SNCC Femmes crowned N&DCA women’s team time trial champions

A team formed halfway through the season has taken the title by just three points, and it’s hoping to inspire more women to try racing against the clock. St Neots Cycling Club’s new women’s time trial team, SNCC Femmes, has won the N&DCA Women’s Team Championship at its first attempt. The team beat Rockingham by 878 points to 875 after a season-long battle at the top of the table.

The team is Nicky Charlton, Nikky Vaas, Ebony Cousins, Cat Kilvert and Tina Dankwart, who came up with the idea.

Tina’s own time trialling began two years ago, when a clubmate, Justin, suggested she try the club’s “Abbo” time trial. She admits it was intimidating at first.

“You may laugh, but the idea of someone holding me up at the start was a worry,” she said. “What if I didn’t go on time, they let go and I fell flat on my face? Or I got lost on the course? If you know me, you’ll know that’s definitely possible.”

She did it anyway, and it didn’t take long for the sport to win her over. “For about 30 seconds after crossing the finish line I was thinking, why would anyone want to do that regularly? Then the pain stopped, I got my breath back and thought: I want to do that again.”

More Abbos followed, then interclub events, then open time trials. Along the way she noticed how few women were competing.

Encouraged by experienced club members, Tina decided earlier this year to help other riders, especially women, give time trialling a go. SNCC Femmes was the result, and the club plans to add an open team next season.

The team started mid-season with an ECCA 10-mile event near Ely. Tina asked the organisers whether team results could be split by gender, as the women would have little chance against men’s teams on TT bikes. It was too late to change the rules, but the organisers gave the team a shout-out in their race report instead.

That report said 22% of the starters that day were women, which is unusual in a sport the organisers joked is mostly male veterans. They gave particular credit to Tina for assembling the team and promoting time trialling to women, and they hoped the St Neots riders would come back.

The team then entered the N&DCA Series. With half the season gone, they didn’t expect to challenge for the trophy. They saw it as good experience, in keeping with their motto of “getting better than we were yesterday”.

After a few rounds, though, SNCC Femmes were level at the top with Rockingham. They held on to take the title by just three points.

Want to join? It’s not too late to get involved with either the women’s team or next season’s open team. Anyone interested in trying time trialling, whatever their experience, can message the team through the club.

Cambridge Cornfields Creamed

Back in late July, Andy posted a link to the event. Mike commented that he’d be riding the Peaks Sportive the day before, so he declined. I pointed out the opportunity to have another back-to-back day in the saddle for the North Coast 500 we’ll be doing shortly. But he had none of it. So, after sourcing a lift, I entered… I’m not sure Ian knew what he’d let himself in for. He just made himself my head transport, mechanic and banker, but not the navigator.

If you’ve seen Ian’s van, it’s set up for biking. He’s installed four fixings in the rear that the forks clamp into. These can be switched from through-axle to QR – he didn’t realise the bike I was using was 30-odd-years old, bolt-on. Lots of people admire the Saracen’s Girvin Flexstem with its generous 1” travel and Deore LX groupset. State-of-the-art stuff in its day. Ask Ian, as Saracen was one of the bikes he used to sell back in the day. Apparently it has now crossed the line from old to retro. I love it, and not just because it was free! I requested an early pickup – and for some cone spanners, as my rear wheel had a loose axle – sorted out in the frame pdq on arrival. The other thing about Ian’s van is that it’s been lowered. When parking is in a freshly vacated, over-populated (if you catch my drift), very lumpy cow field, it was good that he was yet to fit his splitter, or he’d have been taking it home in the back to refit another time. We saw a few other Club members at the check-in – Norman, Simon (Rhino), Dave and Chris “Bin it” Bray.

Ian and I set off in a group of about eight. We’d only gone a few hundred metres and Ian and I had got on the front. We heard a rider go down. Apparently self-inflicted – he’d hit his brakes too hard, worried about going into the rider in front. Ben hit his forehead with a cut above his eye, helmet damaged and seemed a bit wobbly. The whole group did its best to convince Ben to turn back and get some first aid. Ian and I moved on.

Out in the fields we were going great. We passed more people than passed us. We caught up with Norman and Simon R and some other riders. Ian was near the front and I at the back of the group. Unknown to the two of us, there was a split. I heard a group the other side of a very large hedge. This turned out to be a sub-set of the SNCC contingent. Oh, and that “sub” is only smaller in terms of number of bodies, not other stats. Their route was slow going and it took Ian a while to catch up with me, as I’d pressed on assuming he was ahead. I save routes into Komoot, which gives me verbal directions. This works pretty well most of the time and got me round fine – it quickly tells me when I’m off course. After another split-up, we reached Gamlingay for the halfway feed station. Individual paper carrier musettes with samosa or sausage roll option, cookie, banana, flapjack and coffee were very welcome. Soon after came the best bit of singletrack I’ve ridden in the region! Unfortunately, it’s very short, but, it packs a punch – to the ribs – as Norman later found out. He went A over T (…been there, more than once myself…) in no doubt a spectacular fashion. With my arse hanging out over the back wheel as far as I could get it, my level of control diminished in direct proportion to speed. I was trying not to hold the bars with a white-knuckle death-grip and instead let the bike roll where the brakes failed to slow it. Somehow, I survived, with Ian already out of sight. When I caught him up, Ian modestly explained he’d rolled down with no brakes, but the rutted section at the bottom was dodgy. I can confirm this.

I was on the back with Ian, of course, on the front of another group, when a non-rut put me down – that’s the third time on the trot I’ve gone left and protected the drive-train :D’. The skin on that knee is suffering though. How long does it take to harden into a decent reinforced scar? I was very quickly back up and going again. Then – beep – my Bluetooth headset had disconnected from my phone. Hmmm, where exactly had I come off? Luckily Dave came by. He rang my number and my phone and I were quickly reunited.  This was similar to what happened a few weeks back on a Wednesday evening, although I’d got a mile away before realising. That took longer to reunite us and had to use Andy’s Strava to pinpoint my off.

It was now starting to get warm. Ian had his first cramp, but spun through it. I gave him half my remaining drink and a gel that was probably five years past its BB (but not bad after) D. I had one too – good to be through them at last! I think they were from Ride London 2018. I have a new batch fresh from the Peaks Sportive. Ian knew the area and the Three Horseshoes was just off the route in Hinxworth. We stopped there to rehydrate and take on carbs – Timothy Taylor’s Boltmaker and full fat Coca-Cola, like true weekend warriors. We set off again. Another cramp and we realised that we’d failed on the salt front. Somewhere, a sports nutritionist was quietly weeping. There was another official drinks and snack stop somewhere, no idea where, but very welcome.

We got back to the cow field and most of the cars had left. My arms were pretty well lacerated from the brambles. I’m blaming that on the flat bars, and not the poor lines I took. Responsibility is important, but there are limits. The marshals informed us that Norman had broken his ribs – thankfully that was an exaggeration. As it was an off-road course, there were no signs. It was a great route that comes surprisingly close to St Neots and one we could easily ride ourselves in either direction. Preferably with fewer crashes, less cramp and phones that stay attached to their owners. Learning from the off-road to Brighton ride with the thorn in my tyre, I left the thorns alone to keep more of my blood in

Twin Peaks of Interest

I’ve been on a few Club Dales trips and always thoroughly enjoyed them. Nothing boisterous, just great riding. There was often talk on the Saturday evening that there should be a Peaks trip in the autumn. Like the Dales, but nearer. And the Cat and Fiddle pub was very much like Tan Hill. So, when in late July I heard about the Peaks Sportive, I was primed to sign up for it.

