After a great turn out last Saturday and Sunday we aim to continue the good work this week with three routes heading North. With the 9am route being 15 miles longer than the 10am route they may well join up, depending on legs, mechanicals and biscuit breaks, who will return to the Rose and Crown first?

9am 51 miles: https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5142283.html

10am 36 miles: https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5142098.html

10am 22 miles: https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5142100.html

Please arrive at Ivinghoe church slightly before your expected start time so reasonable size groups can form and head over to the face book rear hub to let us know which route you plan to ride.

We have an extra ride option for you this Saturday and it’s a big one! We are cycling a century (miles). The ride is part of Zoe’s fund raising, replacing the Velo Birmingham sportive which has been cancelled. Zoe is raising funds for the Cliff Richard fan club’s “Woodland house appeal” supporting Birmingham’s women’s hospital. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lottie-zoe It won’t be a summer holiday but hopefully under clear blue skies we will share a dream, travelling light, beat the young ones and take the congratulations. Everyone welcome whether you are a bachelor boy or a living doll!

The ride starts at 9am at Ivinghoe church. There are two coffee shop stops planned, firstly after 40 miles at The George of Dragon in Quainton (approx 11.45am) and secondly Cafe Belge at Nash after 70 miles (approx 2.30pm) If anyone would like to join us @15mph on a flat route to do the whole ride, the first half or the last 30 miles you are welcome https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5137623.html

On Sunday we have the usual three ride options for you, we have been enjoying a great turn out in recent weeks with riders splitting down into sub-groups based on average speed. Please add your ride preference to our facebook rear hub poll if you can, this encourages other riders and allows us to start planning the ride splitting process.

Not too much climbing on offer this week, the 9am route circumnavigates Leighton Buzzard, 48 miles with just 1,400 feet of elevation https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5138194.html

The longer 10am route takes us to Bishopstone on a 33 miler with a miserly 600 feet of elevation, take it steady, or you will be back before the pub opens! https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_3618649.html

The shorter 10am route is the hilly option with 1,400 feet packed into 23 miles https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_783412.html

Please bring the route you wish to ride, our aim is to not leave anyone behind, but wrong turns can make life difficult. We will meet at the church at Ivinghoe which allows space to meet and divide into appropriate sized riding groups.

Following a recent negative comment sent to the website from a local car driver we would ask you to please consider how your behaviour (particularly in club colours) affects the reputation of our friendly group, we want to show cycling and our lovely villages in a good light at all times, encouraging participation and good will for our great sport

Take care, stay safe and see you at the weekend!

Three route choices as usual this week, Your shortest option this week is a 10am 20 miler https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5130886.html

Mid-distance offering is this 38 mile beauty https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5134308.html

The longest option and earlier start time of 9am takes us to Buckingham for a 60 mile excursion. https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5135128.html

Next Saturday there is a 100 mile ride planned, we will communicate the route on next weeks post, it’s going to be flat! There will be the usual Sunday rides as well.

For anyone wishing to get your hands on some of our lovely kit, head over to the ordering website now as we have an order window currently open https://eucustom.champ-sys.com/teamstore/?IV-Aug2

All rides start from Ivinghoe church, so please arrive with in advance of your intended start time, see you on Sunday!

On Sunday our shorter 10am ride takes in the most recent tourist attraction, the reverse roundabout in Lower Kings Road Berkhamsted. This 22 mile route has a couple of climbs in along with some lovely scenery https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5130886.html

The longer 10am route visits Cublinton and Oving and a tough climb back from Weedon, it’s a 35 miler with some great views over the vale https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5130881.html

The 9m Option this week takes us out through Hertfordshire to the St Albans Area, it looks like a lovely flowing 56 miles after struggling up Bison Hill. https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5131424.html

The routes all start outside Ivinghoe Church and finish at the Rose and Crown, please bring the route with you and arrive before your ride start time so we can make sure we get the group numbers sorted out. Happy riding!

Hi all, with warm weather expected on Sunday it will be important to bring adequate liquid for hydration during the rides. Post ride hydration will take place at the Rose and Crown without our ride groups, starting point for rides is Ivinghoe church.

This weekend we give you the chance of completing 100km with an easy 9am route with just the one hill up to Christmas common, other than that it’s flat all the way so just 1,800 feet of climbing over 65 miles. If required on this route we will stop in Watlington for water top up purchases. https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5128199.html

At 10am you have the choice of a 50km (31 miles in old money) route out to Missenden and Chesham, this route has more climbing than the 9am route! https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5126935.html

or a 20 mile loop to Eaton Bray and back through Aldbury https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5126936.html

Please remember we will need to split into sub-groups to ensure we remain the right side of riding numbers, something which has gone well in recent weeks with groups splitting into teams of up to six riders based on expected average speed. Please bring your chosen route with you whether that be paper based on GPX file, we aim not to not leave people behind but that can get tricky if wrong turns are taken!

