Willesden Cycling Club

The “Old Roads and Drove Roads” Audax offers a rare chance to ride through the closed village of Imber.  In November 1943, the Imber residents were summoned to a meeting and given 47 days notice to leave their homes, as the area would be used for live ammunition military exercises. Except for one or two open days a year, the village  definitely remains off-limits to us non-military types!

“Old Roads and Drove Roads” is a gnarly 210km Audax ride along flinty roads, populated by flocks of P*nct*r* fairies with big appetites. It is also a “scenic ride”, which is audax code for hilly – it has over 2,100m of climbing  To add to the suffering it was also raining on the day of the event. So step forward Marianne, who said “Phah! hold my beer” and jumped on her bike. This is her story……..

On 24th September Rob and I rode a 210k Audax called “Old Roads and Drove Roads”, which started in Sparsholt, a pretty little village near Wantage, Oxfordshire. The ride started at 07:30 and with our rain capes on, we all set off for the day in the pouring rain. On the positive side, it was warm.

Rob went from the gun, gliding up the hill and disappearing with other faster riders, while I rode at a more sedate speed to the first control. This was in a lovely village post Office, which oddly had several grave head stones outside! I nipped in and bought a Millionaires Shortbread, well, I had a lot of miles left to do, so no guilt in eating this delicious sweet treat. With the essential receipt to provide “Proof of passage” stowed in my purse, I set off with two other guys and headed to Control No. 2 at Pewsey.

 It was still raining at Pewsey and a further receipt was needed. So I dived into the café for a very welcome bacon roll and a cuppa. Several other riders were already there and the puddles under their tables were enormous! We apologised to the café owners, who were very good about the flooding on the floor and I set off with Richard and Steve, who became my Audax buddies for the rest of the day.  

From Pewsey we set off across Salisbury Plain. Its unpaved, rutted paths were very hard work on the body and the concentration.  This was definitely terrain for a gravel/mountain bike, but despite the wet conditions I managed to get through unscathed on my road bike. As we entered the village of Imber, we had some respite from the rain.   Unfortunately the MOD had taped off the exit from Imber that we needed to take, so we decided to use the return route to get to the next control in Warminster, which was to mark  the halfway point.

On the way to Warminster we encountered more rough stuff, causing my bottle cage to crack and rattle. Rob came by in the opposite direction and it was good to know he was safe and still riding.  We got their just within the time-limit and the Audax Controller was just about to leave. I’m glad he didn’t, as by this time my bottle cage had completely broken and the Controller kindly took my bottle back to the HQ with him.

On our return journey to Sparsholt, the weather had improved. Steve had his third puncture and we still had more rough stuff to battle on The King Alfred’s Way. This was full of mini lakes that we had to negotiate. The terrain was very much like Vimy Ridge from WW1.  

Towards the end I was finding the last of the hills quite challenging but Richard and Steve kindly waited for me. We finally made it back to Sparsholt before it got dark.  Where we greeted with a friendly smile, a cuppa and vegetable curry followed by flapjack and ice cream.

All in all this is a nice ride, I enjoyed the challenge, but was pleased when it was all over. If I were to ride this again, I would use a more suitable bike for the rough terrain

Marianne

Chapeau Marianne. What a great ride and report.  Thanks for sharing your experiences with the rest of us.

Miles Back

 

Over the last weekend Willesden riders took part in Audax rides in two quite different parts of the country. The first report is from Sylvene, who rode the sell out “New Forest Onshore ” Audax, which started from Lymington on the south coast.  This was a very popular ride that explores the heart of the forest and quiet lanes on Cranborne Chase. There were also a few cattle grids to test your nerve, teeth fillings and your bike fittings! The second report is from Miles Back, who with Mrs Back, struck out for new roads and routes in Norfolk.

“New Forest Onshore ” 100km Audax – Sunday 1st September, 2024

Marianne, Paul and I rode the New Forest 100km Audax. There were many cattle grids and a couple of fords with water in them, but crossing was still possible.

It was a lovely time of year to ride through the New Forest as the leaves start to fall. There’s lots to see including the blankets of glorious purple heather; ponies and their foals along with some cattle. No pigs unfortunately – they’re not usually let loose until the Autumn to scoff on the fallen acorns.

