The weather looks set fair for a bright day with light winds, so a good day to forget your week day worries and get out and ride! The usual three routes options to choose from this week….

9am 54 miles Little Outing To Little Horwood https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4407626.html

10am 40 miles Kop Hill Classic https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4960089.html

10am 20 miles “easy does it”
https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4960090.html

Please remember to bring a copy of your chosen route.

Don’t forget next Sunday (22nd September) has the option of a day by the seaside with an outing to the Isle of Wight, we expect to be catching a 9am ferry from Portsmouth and then ride around the island on a 68 mile route with sea views all the way! The pace will be around 15mph, so a chance to take in the views and an ice cream or two!

This week the 9am longer route is a slight variation on an old favourite to Cranfield university. At 55 miles without many big hills it should bring riders back to the Rose & Crown in good time for refreshments. It uses an underpass to get under the busy A421 with some delightful graffiti to balance the mostly rural feel to the rest of the ride!
https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4958141.html

Dave B has provided us with a 10am route which he describes as “lumpy and bumpy”, having just conquered Mount Ventoux, I imagine this might be a challenging 36 miles!
https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4796402.html

Those short of time could dash round the 10am short ride (22 mile)
https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4591062.html

Which ever ride you decide upon, please bring a map/gps file to remain on course, stay safe and leave no one behind!

Thanks to Dave Bembridge for providing us with inspiration for routes to ride this weekend despite leading a team of velos to foreign shores! Those with a keen eye will note that the final 12 miles of the medium and long routes follow the same path and with the 9am route completing 15 extra miles on the 10am route there is every chance that these two routes come together for a glorious ceremonial run into the Rose and Crown.

Short route, 10am, 22 miles https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4591409.html

Medium route 10am, 37 miles https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4410665.html

Long route 9am, 52 miles https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4955548.html

Which ever route you chose to enjoy, please bring a map/gps file and play your part in making sure no one gets left behind!

In case anyone missed our midweek post, or is missing their Saturday night Velo news, here is a repeat of our rides for Sunday.

Dave Bembridge will lead the longest ride this weekend with an 80 mile ride at a steady pace & including refreshment stops. The ride will gather at the Rose and Crown at 8.30am
https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4950910.html

The 9am ride led by Dave Howe is a 55 mile rolling outing to Denham. No one will be left behind!
https://www.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4951783.html

At 10am you can take part in a 40 mile Woburn ride:
https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4951740.html

Or for those short of time a 19 mile quickie:
https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4951744.html

As the weather is set to be pretty warm it might be worth considering some extra water supplies. The longer routes also have opportunities to top up using local shops at the 60km mark (Harpenden on the 8.30 ride and Little Chalfont on the 9am ride)

Whichever course you tackle, enjoy it and see you back at the Rose and Crown for tales of your cycling adventures.

With the bank holiday looming and the forecast good, here is a midweek post with a couple of heads-up for you.

As this weekend is a bank holiday Dave Bembridge has put together, and will lead, a longer route covering 80 miles tackling some of the Chiltern Way. This ride will start from the Rose and Crown and will be a steady ride with coffee/food stops. Please arrive by 8.30am to join this route:
https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4950910.html

We will be offering the usual route options on Sunday with a 55 mile 9am ride to Denham, designed to be completed and back to the pub by 1pm for re-hydration.
https://www.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4951783.html

At 10am you can take part in a 40 mile Woburn ride:
https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4951740.html

Or for those short of time a 19 mile quickie:
https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4951744.html

With sunshine on the way and a long weekend ahead, if you are planning to ride on Saturday or Monday why not invite others by sharing on our Facebook rear hub.

Also on the horizon several “Ivinghoe velos” are circumnavigating the Isle of Wight, a hilly 68 mile ride planned for 22nd September. This ride is planned to be ridden as a group with a ball-park figure of 15mph average. To be flexible (if the weather is inclement) we won’t be booking ahead but we aim to be on a 9.15am ferry from Portsmouth.

Daylight Robbery: This week we will revisit a piece of local history with a 9am ride which passes the very site of the great train robbery and then follows, perhaps, the getaway route to Leatherslade Farm near Oakley. The ride is of a reasonable length to be able to complete within 4 hours at a fairly relaxed pace, so back to the Rose and Crown by 1pm.

In August 1963 a gang of men stopped a Royal Mail train at Bridego Bridge (recently renamed Mentmore Bridge). They got away with £2.6M (£54M in today’s money) most of which was never recovered. How would we have ridden the ride in 1963? In those days Spandex (Lycra to us cyclists) had just been invented and carbon fibre had only just been manufactured for the first time, so you be heading out on your 4 speed Wilier Triestina steel framed road bike. You would be wearing your polyester club top with whipcord shorts with a double seat (so they din’t get worn out, not for comfort).

9am Route 55miles: https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4949315.html

The 10am routes Crafted by Dave B take us on a hilly 38 miles to Caddington or a flat 24 miles to Halton. If you are doing a 10am route and want to visit Bridigo Bridge, it’s only a short diversion through Ivinghoe Aston or Mentmore.

10am 36 miles: https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_3926297.html

10am 24 mileshttps://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4021925.html

So come on out, try to steal a King/Queen of the mountain, pinch a few PRs, you would feel robbed if you didn’t! Please arrive promptly and bring your choosen route map/gps file so you don’t get lost in the getaway.

This week we have contacted the weather gods to request that the calmer day of the weekend is our ride day. This request has been acknowledged and it is anticipated that conditions will be favourable all morning on Sunday.

We have three rides to tempt you out on two wheels. The longer 9am route can again be ridden at a more relaxed, inclusive pace and we have shortened the overall distance to enable riders to return to the Rose and Crown by around 1pm. This ride heads into the wind to start with, but don’t worry you will be sheltered by all the hills and then enjoy a flat wind assisted return to Ivinghoe! The 10am routes, courtesy of Mr Bembridge, focuses on the W’s visiting Whitchurch, Wingrave, Wing, Weedon and Waddesdon, both look like thoroughly enjoyable woad wides.

Please bring your selected route map/GPS file with you. Please support your ride mates all the way around the routes. Please have fun and stay safe.

9am 54 miles: https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4946633.html

10am 26 miles https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4945402.html

10am 40 miles https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4945401.html