A lot of the logistics were, very generously and appreciatively, completed by Mike: eg entering the personal details of six of us on the UK Cycle Events website with its 10-minute timeout (little wonder it took two attempts and got some emails wrong) but importantly securing us a 25% discount (to be spent on gear or supplements); being inquisitive and booking a 4-bed room for all those that went up the day before…

So, Friday lunchtime Richard, Mike and I convene at the Ilam YHA. Gary, who created a <32m route with 980m climbing for us, says he’s running very late and will do his own thing. There’s a river running through the valley, and we’re next to it. Gary has us climbing pdq with little chance to warm up, before we’re hot.

I was testing out my rig for the NC500 (more of that in weeks to come), with a new chain and hanger extender to accommodate the 11-34 cassette. Oh, it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. In fact, the best cycling decision since I started wearing a helmet. It meant I spun up the climbs, never getting out of the saddle, even when it was 24% (fresh legs are a wonderful thing and should never be wasted on sensible pacing). A nice café stop (20m), again by a river, and then a steep climb out. Why do café owners never set up  at the top of hills?

Back at the YHA, we got to see a bit more of the National Trust building, very grand. We were in a 4-bunk ensuite room, bigger than the Dales Bike Centre for reference for some. If you’ve not been, you’re missing out! Gary arrived having ridden a short route he’d quickly put together. YHAs aren’t what they used to be. They’re better! This one had a bar and restaurant. And, of course, wi-fi.

The four of us have different morning routines. This is a good thing when sharing a smaller space, as it means less competition for the facilities. Gary was quietly up at stupid o’clock. Then I think Mike and perhaps Richard. Yes, I was last. However, I quickly made-up time. My breakfast was all sorted. I’d used half the iced latte from lunch as the fluid for my overnight oats, energy and caffeine in every mouthful. Essentially a legal performance-enhancing breakfast. Ready to eat straight away with no fuss.

There was a bit of a faff getting in the cars as there was no phone signal for satnavs and Mike had to go back into the YHA to get the route via the wi-fi to Bakewell, 30 minutes away. At the Sportive, check-in was easy, although do take your helmet with you to avoid any grief from the volunteers handing out your number…

We looked for Karolina, Ebony and Ash, but couldn’t see them, so the four of us set off on the long course. Gary quickly left us to our own devices and up the first climb we went. Pretty brutal. Then came Bar Road and more warmth, despite the very light misting.

At the top of Mam Nick, Karolina came past as we posed for a photo. We crossed paths again at the first feed station and then on the road when we passed.

More climbing followed. Long Hill was one of those drags that never seemed particularly steep but still managed to sap the legs with the quiet efficiency. The route then headed through the Goyt Valley, climbing first towards Derbyshire Bridge and later up to the Cat and Fiddle where Mike stopped for a photo.

I had new boots (Conti GP 4 Season 28mm) and really didn’t like the crosswind descents. My bike felt really, really squirrelly. Unnervingly so. Hmm, do I really want to get narrower bars?

There were two more feed stations. The cherry cake, banana and jellybeans were my go-to. I did better on the longer climbs than the shorter, steeper efforts, including the Onecote Climb. More pleasure than should probably be admitted came from passing riders going slower than me on Thorncliffe Bank – one had stepped off and was carrying his shoes (@Simon Richardson). Then there was the guy from Norwich I’d spoken to earlier in the day. He was laid up with cramp – he seemed like a nice guy, but that’s what happens if you have an 11-25 cassette. I’m not sure where from, but I’ve learnt to be wary of anywhere that has the word “Bank” in it. None are like any other sort of bank I know of. Thorncliffe appeared to be a Roman road that just went straight up, with a few false summits thrown in for psychological warfare. Every time I thought I’d reached the top, the road disagreed. The organisers seemed determined to link together every famous road in the Peak District, and any unfamous ones that happened to point uphill.

We finished just under the ton, so Mike and I both felt duty bound to go and do a bit more. Gary was just setting off home. Richard followed while Mike and I shared a pizza and then had a massage, well individual massage.

I found the route was very well signposted. Mike less so, having briefly conducted his own independent route validation exercise by missing a turn after the Cat and Fiddle. The feed stations were super. Parking was easy. Very little traffic, and very few potholes. And the hills, oh the hills! Glorious! The other riders were friendly and starting us in small batches meant there were never too many close by.

A fantastic couple of days riding. I’ll go again. Though possibly with an even bigger cassette.

Brighton or bust: gravel, brambles and other things

The off-road group likes to embrace the spirit of adventure and explore trails around the country whenever the opportunity arises—or, as roadies might describe it, deliberately choosing the slowest and least comfortable surface available. The original plan was to ride the 46-mile Peddars Way from Knettishall Heath, near Thetford, to Holme-next-the-Sea on the Norfolk coast, stay overnight and ride back the next day. However, when we discovered that the route had been reclaimed by shoulder-high nettles and brambles, we postponed it until the growth subsides. We are adventurous, but not keen enough to exfoliate our entire bodies at cycling speed. Instead, we brought forward London-to-Brighton off-road, originally pencilled in for later in the year.

The plan—using that word in its loosest possible sense—was:

  • Day 0: Simon rides from St Neots to Richmond, because apparently the actual challenge was not long enough;
  • Day 1: Train to King’s Cross, then ride to somewhere near Horsham;
  • Day 2: Continue to Brighton, with the option to catch the train home or ride some of the way back, depending on legs, morale and whether anyone could face more time in the saddle.

Simon was the only taker for Day 0. After a delayed start (obtaining some SNCC stickers – essential expedition equipment) he set off just before one, with smoke billowing over Eynesbury in a suitably apocalyptic send-off. Google Maps handled the route planning and, to be fair, did a surprisingly good job. There were some lovely views along the way, and only a relatively short section on the A1198 into Royston, which is about as much character-building as anyone needs. After the tarmac and a few climbs came the River Lee Navigation towpath. This was great fun on a rigid MTB. It is technically possible on a road bike – if you dislike your wheels and enjoy clenching – ask Norman who’s done it in the past. He continued into Golders Green, the City, Westminster and on to Richmond. A home-cooked meal and night on his daughter’s sofa bed awaited. The next morning, he rode back to King’s Cross to meet the group, ready to ride the same 12 miles for the third time in just a little more hours.

Matt offered to plot the routes, using his TfL knowledge to negotiate London, while Mike found a five-bedroom farmhouse in rural Rudgwick for the suspiciously reasonable price of £200 all in. This gave us 57 miles on Day 1 and 32 miles to Brighton on Day 2 (plus the option of more), which looked entirely manageable on a screen, indoors, fully-hydrated and while well-rested. We had not expected Heatwave 5 to join the ride, but hey ho, you  can’t let climate change spoil a good day out – although it made a decent attempt.

After the customary faffing at King’s Cross—because no club ride can begin until everyone has unpacked, repacked and questioned at least one life choice (but why this needs to wait until arrival at King’s Cross, rather than on the train there, is not totally clear), we started pedalling at about 10:30. Some had not ridden in central London for years and were a bit apprehensive about the first leg, but these fears turned out to be unfounded, with relatively slow-moving traffic and copious cycle lanes made it remarkably civilised. Thanks Matt and TfL. For a few miles, even the roadies might have approved.

