Elmbridge Cycle

In a change to the scheduled programme, our next ride will be this Sunday, 10th June, not next Sunday.

We will be joining an organized cycle ride visiting gardens that are part of Open Garden Squares.

We will meet at the usual location outside the Hand & Spear at Weybridge Station, at 9:00am. That’s an hour earlier than normal.

We will ride to East Putney railway station where we will join up with an organized Open Garden Squares cycle ride starting at 10:30. This will visit five gardens on a meandering 15 mile route between Putney and Richmond. More details about the route are here: http://www.opensquares.org/2018/activities/cyclerides.php

The cost for Open Garden Squares is £15 if you buy on-line in advance. You can purchase a ticket on the day but it will be more expensive. Single tickets can be purchased here: https://opengardensquares.eventcube.io/events/9291/open-garden-squares-weekend-2018/ Or you can get two for the price of one here: https://www.timeout.com/london/shop/things-to-do-open-square-gardens-march-2018

The total ride distance, starting and finishing in Weybridge will be about 40 miles. We should be back in Weybridge by about 6:30pm.

If you want to come on the ride, you can just turn up but do try to buy a ticket for the gardens in advance.

Our next ride will be on Sunday 8th July.
George

This Sunday, 1st April is our annual Egg Hunt.

Starting from the Hand & Spear at Weybridge Station at 10am on Sunday our Egg Hunt will take you on a tour of the area looking for eggs. In teams of two or three cyclists, and using a map and a clue sheet you will have 3 hours to find as many answers as possible.

You can ride in a team of two or three. Don’t worry if you don’t already have a buddy to ride with, you can be paired up with someone suitable at the start. There will be no fixed route, but expect to cycle around 20 miles or so.

The start will be at the usual place, outside the Hand and Spear pub near Weybridge Station at 10am. You will finish back at the same place by about noon. There may well be prizes for a good performance.

Last year Hannah and Matt aced it, getting full marks in record time, so this year the clues are going to be even more fiendish and devious, and don’t forget it will be April 1st, so keep your wits about you.

If you want to come, just turn up.

The next ride after this will be on Sunday 13th May at 10am.

Our ride this month is this Sunday 17th December. It’s an out and back ride to Kingston, followed by Christmas Lunch at the Jolly Farmer in Weybridge.

The ride will start at 10am outside the Hand and Spear at Weybridge Station. It will end at 1pm at the Jolly Farmer.

If you want to join us for Christmas Lunch you should already have let me know. If you haven’t you might still be able to get lunch but you’ll have to take your chances.

The full route is here: https://www.strava.com/routes/11373257 it’s about 35km or about 20 miles, mainly on-road but with a bit of towpath along the river by Hampton Court.

Our next ride will be Sunday 14th January.

This ride will be followed by our Christmas Lunch. As usual it will be at the Jolly Farmer in Princes Road, Weybridge.

The ride will start at 10am outside the Hand and Spear at Weybridge Station. It will end at 1pm at the Jolly Farmer.

If you would like to come to the Christmas Lunch please let me know by email to george.james@elmbridgecycle.org by Thursday 30th November so that I can confirm numbers with the restaurant.

Details of the ride route will be sent out, as usual, a few days before the ride. If you just want to come on the ride, but don’t want to stay for the Christmas Lunch, then you can just turn up on the day, there is no need to let me know.

Muddy Lane

For those of you that have been following this saga, as expected the Planning Inspectorate have determined that there will be a Local Public Enquiry. This is likely to be held on 22nd/23rd May 2018.

Surrey County Council will be presenting the case for Muddy Lane to be promoted from a footpath to a bridleway which will enable cyclists to use this route that connects Byfleet to Wisley. SCC will be calling for people to speak at the hearing, if you have used Muddy Lane in the past and would like to do this then please let me know and I will forward your details to SCC.

This is hopefully the final step in this process which has been going on for almost 5 years now.

Our monthly ride for September is on Sunday 3rd September and we’ll be going to Richmond Park.

The ride will start at 10:00am outside the Hand & Spear pub near Weybridge Station, and will be about 25 miles of good going a mix of main roads and a few gravel paths.

From Weybridge we take the direct route to Kingston along the A317 into Esher and the along the Portsmouth Road cycle superhighway into Kingston. After a loop through some back streets we reach the Kingston Gate to Richmond Park. Heading anti-clockwise around the park perimeter we pick up the road that passes the White Lodge and then leads us to Ham Gate. From there it’s through Ham to the Thames at Teddington where we will stop at the Anchor for lunch.

From Teddington we will cut across Bushy Park and then through East Moseley, skirting Island Barn reservoir to enter Walton along Rydens Lane. From Walton it’s back along Oatlands Avenue to Weybridge.

The full route is here: https://www.strava.com/routes/10421798

The route is on main roads in several places so not recommended for absolute novices. There is a section around Island Barn Reservoir which could be a bit tough going for a road bike, but otherwise the route should be fine for any kind of bike. The total distance will be about 43km, which is a bit over 25 miles.

If you want to come on the ride, you can just turn up.

Our next ride will be on Sunday 8th October.

