Three routes to choose from this week. We move the longer ride start time to 9am as we are now in the summer months!!!!!

The 9am route this week takes us south to Wooburn Green and it uses all the biggest hills possible. Certainly one of our bigger rides in terms of elevation, packing over 3,000 feet of climbing in only 50 miles. Certianly no expectations of a fast pace on this one!

10am is a 32 mile outing to Brickhill with 1337 feet of climbing taking us around Leighton Buzzard without having to get too close!

10.30am visting Cubblington, this is a repeat of last week as no one was brave enough to ride in the rain!

10.30am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45365879

10am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46464384

9am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46479129

Next Sunday, 12th May we have our Silverstone Special planned a great 100km route with a stop from a photo under the famous race track sign https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46478988

This post is specific to our trip to the smallest city in the Uk from 17th to 20th May, hopefully it should contain all the details you need ahead of the trip.

Wells is in the heart of Somerset and is slightly under 3 hours away by car. We have four days of cycling planned with some fantastic destinations including Cheddar Gorge, Glastonbury, The Somerset Levels and on the longer options, Bath and Burnham on Sea.

The rides starting point is at the end of the high street in Wells, if you arrive early for rides you should be able to grab a coffee, Coffee #1 is open from 8am each day, Loaf bakehouse, Cafe Nero, Gregs and Long Story Bistro are all within a 2 minute walk of the starting point. There is also a bike shop called Bike City which opens 9-5 on Friday and Saturday.

During the evenings we will refresh, refuel and recover with a meal and some drinks. We have places booked at The Kings Head on Friday evening and Saturday evening and Ask italian on Sunday night. Riders can join these meals and/or meet up from drinks. If you want a place at the meals, please complete the “meals on Wells” spreadsheet. or pass on your choices to Dave, Fri & Sat (starter, main, pud) 7.30 dinner time at https://www.thekingsheadwells.co.uk/food Sunday we don’t need to prebook meals but just need an idea if you are eating with us at 7pm at Ask Italian https://www.askitalian.co.uk/menus/full-menu/bread-and-nibbles

Meals on Wells Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PgJaIPVe9HY9RP_84-NNL1vb4Sd-9XEOuNVE3mm_gYU/edit?usp=sharing

Other than the Kings Head, other notable pubs for beers include The City Arms, The Quarter Jack (Weatherspoons), The Rose and Crown and The Crown.

Our rides are planned to be ridden at a relaxed “tourist pace” being able to stop for occasional photos and all rides have a food stop. We may split into a couple of groups to avoid being a big group on the roads & then not arrive all at the food stops at the same time, day time food stops are not prebooked.

Day one, 1pm start to allow time to drive to Wells on Friday morning: Flat out to Burnham On Sea, 44 miles with an incredibly flat profile less than 800 feet of climbing over 44 miles!! coffee stop by the sea at the half way point. This route enjoys the best of the somerset levels, the lowest and flatest area of the whole country. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43744492

Day Two, 10am start, 100km in Somerset, riding through pretty villages and the ex-mining town of Radstock, through Coombe Down tunnel (1.6km the longest cycleable tunnel in Britain) on to the Bath to Bristol railway path with a lunch stop at the half way point, Bitton Station, then a gradual climb along the edge of the Mendips before a final descent into Wells.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45010868

Day Three, Classic Climbs: 10am start four big climbs in the Mendip Hills including the iconic Cheddar Gorge, 50 miles will be a tough day in the saddle after Saturdays miles in the legs. Lunch stop after 32 miles at Potager Cafe (Cleeve Nursery)
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45011087

Day Four, Velos do Glastonbury, 10am start a 35 mile trip down to Castle Cary and on to Glastonbury for lunch, back in Wells for 2pm for the journey home.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45011211

SHORTER ROUTE OPTIONS AVAILABLE BELOW:
Thanks To Richard for producing these shorter fantastic route options:

Friday: The shorter option follows the same route as the longer ride out onto the Somerset Levels for the first 9 miles before taking a shortcut to pick up the route back into Wells. A later departure time could be agreed for this ride once we know arrival times in Wells. In total, 20 miles and 420 ft of climb: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45532471

Saturday: Again the start of the shorter option of 39 miles and 2,600 ft of climb mirrors the longer option, this time for the first 20 miles into Radstock. At this point the route turns south west through Midsomer Norton to the Holy Cow Cafe at 23 miles. After refreshments we head south over a couple of shorter climbs before a predominantly downhill last 10 miles through Shepton Mallet and then to Wells. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45534615

Sunday: The shorter option takes in just two of the four climbs on the longer route on a ride of 35 miles with 2,300 ft of climb. First we head out onto the Somerset Levels on predominantly different roads to those ridden on Friday to loop around to Cheddar. After climbing the gorge, the route again deviates from the longer route to drop down to Blagdon Lake before tackling a slightly ‘easier’ version of the final climb with less time on double digit pitches. For any legs that are crying enough at the top of Cheddar Gorge, or for those needing to head home, it is straightforward to miss out the final climb and shorten the route to 25 miles with 1,300 ft of climb. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45532690

Monday: For those who just want a short ride with a visit to Glastonbury Tor, there in also a 17 mile option: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45536187

Day four walk
If the legs just won’t do another day on the bike we can plan a circular walk up to Glastonbury Tor.

