Dave Howe is leading out a road bike ride this Tuesday (1st April which is why I am writing this on the 31st so no one thinks it is a joke).

The plan is to meet adjacent to Pitstone Roundabout (the one near the Village Green) at 6:30pm for a 25 mile adventure. It will probably be a bit dark near the end so bringing a couple of lights along with the bike would be a good idea. The route is yet to be confirmed so it will be a mater of “Follow that Dave“. Studies have shown that over 72% of all Vinghoe Velos are named Dave so this should be quite easy.

Last Week

Many thanks to the big group who joined us last week on the Rennie rides. Everyone did really well and it was great that we were able to raise a decent amount of money for a fantastic charity.

This Week

We have three rides on offer this Sunday so that we can make the best use of what is forecast to be a beautiful day.

For those who want to get a few more miles in, we have an early start ride that beings at 8am and takes us on a 62 mile loop. So that we get back to the pub in a reasonable timeframe this is likely to be a fast(ish) ride averaging 15-16 mph.

8am start : 62 mile ride

Our two ‘normal start’ rides have been provided this week by Mr Dave “Tour of Britain” Bembridge. These are suitable for all fitness levels as we tend to split into similar ability groups at the start.

10am start : 25 mile ride 

10am start : 35 mile ride

As usual, we start at the Rose & Crown, Ivinghoe and we recommend that you bring a copy of the ride on either paper or your GPS device.

Lastly, watch out – the CLOCKS GO FORWARD TONIGHT ! So you 8am people are actually starting at 7am in old money so get to bed early and set the alarm !

3 rides for Sunday

Once again we are blessed with a decent weather forecast so we are planning three rides for Sunday. One of them is a bit longer than normal so it will start an hour earlier. As usual we meet at the Rose and Crown. Please bring a copy of your chosen route with you.

9am 53 mile route

10am 35 mile route

10am 27 mile route

Many thanks to the two Daves (Howe and Bembridge) who are this week’s Routemasters.

The Summer Festival 20th – 21st June 2014

This week we received a message from our friends the Ivinghoe Entertainments team which we would like to pass on –

This year’s Ivinghoe Summer Festival is set to be the best yet. The Black Tie Ball on Saturday the 21st of June is without doubt the not to be missed event of the summer. We have been able to book a fantastic Group “The Collection” fronted by Keavy Lynch from “Bewitched” and ITV’s “ the Big Reunion”. We have new caterers who specialise in events of our size and style and for good measure we’ve moved the black tie ball to Saturday evening to make it easier to bring along your friends from further afield. If you haven’t been before then this is THE year to come along and join in the fun.

…and if that isn’t enough we’ve also got an “Early Bird” offer of two free bottles of wine (RRP at least £ 30) for anyone who books a table of at least eight people by the 8th of April.

For more information please visit our web site www.ivinghoeentertainments.org.uk , twitter @ivinghoeents or Facebook www.facebook.com/invinghoents or call Penny on 01296 668017 for more details.

We all look forward to seeing you at what we’re sure will be a cracking night.

And finally, a reminder about our recommendation for the ride Next Sunday

As we mentioned before, a number of our riders are going to take on the Chiltern Cycle Challenge next Sunday with Steve Herring in memory of his wife Sue. If you would like to join us, please sign up on their website and in turn raise some money for the wonderful charity – Rennie Grove Hospice Care .

The rides this week have been kindly supplied by Mr Dave “9 hills” Howe. The weather forecast is positively spring-like so we are planning longer rides than normal.

Long Route – 40 miles via Chalfont

Shorter Route – 30 miles via Bovingdon

Both rides depart from the Rose and Crown at 10am.

Biggles’ 55th Birthday Ride with the Slapton Wheelers

As mentioned in our posting earlier this week, our pal David Lewis (aka Biggles) from the Slapton Wheelers has kindly invited us to his 55th Birthday celebration ride. It starts and finishes at the Carpenter Arms in Slapton and they have two distances on offer – 55 and 29 miles. The start times from Slapton are 8:30am and 9:30am respectively so we are proposing the following meeting times at the Rose and Crown if you would like to ride over there with your fellow Velos.

8am meet for the 55 mile route

9am meet for the 29 mile route

We had a fantastic time when we met up with the Wheelers last summer and we can be certain of a warm welcome for any of us that ride with them on Sunday.

