

10.30 Ivinghoe Church https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42298464

Northampton has been the venue for several stages of the womens tour of Britain and will host strage 2 this year, on the 8th June traveling from Northampton to Ampthill. A great chance for spectators to watch the start and then cycle to the finish. The milk race has also visited Northampton on occasion. This race was so called because amateur riders were given jerseys with “drink more milk” written on them, for a time the race around the UK pitted amateurs agains pros. After races the milk marketing board would pronounce that the winner, who would recieve a £10 prize, won the race due to the properties of milk. So down a pint of gold top and get ready for Sunday!

Three rides for your consideration this week. As we are moving towards spring the longest ride will now move to 9.30am, we also have 10am and 10.30am rides on offer. Being Mothers day the aim of the game this week is to get back relatively early so you can enjoy family time, or a beer or two at the pub.

Marta Bastianelli and Lizzie Deignan are two of the very few mothers competing on the women’s world tour. They have been able to juggle motherhood with continuing their successful cycling careers. Bastianelli won the 2018 European Road championship as a mum. Lizzie Deignan won the Paris-roubaix femme in 2021 after retruning from having a daughter in 2018 and is due to return this season after having a son last September. On the track we have to look no further than Laura Kenny for annother inspiration mother, Laura is the most successful British female athlete of all time and won her most recent medals after giving birth to Albie and is currently expecting her second child. With Laura and Jason’s genes I’m sure Albie will be pretty hot on two wheels, just like our Sunday crew.

Our rides leave Ivinghoe church on Sunday morning and return in time for a restorative beer at the Rose and Crown, or a dash home to cook mum dinner. As a guide last Sunday our longer ride group achieved 16mph on a fairly flat route, while the shorter team average just under 14mph on a slightly hillier route.

9.30am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42244898 39 miles

10am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41439757 29 miles

10.30am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41439771 22 miles

The most famous bike ride in the world is the tour de France. Ridden across 3 weeks starting this year on 1st July, riders will cover 3,404kms with the longest day being 209kms. The ride finishes in Paris on 23rd July. Don’t worry our routes have all the thrills of a tour stage but are somewhat shorter and don’t go up any mountains (this week)

The rider who has the lowest overall time during the tour de france is given a yellow jersey to wear, this maillot jaune was choosen as it matched the paper the sponsor newpaper L’Auto was printed on. The first ever yellow jersey was issued on 18th July 1919 to Eugene Christophe, it was made of thick wool and he complained it made him look like a canary.

Our stylish blue kit is a far nicer option, so pop on your blue top this Sunday and join us for a Buckinghamshire “stage” around the villages.

Rides start from Ivinghoe church and return to the same spot a couple of hours later The longer 10am route has a relatively small amount of climbing (39 feet per mile) so is slightly longer than previous weeks at 41 miles, the medium ride has almost the same amount of climbing as the longer ride but over 27 miles (55 feet per mile), while the shorter 10.30 route is 22 miles with the same climb ratio as the medium route (55 feet per mile)

10am long route https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42182376

10am medium route https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42182316

10.30am short route https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42182351

Depending on the number of riders we may split into pace groups to ensure riders get round at an average speed that is comfortable to them. Last Sunday the longer group averaged around 15.5mph while the shorter groups were around the 13.5mph mark. Please ensure no one gets left behind and look after the guys behind you as much as keeping up with the wheel in front of you. After more frosty weather the roads are likely to have more holes than ever so please point out any hazards well in advance.

New riders and always welcome to join us, we ride road bikes on Sunday mornings with ad-hoc additional rides during the week. We are a group of friends rather than a club. We average between 13mph and 16mph. If you ride faster than this solo you might want to check out the local clubs in the area.

In the second ever edition of the tour de france in 1904 Henri Cornet was awarded the win after four riders ahead of him were seen getting off a train during the race. To recreate this, on 26th of March one of our ride options will be to catch the 9.02 train from Tring Station up to Northampton and then cycle back, the journey back on two wheels is just shy of 60 miles on some lovely quiet lanes

The Lanterne Rouge is the last rider in the tour de france, the worst, slowest competitor. The name originates from a light hung on the last carriage of a railway train (so the signalmen could look back to check if any couplings have become well, uncoupled). Red is the colour with the longest wavelength so it can be seen from further away than any other colour.

So is the Lanterne Rouge really the worst, slowest competitor? Absolutely not! Usually they are battling illness or injury and valiantly continue the race to the bitter end while others drop out along the way. They may have been following team orders and given everything in the early part of stages and then slowly drop back through the peleton to their daily struggle to get to the finish before the time limit.

Modern Tour de France riders have to finish in a time between 10% and 25% (depending on the type of stage) slower than the winner’s time to be able to start the next day. Back in the first tour de france in 1903 there was no limit and the last placed rider Arsene Millocheau racked up 64 hours 57 minutes and eight seconds longer than winner Maurice Garin, that’s 50% longer!

That first tour de france was held over 6 stages with an average length of 250 miles, however there were three rest days between each stage. Each rider won prize money as long as they achieved more than 12 miles per hour. Arsene Millocheau was often missing from the results in the sponsor newspaper “L’Auto” because he finished after the print deadline.

Each week The Ivnghoe Velos set out for adventures in Herts, Beds and Bucks and someone is at the back of the group, that person may be battling illness, injury or a few too many beers the night before but they are out there and will finish the ride. Riding together and supporting each other so no one gets left behind is what we are about

So whether you are a regular or have recently happened upon our friendly cycle group on facebook or word of mouth, get out and join us when you can, enjoy the ride, you may be the lanterne rouge but that’s ok, you are still a hero for taking the plunge. We can’t guarantee a champagne reception at the end, but someone might buy you a beer.