Riders can do as much or as little riding as they like, there are some lovely things to see in Wells, inluding the cathedral, The Bishop’s Palace and gardens and Vicar’s close, claimed to be the oldest residentail street in Europe.

As Forest Gump famously said, riding in April is like a box of chocolates (you have to keep taking layers off). While there is no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate equipment choices, this weekend promised to again test the planning and selection process. Rides meet and leave on time from Ivinghoe church.

Three rides to choose from, The shorter ride takes on the early bits of the longer ride and the medium ride does it’s own thing with a trip to Studham and then down past the zoo.

The long ride adds on 5 miles compared to last week but it is flatter, actually only having 200 feet more than the medium ride which is 20 miles shorter! We stick with 9.30am 10am and 10.30am start times.

10.30am 24 miles to Cublington https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45365879

10am We are all going to the zoo 30 miles https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43193241

9.30am Tour De Claydons 50 miles https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46373243

We will aim to up the milage again next week and then in two weeks time (12th May) we will be offering the classic 100km+ Silverstone Route which is great preparation from our trip to Wells as well as the Ride London 100 which happens at the end of the month.

We are a group of friends who ride together rather than a cycle club, we have no hard and fast rules, no subscription and have no delusions of grandeur. If you are “group ride curious” we must just be a great place to start, we welcome new riders, our rides are on road bikes with pace generally around 14mph to 16mph depending on the wind and hills. When riding in a group you can achieve slightly higher average speeds because you can take a turn sheltering from the wind and the motivation to keep up helps push you harder than when out on your own.

Three rides this Sunday, all starting from Ivinghoe church. looking ahead we are exactly one month away from a weekend is Wells (Somerset) 17th to 20th May. The weekend away features four days of riding on similar outings to our usual Sunday rides but on different roads and with the chance to socialise off the bike before and after rides. The rides are planned to be ridden at “tourist pace” to allow riders to take in the scenery and ride multiple days in a row, each ride has a refrshment stop. Anyone who wishes to join needs to book their own accomodation in or near Wells and be ready to ride at 1pm on Friday afternoon and 10am on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. We have longer and shorter options each day, designed to showcase some of the best riding Somerset has to offer. Riders can join for any or all days and we will look at meeting & eating spots for the evenings.

Back to this week, Please be ready to ride from Ivinghoe church at the stated start time, we may split into different pace groups if there are a large number of riders on a route and the more modest pace group will ensure no one is left behind! Once again the earliest ride sets off at 9.30am as we stretch ourselves towards summer distances…..

Rides finish at the Rose and Crown, handy if you are thirsty or hungry after your morning endevours!

10.30am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46247686 Wendover Loop 21 miles 680 feet of climbing

10am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46247630 Fighting up Rocky 31 miles 1551 feet of climbing

9.30am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46261195 The Airport Run 44 miles 2,426 feet of climbing

During the summer months we plan rides for Tuesday evenings, Some riders like advance notice of these so they can plan in the rest of their week’s riding. The rides start at 6pm from the roundabout in Pitstone as long as it’s dry! We will offer 2 distance and 2 paces to ensure everyone gets a chance to do what they want, so the paces will be “ride hard” or “recovery”, “Ride hard” is for riders who want a bit of a stretch, we will aim to push the pace but the group is stonger than the individual so we will try to stay connected. “Recovery” is for riders looking for less intensity, maybe turning the legs after a hard weekend of riding, or building up to something later in the week.

Tuesday 23rd April 6pm short https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46261364 16 miles

Tuesday 23rd April 6pm less short https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46261344 21 miles

Three rides to choose from this Sunday, all starting from the church in Ivinghoe. During the summer months we like to offer longer routes, so as we transition towards that, this week the milage for the longest ride has increased slightly, We don’t want you to think you have to cycle faster to make the all important pub time, so the start time has moved by half an hour to 9.30am. Once we get up to doing over 50 miles we will move the start time to 9.

9.30am Little Horwood 43 miles https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46154459

10am Whitchurch 29 miles https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45032139

10.30amCublinton 20 miles https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45037529

All rides start from the church in Ivinghoe. In the near future some “away day” options will be planned for some rides starting within an hours drive of ivinghoe to give us the chance to ride on some different roads for a change. These will include a chiltern hills ride, the Cranfield classic and North Oxfordshire.