A happy Easter to all Ivinghoe Velos. Hope everyone is fit and well. Easter has traditionally been a time when the roads have been quieter than normal so we have ridden routes on slightly more major roads, in 2018 we have an excursion on the A413 between Chesham and Aylesbury (https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4710173.html) and last year we made it to Gawcott (https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4900123.html).

Anyone taking their daily exercise on a bike recently will appreciate that quiet roads are not unusual right now. So whether you relive an old ride, stay close to home like last weeks loop (https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5033200.html) or make use of the dry trails on your mountain bike (https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5039784.html) Stay safe, ride alone and enjoy your route.

Hello to all Ivinghoe Velos, hoping everyone is fit and well and looking forward to some sunshine and warm temperatures this weekend. Usually when we get a decent forecast we would put out the rallying call to get as many riders out as possible on Sunday morning. However sadly, solo rides and staying local are the two main criteria for my riding suggestion. Here is a little 20 mile classic flat loop which starts at the bottom of Westfield Road in Pitstone. I’ve been really creative with the title for the ride, it’s called the Westfield Road 20 mile flat classic loop. Tackle this loop at your leisure over the weekend, ride solo and check out who else has been out and about on Strava. Having ridden it myself on Friday evening I can confirm all roads are open and surfaces and generally good.

20 mile ride whenever you like route: https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5033200.html

Stay safe and stay well

Hoping all Ivinghoe Velos are fit and well this weekend. Two ride options for you this week. Only to be considered as a solo ride. To encourage this and to avoid accidental meet ups, the start point of the rides is not the Rose and Crown. Tackle these ride suggestions whenever you have time over the weekend!

One road ride and one MTB ride. The rides are planned to keep you close to home so if you have any issues you will be able to get yourself home without the need for unnecessary car travel.

Regular exercise increases your immunity to infection, 60 minutes a day is enough to trigger the immune response. Exercise releases endorphins to make you happy. There are some theories that high intensity exercise for an extended period of time can leave athletes susceptible to illness. Some exercise is far better than no exercise, but don’t over do it! These rides aim to hit the sweet spot!

With the wind coming down from the North the 25 mile road route heads that way first giving riders a tail wind return from Soulbury. As mountain bike riding is not so effected by wind this 23 mile route heads south before returning via Dancers End.

Ride solo, ride with extra caution and enjoy the dry conditions and quiet roads, see you on strava!

Road 25 https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5027943.html

MTB 23 https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5027948.html

We have two rides on offer this week, one of 40 miles and one of 24 miles, both setting off at 10am. Due to encouraging comments via our social media channel it’s clear some riders still want to get out and exercise despite the current difficulties we all face. A quick check on strava confirms many riders are still riding outdoors in controlled groups. If government policy dictates further measures we will react this week and in future weeks to support these policies.

It’s recommended to keep 2m from other individuals so if there are large numbers of riders on a route we need to split into smaller groups to help with spacing. Although the roads may be quieter we need to take extra care to stay safe and not be a burden on the heroes at the NHS. Getting fresh air and company at a relaxed pace is the order of the day. Anyone wishing to ride solo can check out the routes and give us a wave if our paths cross.

We cannot advocate meeting indoors post ride. Please don’t feel the need to show your face if you are self isolating due to contact with someone who has any virus symptoms or you have shown any symptoms yourself. Stay well everybody.

10am Bunkers Blast https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5023306.html

10am Dagnal 24 https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5023313.html

This week we follow a similar format to last Sundays rides with an additional few miles at 9am before groups meet for the main rides at 10am. This seemed to work well last week with the longer 10am group completing 40 odd miles at around 16mph. More of the same this week! The longer route of 40 miles will visit Wobun, while a 25 mile shorter option sticks to the lowlands around Slapton.

Whilst we often have high temperatures, excessive sweating and shortness of breath when attempting Bison Hill in a rain jacket, if you have these symptoms while reading this update on your sofa you probably should give the next couple of weeks a miss. For anyone with contamination concerns, some of our members have, over the years, practised social distancing by deliberately sitting off the back of our group (particularly again on Bison Hill), so feel free to join our rides in whatever position you are comfortable in. Leading experts may have said that cycling builds resilience to viral infections so there is no better time to get on your bike. With most other sport postponed we may see a small increase in roadside fans so be sure to look out your best weatherproof kit this weekend.

9am add on https://www.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5020986.html

10am longer https://www.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5020978.html

10am shorter https://www.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5020985.html