FOUR routes for your diliberation this Sunday. At 8am we have a Grand Fondo option from Pitstone roundabout (put in because with rising levels of panic I realise I’ve not ridden 62 miles this month) The 9am route is a classic 52 mile circular outing of Aylesbury vale, not too hilly, not too flat, this new route through Princess Risborough visits some nice villages and should get riders back to catch the last bit of world cup football on the TV in the Rose & Crown! The sharp eyed amoungst you will notice the 8am Grand Fondo route arrives at Ivinghoe church after 12 miles and then continues along the same route as the 9am route.

The 10am route takes riders out to Swanbourne and then back in via Whitchurch, it’s quite low on climbing so should be a fast one, 34 miles in the countryside. At 10.30 it’s a 20 mile trip to the zoo, a steady series of small climbs before a decent of Bison Hill and then flat all the way back.

8am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44092981 meeting at Pitstone roundabout this is a 12 mile extension of the 9am route.

9am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44092913 52 miles, classic Aylesbury circular from Ivinghoe church

10am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44091946 Swanbourne and Whitchurch

10.30am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44091964 Up to the zoo, down Bison

Please arrive at Ivinghoe church (or Pistone roundabout for the 8am ride) with a good knowledge of the route or a working sat-nav computer to enable you to make all the right turns on the rides. We will split into pace groups if rider numbers are high, more than 8 riders makes it tough for cars to pass the group so be considerate out on the roads.

Enjoy the rides, roll on Sunday!

Three route choices this weekend and its time to hit the hills! thanks to Dave Bembridge for providing the theme and the medium and short options, plus ride descriptions. Please download the routes to your navigational devices, we aim to leave no one behind, but wrong turns can happen. Please arrive at Ivinghoe church before the ride start time.

9am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44010468 Chenies and back with 8 climbs involved 47 miles with 3,100 feet of climbing (65 feet per mile)

10am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44004385 Steady Climbing week  Wiggington into Chesham and back up via Asheridge to Aston and that little bugger Dancer’s. Only 29 miles but just under1600 ft climb (55 feet per mile)

10.30am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44004468 Toms, Pedley and Beacon via Ringshall.  With the exception of Toms again steady climbs  Great downhills….. just under 20 miles with 1215 ft climb. (60 feet per mile)

Three routes to choose from this Sunday, may the sun be in the sky and the wind on your back.

9am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43910698 First Sunday of the month coffee stop ride to the Hub at Redbourn

10am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43909607 A Bishopshone loop taking into account the level crossing closure

10.30am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39469919 a climb up new road

Those who follow pro riding have enjoyed some great action across in France over the last month with the Tour De France and the Tour De France Femmes Avec Zwift. The highest placed British rider on Le tour was Adam Yates. Adam was born 7th Aug 1992, so its nearly his birthday! He took up cycling with his Twin brother with the Bury cycle club and turned pro in 2014 aged 22, nicknamed “the shadow” he has been a TDF regular for a number of years for three different pro teams. The highest placed British lady on the Tour de France Femmes was Claire Steels. Claire was born 9th November 1986 in Bourne in Linconshire, she turned pro in 2020 aged 34. She had a fitness business in Mallorca and bought a bike to compete in duathlons and rather liked cycling, she was second in this years nation road championships behind Pfeiffer Georgi

The focus now moves to the world championships in Glasgow, lets see how Adam and Claire get on along with the other GB riders! Incidently there are some interesting events taking place at this years world’s, we have artistic cycling to look forward to where riders have 5 minutes to perform a series of tricks to music and also cycle ball, a two-a-side ball game on bikes. If this was a first of April post you probably wouldn’t believe it!!!

So whether you ride to music or like to keep on the ball, enjoy your rides this weekend!

9am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42590969

10am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/34206819

10.30am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/34283255

three routes to pick from for Sunday! All starting from Ivinghoe church. Stay safe and enjoy the rides! The 9am route may need a slight variation at Terrick!

After riding in West Yorkshire in 2023 and Tewksbury in 2022 we head west again to Wells in Somerset. Wells is the UK’s second smallest city (the city of London is smaller in area and population). The weekend of Friday 17th May 2024 to Monday 20th May 2024 will be our planned trip. Wells offers some great variation in rides along with a reasonable choice in accomodation and eateries. It’s a 3 hour drive so we can ride in the afternoon of the day of arrival and on the morning of the day of departure.

