Elmbridge Cycle

The next Elmbridge Cycle Group bike ride will be this Sunday 20th April at 10am.

It’s Easter Sunday and time for the third annual Easter Egg hunt. I’ll explain the full details on the day, but briefly you’ll be riding in twos or threes and will need to navigate to 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 10am. We should finish back at the same place by about 1pm, for a late lunch.

If you want to come, just turn up.

The next ride after this will be in four weeks time on Sunday 18th May.

Weather permitting, this month’s ride will be this Sunday 9th February. Please note it will start at the new earlier time of 10am.

We will be heading South East towards Ranmore Common.

We will be meeting at the Hand & Spear, near Weybridge Station at 10:00 am. The route will take us east to Cobham then Fetcham and Bookham, past Polesden Lacey up to Ranmore Common. Lunch will probably be in Westhamble or somewhere around there. The return route will be through Effingham and Ockham back to Weybridge. The ride will be about 25 miles and will be all on-road.

The full route map is here if you want more detail: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/355334925

If you want to come, just turn up at the Hand & Spear at 10am on Sunday.

The next ride after this will be Sunday 2nd March 2014 (not the 9th as that will clash with the Surrey Half Marathon). The ride after that will be Easter Sunday, 20th April when we’ll be holding the 3rd annual Easter Egg Hunt which is an unmissable event!

Happy New Year. This month’s ride will be this Sunday 12th January. Please note it will start earlier than normal at 10am.

We will be heading South towards East Horsley this month.

We will meet at the Hand & Spear, near Weybridge Station at 10:00 am. The route will take us south via Downside and Effingham Junction to East Horsley and beyond. Returning back through Ripley and West Byfleet, with a lunch stop probably at the Queens Head in East Clandon. The ride will be about 25 miles and will be all on-road. Boats may be required if the road between Ripley and West Byfleet is flooded.

The full route map is here if you want more detail: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/343317467

If you want to come, just turn up at the Hand & Spear at 10am on Sunday.

The next ride after this will be Sunday 9th February 2014.

This month we will be heading West towards Eton before returning via Windsor Great Park.

We will meet at the Hand & Spear, near Weybridge Station at 11:00 am. The route will take us to Staines, Stanwell, Datchet, Eton and Windsor. After lunch at a pub or cafe we will head back through Windsor Park, Virginia Water, Lyne and Addlestone. The ride will be about 30 miles and we should be back in Weybridge by 4pm depending on our pace. The route map is here if you want more detail: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/321036699

The terrain on this route is varied, some of it is on-road, some of it is traffic free paths and tracks. A sturdy road bike or hybrid should be suitable for this ride.

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

The next ride after this will be Sunday 12th January 2014. There will be no ride in December.

Christmas Dinner

In lieu of a December ride everyone is invited to join us on Friday 6th December at the Hand and Spear for the Elmbridge Cycle Group Christmas Dinner. If you wish to come please let me know by Thursday 14th November so that I can make reservations.

This month we will be heading East for a relatively short 25km (15 mile) ride through Wisley towards Effingham and then back through Downside and Cobham.

The ride will start at our usual meeting place outside the Hand & Spear, near Weybridge Station at 11am.

The terrain on this route is virtually all on-road apart from a couple of expedient short-cuts. A road-bike or hybrid would be most suitable for this ride. The route map is here: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/306787185

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

The next ride after this will be Sunday 10th November.

This month we will be heading West for an all day ride along National Cycle Route 4 to Maidenhead and beyond.

We will meet at the Hand & Spear, near Weybridge Station at 09:00 (not our usual 11am start time). The route will take us to Staines, Egham, through Windsor Great Park, Windsor and Bray to Maidenhead. If there is time and enthusiasm we will push on further before lunch at a pub or cafe. The return route will be broadly the same although we may vary it for a bit of variety. The ride will be about 60 miles and we should be back in Weybridge by 4 or 5pm depending on our pace.

