We send details of upcoming rides in a weekly email newsletter. If you would like to be added to our mailing list please contact [javascript protected email address].
CUK Oxfordshire 125 miles - Follow the Thames | 3* |
---|
Leader:Robin Tucker |
Start Time:8:00 am |
Start Location:Wallingford Market Place |
Description:Follow the Thames from its source all the way to Wallingford. At 125 miles 200km, this is a great way to stretch beyond the regular Century distance and set a new benchmark.We will ride from Wallingford, upriver through Abingdon, Oxford, Eynsham (25 miles/coffee) and Lechlade (50 miles/lunch) to the source of the Thames near Cirencester. Ideally, we'll have time stroll the few hundred metres of footpath off the road to the official source - at about our 75 mile point. Then, after taking some more refreshments in Kemble or nearby we'll head East towards the Ridgeway and roughly follow the spring line. We'll stop for a meal at the Fox & Hounds at Uffington before returning to Wallingford. In theory it's all downhill - in practice, there may be a few small undulations, but the route overall is quite flat. We'll stop every 25 miles for refreshment and ride at a moderate pace, similar to the Century rides. So this will be a long day - 10pm even if everything goes exactly to plan. The late finish is also why it's on a Saturday. We will finish in the dark so bring lights and money for food & drink. Please let me know you are coming so I can book the main food stops for the right number of people. NOTE it is the day of Wallingford Carnival. Please do not park in Wallingford on the carnival route: http://www.wallingfordcarnival.org.uk/about.html |
||
Riders:Andy EllisDavid Green Karl Blake Olivia Pile Peter Hallowell Robin Tucker Steve Swanton Ursula Hallam Zoe Young Riders = 9 Weather:Report:The Follow the Thames 125-mile ride in June was a strange beast. With 9 of us riding, I’d booked lunch and dinner venues, and had a schedule for us to follow. We started at 8am in Wallingford and the first section aimed to follow the Thames as closely as possible, including riverside paths in Abingdon and Oxford. This inevitably slowed us down a bit and we were a bit later than planned to our first coffee stop in Eynsham.From there the time pressure seemed to be on us, or on me, and I was conscious of driving the group on at ‘a fair old pace’ for most of the day – maybe what you would think of as a 3* pace for a 50-mile ride, rather than a typical Century pace. I’m glad to say that the group was in very good shape and responded well. We were helped by the largely flat route and various helpers on the front. That gave us time for some sightseeing to see ‘Old Father Thames’ (a statue just outside Lechlade), and a half-mile walk to see the official (but very dry) source of the Thames near Kemble. The railway café at Kemble turned out not to be open so we rode at pace to the Cotswold Water Park café, catching it just before it closed, but just after it stopped serving hot drinks. That made a proper break and a hot dinner at the 100-mile point in the Fox and Hounds at Uffington even more welcome. After that, the final 25 miles to Wallingford, arriving just before 10pm, weren’t too bad. The ride was hard work, but we all felt good for having kept up such a pace. Picking the target had constrained the route, so we sometimes were on busier roads then you would otherwise choose. But overall it was a ride we’ll all remember whether it was the peak of our 2018 or just ‘training’ for the next one  (the 200 mile County Boundary ride in July). | ||
Distance:203.26 km (126.30 mi) | Ride Details:http://cyclingukoxfordshire.org/rides-and-events/follow-the-thames-125-mile-ride/ | |
Proposed Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27724570" | ||
Comment on this ride |
Easy Saturday Afternoon Ride | 1* |
---|
Leader:John Tranter |
Start Time:2:00 pm |
Start Location:OMH |
Description:Monthly 16-32km (10-20 miles) family and social afternoon rides, usually with a tea stop, at a riding pace of 13-16km/h (8-10mph). Occasional short or gentle climbs.SATURDAY MORNING UPDATE: the weather is not perfect, but the ride will certainly go ahead. We can decide when we get to the ford how brave we are feeling about any further amphibious exploring! This interesting ride takes us to Duxford ford on the river Thames - if the weather is warm then I suggest we cross the ford (riding or paddling, depending on how brave you are feeling) and explore the island in the middle of the Thames there. On the way we pass through some lovely seldom explored parts of the village of Longworth. No particular cafe options available, so I suggest bringing a snack (or buying from the shop we will pass in Southmoor) and we will have a stop on the green in Hinton Waldrist. Approx 20 miles in total. |
||
Riders:Carin TranterDiana Whidborne John Tranter Lorna Swanton Mandy Wassell Martyn Wigmore Michael Tayler Philip Blampied Ruth Blampied Steve Boreham Riders = 10 Weather:Report:Firstly, a big welcome to Phil and Ruth for their first ride with us.Distinctly dodgy weather at the start - cool and breezy with some dark clouds around. Sure enough, a bit of rain starting falling as we left Grove. We deployed the usual deterrent of donning waterproofs and sure enough it stopped in a few miles. We approached the Southmoor footbridge by the road less travelled (the one with the hairpin bend), but everyone coped very well with this test of extreme bike handling skills. Longworth was lovely and we had a look inside the church as it was open. And so to the ford, via the bridleway across to Hinton Waldrist. We had it to ourselves, but the river was flowing pretty strongly with some serious currents and about 20cm of water across the ford. New boy Phil decided to go for it, but then discovered just how strong the current was by being very nearly swept off the crossing. Interesting... Oddly, no-one else took up the challenge so we headed back up the hill to have a snack break on the lovely village green at Hinton Waldrist. After that it was a nice mellow ride back to Grove - a few tired legs towards the end, but the group stayed together really well. | ||
Distance:35.41 km (22.00 mi) | Ride Details:https://ridewithgps.com/trips/24389941 | |
Proposed Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27765800" | ||
Comment on this ride |
*