After another bumper turn out last Sunday we have three glorious routes to share with you this week, so you should avoid stumbling in on a party, (or maybe not a party) on Saturday night and bring your best fitness along on Sunday morning. We will also look ahead to some events later in the year.

Chalfont St Peter is our destination for the 9am ride. At 10am we circumnavigate Berkhamsted and at 10.30 Ian Taylor will lead a ride for beginners, returners and those who may have, accidentally attended a Saturday night Party.

Sunday 9am Chiltern Chalfonts https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38392957

Sunday 10am Around Berkhamsted https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38386055

Sunday 10.30 & Beginners Route https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38386076

On 8th May for something different there will be a canal ride option, getting the train into London and returning allow the tow path, with a coffee stop and a beer stop along the way

On 13th March there is an option to ride the Berkhamsted classic reliability ride from Musette, this will cost £16 and have a nice “event” feel to it. Details are on the British cycling website. We will run our usual routes along side this event for those who would rather not pay for riding on our usual roads.

During the summer months we will organised a couple of “drive and ride” routes which require an hour’s drive to enable us to ride somewhere different e.g The Cotswolds & Northamptonshire to Warwickshire. We will also share a set of weekend rides starting from a location in another part of the county, the option will be to book local accommodation of your choice and make a weekend of it, meeting each day for the rides.

Some riders are taking on longer distance challenges this year, so in the coming weeks we will split the long 9am route into two pace groups, so those building towards their challenge can get some good training miles in.

We will also organise a 100 mile ride for anyone looking to rack up a century ride this year. Our usual timings involves a two stop coffee and cake strategy.

The Usual bit……

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. We will sometime advertise beginners or social rides (In JANUARY AND FEBRUARY 2022 we will have a ride leader to help new riders join onto the 10.30am ride) which will moderate the pace to the slowest rider. Over time newer riders will build their pace and endurance, we have all started or re-started, so understand it takes some time to get faster.

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.

Last Sunday we had a great turnout, which is lovely to see. The spirit of cycling together is alive and strong in 2022. Some new faces were very welcome, we even had our youngest ever “rider” who managed the 10.30 route in a bike drawn chariot!

The weather and road conditions last week were colder and more slippery than expected. our groups managed to get round without any major slips, taking it steady was certainly the best way forward. The forecast for this week is currently cloudy and 6 degrees at 9am, so hopefully frost free. If anything changes drastically please use our social media connections to rearrange times or styles of riding.

Once again we have three rides to choose from including a 10.30 beginners/joiners ride led by Dave Bembridge. All rides welcome new riders if you are confident to be able to do distance and expected pace (not too quick for us!). The 10.30 beginners ride will be ridden at the pace of the slowest rider. Rides are 9am: 48 miles past Harpenden and back via Dunstable, 10am: 30 miles Whitchurch whip, 10.30am: 21 miles steady pace.

9am route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38338548

10am route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38346297

10.30 route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38346311

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. We will sometime advertise beginners or social rides (In JANUARY AND FEBRUARY 2022 we will have a ride leader to help new riders join onto the 10.30am ride) which will moderate the pace to the slowest rider. Over time newer riders will build their pace and endurance, we have all started or re-started, so understand it takes some time to get faster.

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.

Great to see a number of Ivinghoe Velos riders out for the start of 2022. The saying is “winter miles for summer smiles”, so join us over the winter months to get some fitness into those legs. New riders are more than welcome to tag along on our rides, have a look at the ride descriptions, pick a start time and come along. We do have a facebook page called the Ivinghoe Velos rear hub, so sign up for that to ask any questions and add you name to the expected rider poll.

Three ride choices for riders this week, thanks to Dave B and Richard F for the routes. The weather looks “usable” so see you out for some adventures on two wheels.

9am 45 miles A413 Revisited https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38304915

10am 30 miles via Wendover https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38302993

10.30am 18 miles A route to suit new riders and those returning to fitness https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38295491

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. We will sometime advertise beginners or social rides (In JANUARY AND FEBRUARY 2022 we will have a ride leader to help new riders join onto the 10.30am ride) which will moderate the pace to the slowest rider. Over time newer riders will build their pace and endurance, we have all started or re-started, so understand it takes some time to get faster.

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.

Happy new year! There is often a rise in rider numbers at the turn of the new year, so lets hope we have some decent weather in the coming weeks to enjoy riding together! Anyone wishing to join in, now is a great time. We start 2022 with some relatively easy routes for a gentle return to riding. We will be posting a poll on our facebook rearhub to allow riders to indicate their intentions. We will also be seeking ride leaders to help new joiners, route planners to suggest new routes and signpost the the tea ride option for an even more leisurely experience.

Ride A 9am 45 miles https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38260015

Ride B 10am 25 miles https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38262484

Ride C 10.30am 18 miles https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38262493

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. We will sometime advertise beginners or social rides which will moderate the pace to the slowest rider. Over time newer riders will build their pace and endurance, we have all started or re-started, so understand it takes some time to get faster.

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.

Wishing all Ivinghoe Velos mail list receivers a very merry Christmas!