The terrain on this route is varied, some of it is on-road, much of it is traffic free paths and tracks. A hybrid or mountain bike would be most suitable for this ride. The route map is here: http://bit.ly/193V5C0

If you want to come, just turn up at the Hand & Spear at 9am on Sunday. If you have questions or need to contact me on the day my phone number is 0793-0320241.

The next ride after this will be Sunday 13th October. There will be no ride in September as I have other commitments (see below).

Marathon du Medoc

Some of you already know that I’ve been training for a marathon for the last few months. This is a particularly unnatural activity for a cyclist. Someone even asked, when they saw me running, if my bike had been stolen. So on September 7th, I’ll be running in the Marathon du Medoc in southern France. Several people have asked about sponsorship. I’ve decided to support the Woking and Sam Beare Hospices. If anyone would like to donate to this deserving cause please go to my Just Giving page: http://www.justgiving.com/MarathonDuMedoc13 Thank you.

Bulgaria Bike Tour

There’s still a couple of spaces available. Let me know if you are interested. Details here: http://bit.ly/184G16I

Walton Bridge Cycle Links Consultation

The public consultation period for this scheme runs until August 19th. We have so far studied the plans, ridden the route, and met with David Sharpington the Programme Delivery Manager to understand more about the thinking behind the scheme. We already have a large number of comments and observations which we will be compiling into a report in the next week or so. Keep an eye on our website if you want to see early drafts of our feedback. If you have any comments or suggestions please let me know.

And finally, if you think that Walton Bridge is a boring name for the bridge that was opened on exactly the same day that Prince George was born then there’s a petition you can sign: http://chn.ge/1335bhO

As promised, this month’s ride will be an all-day Mountain Bike trip to Swinley Forest near Bagshot. Swinley Forest has recently opened a series of fabulous new mountain bike trails, graded from green through red and running for over 20km throughout the forest.

If you have a mountain bike and only use it to fetch the shopping then this is a great opportunity to discover how much fun it is to ride on a high quality purpose built trail. The sections vary in difficulty so there is something for everyone whatever your ability and confidence.

There will be a choice of meeting points for this ride. You can either make an early start and cycle out from Weybridge or Woking, or you can drive there and meet us in Bagshot. The three options are:

1. Meet at the Hand & Spear, near Weybridge Station at 09:00 (not our usual 11am start time).

2. If you are coming from Woking, meet at the Six Crossroads Roundabout (junction of the A320 and A245) at 09:45.

3. If you want to skip the ride out there, meet at the start of Vicarage Road in Bagshot at 11:00. There’s usually plenty of free on-street parking around here: http://goo.gl/maps/zWJZn

From Vicarage Road we will head into the forest and pick up appropriate trails depending on everyone’s ability and skill levels. Lunch will be at the Look Out Discovery Centre and we will head back from Vicarage Road at about 4pm or whenever everyone is good and tired.

The route map is here: http://bit.ly/12j000t Total distance from Weybridge to Swinley Forest and back including one full circuit of the trails will be about 40 miles.

If you want to come, just turn up at the Hand & Spear, near Weybridge railway station, at 9am on Sunday, or be at Six Crossroads Roundabout at 09:45, or meet us at 11am at Vicarage Road in Bagshot.

The next ride after this will be Sunday 11th August.

Bulgaria Bike Tour

In September, there will be a week long bike tour in Bulgaria. Starting from Sofia we’ll be taking a 430km loop around the hills and mountains of the south west of the country. If you are interested in joining us please let me know. More information is available here: http://bit.ly/184G16I

Walton Bridge Cycle Links Consultation

Earlier this year Surrey County Council won £1m funding for cycle safety improvements in Walton-on-Thames. Their proposed scheme comprises shared use cycle paths along the main roads from Upper Halliford, across Walton Bridge, towards Elmbridge Leisure Centre.

The public consultation period for this scheme has just started and will last until August 19th. This will be your only opportunity to comment on this scheme which is planned to be completed by Christmas. This link http://bit.ly/16nCDAB will take you to the detailed proposals and a feedback form. Alternatively, if you let me know your thoughts I will pass them on.

