Elmbridge Cycle Group

The next Elmbridge Cycle Group bike ride will be this Sunday 13th May at 11am. Apologies for the late notification, it's been a busy week.

The weather looks promising so lets all keep our fingers crossed for some sunshine. As usual we'll be meeting outside the Hand & Spear pub, near Weybridge Station at 11am. The route will follow the river downstream to Hampton Court, across Bushy Park, through Teddington and Ham to Petersham. Lunch will be at the delightful teahouse at Petersham Nurseries http://www.petershamnurseries.com/teahouse.asp Our return route will cross Richmond Park to Kingston and then follow the towpath to Hampton Court and then back through Molesey and Walton.

The whole route will be about 25 miles. There's a detailed map here: http://bit.ly/JKyCw7

If you want to come, just turn up at the Hand & Spear at 11am.

The next ride after this will be on Sunday 10th June.

Round the Hogs Back Cycle Ride

Martin Taplin would like everyone to know about the Round the Hogs Back ride that he runs each year. This year it is part of National Bike Week and the Guildford Summer Festival. It will take place on Sunday 24th June, starting in Guildford at 9:15am. It's a circular route of about 25 miles at a leisurely pace with stops for coffee and lunch. If you are interested please contact Martin on 01483 504926 for further details.

Bike Wanted

I have been contacted by someone who is looking for a small framed (44cm) road bike. If you have one that you want to dispose of, that matches this description, please let me know.

The next Elmbridge Cycle Group bike ride will be this Sunday 8th April at 11am.

Because it will be Easter Sunday we are going to do something a little different this time. We're going to have an Easter Egg hunt. I'll explain the full details on the day, but briefly you'll be riding in two's or three's and will need to navigate to a various interesting places around the area where there will be some kind of "easter egg" to find.

There will be no fixed route, but expect to cycle around 15 to 20 miles or so depending on how many short-cuts you know or can find.

The start will be at the usual place, outside the Hand and Spear pub near Weybridge Station at 11am. We should finish back at the same place by about 1:30pm. If the weather is kind then the Hand & Spear are promising to have their barbeque fired up, but my hunch is that we'll be having lunch indoors.

If you want to come, just turn up.

The next ride after this will be on Sunday 13th May.

Results

All teams did very well, finding quite a few easter eggs and all managing to get back to the Hand and Spear in reasonable time for lunch.

The results were:
Winners: Steve and Barbara - 24 out of 26 easter egss
2nd: Andrew and Carole - 20 easter eggs
3rd: Norman and Lesley - 15 easter eggs
4th: Richard and Sue - 14 easter eggs
5th: Sandra and Louise - 13 easter eggs

Congratulations to Steve and Barbara and well done to all the teams for such a good effort.

A question was asked at the Elmbridge Local Committee meeting on 28th November 2011:

Question 3 : Dave Arnold
Can the Local Committee confirm that the chicanes removed from Oatlands Drive will not be replaced after the Olympics?

The Chairman will give the following response:

The chicanes were removed for the Olympic Test Event that took place on 14th August this year. There is a requirement from LOCOG that the road is to be clear of chicanes again during the men and women?s road races in 2012.

The intention is to put back a temporary measure at the two ends of the build out locations. The temporary measure is a slimmer version of the original build out, but is bolted down and can therefore be removed easily before the events in July 2012.

SCC are currently working with the Police, Road Safety Officers and Local Members to come up with a long term solution which helps reduce the speed of traffic but does not discourage cycling in Oatlands Drive.

Nonsense
This is, of course, nonsense. The coucil has not reinstated anything, and nor will they between now and July. This statement is patently wrong.

Apparently the verbal response at the meeting was that the chicanes would not be reinstated at all. Despite this the above statement was approved as an accurate minute of the meeting.

I wouldn't be suprised if the chicanes are reinstated after the Olympics. Watch this space...

The next Elmbridge Cycle Group bike ride will be this Sunday 11th March at 11am.

The route this month will be relatively short at 18 miles, and will head eastwards through Chertsey to St Anne's Hill, then on to Egham before circling back though Thorpe, along the Monks Path which lead to Chertsey Abbey and then back to Weybridge. Lunch, for those that want it, will be at the Hand & Spear on return to Weybridge. See below for details of the River Wey Action Day event that will follow on after lunch.

The route is mainly on quiet roads, however there will be a couple of off-road sections (Chertsey Meads and Monks Path) but not any deep mud or serious potholes. The planned route map is here: http://bit.ly/wFkI0Z

The start will be at the usual place, outside the Hand and Spear pub near Weybridge Station at 11am. If you want to come, just turn up.