After several compulsory tourist photo stops, we reached Richmond Park just after midday and, conscious that we would soon leave the reassuring world of smooth tarmac and regular refreshment stops, stopped at the café for lunch. This also gave Norman the opportunity to inspect his “Tailfin” saddlebag, which was drooping and bouncing off his mudguard like an unhappy spaniel. He was irritated enough to consider abandoning the ride and heading home. The group refused to allow what may have been a sensible decision and offered to redistribute his luggage. “Sherpa” Simon settled matters by strapping the entire bag to his rack, which made it look like he was transporting a pair of giant mating slugs.

From there, the route took us along glorious trails, including arrow-straight sections of disused railway line that were mercifully shaded, and some more technical stretches of flint-strewn climbs, descents and mud furrows hardened to concrete. Andrew demonstrated how these should be ridden while Simon demonstrated his customary alternative technique, involving an unplanned dismount and a bramble bush. Both approaches reached the bottom, although only one might appear in a coaching manual.

All went well until the Surrey Hills, where we managed to mislay Norman. Normally we would regroup at the next junction, but two details complicated matters: Norman was off-route on the road, while the rest of the group were on-route off-road, and therefore there was no common junction; mobile coverage had also apparently taken the afternoon off. Not wishing to leave him in a ditch – or, worse, enjoying a quiet pint without us – we searched for Norman and/or a mobile signal. When contact was finally restored, he had returned to the trail and was several miles ahead. We agreed to press on, with the expectation that we’d catch him later, a strategy based mainly on optimism.

Next came Newlands Common, where hundreds of residents had gathered to witness the eclipse. The Common was chaos: people everywhere, cars blocking the trail and our route apparently passing through a bramble bush. We pushed the bikes through. Simon then wisely checked his tyres for thorns and unwisely pulled one out, immediately converting a potential puncture into a confirmed one. No problem – we all carry spare tubes and proper tools, right, Simon? Unfortunately, Simon’s 1960s bicycle spanner proved no match for one of his 1960’s wheel nuts. After some head-scratching and a brief practical demonstration of technological stagnation, we patched the tube in situ and continued.

The delays had stretched our timetable considerably. It was after 19:00, with more than 20 miles still to go, so we stopped at a conveniently placed pub for food before every kitchen in Sussex closed. Norman, now five to ten miles ahead, agreed to check us in and then hole up in a pub until we joined him. He followed the plan perfectly, reaching the pub at 21:01 just in time to see the chef leaving. Meanwhile, the rest of us were having a ball riding off-road at night – it’s a total blast! But at about the time Norman’s stomach was cramping, Mike’s front light died, at which point it became less “gravel adventure” and more “team-building exercise with consequences”. Riding in formation, we finally reached the pub ten minutes after the bell for last orders had faded away. Thanks for taking one for the team, Norman. Three pints in, Norman then led us on a tour of an additional six miles to find our accommodation – it all looks different in the dark apparently …

Day 2 was almost disappointingly uneventful. Determined not to misplace any more riders, we stuck together and enjoyed more glorious trails. Those who were expected the route to rear upwards as we approached the infamous Ditchling Beacon were “disappointed” as Matt had navigated us well clear of it on a relatively flat trajectory. This was excellent route planning, although roadies may see avoiding Ditchling Beacon as a missed opportunity. We reached Brighton without incident and celebrated with fish & chips and a beer on the beach – the traditional recovery nutrition of champions.

Although Simon wanted to ride on, everyone else voted for the train home, proving democracy does work when sufficiently tired. This should have been the easy part. Instead, we stopped at London Bridge because of an overhead-line problem between St Pancras and Bedford and the resulting congestion on the train network. There we remained for more than an hour, contemplating that rare cycling phenomenon: being delayed while completely stationary. Eventually the train continued to Stevenage, where we changed for the final leg home.

All in all it was a fantastic trip: glorious trails, mechanical improvisation, one temporarily missing rider, one bramble-assisted dismount and several missed beer opportunities. We vowed to do it again soon – once the scratches had healed and the roadies had stopped asking why we did not simply use roads.

Land’s End to John o’Groats

We’re only here once and I love challenges which stretch, challenge and are going to give great memories. This trip had been in the pipeline since 2017 since I retired. But who to do it with, my brother Andy (the younger handsome one) retired in Apr 25, we’d talked about it for years. On a cold, dark, snowy Jan evening in Durham over a couple of beers we booked it the night before a Newcastle v AFCB FA Cup match. This was with Peak Tours and highly recommended, advantages, 2 vans, 3 support staff, cases taken from hotel to hotel, a brew, cake. Now we were committed. Next training, luckily, I managed to train all winter; Andy not so much, he hates the cold, wet days during winter. We embarked on training on hillier course on Tuesdays together over a mix of the South Downs, Chilterns, IoW and even went to Oundle. I continued my Audaxes and all of a sudden Andy was fitter than me on the hills and my only chance was to get him on the flat. We looked at the courses, hilly, hmm, well surely there will be some flat days.

Tina convinced me to use Garmin LiveTrack. I was dubious at first but agreed to try it. It worked very well in the main (on one day an issue), and I received loads of messages whilst riding that I could read, they helped a lot and I was grateful for them.

Statistics

I love a good stat, and to me this one is mouthwatering. I did my Jun target of climb by the 4th. I was cycling close to 500 miles a week and was top mileage one week (but Gary Adnitt was cycling across Africa!). We did exchange a message. Beer drunk not known, food eaten lots, weight lost 0lbs, lost 3lbs 7 days after the event!

Day Route Date Time Distance Elevation
1 Land’s End to Fowey 31 May 5:13:44 64.78 miles 5,325 ft
2 Fowey to Moretonhampstead 1 Jun 6:27:03 63.79 miles 5,774 ft
3 Moretonhampstead to Street 2 Jun 6:11:37 73.97 miles 5,325 ft
4 Street to Monmouth 3 Jun 6:24:07 67.50 miles 5,128 ft
5 Monmouth to Bishops Castle 4 Jun 6:01:27 65.30 miles 4,800 ft
6 Bishops Castle to Runcorn 5 Jun 5:53:28 74.18 miles 4,127 ft
7 Runcorn to Lancaster 6 Jun 6:52:42 74.59 miles 5,266 ft
8 Lancaster to Penrith 7 Jun 5:21:45 60.31 miles 5,240 ft
9 Penrith to Moffat 8 Jun 5:45:49 73.11 miles 3,579 ft
10 Moffat to Kinross 9 Jun 7:24:56 84.57 miles 4,373 ft
11 Kinross to Ballater 10 Jun 7:19:28 82.90 miles 5,213 ft
12 Ballater to Inverness 11 Jun 6:57:01 75.01 miles 5,525 ft
13 Inverness to The Crask 12 Jun 5:43:48 68.70 miles 3,507 ft
14 The Crask to John O’Groats 13 Jun 6:31:30 81.95 miles 4,203 ft
Total 88:08:25 1,010.66 miles 67,385 ft

Prior to the start

In the run-up to the event, I had my Moda serviced by Sigma Sports in Letchworth, they did a great job. Monty had put new tyres on my bike before then. The only issue is I needed new head bearings and didn’t get the bike to Peak Tours till the Fri, I met them at the Services SW of Bristol. Not ideal but I had a bike. I was taking the train to Penzance and Mike took me to the train station, I had chosen to take 7 lots of everything for cycling. Upon reflection, I got it right except I could have done with a bit more wet weather kit, but it stayed warm. Got to Penzance, Andy was late (British Rail delays). I checked in. Went to the briefing, picked up the Peak Tours Top (Andy had given me a top for his charity already) and we had our meal. Large group of 24 but we knew we were cycling at our own pace. Early to bed and we had a breakfast and a cycle to Lands End from St Just. All good, lovely day for a ride.

