Bread Pudding ride to Northolt

Group 1 Northala field

Sunday 26th July , a mostly bright day with light rain at the end of the lunch breaks, & steadier Rain after the Tea stop, saw 15 Cyclists, split into 3 groups of 5, having managed to find an alternative to Garmin’s non functioning Website for group 2, leave via Kingston Bridge, Teddington, Twickenham & the new ‘Railway Path’, Isleworth, Syon Park, Brentford, South Ealing, Boston Manor Cycle track, Hanwell, Churchfield Rec, High Lane Path, Southall, Greenford to Northolt for lunch at the very hospitable ‘Crown’ (Sizzling Pubs), all 3 groups electing to stay in the Garden, then Northala field, (Photo group 1), Southall, Norwood green, Osterley Park, Osterley, Hounslow, Whitton, to Kneller Gardens for Tea & Bread pudding, -with group 2 finding an alternative route, & temporarily mislaying 2 members, oops-, 20200726_145553 group 3 arrived before 2 (Photo group 3 at Tea), Crane river Park, Fulwell, Bushy Park, Kingston Bridge, to find group 2 had found a different route to Bushy Park, usurping group 1 in the process. Total 29 Miles, very special thanks to Carl & Bai for leading groups 2 & 3, thanks to Mike, Ralph & John E for Back marking each group, thanks to John D for the BP.

Map:- www.plotaroute.com/route/1212522

Midweek ride to West Horsley

A warm Sunny day saw a total of 12 Cyclists gather, (with 1 very lucky that another had dropped out), split into two groups of Six, 5 Minutes apart, leave via Portsmouth Rd Track, Long Ditton, Hinchley wood, Esher, Fairmile, Cobham, encountering a few CTC Wayfarers, Hatchford, Ockham, to West Horsley-, somewhat earlier than expected, due to being in smaller groups, for lunch at the very convivial ‘King William IV’, then East Horsley, Effingham, Great Bookham, Fetcham, Leatherhead, Ashtead Common, to Epsom for Tea & Refreshments at ‘the Old Moat Garden centre Cafe’, & soon after the second group arrival, another phlanx of Wayfarers, ( I think we left them some Cakes, 😉), West Ewell, Tolworth, Berrylands to Kingston. Total 33 Miles, 1 new face.

Special thanks to Steve F for leading group 2, thanks to John & Mike for Back Marking the 2 groups.

Note: I forgot to get the Camera out, so if anyone did take any Photo’s they are willing to share, let me know.

Map:- www.plotaroute.com/route/763492

Evening ride to Molesey

Wednesday 15th July, a very overcast evening saw 11 Cyclists gather, split into two groups, as per the current Covid rules, group 1 left via Lower Marsh, Berrylands, Surbiton, Long Ditton, Hinchley wood, Littleworth Common, Esher to Molesey for refreshments at the Bell, with mixed results for the ‘Greene King ordering App’, joined soon after by group 2 & 1 special guest, after ‘refuelling, a few going directly home, it was safe enough to consolidate into 1 group for the return, via Thames Ditton, safely negotiating the Roadworks on Portsmouth Rd, & the Cycle track to Kingston. Total 13 Miles, thanks to Steve F for back marking group 1 & Ralph group 2.

Map:-www.plotaroute.com/route/1207451

Future rides

After a long 3 month hiatus, & a successful trial on Sunday 28th June, we will try a few more rides, there will be some new measures as we still need to maintain Social distancing, & we are restricted to groups of six or less. For the foreseeable future, Rides will be invite only, you will need to let me know 36 Hours in advance if you wish to join us, so that I can organise the necessary group leaders. You will not be able to turn up & hope there is a space. If you wish to be included on the invite list & didn’t receive an e-mail on Friday 26th June, send a message to rogerdodge59@gmail.com

Please remember, if you have a Fever or other Covid 19 symptoms, please avoid that ride, if you have symptoms after a ride do please let me know so that I can warn others to Isolate themselves as a precaution.

Please see the Rides calendar for upcoming dates, the only listing for rides at the moment will be here.