The planners at Ivinghoe Velos Towers have been liasing closely with the national weather forecasting teams to come up with routes giving riders a gentle push on the return legs for Sunday. The longer ride this week is a 37 mile offering called “Little Miss Windy” as once we get to Little Missenden you will hardly have to pedal to get back to Ivinghoe!

The medium route crafted by Dave B also takes riders South first, dipping into Chesham before lanes back via Aldbury, this is a 28 mile loop with col de la Hastoe to navigate after 5 miles.

The 10.30 route is a re-run on last weeks shoter ride so join this one if you missed out on it last time! This carefully crafted option does reach higher ground but takes the shallow side up the hills making the climbs achieveable for all levels of rider.

We meet at Ivinghoe church and rides leave on time so get there early with the route plumbed into your headset computer. Old school printouts with turn by turn directions are also acceptable but you may not have many friends left by the end of the ride.

10.30am short but sweet https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45415357 The Hastoe Loop

10am medium/rare https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46065326 Mount Nugent Loop

10am Long and Strong https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46083156 Little Miss Windy

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.

Three routes to choose from on Sunday all three heading in the same direction. We have a new starters/rejoiners/steady group at 10.30 suitable for anyone to join and feel supported in a group outing and then two options at 10am. The 10am routes cover the same distance however one has Pitstone Hill, Toms Hill, Darrs Lane and Mount Dunsmore on the route and the other one doesn’t but still has a reasonable level of elevation over the ride! So rider can choose to add 450 extra feet of climbing and finish on the same last 10 miles.

10.30 short https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45365256

10am feeling a bit flatter https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45921243

10am The hills are alive https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45921182

Rides start on time at Ivinghoe church entance and return to the village sometime after pub opening time!

Some early ride fun this week for both 10am routes which share a common start, we will have our annual downhill challenge, no pedaling after the top corner off the B489 onto Chapel Lane & the winner is the rider who comes to a halt furthest past the Village Swan pub in Ivinghoe Aston.

10.45 new joiners and restarters steady pace https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45324812

10am medium route benchmark pace over 13-15mph https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45835683

10am longer route, benchmark pace over 14-16mph https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45835452

Ivinghoe Velos rides take place on Sunday mornings and start from outside the church in Ivinghoe, we are a welcoming and friendly group of friends, most of us are the other side of 50 but with great age comes great wisdom, we have a bank of well researched routes and a reasonable kowledge of the workings of a bicycle. New riders young and old are welcome, although we may not be able to keep up with you! With this in mind Dave Bembridge has crafted a set of “new starters and rejoiner” rides starting this Sunday, these rides will be easy routes ridden as a pace to suit every riders. Local legend has it that Dave carries a rubber ring with him, this isn’t for a more comfy seat in the pub after a long day in the saddle, it’s to help rescue riders stuck in puddles along the route.

During the winter months our rides start from 10am. During warmer summer months we extend the distances slightly and start a longer option at 9am, this is usually around mid April to October and during these longer riders we pop in the occasional coffee stop.

Rides conclude back in Ivinghoe close to the Rose And Crown pub, which welcomes riders with a range of isotonic beverages and carb replacing snacks for some post ride chat.

We also arrange ad-hoc weekday coffee rides and evening pre-beer rides which we arrange via social media so we can be agile with timings.

In May each year we have a change of scenery, planning a series of rides over a weekend in another location, we’ve previously visited The Peak District, Suffolk, Tewekesbury and Yorkshire, this year we head to Wells in Somerset and do 4 days of rides with plenty of time around the rides to enjoy the location (plus more isotonic beverages and carb replacing snacks).

We have also arranged trips to sunny destinations with real mountains, taken part in sportives, ridden the odd mountain bike ride, travelled back on the Grand Union from London and completed charity rides, so there is something for everybody

Our aim is to leave no one behind, so riders should look after and wait for riders behind as well as keep up with riders in front, a little communication helps keep the group together and having a good knowledge of the route means you can be confident when the route makes turns. We try to ride close together to benefit from the draft (reducing wind resistance for the riders behind) on the flat and gentle up hills and will regroup after more severe climbs as everyone has their own pace to get up these!

Three rides this week with a longer and medium 10am options plus the new joiners and returns route at 10.45am (if you already regularly use your bike you are welcome to join the longer options!)

Riders are responsible for their own safety and mechanical reliability, we help with changing tubes after a puncture, but if your pedal falls off it’s a long walk home!

Roll on Sunday

This Sunday is mothers day, so those lucky enough to be able to spend time with their mum may not be riding with us, we still have three routes available to enjoy for everyone else and if you do get out and ride quickly enough, you might make it back for apple pie at lunch time!

10.30 short: Mamma Mia, here we go again https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45115258

10.00 medium: Some mothers do ave em https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45777687

10.00 long: Mum’s the word: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45786463

Rides Start at by the church in Ivinghoe and return to the village, please arrive before the ride start time with a good idea of your choosen route. We aim to leave no one behind so look after the riders behind you as well as keeping up with the riders in front of you!