In a change to the advertised programme there will be no Elmbridge Cycle Group bike ride this Sunday.

The next ride will be on Sunday 14th July. Depending on weather conditions and other factors this is likely to be an all day off-road Mountain Bike expedition to Swinley Forest.

And the ride after that, on Sunday 11th August is likely to be an all day ride along the Thames to Marlow or Henley. Details will be announced nearer the time.

If you are looking for something to do on your bike this weekend then I have some suggestions:

Locally, there will be the Woking Cycle Festival on Sunday 9th at the park in Woking. Details here: http://bit.ly/16IgYct Or, if gardens are your thing, I can wholeheartedly recommend a guided cycle tour of the London Open Garden Squares. Saturday or Sunday. Details here: http://opensquares.org/en/cycling.html

Steve Jones adds:
Others may wish to consider the Kingston Cycling Campaign leisure ride on Sunday – similar in concept and execution to your rides. But perhaps a little longer and a little slower.

Here’s the website: http://www.kingstoncycling.org.uk/

The ride starts at the Market Place in Central Kingston (by the statue of Queen Anne) at 10:30, From Woking/West Byfleet/Weybridge the train will take one to Surbiton and its just a couple of miles downhill from there.

Pub lunch, tea and free bread pudding to wash it down with. A sociable bunch of cyclists…just turn up and be made welcome

I’ll be there and ‘Brooklands Tony’ will most likely be there too.

Muddy Lane

Thank you to all those who have helped with our Muddy Lane campaign. Particularly those who have filled out an evidence form. An extra special thank you to those who have helped with all the research, meetings and paperwork. On June 1st we submitted the application for a Map Modification Order to Surrey County Council accompanied by a two inch thick folder of testimonies and supporting documentation. Included were over 50 evidence forms, some going as far back as 1926 and demonstrating the unencumbered use of Muddy Lane for at least 20 years.

This application now joins the end of a queue of 25 other pending applications and will be dealt with in due course. The council will consider the application and submit their recommendation to the relevant borough’s Local Committee for approval. This may take some time but I will keep you posted of any developments.

This month’s ride will be this Sunday, 12th May.

The route will take us south-east this month, to Downside, Ockham, East Clandon and West Clandon before returning via Ripley and West Byfleet. Total distance will be 25 miles completely on-road all the way.

The route map is here: http://bit.ly/YKNFCh

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

The next ride after this will be Sunday 9th June.

Woking Bikeathon

If you don’t fancy riding with us this Sunday then you might prefer to ride with the Woking Bikeathon http://www.wokingbikeathon.co.uk/ The ride supports the Woking and Sam Beare Hospices which is a very good cause, and, unlike our ride, you’ll get a medal at the end.

Box Hill 2 Paris Challenge

If you fancy a longer ride, about 200 miles, then the Lifetrain Trust are running an organised ride from Box Hill to Paris at the end of June: http://www.lifetrain.org.uk/94-news-a-events/166-box-hill-2-paris-challenge This is a fully supported team event of about 20 riders. Participants will be expected to help raise money for the Lifetrain Trust but it looks well organised and another very worthy cause.

This month’s ride is this Sunday, 14th April.

Our route will be out towards Claygate via Esher, and then looping around through Thames Ditton and Hampton Court returning along the Thames towpath. The distance will be about 20 miles.

The route map is here: http://bit.ly/ZR9SPS

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

The next ride after this will be Sunday 12th May.

Jumble Sale

The Veteran-Cycle Club are holding one of their Ripley cycle jumbles at Ripley Village Hall this Saturday, 13th April. There will be plenty of new and old equipment for sale. Doors open at 9am until 2pm with a £1 entry fee.

Muddy Lane

There has been an excellent response to my request for people who have used Muddy Lane to get in touch. Thank you very much. We need to collect as many evidence forms as possible to make a strong case for permitting cyclists to use the lane. If I have sent you a form and you have not yet returned it, could you please do so as soon as possible.