This week Sunday happens to be boxing day, if you feel the need for some fresh air after Christmas why not squeeze into some Lycra and come out for a ride! We will be meeting at Ivinghoe church at 10am, looking to do around 30 miles, no pre-planned route, we will make it up as we go along and ride at a pace comfortable for all.

We also have bank holidays on Monday and Tuesday so plan to offer 10am meet ups at the church on these days too. There will be a poll of facebook so riders can indicate which days they plan to get out.

We may be heading towards some kind of restrictions, however it’s likely that we can continue to meet up outdoors for exercise. There may or may not be opportunities for post ride refreshment. We will obviously react and adjust plans accordingly.

Stay safe and healthy and have a great Christmas break!

Our last Sunday before Christmas should be a nice, socially distanced, social affair, so please come and join us for a gentle flat spin where we can exchange Christmas pleasantries or share festive frustrations! Our main route of 29 miles heads out at 10am, if you’d like extra miles please do your own “warm up” before getting to Ivinghoe church ready for the start. For anyone unable to join us on 19th, we wish you a merry Christmas, may santa bring you some new shiny bike related toys. On that subject, for those who have ordered Velos kit, it is now ready to collect, please contact John if you’ve not already done so.

If you can’t manage the 29 miles on the main route we also offer a 23 mile short cut starting at 10.30am at the church, you may well bump into the main ride on the way round!

As the next Sunday is boxing day we won’t put out a prescribed route but have every intention of meeting up at 10am for some fresh air and a spin for a couple of hours to clear the head and work off some of the Christmas pudding.

We will also be taking advantage of the bank holidays on Monday 27th and Tuesday 28th with open invitations for rides again at 10am from the church.

We will pop a poll on facebook so riders can see if there are others intending to ride each day.

Once into the new year we will be supporting those resolutions by offering easy routes for newcomers and unfit returners. Obviously our plans may change based on government edict, crossing everything that we are able to start the new year riding together!

19th December 10am 29 miles Ho Ho Halton https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38185852

19th December 10.30am 23 miles Ho Halton https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38185860

We have two rides to chose from this week crafted by route master extraordinaire Dave Bembridge. Over the last two Sundays rider numbers have been particularly low, if this continues this week we will ride in one group per time slot and ride at the pace of the slowest rider. If numbers permit we will break into pace groups. We will support riders returning from illness or possibly early Christmas excess!

10am 30 miles https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38152331

10.30am 19 miles https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38152347

As always we meet at Ivinghoe church, so if you are not partying at Downing Street on Saturday night, see you at the church on Sunday morning.

As we move into deep midwinter we will arrange an evening online social zwift ride. If you would like to be involved please follow me on zwift: D AVE.HOWE so I can set up a meet-up where we can practice working together. I’m thinking 7pm on Tuesday as a nominal first attempt. Only two more weeks and the evenings start getting lighter!!!

Three routes to chose from this Sunday, we have a cold but bright forecast, please check out the road conditions on the day and use our social media channels to keep in touch with other riders if you feel a later start or chunkier tires might be needed.

We have reduced our distances slightly, the 9am route does an 18 mile loop before cutting into the 10am loop (2.5 miles into the route) so if riders numbers are low there will be a chance to join up to make a reasonable size group. Depending on numbers we will do the usual pace splitting, please stick to the expected pace within your group, looking back to ensure everyone is benefiting from the group draft.

9am Longer DD https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38114621

10am Standard DD https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38114182

10.30am WT https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38114189

With rider numbers expected to be lower that usual this week the 9am route will complete a 15 mile loop before returning to the church to meet 10am riders, giving everyone more chance of riding in a decent group. Stay safe people and enjoy the rides! We have gone back into our bank of rides to select these from December 2019, I time when covid was just a curious report at the end of the news. Please meet at the usual place outside the church.

9am ride add on: https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4986836.html

10am route https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4986815.html

10.30am shorter https://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4986813.html

As you may know we have recently had a few covid 19 pings within the group and also at the Rose and Crown, so regular pre-ride testing is recommended, I am one of a group isolating this weekend.

On a similar theme, I’ve had a request from a Sunday rider to point out that when riding in a group, excretion of bodily fluids should be reserved to “out the back on the group” if you really have to do it. Spitting isn’t great at the best of times, particularly in the times we are living in. If you believe the behaviour of a rider is not up to standard please point it out respectfully, we all want to feel comfortable and safe while out riding as a group of friends.

Thursday 25th November from Ivinghoe Church at 9.30am 35 miles. We pass the new cafe “chiltern velo” which may or may not be open for a stop. If not it’s down into Berkhamsted for a choice of coffee outlets. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38070402

As you may know we have recently had a few covid 19 pings within the group and also at the Rose and Crown, so regular pre-ride testing is recommended, I even took a test to send this post!!!

On a similar theme, I’ve had a request from a Sunday rider to point out that when riding in a group, excretion of bodily fluids should be reserved to “out the back on the group” if you really have to do it. Spitting isn’t great at the best of times, particularly in the times we are living in. If you believe the behaviour of a rider is not up to standard please point it out respectfully, we all want to feel comfortable and safe while out riding as a group of friends.