The ride is lumpy on the way out to the lunch control stop at Cranborne Garden Centre Cafe at 54km. Of the 12 recorded hills, 10 of them come before this stop! The remaining two are almost straight afterwards. It’s then back to the Solent coast where a heavy mist had descended over the sea, almost covering the view of the isle of wight.

We were rewarded at the end of the ride with Chilli, rice pudding, peaches and cake.

What a great day!

Sylvene.

 

South Norfolk Loop – Brevet Populaire Audax – 31 August 24

Mr and Mrs Miles Back were too late to join their Willesden clubmates on the  “New Forest Onshore” audax, as it had completely sold out. So instead we opted to enter the South Norfolk Audax. This turned out to be a most serendipitous choice, it was an excellent ride through countryside that we have never explored before. This ride starts in the lovely village of Carbrooke, which is SW of Norwich and then heads over towards the East coast.

It was one of the flattest Audaxes we have done. It passed though scenic wooded lanes of the Breckland area of Thetford forest and plenty of attractive villages (with one called Eccles) and the wonderful market town of Harleston. The route was very enjoyable despite the block headwind coming in from the North Sea.

The excellent cafe stop at Chestnuts Camp was deep into the ride at some 82km from the tea and biscuits at the start HQ. This meant it was an hours ride back to the finish, with a tail wind to boot us us along.

Wherever we stopped our Willesden jerseys stirred friendly and charming curiosity from the locals. All wanted to know if we had ridden from Willesden. It surprised us that so many people seem to have heard of the place. Perhaps we need to organise a Harlesden, London to Harleston, Norfolk ride in the future….?

The real highlight of the trip was the impressive Wymondham Abbey, which we had time to look around. I learnt a new word – Reredorter, which is the word used to describe a monk’s toilet! I shall now be using this word on all my future rides.

The day was rounded off with fish and chips and a couple of pints – a belting day out!

Miles Back

 

 

The Wednesday “WoW” rides usually start from Windsor End in Beaconsfield. These rides are enjoyable and well supported, but every so often we like to vary the routes and start from somewhere different. What we fondly call a “WoW Awayday”!

Last Wednesday (21st Aug 24) was just such a day. Ten WoW riders met in the village of Ickwell, just off the A1 in Bedfordshire. Whilst this is a great place to meet, there are no public facilities there. Fortunately, it is just a short ride to the wonderful Cow Shed Cafe in Northill for fabulous pre ride coffees and proper plumbing. I have raved before about how good the Cow Shed cafe is, the coffee, cake and service there is first class.

Our ride was a 40mile figure of eight loop taking in delightful English villages, each having a fair tally of picturesque thatched cottages. I have ridden in this area many times and on each occasion it seems able to throw up new and interesting curiosities. This time it happened just a few miles after leaving the cafe stop. We came across a worryingly smoking vintage car parked on a drive way. The owner was nowhere to be seen. Wisps of smoke were swirling around the sides of the rear wheel and something was dripping on to the ground. Should we try to find the owner? Whilst pondering this, Ian suddenly pronounced the car to be a “Stanley Steamer”. The smoke proved to be harmless steam that was mixing with smoke coming from its firebox. So all was good. The Stanley is a magnificent car and quite a rarity, so we were privileged to see it slowly coming to life for its next outing.

After the Stanley car excitement, our route unwound across the Great Ouse River at Gt. Barford. Its riverbanks busy with canoeists and paddle-boarders gearing up for their adventures. We then looped up towards St Neots, meandering along quiet roads with great views across the landscape. We narrowly avoided a sizeable green caterpillar crossing the road. Steve gallantly hopped off his bike to usher the creature into the safety of the grassy verge. It was later identified as a Privet Hawk Moth, a name which was also given to a vintage de Havilland aircraft. By happenstance many types of de Havilland Moth have flown out of near-by Old Warden aerodrome, which we would stop at later in our ride.

After about 25 miles it was high-time for another cafe stop. We called in at the charming Orchard cafe at Moggerhanger Hall for tea and cake. Whilst seated at the cafe a lady came over to speak to us. She was born in Willesden in the 1960s and was excited to see us all in our club jerseys from her native borough.

