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

With overnight rain clearing we should be left with some reasonable riding conditions this Sunday. The 9am option is a loop taking us back to the the Rose & Crown after an hour, meaning riders will have a second chance of getting together. Both 10am routes aim to finish with some wind assistance so you can leave it all out on the road and hopefully get blown home! The longer 10am route is 44 miles over to Winchendon, some climbs in the middle but otherwise reasonably flat. The shorter 10am route is a 28 mile flat ride to Terrick, perfect if you have had a bit of a lay off during the recent poor weather!

9am extension https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5018242.html

10am 44 miles https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5018239.html

10am 28 miles https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5018240.html

With Spring showing signs of finally arriving we look forward to a summer of cycling with some event planning in progress.

Rod and Dave D are heading off Majorca on Thursday 16th April until Sunday 19th April, if anyone is keen to tag along please speak to the guys this week. A great chance to enjoy a warm weather velos training camp!

On Sunday 21st June some Ivinghoe Velos will be riding round the Isle of Wight in a day, this will be a road ride with two meal stops. You have plenty of notice in case you want to build it into holiday or weekend away plans!

Silverstone Race track is open for cycling on selected evenings £10 per rider. A great opportunity to get a team draft going on the smooth 4 mile circuit. The first opportunity is 7th April followed by 13th May. How many laps can we do during the evening?

So we can say goodbye to February, probably the worst month for riding in the history of the Ivinghoe Velos. March brings more optimism for better ride conditions so join us at 9am or 10am on Sunday for some super routes in the Buckinghamshire countryside.

The 9am route is 50 miles, climbing up into the Chilterns before heading back, wind assisted through the Aylesbury vale. The longer 10am route (38 miles) visits Wingrave, Wiggington, Berkhamsted, and Nettleden, while the shorter option (28 miles) also heads to Wingrave and then over to Wiggington.

Dust down your trusty steed, spring is on the way, time to ride…….

9am 50 miles Risborough Route https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5015501.html

10am 38 miles Berkhamsted Ridehttps://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5015524.html

10am 28 miles Wiggle to Wiggington https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5014457.html

Rides

A bit of recycling this week as we don’t think that anyone actually rode the routes we put out for the last couple of Sundays (which was quite sensible given what the weather was doing).

9am 50 miles South to Penn https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4883756.html

10am 23 mile Wiggington loop https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5006061.html

10am South to Chesham https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5006062.html

10am MTB option https://gb.mapometer.com/mountain_biking/route_5006895.html

Velos Kit Order

We have received the following email from our kit supplier with regards to the recent order –

I have been informed overnight that your order will now be shipped on 16/03. I am very sorry for this inconvenience.

This is a situation that is beyond our control. The circumstances are that the coronavirus has impacted our business and effectively our factory has only returned back to work this week, mainly down to travel restrictions that have been put in place by the Chinese government. We are now back up to about half capacity which has seriously affected what we can put out.

I am so sorry for any issues this might cause but I hope you can appreciate these circumstances are out of our hands.

As Dennis approaches us this weekend the forecast for Sunday in not particularly encouraging. We have expected wind speeds of 45 miles per hour and 90% chance of rain. So a bit less windy than last Sunday, but maybe wetter! We are putting out one 10am road option (35 miles) and one mountain bike lanes explorer (21 miles). If you feel brave enough, or are getting a bit stir crazy, give it a go!

10am road route: Dennis The Menace https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5010097.html

10am MTB route: Dennis Does Dancers https://gb.mapometer.com/mountain_biking/route_5010102.html

Ivinghoe Velos have got a reputation for being a friendly bunch, welcoming all to our weekly rides, however this weekend we may be contending with an unwanted guest. Ciara, the latest storm to hit Britain arrives on Sunday, just around the time we start our rides. Winds are forecast to be around 50 miles per hour with a strong chance of rain.

We will publish our usual ride choices along with an additional MTB ride which might feel safer than skinny wheels this week. Please consider your safety and enjoyment before coming out on Sunday morning. We can always repeat these routes in future weeks if the forecast doesn’t improve.

