Blog posts

Louise Gagnon writes…..

What a joy it was to ride the usual Wednesday Midweek Wayfarers G3 ride in such glorious sunshine (cool shades were a must) and replace the traditional pub lunch by a delicious BBQ hosted by Neil and Elaine Eason as well as Laurie Mutch.  Chris Williamson did a super job in leading 15 of us though the spectacular Farnham area countryside before returning to Neil’s place just in time as this latter was turning over the last Pirbright’s own butcher sausage on his massive gas BBQ.

The banter and humour were at an all-time high throughout the ride, probably fuelled by the constant mileage countdown by a few of our hungry riders of how far we were from sinking our teeth into juicy beef burgers: 7 miles to go, 4 miles to go, etc.

A fantastic and very inviting spread of food so kindly prepared by our 3 hosts awaited and we had a wonderful afternoon of [more] banter and camaraderie in the sunny back garden.

Laurie had done great work in trying to rally as many G3s: of course quite a few were away on the day but we were fortunate to see a few familiar faces, such as Jane Gillbe, William Boothby and Lee Hereward.

And so a very warm thank you Neil, Elaine and Laurie for organising this very successful event, proof positive that riding with our Club is so much more than just merely “piling on the miles”!

As usual, here are a few pics of the day:

What we had all been dreaming of for 47 miles.

Brian King (on the right) trying to look away from the tempting BBQ food being prepared as John Child and Keith Ricketts look on.

Derek Ridyard, Gill Ridyard and Maggie Daffarn enjoying the feast while trying their best to stay out of the sun.

Laurie Mutch (standing centre) doing great work catering for the hungry crowds. L to R: Alec Mackenzie, Chris Williamson, Lee Hereward, Laurie Mutch and Keith Stainer. Notice Phil Gasson in the background, probably going back for seconds which is entirely legit.

“Maggie, are you happy to be away from all this contractor dust?” “Oh yes I am!”

Our 3 wonderful hosts who made this such a memorable event: Laurie Mutch, Elaine and Neil Eason. Thank you all!

An excellent route, a visit to a place of interest, wall-to-wall sunshine and an excellent tea place.

Many thanks, Hilary

We have received the following request from Susan Keywood, the CTC Cycling Development Officer for Surrey and Hampshire, who is looking for people to help set up a club in the Ash area, would any of our members who live in that direction like to help?:

About me
My role is to set up community cycle clubs in the Blackwater Valley, as part of a funded project and Ash is one of my target areas. I have started to offer taster rides in Ash, to engage with residents and weigh up the interest. Well the interest is definitely present, so the next step is find people to lead the club, lead the rides, etc. As mentioned I have funds to help with start-up costs, for equipment, training people, etc.

However, a cycle club needs people to run it, so I am keen to reach out to experienced cyclists who might live locally, who might like to help build a club, coach others to do so, take locals on leisurely and fun rides, etc.

Wanted – Experienced cyclists for NEW leisure cycle club in Ash.

Set up by CTC, the club offers fun, leisurely, social cycling that is good for health and wellbeing.

Rides should be local, off road, on quiet roads – short routes at a slow pace.

This club wants to get people back on bikes and offer family rides too!

In return – I can offer training in leading rides, bike maintenance and much more.

Interested – please contact Susan on:

T: 01483 238 306

M: 077 17 696 672

E: susna.keywood@ctc.org.uk

 

Susan Keywood

Cycling Development Officer, Hampshire and Surrey

CTC, the national cycling charity

 

Louise Gagnon writes…

Sipping tea on a glorious September Sunday morning at the Seale coffee shop I met a gentleman who is likely to become the newest member of our Club. Very early in the conversation, Johnny mentioned that after a challenging period in his life he had ballooned to 19 stones (266 pounds). He vividly remembers that fateful morning of May 2014: “I felt awful going up a Surrey hill on my bike. My legs were hurting so badly that I climbed off my bike and had to stop”.

“I was disappointed with myself and knew I had to do something about losing the weight as otherwise I would have to stop cycling. So a few weeks later I exchanged my hybrid for a road bike with drops and got on a strict diet that still enabled me to gradually increase my mileage”.  Superbly determined, Johnny kept that daily routine and magically saw the weight come off at a steady rate of one pound a week. The whole time he rode on his own and would have certainly appreciated company but admitted “I wasn’t going to go out with a group until I was satisfied that I could ride at a decent pace”.

After 15 months of training, Johnny woke up one morning in August 2015 and said to himself “this is the day I am going to do it. It just felt right you know”.  And so he set off from his house in Woking for the longest ride he had ever done: 100 km (62 miles)… non-stop!  No coffee break, just snacks and drinks on the way.  Cruising steadily along in the Chobham area he looked down at his GPS and suddenly noted with excitement that he had clocked 105 km (65 miles) at an average speed of 23 KPH (14 MPH). “I just threw my arms up in the air and even rode no handed for about 50 meters: I had done it!!”