The final part of the ride took us past the old airship hangers at Cardington, where the R101 departed on its final journey. After riding through the beautiful village of Old Warden, we cut through the Shuttleworth Estate, where we came across more wildlife. This time it was Wallabies, Alpacas, Emus and Goats. The Old Warden aerodrome is home to the Shuttleworth Aviation museum. The hangers housing the exhibits were partially open, so we could get a good view of the historic aircraft inside. This proved to be very popular with the WoW peloton. A Hawker Hurricane was being worked upon, which was especially interesting for Marianne as her father flew these during WWII. We eventually tore ourselves away and rode the short distance back to Ickwell village, complete with its distinctively tall and very stripey May pole.

I would be very happy to repeat this ride for anyone who was not able to make it last Wednesday, or for anyone who wants to do it again. WoW rides are organised via the “WoW Ride – Willesden on Wednesday” group within the Willesden Cycling Club Community WhatsApp group. If you do not have access to this group then please send an email to “willesdencyclingclub@yahoo.co.uk”.

Miles Back

One of the highlights of the Willesden calendar is the excellent Tour de Ricky. This year it was held on 1st June and it was an amazing day, all impeccably organised and promoted by our remarkable club mate, Liam FitzPatrick. Central to this great day is a series of three Audax rides, depending on your appetite you could choose from a 200km, a 100km or a 50km ride. So something for every one. All spaces on the three rides were sold-out way in advance of the big day, with some 350 riders in total taking part.

The day kicked off just after 7:00am with the sign on for the 200km riders, all whom were keen to tackle the from Rickmansworth up to Silverstone before looping south to the Thames at Benson and returning home via Marlow. The 119 riders signed up for this ride were facing some 2,000m of climbing, so they were getting full value for their entry fee.

No sooner had the 200km riders departed, than we were straight into processing the 139 riders for the 100km route. This was a route for fans of the Chilterns. The route takes in Amersham, Tring, and Stewkley before tackling the iconic climb up Ivinghoe Beacon on the way home via Chesham and Latimer.

Finally it was the turn of the 50km riders. It featured a simple run out on quiet roads towards Prestwood and incorporated a magnificent cake-laden stop at Great Missenden. This was a lovely social ride and it was very popular with Willesden CC riders – we know a good cake stop when we see one! This control was manned by John Wheatley, who just two weeks earlier had been involved in a very serious road incident, where he was hospitalized with numerous injuries. John was amazing and it was good to see him on the road to recovery. John was joined by Lynn Wheatley and Ian Oliver to process the riders brevet cards.

Early in the afternoon riders from all three events started to roll in to the finish. It made for a great atmosphere with a host of other cycling and wellness activities all well under way as the riders chilled out after their rides. Activities included yoga and Zumba sessions, Nordic walking and forest exploring, plus there was an impressive array of “trade stands”, some of which were giving away some very impressive cycling freebies. In the midst of all this Liam was doing a roaring trade selling the 2024 Tour de Ricky souvenir edition caps, which were designed by Peter Kelsey’. Profits from cap sales and entry fees helped raise significant funds for Woodoaks Farm, the Chiltern Air Ambulance, World Bicycle Relief, the Watford Cycle Hub, and for St Peters and St Pauls in Great Missenden who housed the control points

Liam said “There were so many high points for me – the dad and two very small boys who finished the 50k ride, the tales of new friends made on the road, the reuniting of at least one pair of school friends”.
He added that “ If there was a prize for feeding, the Oscar would have to be shared by the crew at Stewkley and the incredible bakers at Great Missenden; it wasn’t just the volume and quality, it was the love and care that knocked it out of the park.”

Well done Liam for running this amazing day. Also a big “Chapeau” for all the chapeau you shifted – they were everywhere art the finish and a big hit with the riders.

Miles Back
10th June 2024

As many will already know, this week we heard the very sad news that Simon Doughty had recently passed.

Simon was a lovely, funny person as well as a highly respected rider and talented author. Everyone liked Simon for his crazy sense of humour, his ability as a cyclist and his comprehensive knowledge of cycling technology and nutrition for cyclists. He was ahead of his time.

Simon wrote a couple of excellent books –

“The Cyclist’s Training Manual: Fitness and Skills for Every Rider”
and
“The Long Distance Cyclist’s Handbook”

Both books are still in print and available on Amazon. They are remarkable reads and cover every aspect of cycling.

