Cycle Show 2009 - Free Tickets

I have 5 free tickets (normal price £14.50) for anyone who is interested in going to the cycle show at Earls Court on Sat 10 or Sun 11 Oct. If you want to see what is on offer go to their web site www.cycleshow.co.uk

Let me know if you want a ticket and I'll bring them on Thursday's ride.

Food for Thursday's Ride anyone??

I will be buying chicken wings tonight for tomorrow's ride. If you want me to pick some up for you let me know how many via this blog and you can give me the money for them in the E&T after the ride (£1.20 for 8 wings - I'm having 16!).

PS - I am too old and hurt too much after Afan to even contemplate Monday's ride - what a great weekend though, can't wait for the next one!!

Monday 28th sept

Well after an absolutely superb weekend in Afan (I am sure someone else will be writing a full review about the weekend) there was a poor turn out on Monday, with me being the only one who rode the weekend and went out for our usual monday blast around the ampthill area. Out was Paul, Dee and myself, the ride was a good steady one without any stops or incidents. Dee seems to have got the bug and is now upgrading his bike (with the help of the cycle to work scheme - which i can't wait to hear about as he is about 150miles from his office!!!!!!!).
Getting back to the ride the sand is getting worse, I hate to say it but we really need some rain as there were more than a couple of arse twitching moments as we blasted down along the fence in the woods. When Paul and myself got back to the e and t we enjoyed a few beverages and Paul cooked enough pizza and nachos for about 5, so needless to say when we finished it all both of us couldnt move and were sweating more than we did throughout the whole of the ride.
Hopefully there will be a bigger turn out on thursday as those whose bodies couldnt take it will have recovered by then, well some of them we are getting on a bit and these things seem to take a long time!!!

Dave

Monday 21st September

It was a good turn out for this ride, I met Paul at the e and t and we had a ride to the Albion (opposite the bakery) where we met up with Blox, Dee and Neil we rode to the memorial to meet Rob, from there it was the usual banter to the woods. The first downhill proved to be tricky for me and my bike didnt feel in control, not helped by the sand. Then by the time we got to the next down hill (along the fence) my bike really was not handling right at all once again i put this down to the amount of sand that is down there at the minute, when i got to the bottom it soon became clear that it wasnt just me being crap but that i actually had a puncture. luckily thanks to rob we pumped it up with the old slimes and CO2 we thought that that would be the end of that. however by the time i got to the gates it was flat again, typically i had no spare inner tube, but luckily Blox was packing one, so the old joke comes into play "how many mountain bikers does it take to change an inner tube?" well the answer was 4 (me, neil, Blox and Rob). from there the ride was a good pace and no more incidents meant that we were back in the pub for 20:30 to enjoy some of Pauls now famous Nachos and Robs delicious chilli. For the food and drinks Paul, Rob and I were joined by someone who clearly needed some refreshments after a hard bike ride, Justin who was wearing his usual biking gear, trousers shirt and shoes!!!!!!!
Bring on Afan this weekend for those who are going and I am looking forward to meeting my hobbit friends.
We will be meeting for the usual monday ride to compare injuries and swap stories!!!!!
Dave

Monday 14 September 'Where have the light evenings gone?'

Good turn out for the evenings ride Me/Blox/Xmasy/Carbon Paul/Neil/Richard and newbie D followed the 'usual' route (note to whoever is interested: we must make the effort to vary a little more, even if it means riding longer! Camp my be divided!)

Anyway from were I was (at the back) it looked like Neil set the pace (again) (would be nice to see the ferret up the hills in Afan)(too many bracket?)(who cares!). The track at the back of Steppingly(CP) woods was VERY sandy and made for fun time (didn't quite catch the Blox!).

Caught up with D just before the steam into Eversholt, well I say caught, he had actually stopped, wondering if the right way was up the steam or had he missed a turn somewhere!

I finally convinced him we were going the right way and the pair of us swept up Richard on the fram track from eversholt to tingrith.

The road back to eversholt saw a shout from Richard with a flat tyre, I stopped to lend a hand and was shortly joined by D who having lost the group in front had suddenly found himself all alone so turned back to find us.

We entered the woods between eversholt and the motorway footbridge with D's lights going very dim, discretion the better part of valour and al that so Richard and D took the smooth track while I headed into the ditches (no moths to eat this time).

Through the bog without a foot down (more like a big hole now than a bog) and Richard needed a new tube on the footbridge.
I like the field climb in the dark, you can't see how far you have to go to the top!
And a quick blast back from steppingly to the engine and tender for beer and food (including Carbon Pauls pissed chilli).
Thanks to D for joining us, hope to see you again soon, hopefully you joining us may incourage others to do likewise!

Bikers Night Out

On Saturday 19 September the Drovers Arms is holding a Beer and curry festival. I missed the last get together but I know everone raved about the food at the Drovers so I would like to sample it for mayself! Other good reasons to come along include it being Carbon Paul's birthday, there are 20 beers from micro and small breweries at only £2.50 per pint to enjoy with pots of curry, there is a free shuttle bus to and from the White Heart and the girls from the Sheilas Wheels ad are singing jazz (Maybe I should have left that last one off!!).

Anyway for anyone interested we are planning to meet at the White Heart and 6.00pm and head off from there. You can see more info at the Drovers Arms web site, www.droversarms.eu.