Even more amazing than the distance covered (his longest ever), Johnny had also lost a full 6 stones (84 pounds) since April 2014.  “I am very proud of this”, he says; “it shows what an older man can do if he pushes his mind to it. I’ve lost the weight and now I can go up most hills and they don’t scare me!”.

After this achievement Johnny felt ready and proud enough to join a group: “Group riding appeals to me. It’s also a chance to meet some nice people. You know it is hard to train on your own, really hard”.

And so he sat as his computer one day and started Googling for cycling groups in his area; the West Surrey CTC link appeared and Johnny clicked on it: this was the start of the watershed. “I’ve cycled 3 times so far with Rico [Signore] and I’ve found this other group on the website: the Woking Midweek Wayfarers which has 3 levels, the 2s, 3s and 4s and rides on Wednesdays. I am very keen to join them in October”. To which I asked “why not meet with them this Wednesday 9^th September. They have rides every week you know.”

And so, stand by to meet Johnny in the very near future at a Club ride start near you!

Louise Gagnon writes….

I have been on club rides where over 60% of the group members are equipped with Garmin GPS pre-loaded with the day’s ride.  In theory, such abundance of riders in possession of the day’s ride is not problematic but it is in my view quite possibly gradually changing the way we ride as a group – and not for the better in some instances.

My past 20 rides with our beloved club have left me with the occasional gnawing feeling that a wonderful tool such as pre-loaded GPS rides may just unconsciously lead us into occasional sloppy group riding.

I think some of us have at times been led astray by the “HA- HGROG” syndrome (He’s Alright – He’s Got the Ride On his Garmin) or even worse, it’s close cousin “IA – IGROG” ( I am Alright – I’ve Got the Ride On my Garmin).  In my opinion, this is leading us into making assumptions that have already caught us out.

Here are a few cases in point:

• Ride leader proceeding at a fast rate of knots turning left or right at junctions with stretched out packets of riders in tow (not within sight of each other, sometimes miles apart), and leader not issuing any form of signposting instructions to guide the next packets, incorrectly assuming that all his riders are in a blissful state of “HA- HGROG”.

• The last member of the lead packet cited above neglecting the customary fundamental courtesy of staying behind at the junction, incorrectly assuming, as his ride leader just did, that the rider behind is “HA- HGROG”;

• Riders shooting past a ride leader who had ever so briefly stopped for a steam roller to finish a stretch of road repair while in unfamiliar territory way out of our usual riding area.  Safe in the knowledge that they knew where they were going, 80% of the riders just sailed past the ride leader using the pavement and proceeded quickly down the road without any sign of relenting.  This showed a lack of courtesy for the junior ride leader in charge who, as he did his best to catch up with the group now stretched out nearly 800 metres ahead, was overheard saying “How disappointing that a ride leader is trying to do the right thing and everyone else is carrying on”.  I wonder if this group bravado would have so readily occurred had riders not been in a collective “IA – IGOG” empowered state of mind?

• Ride leaders cruising along with no back marker in sight for a good 15-20 minutes after many left and right turns have elapsed.  Ride leaders stopping to assess the situation but opting to carry on nonetheless while a good 10-20 miles from end of ride.  Ride leaders heard saying out loud regarding the missing back marker:  “HA-HGROG”.  As if Garmin could also assist a back marker in fixing a mechanical or worse, dealing with a medical emergency “back there”!   In my books, a ride leader ought to know the condition and whereabouts of his riders and she/he can never abdicate on this duty of care;

• Ride leader not carrying OS map backup and overly relying on/rigidly sticking to his/her meticulously planned GPS route distributed the day before for all to upload.  Such  over-reliance on pre-loaded GPS rides leads an insecure ride leader into rigid thinking; temptation is then high to neglect to do what he/she ought to do which is to adapt one’s route at the drop of a hat either at ride start if a new or a less capable rider shows up, or if any situation requires a detour while en route;

• Last but not least, it is disheartening to watch a fellow rider become a safety hazard while mentally engrossed in pressing Garmin buttons at the expense of his/her awareness of what goes on in the tight riding formation.

Possible Way-Ahead?

Garmin GPS pre-loaded with the day’s ride have the potential to become powerful allies for conscientious ride leaders and riders.

We are proud to advertise on our club business card our credo of “Never get left behind”.  Sadly poor use of pre-loaded GPS routes by ride leaders and riders alike have on some occasions already prevented us from delivering on that promise.

May I suggest that it is time for us to reflect on this occasional “Garmin Myopia”.  It is important we do so, lest our cherished collective courtesy and safe group riding may just become the first casualties.

Louise