Simon also ran a successful bike business, called NTi and was one of the first people to sell telescopic forks in the UK. When the business folded he became a senior level professional coach with BC, it was a dream job for him. But it was to be short lived as he was hit by a drunk driver as he was cycling to work one morning at the Manchester velodrome. Simon sustained catastrophic head injuries and needed 24 hour care after that and was also wheel chair bound.

I believe he must have been around 63 years old when he died.

Mark Brooking and Simon were great friends and they were the youngest riders on the Brindisi Seven ride, which is one of the early prestigious rides in the AUK world. Between them they set some WCC club records and I think Simon was highly placed on the famous Mersey Roads 24 hour TT.

Miles Back

If you would like to order the new club jersey and / or shorts. Let Gerry McManus know ASAP. We are likely to have an online shop open to members this week but advance info would be useful as the minimum order is 5 items mixed. We’d like to put the shop on the web over the weekend so that any members riding at the Semaine Federale would get their orders in time for the event.

 

 

Jayne recently journeyed down to the South of France to race in the Tour Des Vallées Azuréennes, a multi stage event held just inland from Nice. The TdVA is a four stage race and also includes a contre-la-montre/Time Trial and was held over four days from 18th to 20th May.

Jayne raced impressively well and after the second stage she was holding on to third place and lookin’ good for a GC podium finish. However, on Monday’s final stage she dropped her chain twice during the 80km race. Despite being on her own, Jayne ferociously battled for a full 30 minutes before getting back on to the group.  By this time it was 13km to the finish, but the effort of the chase had emptied her reserves. In the final GC, Jayne just missed out on a podium finish.

In her post race interview with the WCC blog she said “It was a shame because at the time my chain dropped, I was in with a group with the girl who came 2nd on the GC and the other was way behind”.

Well done Jayne  a magnificent effort.

Miles Back

An email from Brunel Uni, looking for Guinea Pigs. If you’re interested…. email addresses at the bottom.

I hope this email finds you well. I am reaching out on behalf of our research team at Brunel University London.

We are currently conducting a laboratory experiment aimed at investigating the effects of localised heating of the upper leg muscle on force production and fatiguability and we are currently recruiting participants for our study. We are specifically looking to recruit healthy older adults who maintain good physical activity levels.

Here’s a brief overview of our research project:

Objective: To assess the impact of thigh heating on upper leg muscle force production in healthy older adults (aged 55 – 80 years).
Methodology: Participants will undergo one experimental testing session lasting around 3 hours. During this time, the participant will sit on a machine called an isokinetic dynamometer. This machine accurately measures muscle force production during kicking actions. During the protocol one leg will be heated using a water-perfused garment, whilst the other remains cool. We will then measure muscle force production in both legs every 30 min to compare the effects of heating.
Location: The research session will take place within the Division of Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences at Brunel University London in Uxbridge (UB8 3PH)
Compensation: Following completion of the experimental protocol, participants will receive a £25.00 Amazon.co.uk gift voucher

A web page associated with the project explaining why we are undertaking this work can be found here – https://www.brunel.ac.uk/research/projects/understanding-the-role-of-temperature-on-muscle-function-in-older-adults

If you believe that members of your club may be interested in taking part or would like further information, could you please forward these details on to them. We can be contacted directly at 1921822@brunel.ac.uk and/or Desmond.Denny@brunel.ac.uk

Thank you very much for considering our request.

Best regards,

Abdelrahman

Last Wednesday (24th April) saw our friends at the Westerly CC run the first of their popular series of  evening time trials at the Hillingdon circuit. Unsurprisingly, the series is  known as the “Westerley Wednesday”!

The time trial covers 11 laps of the Hillingdon circuit, totalling  10.35 miles (16.66 kms) and is run every two weeks until the end of August, first rider is off at 7pm, but this moves  back to 7:15pm when there is more light (see exact dates and times below).

Despite last Wednesday being a cold and windy evening,  38 riders were present. This included two of our club mates in the Road Bike category. Both riders were decked out in Willesden kit and they were Rob Courtney and Jayne Paine. Rob went on to post an impressive 24:29.2 and Jayne was the fastest woman with a 28:15.6. Well done The Willesden!

Rob said “I’d recommend the event series”. “It is chip timed and suitable for all abilities. It’s also a good 20-40 minute effort to track improvement through the season. Most people are racing against their previous times rather than for the win!”

