For 15 Nov is King’s Feast in Belgium – and if the Tea Ride is about anything other than social cycling,  it’s feasting – tea, cake and partying basically!

So, 10am departure from the Rose & Crown for a magical mystery tour (yes, I do know where we are going really..)   Fortunately the forecast no longer looks quite like canoe and waders weather but if the fancy takes you – who are we to stop you !

It all happens on the Tea Ride, you know!

On the anniversary of the end of hostilities in the first world war we will be paying our respects to all those who have given their lives to ensure our continued freedom. Both of our rides take us past St Leonards Church where we will join the local congregation at 11am for two minutes silence. We would urge all of our riders to join us this Sunday – the brief stop off at the church is a tradition for the club. There are two routes to chose from –

10am start, 28 mile traditional route

9:45am start, 20 mile SSST Dave “BBC” Barratt route

The earlier, shorter ride will be at a sensible pace and so should get to the Church (which is approximately half way) with time to spare.

The weather forecast for tomorrow is … a bit changeable … but anyone who is doubt as to if they should come cycle with us should simply refer to the Velominati Rule #9 for guidance as to what to do.

Two rides for us this week –

10am start, 31 miles planned by Dave “Bikeability” Bembridge

10am start, 20 mile Bertie Bassett Classic led by Dave “Bertie” Barratt

Mr Barratt’s BBC ride last week was a huge success so he will be following the same “The Sunday Slightly Slower Stick Together ” format looking to achieve an average of 12-13 mph over the whole distance.

As always, we meet at the Rose and Crown, Ivinghoe from around 9:45am onwards. Please bring a copy of your chosen route either on paper or a GPS navigation device. For both of the routes we will split into groups of similar paced riders the configuration of which we will decide on the day.

If you are on Facebook then please have a look at the Velos discussion group The Ivinghoe Velos Rear Hub . There has been some lively debate this week with regard to Club Kit – all views are welcome do please chip in if you have a view or are just interested in buying some.

The weather looks reasonably kind so meet at the Rose and Crown for some cycling and some cake and then some more cycling.

We have three rides on offer this Sunday –

9am start, 48 mile route

10am start, 34 mile route

10am start, 25 mile route led by Dave “The Thespian” Barratt – “The Sunday Slightly Slower Stick Together Ride” going at a sensible 12-13mph pace

With the clocks going back there is no better time to try out our early ride so that you can get some more miles in. As always, please bring copy of the route you plan to ride. The starting point will be the finishing point as well, The Rose & Crown, Ivinghoe – which we are proud to say has won the Aylesbury Vale Community Pub of the Year award. Congratulations to Gary, Kirk and their team – well deserved.

We would like to wish our two Team Time Trial groups the best of luck for their ride from The Cog on Sunday morning. May the “no puncture” gods be smiling upon our brave boys and girls as they speed round the 40 mile course.

Oh, it’s a mystery….

Somewhere in the distance
Hidden from the view
Suspended in the atmosphere
Waiting to come through
Sometimes it’s so far away
Sometimes it’s very near
A sound being carried by the wind
Just loud enough to hear
I feel its power within me
Bells ringing in my head
So often I have heard its cry
But forgotten what it said

It’s a mystery, oh, it’s a mystery
I’m still searching for a clue
It’s a mystery to me
A shot in the dark
The big question mark in history
Is it a mystery to you?

Wherever it is, it’s where the Tea Ride is going to go tomorrow!  No set plans, no agenda. Other than Tea, Cake, Friendly Company and a Chat.  What else matters?????

See you at the Rose and Crown, Ivinghoe, ready to leave at 10am.  Bring a bike (and a helmet and a few pennies for a cuppa somewhere) and we will go on another Magical Mystery Tour!

But we will be back at the pub for around 12.30… so not that far….

Rides

Two rides on offer this week. Our early ride will take on the proposed route for The Cog Team Time trial due to be held next weekend. While this will allow the members who are entering the Time Trial a chance to recce the course, non-entrants are most welcome to join us for what looks to be an interesting route.

9am start, 45 (ish) miles, meet at R&C then navigate over to The Cog cafe in Tring, then ride  this route.

10am start, 31 miles, meet at the R&C, The Route

Facebook

We now have a Facebook group where members have a place to be able to discuss ad-hoc rides and plans for get-togethers. We will continue to use the website and Facebook page as the way to post rides so it won’t be mandatory to monitor this group but it has already had some lively conversations so if you are a Facebook user, pop on over and say hello. It is called The Ivinghoe Velos Rear Hub. Many thanks to Andy Beezer for organising it.

Meet at 10am at the Rose and Crown for more tea, cake and adventures. Elke and I are off for some time trial practice so won’t be with you, but hope to be back at the pub in time to see you all for the final cup of tea (or beer).

Road Rides

We have three road rides on offer this Sunday – the early one kindly supplied by Dave “The Hill” Howe and includes some new roads for us. Dave has also wrangled a special “Mention the Velos and get £5 off 1st treatment” discount for a local Osteopath Louise Barrett that he is recommending. You can find our more over at Louise’s Facebook page.

Here are the road ride routes and start times for this week –

9am start, 44 miles, The Route

10am start, 33 miles, The Route

10am start, 20 miles, The Route

All three  start from the Rose and Crown, Ivinghoe and we always recommend bringing a copy of the route that you plan to ride.

Off Road / Hybrid Ride

Dave “Jogle” Bembridge has organised another one of his popular canal rides, this time from Pitstone cycling along the tow path all the way to Euston. There will be a stop at The Bree Louise pub for lunch and maybe a pint or two before catching the train back. His group are starting from Pitstone Roundabout tomorrow (Sunday 12th) at 8am.

8am Start, 51 miles, The Route