Rides start from the church in Ivinghoe, there are two 10am options, both the same route until the final 3 or 8 miles, so you can see how the weather is before you decide long or short. The 10.30 of 24 miles ride also has the same start and finish as the 33 mile 10am ride. All rides return to Ivinghoe.

10am 33 miles: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42125560

10am 38 miles (same route with a 5 mile add-on) https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42133515

10.30am 24 miles https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42125596

Three routes for your consideration this week. After a chilly start the sun is due to come out, so what could be better than a group road ride out in the glorious countryside. Two 10am choices, 38 miles heading north will have you at your Witts End (excuse the pun) or a 30 mile route heading south to South Heath (naturally). At 10.30am we have a 22 mile loop which cruises through Tring and Berkhamsted and back via Ashridge.

10am 38 miles Witts End https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42077630

10am 30 miles South Heath https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42069181

10.30am Tring, Berko, Ashridge https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42069234

We are the Ivinghoe Velos, we are a friendly cycling group who like to encourage participation in the great sport of cycling in a non competitive way. Our rides start from Ivinghoe church on a Sunday morning and arrive back conveniently close to the Rose and Crown pub for those in need of post ride refreshment.

We aim to leave no one behind, so it’s useful if all riders have a good idea of the route planned, or a sat nav to guide you on your way. We aim to stick together on flat sections and regroup after the climbs, Rides leave promptly so please arrive before the start time, we may split into pace groups depending on the number of riders.

Roll On Sunday.

This week we have three route options for your consideration.

At 10am you can choose between a 39 mile fairly flat route or a hillier 30 mile route (both routes have the same amount of climb), At 10.30 the option is 23 miles. While there is no dedicated beginners ride option we always welcome new riders and do our best to look after everyone in the groups. We start promptly from the church in Ivinghoe After a couple of hours out on the roads of Herts Beds and Bucks we have a debrief and vital liquid replenishment at the Rose and Crown pub in Ivinghoe. Generally ride paces range from 13mph to 16mph averages and we split into pace groups if there are enough riders.

While we have your attention we would like to highlight a group cycling holiday in the Autumn. Not only are we heading to Yorkshire for a weekend in May this year, we also plan to cycle in the Italian Alps. Staying for 5 or 6 nights in Bormio from 28th August. An exmaple of the amazing riding there is available at: https://lovevelo.co.uk/italy/the-stelvio-mortirolo-weekender/ the estimated cost of the trip will be somewhere in the region of £1,500 The trip will include Stelvlio bike day when the roads are closed to cars. If you’d like to express an interest or have more questions please email cycleclive@gmail.com once details are firmed up will be send out a dedicated post will full details.

Now back to THIS weekend’s rides…..

10am longer option https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42017203

10am medium option https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41961450

10.30am short option https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42015778

Depending on the weather forcast nearer the time, Sunday 26th Feb may include a 9am start with a slightly longer route option and a coffee stop thrown in!

Good to see plenty of bikes out on the roads this week, feels like a little bit of spring in the air! The thought of warmer weather and longer days raises the spirits and increases the options for riding with pals.

Our rides set off from outside Ivinghoe church and end up at the same spot, conveniently close to the rose and crown public house for those in need of refreshment/reward. We ride road bikes in groups based on expected average pace.

We have our final dedicated starters and returners ride this week, hopefully any locals looking to join an easy paced group ride will have made it out on two wheels. Richard will be the man in charge this Sunday at 10.45 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41942199

We have three further ride options this week, a medium and longer at 10am and a 10.30 shorter option. Once we get to March we will look at moving back to 9am starts and include the odd coffee option too.

10am longer: 35 miles including up Bison Hill https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37594212

10am medium: 30 miles Pedley Climb & down Bison https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41961450

10.30 shorter: 24 miles inc New Road https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41961397

We are a little over three months away from a planned trip to West Yorkshire.

The plan is to base ourselves in the town of Holmfirth for a weekend from 19th May and explore the local area on two wheels. We will plan road routes for Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday with the Friday and Monday rides being shorter to enable folk to travel. (2pm Friday afternoon and 10am Monday morning up to 30 miles). All rides will have at least one planned refreshment stop. Last year in May we visited Tewkesbury and completed rides on the weekend with days of around 60 miles at 14 miles per hour, this is tourist pace, having a good look at the new scenery rather than racing round at top speed. If the distance is a problem don’t worry we will have short cut versions too.

One of the joys of cycling is that you work up an appitite so we plan to enjoy some local hospitality in the evenings. In Holmfirth there is a range of accomodation to suit everyone’s taste and budget, book your own accomodation and we will provide the routes and start times. For the best group experience booking something which doesnt require getting into the car once booked in is best. Looking to book now would give you the most choice.

The Holme valley scenery is well known as it was used to film “last of the summer wine”. The town is close to the peak district national park and is part of the west riding of Yorkshire. There are plenty of lovely quiet routes with some decent climbs with rewarding views and descents. Holmfirth has many stone built cottages with a range of hotels, pubs, bars and eateries, we can join up for food, or just drinks if you prefer self catering.

Once we know the number of people coming along we will look into options for food and drink including mid-ride cafe stops. If you are unable to get up early for a ride on Friday we can meet in the evening to fuel up for the Saturday ride!