Friday 17th May “the prolouge” a flat outing on the somerset levels to warm the legs up 45 miles with just 800 feet of climb, tea break in Burnham on sea!

Saturday 18th May “rouleurs paradise” 100km with a trip to Bath including the imposing Coombe Down tunnel which is over a mile long and just a couple of big climbs to start and finish the ride, Coffee at Bitton station buffet.

Sunday 19th May “the queen stage” a visit to the mendip hills for the climbing stage including Cheddar Gorge with lunch in the hills.

Monday 20th May “Recovery” a shorter ride with a coffee break in Glastonbury before thinking about heading home.

So scribble something on the calendar and get ready for a weekend adventure!

All our routes start from the church in Ivinghoe, our longest option is usually ridden over 15 mph unless it’s very hilly. The shorter routes can be anything from 13mph to 16mph depending the elevation and riders present. Please arrive before the suggested start time and split into pace groups so we don’t have more than 8 riders on the same bit of road at the same time, this isn’t fair on drivers. Whilst we aim to leave no one behind if your pace is considerably faster or slower than the rest of the group it would be appreciated that you know the route so you can get yourself back at your own pace.

9am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43730000 another trip to Wicken, but using some different roads than last time!

10am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/34467232 Rocky Lane plucked from the archives, ridden back in October 2020 so the roads may have changed slightly!

10.30am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/34206878 Hastoe Loop, ridden back in September 2020 when we were just entering “the rule of six” restrictions indoor and outdoors.

Three routes for riders to choose from, all starting from Ivinghoe church

9am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/36329980 52 miles

10am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43643145 39 miles

10.30am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43546215 22 miles

We are a group of friends who ride together rather than a club so we don’t have any hard and fast rules, preferring to enjoy the journey rather than worry about our sock length. There are no fees to ride with us, we just ask for some considerations to be made so everyone can stay as safe as possible and have a good ride experience.

If you get out and ride it will encourage others to continue, if you sit at home on a turbo trainer, or in front of the TV there may not be anyone to ride with when you want company in the future!

Ivinghoe Velos rides are routes suggestions based on local knowledge built up over years of riding. Suitable for road bikes and often using quiet road options. Occasionally we need to re-route due to road closures and mapping errors. As a group please solve these problems as safely as possible. Anyone is welcome to provide a ridewithgps course for us to follow in future weeks.

Those who lead out a group, the route planners, those who send the postings out each week in no way make any assurances as to the safety of any rides organised under the ‘ivinghoe Velos’ banner. Each participant is wholly responsible for their own safety, road worthiness of their steed, legal requirements to abide by the highway code and any insurances each individual feels are necessary.

Rides are usually between 14mph and 17mph depending on elevation. When rider numbers allow we split into groups based on pace. Generally our motto is ” we leave no one behind” but riders need to be realistic when joining a group with an expected pace, it’s no fun for anyone if one riders pace is considerably slower than all the other riders. Equally if a couple of riders push the pace beyond what is expected, the rest of the group might not be having fun.

When riding in a group the main benefit is the draft effect, saving around 25% effort when tucked in behind other riders. We expect riders to take a turn on the front when they able to do so and “hold the wheel” of riders in front on flat sections and shallow climbs. Looking over your shoulder and moderating your pace to ensure riders behind are still attached to the group is important wherever you are within your group and communicating if it looks like a riders has become detached (why not drag them back to the group rather than pushing on yourself?). On the flat the group should be close together so everyone benefits from the draft, work as a team, if there is a few bike lengths between riders you are not doing it right! On hills we wait at an appropriate safe spot to allow slower climbers to rejoin, you might want to make sure you are past the strava segment end!

Occasionally we have ridden in large groups with rider numbers in double figures. It’s important to remember we are quite a big obstacle to overtake, splitting into two small groups on main roads allows vehicles to overtake in stages. If you are mid-group take responsibility to manufacture this split- that’s you riding in position 7 in a group of 12. If a rider has manufactured a gap for this reason, don’t overtake and close the gap.

We have a stylish Ivinghoe Velos team kit which allows the public to identify us. Please be considerate, courteous and respect our reputation when riding in our groups. Shouting at motorists is unlikely to achieve anything other than a raise in your blood pressure. Smile and wave at other cyclists, even those too pro to wave back.