Day 1 Land’s End to Fowey, 64.78 miles

After seeing Lands’ End (done it before it’s trashy) we assembled at the start for the off, mandatory group photo, quite a large group with one person opting not to ride today. Not a bad start to the course and we went quickly to Marazion for the first coffee stop at 13 miles, bit soon but all good. Off again, got a bit lumpier and it was sunnier, still had my gilet on. Got to lunch at Perranwell, nice buffet lunch, not too hungry but ate it all. Course got lumpier again and we rode through places we’ve walked on the SWCP. This was now approaching 5,000 feet of climb; Andy was waiting for me at the top of climbs. Finished and we were at the Galleon Inn in Fowey, great place. Felt OK and hopefully day 2 which is tougher will be OK.

Day 2 Fowey to Moretonhampstead, 63.79 miles

LeJog day 2 from Fowey to Moretonhampstead. We were told it would be a wet, warm one but we live in hope. We had the briefing at the ferry and crossed and straight up a hill, then another and finally another so by 7 miles, 1,000 foot was climbed. I was at the back but not being swept up! If flattened out a bit and I made up speed and places, through some of my favourite places, Polperro and Looe. Then first brew stop at Seaton, we had some drizzle but mainly dry. Next onto Plymouth for lunch, lots of undulating climbs and entering Plymouth was a bit of a toil, lovely cafe though I had a tuna baguette, pre-ordered, then had chips envy and a cup of tea. Andy and I didn’t want to hang around. We then left Plymouth on the coast, hard work and the rain came down, and got harder and mistier the more we rode. We had a lovely 4 mile 2% climb that I could time trial on and as a result we caught 5 of the faster riders. We then stayed together till Yelverton. Leaving there Andy and I were in front as the others took comfort breaks. There was a 2-mile climb and first Andy then the other 5 came past me. Then we got to the next Brew Stop, hot tea and snacks, we all huddled together. Then we were off to the finish, hilly at first then we had lots of ups and downs and in places you could get some speed up. I was closing in on 10mph, lol. We got there wet through and got into our room and had a hot shower. Hungry!

Day 3 Moretonhampstead to Street, 73.97 miles

LeJog day 3 Moretonhampstead to Street. The phrase eat, sleep, cycle is now very apt. Slept for almost 7 hours, alarm set, packed, dressed, breakfast, Garmin tracker and off, phew. Meant to rain but we only had a short sharp shower after Exeter and the first brew stop. To be fair the ride to Exeter was tough, 2 big climbs then a lovely downhill section. Average speed was going to be higher and I was hoping for the afternoon to be quick. The Broadhembury hill was tough, it got to 23% and for the first time this ride I got off for 2 short walks, found out afterwards most people had one walk, was that lactic and it really was tough. I think the Norwegian brothers didn’t stop as they were 8 minutes faster than Andy and I. Off towards lunch but we had a diversion but the crew told us what to do (3 rights) we did it with a lady called Ann and we were on our own. We had a 10k stretch where I could TT and I left Andy and Ann behind I waited up for them. We then got to the Your Inn pub for a buffet, very nice, about 8 out of the group were there with the Norwegians just leaving. Lovely buffet, we had a beer (Andy) and a shandy (me) and were off before we got cafe legs. What seemed an easy start was up a hill for 2 miles, not hard. Then up and down for a long time. Some of the downhills were extensive as we were losing some 900 feet of climb but it was tiny lanes and lots of gravel on the roads. Got to North Curry for the 2nd brew and had a good chat with Mark. then off and at last we were getting speed up, over the Somerset Levels. About 5 miles from the end, we went down a drover’s road and hit 2 miles of gravel, tough and I think I pinged the paintwork. Last hill then downhill to Street and got the average up by 2mph over yesterday. Time for shower, unpack, clean bike, charge Di2 and eat. Great event.

Day 4 Street to Monmouth, 67.50 miles

LeJog Day 4 Street to Monmouth, woke up with heavy legs and only had poached eggs on toast. That was a mistake. Started out in the drizzle, and was faffing and we were off last! Down into Glastonbury, my third time riding through there since last Aug. Out onto the Somerset levels and up onto a climb, we had caught Rich. First climb was hard work; my legs were sore (DOMS). Down into Wells on the Strawberry Line. We had a good look at the Cathedral and then went up a tough 2-mile climb, I cycled it all but did not enjoy it. Then off again, pace was now a bit higher and we caught up another group of 5 and we rode into Chew Valley for our first brew. I was very hungry and ate a lot, I was only just getting into the ride. Now off towards Bristol and we had quite a bit of undulation. We came to the Clifton Suspension Bridge; we had to walk over (I’m sure I rode it last year) it was bucketing down. Next a climb and we were soon out of Bristol. I managed to get some speed up to the lunch stop, the Fox Inn at Easter Compton, again ate a lot, lovely. We then had a flattish ride to the Severn Bridge; the wind was up. We arrived after the other 5, they were talking so we rode over. It was windy and we had to take care, but we did it. Next a long climb to get out of Chepstow. Up and down again to Tintern Abbey and we caught another group of 5. Eat and drink then up another hill, over 2 miles but far more manageable, took 32 mins to get up it. Then mainly a long downhill for 6 miles. I was in my element and overtook the 5 in front again. Then on the edge of Monmouth took a wrong turn, this was where Andy got ahead of me. Good ride, must eat more before the ride, sore shoulders. Day 5 should be interesting.

Day 5 Monmouth to Bishops Castle, 65.30 miles

LeJog day 5 Monmouth to Bishops Castle. It was pouring down whilst we prepped bikes and got cases and day bags to the vans. The start was uphill again, drizzle by this stage, I felt OK and got up and met Andy and off we went. We had to get to 17 miles for the first brew. The first bit was a 9 mile stretch which included a photo of the LeJog sign, interesting. Andy struggled up the next hill and I rode past him, unusual for him, we had our first stop then we were shown a better way into Hereford (where I did RAF trade training and the Sgts course in the 70s/80s). At Sainsburys one of our riders Richard was met by loads of friends and employees (he works there) donuts all round, quite touching. Then off again, I was going well, waited up for Andy and the next hill I was suffering, not steep. Going to be a long day. Andy by now was doing OK. We got to the New Inn in Pembridge for a buffet lunch, not bad. Then off again on a flatter section, I had picked up but felt tired. Next came 3 climbs and I was so slow going up them. We then got to the brew stop and I stuffed my face. Off again, undulating, we got to the junction to Clun where the first group were stopping. I suffered along here, Andy waited up for me on a stretch where he’d normally be following me. As I got there, he set off thinking I was with him. I wasn’t I was done in. I took a couple of minutes and caught up with him in Clun, I explained my issue, he hadn’t realised. I took a gel, sat down and off we went for the last 6 miles, one big climb and I was OK (it’s in all in the head). After that I hung on his wheel. Then we got to Banks House, a lovely big B&B and a great welcome, tea and cake. Shower, early meal and try and get an earlier night. Flatter tomorrow and a night in Runcorn!

