is nimble
Jack is quick
Jack rides races
His tyres are slick.

Mary rides steady
And trust me, I know,
That to the Tea Shop
Her ride will go.

She’s been left in charge
And will decide where to go
And before you ask –
She’s definitely a pro!

And this is what
It’s all about
We meet at the pub
Come rain or drought.

On Saturdays
At 10am
We go for a ride
Then back again.

So even if
You’re new in town
Pop on round
To the Rose & Crown.

No-one EVER
Get’s left behind
And NO rider
Is ever declined.

This week, I promise
Mary will look after you
‘Cos here at the Velos
That’s what we do!

While pedalling through the lanes one day
In the merry merry month of May
We were taken by surprise
By a pair of roguish eyes
We were scared but didn’t run away!

He walked along so daintily
Moving as graceful as can be.
His legs were like the trunks of a tree
We hardly came up to his knee.
He looked at me again
And I knew we would be friends.
He’s just a little bigger than me!

He had the cutest baby too
About as old as me and you.
Maybe soon one day
We could all go out and play
And be friends with one
Elephant in Pitstone

He walked along so daintily
Moving as graceful as can be.
I though I’d seen a lot of things
From Mentmore to the town of Tring,
From his tail up to his trunk,
From the back up to the front.
The elephant is so astonishing!

Apologies all, the sudden and it would seem, ongoing, sighting of a gorgeous golden glow in the skies appears to have gone to my head.

So, ramblings complete (had to go for the nursery rhyme version rather than Ed Haley original lyrics), all on parade for 10am please, Rose & Crown, Ivinghoe.

Helmets, sunglasses, shorts & sunscreen:- recommended
Wildlife spotters guide:- optional

Happy Birthday to you
Happy birthday dear Nicholas Lyndhurst*
Happy birthday to you…..

Oooh! Birthday cake! Must we?  I think we should…..

So, 10am, The Rose & Crown.

*Nicholas Lyndhurst was chosen as the star of this post owing to the number of Daves the Velos have amongst their number & Trigger’s insistence that Rodney’s name was actually Dave. (Only Fools & Bicycles – sorry, Horses).

Tenuous? Yep, like Velos & Athletes….

Not that the tea ride needs any excuse for cake!

Key components of pbeemai are:-

Water – thrown at anyone and everyone – 90% probablility of rain so that’s sorted

Animals – usually set free – most commonly fish, crabs, eels & tortoises – keep your eyes peeled for unusual slow moving obstructions

Flowers – well finally Spring is springing…

Beauty pageant – the usual Velos’ role call should take care of that

Music & Dance – traditional lumvong – circle dancing – we can watch our extra-circular wheels go round and invite the musical amongst us to do the accompanying. That should tick that one off.

Sand – bit more tricky, but in the absence of cake, tea riders have been known to partake of other food. We could always claim “sand-witch” got lost in translation…

Role call will be 10am at the Rose & Crown.
Come on.  You know you want to…

Laotian Pbeemai lasts form 13 – 15 April every year. The 13th is the last day of the old year, the 14th a “non-day” – neither old or new year, and 15th, the first day of the New Year.

Well it might not look like it with the white stuff still loitering around but, officially, Sunday 31 March is the start of British Summer.

You should all have remembered to put your clocks forward 1 hour – if you haven’t, when you get to the Rose & Crown, there might not be anyone there.  Unless several of you don’t heed the warning in this public announcement, that is.

So with a spring in our pedalling legs, we have 30 miles at an average 13 mph planned for this Sunday’s ride, which has been compiled by the infamous Mr Howe.

Here is the route.

Meet at the Rose & Crown watering hole, 9.50am for a 10am departure please.

as far as the cake eating cyclist is concerned anyway. (And probably a whole host of other reasons too).

For this was the year in which the rules regarding strict fasting & abstinence on Holy Saturday (the one between Good Friday & Easter Sunday) were revised.

So, no excuse not to get out and eat cake!

So, for the whole of tomorrow’s ride, let’s avoid the holes in the road and, mid-way, hole up somewhere warm to fill the hole in our bellies.

10am at the Rose & Crown please.

… and we shall have snow,
And what will poor robin do then, poor thing?
He’ll sit in a barn and keep himself warm
And hide his head under his wing, poor thing.

Vinghoe Robin, on the other hand, will be donning his winter woollies & wing warmers and venturing out for some tea, cake and wind-swept adventures.

Don’t hide in the barn – snow or snow – hide in the pub when you get back from the ride!

As ever, 10am start from the Rose & Crown, Ivinghoe.
Be there & be warm!

We’re a lovely little group
Who enjoy cake and soup
When we’re out on our ride
Whilst others are inside.

Come sunshine or rain
You can find us in a lane
En route to a cake shop
For a mid morning stop.

Best not to be too fast
Else you will whizz past
My friends and me
When we stop for cake and tea.

Not been on 2 wheels
For YEARS it feels?
Only rode a trike
And never a bike?

Or if you’re new to the game?
Don’t hang your head in shame
We welcome everyone
To come an join our fun.

Why don’t you come along
And join our throng?
Any old bike will do
And we always wait for you.

So come on down
To the Rose & Crown
We always meet by ten –
We’d love to see you then!

*Velocipedestrination – the art of cycling, derived from the old cycle term ‘velocipede’

The mice might get up to mischief!

So… don’t tell Sally but…  St Mary’s Church in Edelsborough will allegedly be serving breakfast instead of tea & cake tomorrow… thought that maybe we could swing by there and see what it’s all about… what do you reckon…?  Coming…?

Or are you going to Wallingford..?

Make sure you join the right group – We’ll all be at the Rose & Crown for 10am!

Whether the weather be fine,
Or whether the weather be not,
Whether the weather be cold,
Or whether the weather be hot,
We’ll weather the weather
Whatever the weather,
Whether we like it or not!

So, Saturday, 10am outside the Rose & Crown please.  The hunt for cake must go on!!