The next ride after this will be on Sunday 8th April, which is Easter Sunday.

River Wey Action Day, This Sunday, 11th March

Following up on last month's successful action day, there will be another one this Sunday. It will start at 2:30pm at Seven Arches Approach which is round the back of Weybridge Station. The main activity will be clearing fallen branches and debris that has cluttered the paths between Weybridge Station and Brooklands. This is a great way to use a couple of spare hours and really makes a difference to the attractiveness and accessibility of this previously neglected area.

Chobham Ride, Sunday 25th March

This is a plug for a ride organised by Evans Cycles in two weeks time. It's part of their popular Ride It! series and comprises a marked route of 15, 30, 60 or 90 miles. They charge £12.50 but the rides are well organised and they provide plenty of refreshment stations and mechanical support, so the cost is well worth it. I believe that our neighbours, the Woking Cycle Users, are planning to turn out in force for this one, so I think we ought to make a good showing ourselves. If you want to take part please book yourself on at their website http://bit.ly/yXEgGo and meet at the Chobham start point at 09:00am. Let me know if you sign up, I'll make sure we don't leave without you.

Our February ride is imminent. This Sunday, 12th February, at 11am.

This month we will be heading north east to Teddington. Our outbound route will take us through Lower Sunbury, across the back of Bushy Park and through Teddington as far as the Thames. We'll have lunch at the Anglers before crossing the river and following the towpath to Kingston. Then we cut through Thames Ditton, East and West Molesey to Walton and back to Weybridge. The total distance will be a tad over 20 miles and is on road or good quality paths. No mud or potholes, so roads bikes will be the best choice. There's a full route map here: http://bit.ly/yMn9Wa

The start will be at the usual place, outside the Hand and Spear pub near Weybridge Station at 11am.

If you want to come, just turn up. If the weather is bad the ride will still be on, no matter how bad it is, unless its dangerously icy.

The next ride after this will be on Sunday 11th March.

River Wey Action Day, 19th February

Attached is a flyer about the River Wey action day on February 19th. In conjunction with Thames21.org,uk there will be an action day to pick litter and maintain the paths and river banks in the area around Seven Arches Bridge at the back of Brooklands. All volunteers are welcome. Read this flyer for details, no prizes for recognising anyone in the picture.

Oatlands Cubs

For the last two years Oatlands Cub Scouts have been looking after a section of the cycle route along the towpath between Weybridge and Walton. Several times a year the cubs turn out, often supported by a good number of parents, to pick litter along this lovely section of the Thames. The first time they did this they collected 16 large bin bags of litter!

Organised in conjunction with Sustrans, this activity helps the cubs to achieve their Community Challenge, Promise and Global Conservation badges. Oatlands Cubs, led by Simon Davey, are the first cub pack in the country to form an association with Sustrans to help maintain part of the National Cycle Network.

Diamond Jubilee Ride - Normandy

The organisation for the ride, on the Diamond Jubilee weekend, to Normandy is taking shape nicely. The plan has changed a little and we will now be taking the ferry from Poole to Cherbourg for four full days of cycling around the Normandy peninsular.

There's still space for two or three more people although the ferry and hotels are already getting booked up for this time of year. The cost for ferry and hotels will be roughly £250 per person, sharing a room. The itinerary is as follows:

Friday 1st June. Either a) cycle to Poole, which is about 90 miles or b) take an evening train or c) take an earlier train and tootle around Poole harbour for the day. Overnight stay at the Holes Bay Premier Inn in Poole.

Saturday 2nd June. Ferry from Poole to Cherbourg, departing 07:00. Cycle from Cherbourg eastwards along the coast to Barfleur and then to Utah Beach, then turning inland to Carentan. Distance about 55 miles.

Sunday 3rd June. Cycle from Carentan to Bayeux, possibly visiting Omaha beach. Distance about 35 miles. On arrival in Bayeux there should be sufficient time to see the Bayeux Tapestry for those who want to do that.

Monday 4th June. Cycle from Bayeux to Saint Sauveur le Vicomte crossing the Marais du Contentin national park, an area of wetlands and moors. Distance about 60 miles.

Tuesday 5th June. Cycle from Saint Sauveur le Vicomte to Cherbourg. Distance about 22 miles. Ferry from Cherbourg to Portsmouth, and train from Portsmouth arriving Weybridge at 21:43.

If you are interested please let me know as soon as possible.