Day 6 Bishops Castle to Runcorn, 74.18 miles

Day 6 of LeJog, in a routine now, after yesterday’s bonk I ensured I ate a lot, plus less climb (not a lot). We were due off at 9,15 but Andy couldn’t find his phone, 20 mins later it was in his case in his shorts, ah well. We were a good 15 mins behind the others. Off we went not too bad, bit of a climb. A nice stretch followed undulations and some great downhills. We got to the Brew Point and Mark said we weren’t too far behind the others (I think he says that to all the riders). Into Shrewsbury, lots of meandering and the pace lowered as a result. Then off to lunch, this was lovely roads and we were soon at the pub, 6 were there and we learnt 2 were behind and another 3 had been seeing friends. We’d caught up well. Sandwiches, chips and cake plus an orange juice and lemonade, lovely. Off again, into Wales, Rich and Wendy (Peak Tours) were with us and the roads were rough. Andy kept going off course on his borrowed Garmin. There was a 1Km hill before the 2nd brew and Wendy (her day as sweeper) chatted to me. Lovely guides on this trip (3 of them). Had a tea and nibbles. Andy had a 5pm massage appt so went off ahead off me. I was next and the other 5 weren’t far behind, Rich (from Phoenix) left last with Wendy. I was going OK but with 10 miles to go but the last 3 miles were tough. On the first hill, 3 of the 5 came past me, then regrouped and I carried on past them, never to see them again. Up to now I’d seen Andy in the distance but with the hills no chance. Came to a busy junction took a while to filter out and then it was the last climb to the Holiday Inn. Great day, felt great, my average was close to 13mph before the last 3 hills. Maybe I can do this.

Day 7 Runcorn to Lancaster, 74.59 miles

LeJog Day 7 – Runcorn to Lancaster Uni. Raining at the start we left about 9.10 and coped with the busy roads until the course took us to some cycleways, old railway lines and canal towpaths. We were going out quite quick, again last off but we caught 6 riders then another 5 riders and were suddenly in the top half of the field. The guys had plotted a good route through the conurbations but still a bit slow going. First brew stop at 18 miles after seeing one of the guy’s friends and family out to cheer him (and us) on. Off again now we were into the lumpy bits, over 2 miles up Rivington Hill, I stopped for a comfort break after a few hundred yards and took a photo near the top. After that a long downhill and we were soon at lunch. Ate a lot again. After this I was a bit tired and at the next hill I took a break and ate a banana on a bench near the top of the hill. I was now last of the riders. Took a gel after that and that worked (or was it in my head) and soon got to the 2nd brew. I did sit here, tea and snacks. Only 15 miles to the finish, set off and after about 2 miles another 2-mile climb. Took it steady, at the back with Andy and Mike (the sweeper). Long downhill and I loved this, overtook another 5 riders who were taking it easier. Soon got to near Lancaster, we had our last hill and got to the rooms at the Uni. Half way, tomorrow is 60 miles.

Day 8 Lancaster to Penrith, 60.31 miles

Day 8 (sorry what day is it) Sunday of LeJog, this bubble is so confusing on what day, date, where am I. Seriously, breakfast at Lancaster Uni, much like a Wetherspoons, OK but you couldn’t complain. Briefing at 9am and we were away about 9.10. Up a hill (13 today!), meant to be 4 over 1.5 miles. I felt great and so did Andy. Strong South-Westerly and soon got into a rhythm. Went through a pretty village, over a bridge up a big climb. Then a lovely long sweeping downhill and I was flying. Quick stop then another 6 came in before we left. Then climb up to a ridge overlooking the M6 and the railway line. On our back road there was a lot of traffic. The downhill to Tebay Truck Services was fast and at stages we were catching traffic. Almost overshot the services, Mick was driving after us and called us back. Lots of people who were attending the Appleby Horsefair. Queued for lunch and the guy in front of me was very interested in what we were doing. Rich joined us and when we’d all finished, we left together. After about 2 miles we had another 1.5mile climb, I managed to climb all 13 hills today without stopping, must be OK. Second brew and just before that I saw a Red Squirrel. On the way down a hill a sheep wandered into the road and I had to swerve to miss it much to the amusement of Andy and Rich. Short stop, coke zero, cashews and liquorice allsorts. Only just over 10 miles to go and we went off at a good pace; I sat on Andy’s wheel as his Garmin was dying. Just before Penrith we had a bit of off-road to get into the town. Got to the George, found Wendy put our bikes away and checked in. Great days ride. Easier one tomorrow, let’s see.

Day 9 Penrith to Moffat, 73.11 miles

LeJog Day 9 Penrith to Moffat. A shortened update as I am writing this 2 days later due to Wi-Fi issues in Moffat and Kinross!! This was not as hilly a ride and if the wind was kind a potential easy day. We were quite quick to and after Carlisle on a nice day with what felt like a South-Westerly. Andy and I rode together from after Carlisle to Gretna where we rode into Scotland and had the obligatory photo. Nice lunch and we had caught up with the pack. Then we went West, what a bugger a headwind for over 6 miles, tough. Then some back lanes to Moffat, 2nd brew stop seemed a long way but luckily, we got into Moffat quite early and checked into our hotel, we shared a room with the Norwegian brothers.

Day 10 Moffat to Kinross, 84.57 miles

LeJog Day 10 Moffat to Kinross. a 6 mile climb out of Moffat up the Devils Beeftub, a top 200 climb. I was last but went OK. Mike came past me and waited up the top. Then we started overtaking others and we went through the Pentland Hills on rough roads. Got to the Brew Stop and felt OK. Lunch in Penicuik was nice. Then off to Edinburgh which we rode on a mix of old train/tram tracks, cycleways and roads. I picked up a puncture not long after getting into the suburbs. Tried to clean it off and inflated the rear. All OK so we continued, Edinburgh Castle, then the North side of Edinburgh and finally the crossing off the Forth Road Bridge, nice views. We got to the other side and it started raining. The last 20 miles it got heavier, and heavier and in the last 2 miles it hailed. Arrived wet, cold and glad to get a hot shower. Shower was tepid, Wi-Fi intermittent and food was average. Heh ho.

Day 11 Kinross to Ballater, 82.90 miles

LeJog Day 11 Kinross to Ballater. Early start, had breakfast, rechecked tyre, just put air in and charged my Di2 from 50% to 70% should be enough. Hilly start and it was undulating to Perth and then undulating to Blairgowrie then lumpy to lunch at the Glenshee cafe (lovely lunch). I was tired, so tired and tearful and we still had Glenshee Ski Climb to get over, the highest paved road in Britain, I had to stop 4 times to stretch but didn’t walk as such. Got there with some still behind, a lot of tired legs today. Then 6 miles downhill to 2nd Brew Stop. After that we had another 10 miles downhill, going through Braemar and then onto Balmoral. Nice finish to the day. Now on a back road to Ballater, last 2 miles it started pouring down but we were lucky. Almost there and felt a lot better after the Glenshee climb.