10am rides

For anyone interested in a later start, we have two rides that leave the Rose and Crown at 10am.

Longer route

Shorter route

Rides on Sunday

We have three distances to entice you with this week. First off, a number of the Velos are going to ride the Luton Cycling Club Reliability Ride, part of the Chiltern Classics Series of early season sportives. It’s 100km (62 miles) in length and officially starts from Edlesbourough Village Hall at 8:30am. We will be meeting at the Rose and Crown at 8:15am to cycle to the start. The plan is to ride as a group averaging 15mph and we would very much welcome anyone who wants to join us. The details of the ride can be found on the Luton CC website.

If a 10am start suits you better then we have two other rides on offer.

Long Route – To Chartridge and Back

Shorter Route – Hawridge Loop

As always, we meet at the Rose & Crown. Please bring a copy of the route with you either on paper, or in your chosen electronic gadget.

Audax Rides

A number of our group led by Jayne Raynor are planning some Audax rides this year. Please do let Jayne know if you are interested in joining them for one of these events which will we guarantee will be a lot of fun.

“As you probably know, every year a few of us do the Stevenage CTC Start of Summertime Ride. This year it’s on 30th March 2014. There are three distances, 62km, 115km & 210km. Details can be found here http://www.stevenagectc.org.uk/summertime.php. We also do the Emitremmus ride in the autumn too.

We’re also going to do the Wessex CTC Coastlet 100km Brevet Populaire Ride on Sunday 13th April 2014, details here: http://www.wessexctc.org/dcldetail.htm

Some of us have booked in to Swanage YHA for the Saturday night ready for the ride on Sunday (accommodations is proving difficult to book due to Easter) and we’ll be travelling home sometime in the evening after the ride.

Lastly, we’re also doing the Gridiron on 12th October (this will be our third year – time flies) details here: http://www.wessexctc.org/grdetail.htm

These are not the all guns blazing sportives, they have a time limit but are not timed and they are really nice sociable events for all sorts of abilities, bicycles and ages and a great camaraderie. Even better, really nice refreshment stops.

Jayne.”

The forecast is unseasonably calm on Sunday so we thought we would line up a trip to Woburn for the long route riders. Mr Hetherington has kindly mapped out where we will  be travelling so please download the route on to your GPS thingy or print out a copy.

We very much welcome people sending in routes so if you have a few moments, please do try out Mapometer and send us a link via the website contact us form.

Long Route

Short Route

As always, we meet at the Rose & Crown from 9:45am and push off around 10am. See you there.

It’s a bit blowy out so we are going for something a little shorter on our rides this week. To help with being blown about, we are recommending that we try and keep together in groups of riders – just like the Peloton ! We are not sure what the surface water is like on the routes so if you know something is impassable at the moment, please suggest an alternative before we start the ride.

As always, we meet at the Rose & Crown from 9:45am for a 10am start.

Shorter ride 

Longer(ish) ride

The forecast is much, MUCH dryer than last week, which is a good thing as last Sunday was one of the toughest group rides we have endured, mainly due to the rain, sleet, hail, floods and freezing temperatures.

Chiltern 100

Some of our group have expressed interest in riding what is regarded as the toughest Sportive held in around here – The Chiltern 100 that takes place on the 1st June. A few Velos have signed up already to the 110 mile Gran Fondo. If you are considering it, our advice is to sign up now – last year they were full by March !

This Week

This week’s Sunday routes  have kindly been submitted by Mr Dave “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” Bembridge. The first is a 31 mile loop taking in Great Gaddesden, Potten End and Hawridge. The second shorter route of 21 miles heads off in the same direction, but cuts back towards home at Potten End. So tomorrow is ideal if you are unsure which route is for you – simply hold off deciding until the split point.

Longer Route

Shorter Route

One last thing. The Sun is forecast to be out tomorrow, which normally is a great thing. The only down side is that it sits low on the horizon and can dazzle both us and drivers following us. Please bear this in mind – it may even be advisable to have a rear light on just in case.

The weather forecast is what city types would call “Sub-optimal” for cycling on Sunday, but we are a hardy lot so no need to fear. A little damp plus gale force winds are just minor distractions from what we are sure will be a “fun ride”.

The Long Route 

The Shorter Route

As always, we meet at the Rose & Crown from 9:45am with a departure time of 10am.