9am 50 miles South to Penn https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4883756.html

10am 23 mile Wiggington loop https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5006061.html

10am South to Chesham https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5006062.html

10am MTB option https://gb.mapometer.com/mountain_biking/route_5006895.html

Before we reach the end of January you have one last chance to order club kit. There is a great range of Ivinghoe Velos cycling clothing available to order, we don’t offer kit orders many times through the year, so if you’d like to ride in our colours in 2020 go to http://eucustom.champ-sys.com/teamstore/?IvinghoeVelos2019

We are over quitters day (the day when new years resolutions are most likely to come to an end), so if you are still thinking of riding this weekend it looks like you’ve made it to a happy healthy 2020! Three routes as usual. All routes head in the same direction. Please arrive at the Rose and Crown, Ivinghoe just before ride start time with a copy of your chosen route. We aim for reach route to ride as a group, allowing fellow riders to benefit from some drafting on what might be quite a windy day.

9am 50 miles towards Knebworth https://www.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5003031.html

10am 36 miles Redbourne Route https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5002951.html

10am 26 miles Markyate Meanderhttps://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5002950.html

Three ride options as usual this week. The 10am routes offer 27 or 34 miles staying fairly local to the Tring area, while the 9am routes takes us on a 50 mile loop out to Shabbington. Please arrive just before the ride start time with an idea of your preferred planned route!

9am 50 miles, Not Too Shabby Shabbington https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5000735.html

10am 27 miles Hasty To Hastoe Beginners Welcome! https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5000371.html

10am 34 miles: Winging It To Wingrave https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_5000379.html

If you are a member of the Ivinghoe Velos Rear Hub facebook community you will be able to log on and add your vote to the ride you intend to join, giving others the motivation and knowledge that they will not be riding alone!

This Sunday we have three top routes on offer. The shorter 10am ride will introduce newer riders to some undulating “slopes” out to Stewkley and back via Wingrave. The medium 10am route heads the same way, adding in a loop to Newton Longville. The longer 9am route visits some superb cycling countryside out to Codicote and Whitwell. As usual we start and finish at the Rose and Crown pub in Ivinghoe. All levels of road cyclists are welcome and we plan to have an experienced rider on all three routes to lead groups round.

To keep yourself in the Ivinghoe Velos social media loop we recommend you join the Ivinghoe Velos Rear Hub https://www.facebook.com/groups/789658201073391/ In this group you can suggest midweek rides or organise to join others who have suggested ride options. We are also adding a weekly poll to find out which ride everyone is planning to join on Sundays, so please add your vote, it’s really motivational for others to see who is out riding and to know they will have company out on the road!

Ivinghoe Velos is a group of people who like to ride bikes together rather than a club, the advantage of this is it costs you nothing to ride with us! We do however like to show off our identity when riding together. We have a very elegant range of kit designed in-house to feature the Ivinghoe Beacon hill profile on the shirts, the kits is great quality and looks good on everybody! We have a new kit order opportunity open right now, so please click on the link if you would like to have a look and order. Hurry along the order deadline is the end of the January (and we need enough orders to make it worthwile) http://eucustom.champ-sys.com/teamstore/?IvinghoeVelos2019

Sunday 19th January 9am 50 miles https://www.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4997067.html

Sunday 19th January 10am 22 miles https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4996321.html

Sunday 19th January 10am 33 miles https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4996325.html

Come along on Sunday to banish those January blues! We have three routes on offer beginning at 9am or 10am. For the seasoned cyclist who can maintain 15mph-16mph we have a 9am trip through Woburn Sands, it’s a flowing 50 miles without many big hills. At 10am you could choose from a 31 mile hilly route or a flatter 25 mile route. The 25 mile route has been carefully designed by Dave Bembridge to be a gentle introduction to road riding and he will lead this ride to encourage new riders to stick together as a steady group.

Please arrive slightly before your intended start time so we can identify the groups. Last week we had 18 riders out which was great to see, we hope for more of the same this Sunday! All rides start and finish at the Rose and Crown in Ivinghoe. We don’t have a mid ride coffee stop but encourage riders to stop by the pub afterwards for post ride cycling chat!

9am The Woburn Sands Of Time: https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4994734.html

10am 31 Hilly: https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_3770980.html

10am 25 miles to Halton: https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4993939.html