Day 12 Ballater to Inverness, 75.01 miles

LeJog Day 12 Ballater to Inverness. Pretty tired at breakfast but made sure I ate plenty. Rechecked tyres, rear down so inflated again. Off, a lot of climb to the Lecht, lots of ups and downs as well. Tough start to 18 miles. First tough climb I had to stop twice to stretch, Andy went ahead as he didn’t want to stop before the Lecht, fair play. I was with Rich the Rocker and Mike the guide arrived. Got going up this steep hill. Bit of switchbacks, legs did get going and then got to the Lecht (second highest paved road in the UK at 2,090 feet). I started out with good intention but after 50 metres, unclipped (nearly falling off) and walked the 20% bit to about 600 metres. Still just under 2 miles to go, luckily all between 7 and 11% and I cycled the whole way up. Got to the top in the drizzle and it was about 7c, glad I had bib tights on. Hot drink, ate, talked to Andy (his brakes were being sorted). Then downhill for miles and miles. Down in the valley it was warmer. We had a 3-mile climb and at the start I had no legs so walked a short stretch by a cafe, after that I was fine. Got to the top and downhill on the whole to Granton-on-Spey for lunch. It was OK. Then out NW and we had a tailwind for miles, such fun. Then we went on a gravely road for about 5 miles that was sketchy. Saw Wendy at the brew stop. Only 18 miles to go, it was undulating for the first 12 miles. Saw a viaduct and the Battle of Culloden site. Then a lovely slight downhill for almost 3 miles, I was flying. Coming into Inverness was slow due to the traffic and navigating cycle-ways. Got to the Hotel about 5.40pm, earlier than we thought. Tired, happy and 2 days to go.

Day 13 Inverness to The Crask, 68.70 miles

LeJog Day 13 (penultimate day) Inverness to Crask Inn, 68 miles, shorter day. We left about 9am on a shorter day, I turned on LiveTrack again and thought it was working (eventually in the afternoon it started working). Along the seashore near Beauly, I was going well and we then started heading North and the average picked up with a tailwind. We got to Dingwall and had our first hill, soon followed by the first Brew stop. Feeling good, off again towards lunch at Bonnar Bridge, sweeping and undulating roads. The cafe was a rural centre for the village. Soup and sandwiches with cake. Off again, boom, no legs, struggled till before Lairg, Andy and Rich (the guy from Phoenix) coaxed me along. Took a gel, helped a bit and got into Lairg for the 2nd brew stop. Felt a bit better, only 12 miles and we were now on a single-track road with camper vans, other cyclists, cars and motor cyclists. Started drizzling and after one more hill (only 5 today) we made it to the Crask Inn, phew.

Day 14 The Crask to John O’Groats, 81.95 miles

LeJog Day 14 Crask Inn to John O’Groats, last day, wow, who’d believe I was capable of this. We were in the slower group and started at just after 8.15am in the drizzle (dreich) day, a strong westerly would be our friend. The fast group would start at about 9am. So off we went, any tiredness was gone, any muscle fatigue was alleviated (heh I’m writing this 24 hours later and have rose-tinted glasses on). We flew to Brew Stop 1 at 33 miles, lots of sheep and lambs and in the main downhill but got there ahead of the single-track fast guys, the first 2 arrived just as we were leaving. Felt OK, but now we had climb 2 to 8 before half-way. Lunch was at a small town called Melvich and was delicious, crumble again. After lunch the last 3 hills, not long or tough but for me slow. Loads of encouragement from the fasties (3 under 30) and Andy was pacing me. He’s had a great ride with one poor day, where I had 3 poor days, now he’s retired I won’t catch him! A long 12km stretch slightly uphill and it rained and got blowy, we were warned at lunch that the last 12 miles may be cancelled, nooo!!. Mick caught me, I was DFL, no worries, Mick always rode with a smile and encouraged you, a former pro, who loves cycling, Audaxes and a beer. Then coming into Thurso the rain stopped, this funny yellow thing appeared and all was well in the world. We suddenly saw other cyclists doing LeJog, all routes converging onto this one. Rich from Phoenix was riding with us, such an eccentric and not your typical stereotype, sensible, loves his food and beer. Second brew stop Dunnet Head, 14 miles to go, aching crotch but a tea, cake(s) and it’s over, the downhill helped. The last 6 were 10 mins behind us. Off we went, tried to TT it but held onto Andy’s and Rich’s wheel. At the hotel, waited for the slow group then rolled into the finish. Lots of hugs, tears (yep, I was so emotional) and pictures taken. Back to the hotel after a drink of Carver, team meal, chats, bed, up at 5.15 am for the bus to Inverness. What a journey and fantastic to share it with Andy my brother. We helped each other, I had 3 bad parts of days whilst Andy only had 1. Now he’s retired I doubt I will catch him again. This has been a challenge in the planning for years and so glad we committed in Jan to pay to go. The Audax events, Tues training with Andy on hilly courses and our stubbornness not to give in helps a lot. Great company (Peak Tours) but also great guides, Mark (got me a new suitcase as well on day 1), Wendy’s encouragement and cheery, Mike sorted my loose headset and convinced me my puncture would hold (and it did) as the sealant would hold after Edinburgh and great company in the evenings. The whole 24 were great and they all wanted us all to finish. No egos just all completing a challenge. What next, PBP?

The end

Well just about, got the bus at 6.15am on Sun, off to Inverness then a 9-hour train trip to St Neots. Andy and I were sat in different carriages but after Edinburgh half the train got off. So, Andy joined me, we were both tired, kept eating “stuff” from the eating carriage. Mike met me at the end; I was tired and so glad he took me home.

My first solo century

I’d planned the route months ago, or rather Strava had planned it for me; however, the silly summer hot spell meant I was constantly putting off the ride, but finally temperatures were back to normal, so it was all systems go!

Pre-ride

I made sure I took my battery pack because ‘if it isn’t on Strava etc. etc. ‘ along with 2 x bananas, 3 x gels, and a quantity of energy powder destined for a mid-ride bottle refill (except my cunning foil wrap of powder idea turned out to be not so cunning after all when it later exploded over me and the bike). I also took the precaution of melting some lanolin for application to the necessary parts of my anatomy before I left home!

The ride out

I’d told myself to stick to 15mph but a few miles in I discovered that I seemed to have a ‘Cinderella sweet spot’ (not too hard; not too soft!) in terms of cadence so I settled into 82rpm and completely ignored speed. Although it was ostensibly side-wind all the way there was at times a smidgeon of headwind plus a few long hills for good measure. All went smoothly but around midday I dropped my original destination (Thurston, east of Bury St. Edmund’s) in favour of Barrow when my stomach sent me a message that it required food! So I ate in the splendid Weeping Willow after securing a small bank loan.

The ride back

I left the Weeping Willow feeling pretty strong and was tempted to slip into my normal pace but a little voice in my head said ‘Don’t do that stupid sh*t John!’ so I didn’t. With the worst of the hills tackled in the morning and with almost no adverse wind I was soon able to relax in the (fairly) certain knowledge that barring some unforeseen disaster I would actually make it home. Having instructed my Garmin to follow the same route back it didn’t so it was a shock when the Newmarket Stallion statue on the Stetchworth Toll roundabout sprang into view which meant a speedy and unexpected run down the A1303 towards Bottisham.