Ultra-marathon

Many thanks to all those who made a donation to Woking and Sam Beare Hospices in support of my ultra-marathon. The total raised now stands at £1,911.87 which I am delighted about.

Our ride this month will be a short picnic ride to Hampton Court.

The ride will start at 11:00am (an hour later than normal) outside the Hand & Spear pub near Weybridge Station, and will be about 15 miles of very easy going. This is a great route for less confident riders.

For our Woking friends, there will be a secondary start point at the Bedser Bridge by the Light Box in Woking at 10:00am. This will join up with the main group in Weybridge at 11am.

From Woking the route will follow the Basingstoke Canal and then the Wey Navigation to Weybridge. From there we follow the Thames towpath all the way to Hampton Court.

We will stop in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace near the Tiltyard Cafe for a picnic. You will be able to get a cup of tea and something to eat at the cafe if you don’t want to bring your own picnic.

The return route will be the reverse of the outward route.

The total distance will be about 15 miles round-trip from Weybridge and 30 miles round-trip from Woking. The full route is described here: https://www.strava.com/routes/9927099

The route is nearly all traffic free, and the towpath is mostly good going although there are a few places which are a bit rutted and may have puddles if there has been recent rain. A mountain bike or hybrid would be the best choice of bike for this ride.

Our next ride will be on Sunday 3rd September, which is the 1st Sunday of the month not our normal second Sunday slot.

Ultra-marathon

You’ll be pleased to hear that I completed my ultra-marathon run in a time of 17h45m. It was a really gruelling 60 miles (100km) with 1,350m of hills (the height of Ben Nevis). Thank you to everyone who was able to make a donation to support the Woking and Sam Beare Hospices. You can see some photos and the result of the fund raising here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/georgejames2017

Ride 100

Congratulations are also due to Keith who took part in the Ride 100 last weekend and completed it in 6h15m. You can read his story and make a donation to his chosen charity here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/keithagnew

This Sunday is our all day ride, we will be starting an hour earlier than normal and going to Shoreham-on-Sea.

The ride will start at 09:00am outside the Hand & Spear pub near Weybridge Station, and will be about 50 miles with a return by train.

Starting from Weybridge, we head along the Basingstoke canal to Woking. Then we take the back road to Jacob’s Well and through the Riverside Park Nature Reserve into Guildford. We pick up the Downs Link trail on the far side of Guildford and then it’s almost dead straight and flat all the way to Shoreham. Our coffee stop will be at the Milk Churn cafe near Rudgwick and then we will stop again for lunch in Shoreham.

For those that want to start from Woking we will be at the Bedser Bridge in front of the Light Box at approximately 09:45am.

The total distance will be about 50 miles. The full route is described here: https://www.strava.com/routes/9461583

The route is mostly off-road, but with a hard packed surface that is good going in most places. A mountain bike or hybrid would be the best choice of bike for this ride.

If you want to come on the ride, you can just turn up.

Our next ride will be on Sunday 13th August. If the weather is good then it might be a picnic ride.

Ultra-marathon

In two weeks time I will be attempting to run a 60 mile ultra-marathon. I’m raising money for the Woking and Sam Beare Hospices and I would be ever so grateful if you were able to sponsor me – it’s a very good cause – https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/georgejames2017

Our ride this Sunday is very straightforward. We are heading down the Basingstoke Canal and back.

The ride will start at 10:00am outside the Hand & Spear pub near Weybridge Station, and will be about 30 miles.

Starting from Weybridge, we will cut through Brooklands and join the Basingstoke Canal at its very beginning. It’s then towpath all the way to the Basingstoke Canal Centre in Mytchett where there’s a lovely cafe that we will have lunch at. The return route is just the reverse although there is the option for the more adventurous to take the short-cut over Tunnel Hill 😉

Total distance about 30 miles. The full route is described here: https://www.strava.com/routes/8966831

The route is off-road, the towpath is very good going in most places but a bit rough with puddles in one or two spots. A mountain bike or hybrid would be the best choice of bike for this ride.

If you want to come on the ride, you can just turn up.

Our next ride will be on Sunday 9th July and will be an all day ride so we will be starting a little earlier.

This Sunday we are going to Box Hill.

The ride will start at 10:00am outside the Hand & Spear pub near Weybridge Station, and will be about 25 miles.

Starting from Weybridge, we will head south down Redhill Road, crossing the A3 into Pointer Lane. From there we go through Downside to Bookham via the common. Then past Polesden Lacey and down the hill into Westhumble. Then up and down Box Hill before lunch at The Stepping Stones in Westhumble. Box Hill is actually quite an easy climb but for those that really don’t want to do it there is the option to skip it and stop early for lunch at Westhumble.

The return will be via Leatherhead and Cobham.

Total distance about 25 miles. The full route is described here: https://www.strava.com/routes/8572192

The route is completely on-road, apart from a short gravel track through Bookham Common, so any bike will be suitable.

If you want to come on the ride, you can just turn up.

Our next ride will be on Sunday 4th June. This is the first Sunday in June so once again this is an exception to the Second Sunday rule.