The entry fee is £10.00 (£5.00 for Juniors) and this covers the cost of all timing equipment and circuit hire. There are two types of categories

1. Time Trial Bike category. You are allowed to ride time trial or triathlon bikes, wear a full aero helmet and use deep section wheels inc. disc wheels etc.
2. Road Bike category. You can use a mountain bike or road bike but we don’t allow any aero clip on bars / time trial / triathlon bars. No pointy aero helmets, no disc wheels. Wheels should be no deeper than 60mm.

Both categories are non-drafting. This being important for safety reasons as well as fairness!

To enter future events – go to the website below and search for “Westerley” in the “Event name/ Description” box :

https://www.riderhq.com/events

For more information about the event, have a look at the Westerley’s web page https://www.westerley.cc/racing/time-trials/hillingdon-10s/

Results are published here:
https://www.westerley.cc/2024-westerley-wednesday-24th-april/

Dates and start times for the Westerley Wednesday

8th May, 2024 – 7pm start

22th May, 2024 – 7:15pm start

5th June, 2024 – 7:15pm start

19th June, 2024 – 7:15pm start

3rd July, 2024 – 7:15pm start

17rd July, 2024 – 7:15pm start

31rd July, 2024 – 7:15pm start

14th August, 2024 – 7:15pm start

28th August, 2024 – 7:15pm start

Willesden CC’s former president, Jim Love, passed away recently.

Jim, who lived in Kingsbury, northwest London, was a member of the Willesden Cycling Club. He joined the club at the age of 16, around the time the war was ending.

In his first time-trial – a ‘25’ – he recorded a time of 1h 19min 54sec. Within three years he had taken almost 20 minutes off that and started the 1948 season as an Olympic ‘possible’.

On 15th July, Jim received official notification of his inclusion in the six-rider squad. When training or competing at Herne Hill he would ride across town, ‘carrying my racing bike on my shoulder with the saddle just behind my ear, and the frame over my shoulders. We had to watch out for trams.’

Final selection for the pursuit team did not occur until days before the competition, after Love had received his race number (152) and embroidered badge. Ultimately, he didn’t make the foursome that took Bronze at the Olympics, a decision that came down simply to performance. On 4th August, three days before the event, the team was told to go all-out in training at Herne Hill. Love was dropped midway through the session, later noting that he was ‘slightly off form’ that day.

Jim moved to Southampton where he was a founder member of the Sotonia Cycling Club.

He kept his link to the Willesden, serving as our club president. Longer serving members remember his modesty and generosity. He was a superb ambassador for the club and noted as a true gentleman.

I got this email the other day. For those who didn’t:

Hillingdon Time Trials

The 2024 Westerley Hillingdon time trials will start after Easter, so I wanted to let you, as a past rider of our events, know the details in case you fancy riding this year.

This year’s series starts on 24 April. The rest of the dates and other info are on our website. Entry is only via RiderHQ, there is no entry on the day.

If you plan to ride in most or all of the events, you can now book entry to the entire series at a discounted rate. This guarantees you entry to midsummer events which often sell out (see here for details).

As in the past, there are TT and road bike categories, for both men and women / adults and juniors, with an electronic timing system.  It’s a great way to do your first time trial, on your normal bike, with no cars – but its also an excellent mid-week outing for experienced time triallists.

Best regards,

Frank Proud,

Westerley CC

It was our first bike ride in over two months and it was not just our chains that were starting to rust!  So our aims would be modest – a short flatish ride around some of our favourite lanes in Bedfordshire. A planned route that barely nudged 50km and with only a few hundred metres of climbing looked just the ticket.

Following an hour’s drive to the start of the ride, a cafe and toilet was the first priority. Plus it would also replace the need for a mid ride stop. We climbed off at one of our usual cafes, with a whole 5km on the clock! After a relaxed break, we embarked on the ride proper, enjoying the sensations of being back aboard our wheels.

With only 10km of the ride left to do, I began to feel “the bonk” make an appearance. We had passed a cafe a few miles back, but I thought I could push on to the finish. Whilst pausing at a quiet junction in the middle of the countryside, I began to rue my decision and wished we had doubled-back to the cafe.
But hang on? What’s that sign over there say??
It said CAFE!
It said Cyclists welcome!!
It said OPEN!!!