Observations

  • A bit annoyed I hadn’t stuck to Plan A as on getting home it was clear that the original 120 miles would have been well within my capabilities.
  • A route that takes you through the centre of Cambridge requires maximum concentration (checks notes: TOURIST SEASON!)
  • The cadence thing was a minor revelation as it provided an excellent discipline for not getting out of your zone.
  • I averaged 83rpm and 16 mph so a tad quicker than my expectations.
  • 75 miles in, I found myself whizzing past another old boy up the long climb from Fulbourn to the Babraham P&R, which gave me immense satisfaction!

A cycling obsession: Veloviewer tiles

It wasn’t the coloured squares that got me. It was the blank ones.

Looking at my map on Veloviewer for the first time, what struck me wasn’t how much of the local area I’d covered on the bike over the years, but the patches I hadn’t: the top of Loves Farm, Great Paxton, places a few minutes from my own front door that I’d simply never had reason to ride through. That gap between what I assumed I knew and what the map actually showed is, I think, where this whole thing started.

Veloviewer is a website that takes your activity data from Strava and turns it into detailed analytics, charts and diagrams. The part that hooked me is the map overlay: a grid of squares laid across everywhere you’ve ever ridden, walked, run or paddled (Strava counts all of it, hence “activity” rather than “ride” – running included, God forbid). Cross into a square with your GPS track and you’ve “collected” it. Each tile is roughly a mile across, though the GIS nerds among you will already be muttering that they can’t be true squares, and that they shrink the further north you go. True enough. I’ll leave that rabbit hole for you to fall down if you fancy it.

I came across the site at the start of Covid, when it only showed your last 100 rides. I liked the look of it enough to pay the £10 annual subscription, which unlocks your entire Strava history and three main scores: total tiles visited, the biggest square of connected tiles, and the biggest cluster of connected tiles.

Collecting began properly on 15th April 2020. My starting numbers: 3,718 tiles, a max square of 7 x 7 around Bedford, and a max cluster of 404. A month and 16 rides later, I was at 3,780 tiles, a 17 x 17 square and a cluster of 685, and by then I was hooked. Most of those early miles were done on my GT Grade with 35mm tyres, because so many of the local tiles I needed sat up bridleways rather than roads. That’s the strange trade at the heart of tile collecting: you end up riding roads and tracks you’d never otherwise bother with, plenty of which you’ll never ride again once the tile is banked. At first I focused on growing the square, then on filling the gaps between old routes. As the rides got longer and lockdowns came and went, that filling-in spread out to North Norfolk and East Suffolk.

So what makes it so addictive? Partly timing: during Covid, tile hunting gave me something to chase when we were all confined close to home. Partly temperament: I love maps, and planning a route to sweep up every possible tile without missing one, and then riding 60-odd miles only to find you’ve missed one anyway, is a very particular kind of frustration I apparently enjoy inflicting on myself. Partly just human nature: I suspect everyone is a collector of something, and a set of virtual squares covering the world is a fairly harmless outlet for it. And partly competition. Veloviewer runs leaderboards, and once I’d set my sights on the world top 250 for max square, and later did the same for max cluster, there was no pretending this was just a mild interest any more.

There’s a simpler pleasure in it too: riding roads and tracks you’d never otherwise have a reason to explore. Rutland, North Norfolk, the bridleways around Hitchin, stretches that follow the line of old Roman roads. All genuine highlights. I’m less sentimental about certain corners of Corby, Peterborough and Northampton, and I can’t say I’m sorry those particular tiles are already ticked off.

The obsessive streak shows itself in odd ways. A single tile stranded in the middle of an otherwise solid cluster can needle me for weeks, and yes, I have ridden eighty miles to mop up one lonely square. The last couple of years have mostly been about growing that cluster rather than the square. As I write this, I’m sitting on 8,152 tiles, a max square of 55 x 55 (168th on the world leaderboard) and a max cluster of 5,001 (250th).

This year’s targets: push the square to 57 x 57, and hang on to a top-250 place for the cluster.

If you decide to give tile collecting a go yourself, I take no responsibility for any addiction or injuries that follow.

Further reading, if you want to go down the same hole I did:

A few practical notes

Some tiles are simply unreachable – airbases and the like.

For context, the current leaderboard leaders sit at: 92,721 total tiles, a max square of 174 x 174, and a max cluster of 46,436. Plenty of road left for anyone starting.

Two tools worth knowing about: the Veloviewer extension for Strava, which overlays your tiles onto the Strava route builder for planning; and Explorer Helper, a phone app that’s excellent for checking on the road whether you’ve actually made it into a tile.

Dragon Ride 2026

The Dragon Ride is one of the toughest cycling sportives in the UK, and the seed for doing this was sown in 2025, when Adam Williams completed the Dragon Devil (299km, 4500m climbing). After some persuasion, I agreed to do the 222 km Grand Fondo ride with 3,500 m of climbing. The training for this started in earnest in March 2026, and with the support of the St. Neots Cycling Club (SNCC), family and hours of virtual climbing on Zwift, I was as ready as I could be.

On the day, SNCC had 9 riders at the event, with 4 of us starting the Grand Fondo and the rest doing the Medio route. Unfortunately, Adam had a nasty crash 4 weeks before and had to withdraw from the event, but it was a pleasure to share the ride with Richard Slade, Dom Chapman and Jessica Stock. Now to the ride.

The day was probably like no other day in Wales! Sunny, no wind and 20 degrees. Perfect for cycling. The climbing was relentless, and the descending was exhilarating. I loved it. The views were spectacular in Wales, and the organisers delivered a perfect event. The four stops along the way were all needed to refuel and take on water, and the salted potatoes were as good as their reputation.

After 80 km and before the second feed station, the organisers had put a very tricky and steep timed climb – The devil’s elbow. It took me 8m 54s to climb: 687 out of 3175. At 62 years of age, I was pretty pleased with that and also the quickest of the SNCC riders on the day!

Jessica was quick up the first climbs and soon left us, but we all tried to stay together for as long as possible, meeting up at feed stations. Jessica was not feeling great after the 2nd feed station and decided to switch to the Medio route, and thinking we might miss the cut off (we had 1 hour to spare!) for the Grand Fondo, Dom and I pushed on together. It wasn’t until the final decent did I went solo, feeling remarkably strong and able to push hard to the finish.

Overall, my fuelling and hydration strategy was spot on, and I managed to average 24km/h for the whole ride. The ride took me 11 hours and 27 minutes, and my ride time was 9 hours and 17 minutes.

The Dragon Ride is hard, even on a perfect day, and Ash and Ebony did so well to make it to the second feed station, and I am sure they will be back again to try and tame the dragon.

To close, when I crossed the line, I felt a mix of emotions, because:

  • I had achieved/exceeded my goals
  • I had shared the day with some amazing friends.
  • I had finished without the person who inspired me to do it,
  • and my training had got me through all 222km and enabled me to enjoy every single kilometre.

Channel to Mediterranean with Peak Tours

This was my third trip with Peak Tours, having previously done LEJOG (2023) and Munich to Rome (2025), so I knew what to expect. Riders have to make their own way to the start of the tour in the French Channel port of Ouistreham, and along with several others, I caught the Brittany Ferry from Portsmouth the day before. We had 24 riders in the group, mostly British (3 Welshmen), but we were joined by 6 Canadians from British Columbia and a rider from Hong Kong.  The demographics: age range 37 – 71, 19 males and 5 females, including 1 married couple. Most of the Brits came as individuals but a group of 4 came from the same cycling club in Somerset. I knew one of the riders from both my previous tours. The majority of us were retired (including 3 retired GPs), but of those still working, we had an estate agent, an airline pilot and flight attendant, an environmental scientist, a surgeon, a hospital administrator and a couple of IT developers. As we were to find over the next two weeks, it was a great group of people.