Occasionally due to traffic or mechanicals there can be splits in groups and we lose visibility of parts of the group. For this reason and for your time you spend on the front it’s important that every rider has a full understanding of the planned route.

Please arrive before the expected start time of our rides. We currently meet by the bus shelter outside Ivinghoe church. There is usually a poll on our facebook rear hub to establish who is out and riding which route.

Mudguards are much appreciated on winter rides, without them the rider behind you might as well be riding in the rain.

As we ride in a group, pointing out hazards is vital, riders within the group wont get much notice of dangerous pot holes, gravel and other slip hazards and maneuvers away from the usual line, please give visual and audible signals and also let other riders know if cars are unexpectedly close by.

Stay safe, have fun and enjoy the journey.

At Le Tour riders compete for coloured jerseys, yellow for quickest (rider who keeps off the beers on a Saturday night) Polka dot for hill climbers (rider who eats the least pies) Green for spint points (last one to the pub buys the round) and white for young rider (not much call for this on our rides). After stages on the big race across France conversations take place behind locked hotel doors, in motorway services and pub car parks, riders are desperate to find out how they can get their hands on the two tone blue jerseys seen in a little corner of Buckinghamshire. These jerseys belong to an elite group of riders still cycling after their race days are over (or actually never started). Legend has it you can pick these jerseys up in local charity shops but for the full experience you really need to get yourself to Ivinghoe church on a Sunday morning.

Three routes to choose from this Sunday, all starting from the church in Ivinghoe. Thanks to Dave B for the medium and short options.

9am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43566160 60 miles, Dry? Blackthorn.

10am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43546146 29.4 miles  Markyate to Dunstable Downs Climb.. Slightly longer version than previously.

10.30am https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43546215 Dagnal across to Stanbridge and back via Slapton..Little climb into Mentmore to finish.

One of our many calendar highlights is “The Benson Finger” a finger shapped ride down to the Thames in Oxfordshire for a coffee at The Waterfront cafe. Through some stunning chiltern hills scenery on the way there and then a flat blast back. This year the ride is timed to coincide with the Benson Veteran Cycle Club Rally which starts from the Sunnyside playing field in Benson. All the bikes in the rally were manufactured before 1936 and riders often wear outfits in keeping with the vintage of the bikes. We should get to Benson just for the start of the rally at 10.30am, or see the Veterans riding in the other direction along our route. The Waterfont cafe is a cyclists favourite with plenty of seating and food and drink options. This ride is 72 miles with 3,500 feet of climbing. We set out from Ivinghoe church at 8am.

At 10am we have a route planned through Bishopstone, there is a planned long term road closure in this area, so we are getting a ride in there while we still can! At 10.30 we invite riders to tackle Hemp lane into the back of Wiggington.

Please to aware of areas of gravel at the bottom of some of the hills on the routes, care is needed after recent heavy rain has washed debris into the roads.

8am The Benson Finger 2023 https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43457092

10am Out To Bishopstone While We Can https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43469295

10.30am Up To Wiggo https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43469335

All rides start at Ivinghoe church, please arrive before the start time with a good idea of where you are going! We may split into pace groups if rider numbers are large- after watching day one of the TDF I’m sure you will be itching to get on your saddle, can Pidcock start Sunday in yellow?

Optional post ride rehydration and ride bebrief will take place at the Rose and Crown.

Wow not sure were the summer is going, by the time we get to Sunday we will be past the longest day light day of the year! So now is the time to get out and enjoy summer miles on two wheels! Three great routes for you this week, thanks to Richard F who has crafted the medium and short routes.

On Sunday 2nd July we have our “first Sunday of the month coffee stop ride”, this will be a trip down to Benson and the Waterfront cafe. It will be an 8am start and we hope to bump into the Benson Veteran Cycle club who will be setting off from Sunnyside field in Benson at 10.30am, their old bikes and vintage clothing are quite a sight to behold. So keep this in mind and plan an early night on Saturday 1st july!

For more gentle cycling options, the tea ride on Saturday morning meets at the rose and crown and heads out to find tea drinking opportunities in the local area!

Sunday Routes:

9am Wicken Wanderers https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43373339

10am Cubblington Circuit https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43355855

10.30 am Whipsnade the easier way https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43355534