It felt like an hallucination but Mrs Back confirmed she had seen it too. The cafe was just yards away and it was called the Cowshed Cafe.

The Cowshed is not only a proper cycling cafe, but by a further amazing coincidence it is also run by an old friend of the Willesden CC, Mr Rob Mortlock and his wife!! What a moment of wonderful cycling serendipity!

Rob’s cafe is superb and I urge you to try it out if you are anywhere near the area. I will also organise a weekday WoW ride to try their excellent coffee and great snacks.

The Cowshed is at Oak Farm, Bedford Road, Northill, SG18 9AW . It is open Wednesday to Sundays, but check their website for opening times before you go – https://www.thecowshedcafe.co.uk/

Rob and his wife’s attention to every detail in the cafe is highly impressive. From the velodrome themed table top to the CowShed jerseys and capes for sale. A TV projector streams the latest cycling races and there is a good stock of beers too!

Mrs Back and myself certainly wish the Mortlocks every success in this great new addition to the cafe scene.

Miles Back

Julie Anderson passed this on… The National Cycling Show is presently offering some free tickets.

If you want some the link to their booking page is https://editor.ne16.com/vo/?FileID=5f695c2d-972d-4db8-9ec5-5aead5a134b8&m=ffbb397c-8fc0-4b89-b7c9-ad60ee427b51&MailID=6524952&listid=1004878&RecipientID=10251895352

Track down the page to a button that says “Use code LAUNCH for free tickets” and take it from there.

The proposed dates for the WCC trip to Riccione are 6th to 13th April. We are currently waiting for confirmation of prices / package from the hotel and are looking at flights. WCC members can contact me if they are interested in going this year and I’ll add you to the WhatsApp group.

We got the following email from Lucinda at the Bike Project recently. A cycling worthwhile cause.

Hello!

My name is Lucinda and I work at The Bike Project. I am reaching out to you in the hope that you can help me with some outreach for a cycling programme that I’m running! We are a small charity dedicated to getting refugees cycling by collecting unwanted bikes, fixing them up and donating them to refugees and asylum seekers. We are based in South East London with a workshop in Deptford and in the West Midlands, with a second workshop in Birmingham. Here is our website: The Bike Project | We refurbish and donate bikes to refugees .Alongside our donations, we run a programme called Pedal Power where we take groups of Refugee Woman and teach them how to cycle. We then also have a second programme called Bike Buddies –which I am hoping to recruit more volunteers for in West London!

To give you a bit more background, the Bike Buddies programme pairs our refugee and asylum-seeking bike recipients with volunteer cyclists in their area to go on rides together. It aims to build confidence and knowledge of cycling, reduce isolation, improve well-being and encourage social integration and greater independence. It’s relatively low time commitment but garners huge rewards for those taking part. Here’s a video explaining more, with our incredible supporter Clare Balding when she volunteered for this program and was matched with Ahmed, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcV1CcyhzpA   and full information and details of how to apply can be found https://thebikeproject.co.uk/pages/join-bike-buddies .

We have found more recently that a lot of our Bike recipients are increasingly based around Ealing, Southall, Wembley and Kilburn. At the minute, we don’t have a lot of volunteers in this area and so I was hoping you could share it with your members/audience in the hope of attracting some applications!

If you want to find out more please email Lucinda Humphreys on lucinda@thebikeproject.co.uk. She will call you back if you prefer a phone discussion.

 

Our friends the Westerley Club are running their Winter Warmer event on Sunday 14th January.

There are three versions, at 110km (1200m of climbing),  61km and a the shorter version is around 44km.  The long route is a challenging winter ride which tackles several of the bigger climbs on the Chiltern ridge while the medium route has Hatches Lane as its main climb.  The short version is a very pretty route that misses out all the big hills and most of the (short) main road sections which the others have.

Entry prices are the same as last year: £10/£9/£8 for adults and free for Juniors (who must be accompanied by an adult).

Ride HQ is Chalfont St Giles Scout Hut, GPX tracks, computerised timing system and plenty of food before and after (including home-made cake).

Enter the Westerley Winter Warmer. The event sells out every time, so don’t leave entering too long.

Originally slated for this date was our Audax taster, the Watership Down event in Hampshire.  Since the Westerley event is much closer to home, it supercedes the Watership Down.