While the majority of the riders preferred to use their own bikes (and there were some really nice bikes!) and arrange transport with Peak Tours, I again chose to hire one of their Cannondale Synapse bikes fitted with MTB pedals for my Shimano shoes with recessed SPD cleats. After minor tweaks to the saddle and reach, I had no problems with the bike during the tour.  A couple of riders had minor mechanical issues, but these were quickly dealt with by the guides. Batteries on electronic shifters seemed to be a recurring issue, and I thought most of the punctures happened to those with tubeless tyres.

We had 3 guides: French tour leader Isabell (on her 38th tour!) who oversaw all of the brew stops/lunches and Jon and Geraint (on his first tour), who took turns to either ride with us, assist at brew stops and/or transport luggage. If you haven’t used Peak Tours before, there’s a daily briefing after breakfast giving details of each day, which is broken into 4 sessions, separated by a morning brew stop, lunch and an afternoon brew stop.  Daily distances on this tour ranged between 129km (Day 2) and 83km (Day 14 into Nice), depending on terrain and climbs but mainly based around getting suitable accommodation (which I thought was excellent).

The route across France takes in 5 of the 13 continental regions; starting in Normandy, through Pays de la Loire, Centre-Val de Loire, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and ending in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. Peak Tours have planned a great route on quiet country roads and cycle paths; and “les routes” in France are simply wonderful for cycling and put our pot-holed, congested roads to shame. Every day was different and as we criss-crossed the country, you can see/feel the gradual change in topography, scenery, agriculture, architecture, etc. The most noticeable change was on Day 9 between Mende to Grospierres when we crossed the “ligne de partage des eaux” between “Atlantique” and “Mediterranee”.  This was probably one of my most enjoyable days not least because we had two wonderful long (15+ km), fast (55kph) descents on smooth roads with no traffic in glorious sunshine (32°C) winding through forest – racing line on every curve/hairpin, you couldn’t help smiling. We were so lucky with the weather and got drenched only once on Day 2 (the longest day between Bagnoles and La Flèche). The temperature also increased steadily as we moved South and East, from 14°C on Day 2 to a blistering 38°C on Day 12.

At 1400km (averaging 100km a day) the tour is pretty tough and has one of Peak Tours’ highest gradings. However, the beauty of the 14-day tour and the format is that you can ride at your own pace, depending on how you feel on the day.  There is always someone you can ride with if you want to, lose chain gangs, challenge the hills with.  You end up cycling/chatting with everyone at some point. The support rider is always there following at the rear.  We took in several Tour de France climbs, including two in and out of the ski resort at Le Mont Dore and the “Giant of Provence” Ventoux, which we had the option of doing on Day 11 via the Northwest route starting from Malaucène.  I found the next day from Sault to Les Salles sur Verdon the hardest of the tour; it was a long day at 126km, my legs were tired from Ventoux and the temperature got up to 38°C.  The scenery at the end of the tour is spectacular, you ride the length of the Gorges de l’Ardèche, passing the iconic Pont d’Arc, and on Day 13 climb up from Lac de Sainte-Croix into the Gorge du Verdon (1400m).

On Day 14 we cycled the final 83km of the tour, starting by climbing the Col de Luens (1054m) out of Castellane, followed by a wonderful descent the length of the Gorges du Loup into Nice and onto cycle paths to the beach where everyone had a beer and swim in the Mediterranean.  Best tour yet!

PS – I’m now looking to book my next tour in 2027, so if anyone has any suggestions do get in touch

A weekend in the Dales

The Club’s annual trip to the Yorkshire Dales is a highlight for many club members and rightly so. It’s a wonderful place to ride a bike with fabulous scenery, challenging hills and decent road surfaces.  The Dales Bike Centre (DBC) in Grinton provides a warm Yorkshire welcome, ably supported by the Bridge Inn a short stroll down the road where we re-fuel and re-hydrate each evening.  What’s not to like?

This year’s cohort totalled 7 Dales “regulars” plus Richard, making his first visit.  Levels of preparation and fitness varied.  At one end of the spectrum, Adam had only ventured out on his bike 5 times this year prior to the trip and Tom was still working off his sea legs after wintering in New Zealand.  At the other end of the spectrum, Justin was stunning us all with regular epic feats in preparation for his Pan Celtic Race later in the year.  The rest of us were somewhere in between.  The weather forecast was for rain, but that wasn’t about to stop us.  As Alfred Wainwright said, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing”, so we’d all packed rain gear.

Friday’s leg loosener involved the customary pilgrimage up to the Tan Hill Inn, Britain’s highest pub.  You may recall the Inn being on the news in Jan 2025 when the clientele were snowed in for five days – not a bad place to be stranded for a few days!  The Tan Hill ascent is one of the gentler climbs in the Dales, but it’s not without challenges: namely a couple of double-digit sections to get the legs pumping.  Having all reached the Inn intact, pints were quickly drained in eager anticipation of the epic descent back into the Grinton valley, where speeds are only limited by bravado and the antics of meandering sheep!  There was only one squeaky bum moment on the descent, with Simon and Stephen trying to negotiate a fast S-bend, with some gravel and an oncoming van thrown in to add to the excitement.  Fortunately, both had packed spare bibshorts.  Nearing the bottom of the descent, there is an option to climb the mighty Stang, with only Justin taking the challenge.  Simon said he was going to but “missed the turning”.  Don’t worry Simon, there’ll be another chance to climb it tomorrow.

Saturday morning turned out just as forecast – wet, wet, wet – so the consensus was to do a shorter route than planned which packed in several classic climbs: Tan Hill (the other way round from Friday’s ride), Buttertubs Pass and Fleet Moss with Grinton Moor thrown in as a finale, over 6,000 ft of ascent all told.  Having thrown down the gauntlet with this challenging route, Adam declared that his fitness wasn’t up to such an arduous route and that he was going walking instead – thanks mate!  A few miles into the ride and Simon, on the front, came to the Stang turning but surprised us all by riding straight past – keeping his powder dry for later, perhaps?  By the time we got to the Tan Hill Inn (no pint today), the rain was pretty steady and so everyone donned their rain gear.  It stayed wet until we reached Hawes where a bikers’ café provided a welcome respite from the elements.  Leaving Hawes, Buttertubs Pass and Fleet Moss were tackled in fairly quick succession, both with ramps over 20% to focus the mind.  Any fuel left in the tank after that was soon drained over Grinton Moor, a long grind of a climb.

Sunday’s ride is normally a relatively gentle affair prior to the long drive home.  Adam, our route master extraordinaire, suggested a 30-mile loop to Leyburn which met everyone’s approval, bar Justin who declared that he was going to ride home – a mere 227 miles!!!  Needless to say, Justin took a little longer to get home than the rest of us, but what a great way to finish the weekend.

Whichever mode of transport was taken to get home, everyone agreed that it had been a cracking weekend and looked forward to doing it again next year.  The DBC now offers some additional accomodation options with 4 luxury glamping pods added last year.  Hopefully, these will entice a few more members to participate next year – it really is a great weekend.

(addition from Tina – we already have a number of the ‘femmes’ that are looking to sign up next year, i’m sure we’ll take full advantage of those glamping pods)

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