Bread pudding ride to Walton on the Hill

Socially distanced lunch, Walton-on-the-Hill. Credit: Chris F

Sunday 28th June. After such a long hiatus, due to the Covid pandemic, how to get back on track, why not have three rides in one day ! As current rules stipulate, a maximum of 6 people (Socially distancing of course), on a first come first served basis, with 14 response’s, we settled on 2 groups of 5, with 1 group of 4. A bright Sunny day, with a light sprinkling of Drizzle as we finished lunch, Group 1 left via Lower Marsh, Berrylands, Tolworth, West Ewell, St Ebba’s path, Epsom, Court Rec, the Red Bridge, Woodcote, Langley Vale, Hurst Rd to Walton on the Hill for a Picnic lunch, arriving almost on cue, 5 minutes behind group 2, followed again 5 mins later by group 3, thankfully Chris remembered we needed a Photo (thanks for joining us for lunch Chris & Graham), separating again, via Kingswood, Chipstead Valley, to Banstead for Tea & Bread pudding, at Pistachios (could we resist eating it all before the others arrived…., yes we could), in fact it was group 3 who arrived first, with group 2 close behind (no ones admitting they got lost, so we’ll assume gr 3 where just a bit hungrier), also joining us briefly ‘Nurse Andrea’ , Belmont, Cheam village, Cheam Park, pausing to see the ‘Sinkhole’, still unrepaired since before Lockdown,

Cheam Park Sinkhole

North Cheam, Joseph Hood Park, Motspur park, New Malden, Berrylands to Kingston. Total 31 Miles, special thanks to Co-leaders Mike & Mags, thanks to John D for the BP.

Map:- www.plotaroute.com/route/1181994

Rides programme paused

As I’m sure everyone is aware, all social gathering is discouraged for the foreseeable future, so at the moment, the Rides programme is postponed until further notice. but as soon as restriction’s are eased, & there are suitable places to stop for refreshments, we will get back to you. We hope everyone stays fit & healthy, and we can all get back on the Bikes together ASAP. Remember, you can get out and enjoy a little bit of Cycling, just not in groups, so we hope most of you can find some enjoyable ride’s, at least the Roads should be almost traffic free. 🙂

2 part ride to Twickenham & Nonsuch Park

with General Roy’s Cannon, Hampton

Sunday 15th March Part 1. A largely cloudy morning saw 12 Cyclists leave via Kingston Bridge, Bushy Park,- pausing to hear about SHAEF-, Hampton, another pause to visit the Memorial to General Roy, ‘Grandfather of the Ordenance Survey’, (Photo), Hanworth, Hanworth Park, Letrim Park, Crane River Park, including the Shot tower, -with a minor mechanical causing a short delay-, Kneller Park, to Twickenham, for lunch at the ‘Prince Blucher’, (Fullers), Strawberry hill, to find the Level crossing closed for works, with a few of the Bikes carried through the works, but all the Cyclists & other Bikes used the Footbridge, then Teddington, Hampton Wick & Kingston Bridge. Sub total 14 Miles, thanks to Derek for Back marking, 2 new faces.

Map:- www.plotaroute.com/route/528789

Part 2. A cloudy afternoon, with some light Drizzle at Tea, turning to 1 brief but heavy Shower, say farewell to 9, but welcome 5 fresh faces, so 8 Cyclists, left via the new Penrhyn Rd track, Surbiton, King Charles Bridge, Tolworth, & Greenway, Kingston Rd track, West Ewell, Hogsmill path, Ewell village, East Ewell, to Nonsuch Park cafe for Tea & Bread pudding, some large Puddles, due to Waterlogged fields overflowing, Cuddington, Worcester park, Old Malden, New Malden, Berrylands, to Kingston. Sub total 13 Miles, Total 27Miles, thanks to Kasren & Steve for back marking duties.

Map:- www.plotaroute.com/route/1052842

Coronavirus alert

All, with all the concern about Coonavirus in the news, we should all be alert to the Symptoms, so if anyone is at all concerned, wakes up with a Fever, dry cough, or shortness of breath, it would be wise to ‘self isolate’ as a precaution, irrespective of other plans, but unless Government advice changes, Tomorrow’s 2 part ride will go ahead as Scheduled, however if after a ride you do start to have Symptoms, do please let me or John Dunn know.

Roger Mace

KCC ride l;eader

Midweek ride to Lyne

Victory Park, Addlestone

Wednesday 11th March. A somewhat breezy day with a sunny afternoon, saw 17 Cyclists leave via Portsmouth Rd, -with 1 person have a small mechanical problem, delay the tail-, Thames Ditton, Giggshill Green, Weston Green, Esher, Walton, Weybridge, -with 1 extra joining us-, Addlestone, Victory Park, (Photo), Bretland, to Lyne for lunch at the ‘Royal Marine’, then Thorpe Green, Egham, -with the ‘P fairy’ paying a visit, would a swift inflation work? Staines Bridge, no, time for a tube change, alas within half a mile a second victim, both quickly repaired-, Staines, Ashford, Sunbury, Hanworth, Hampton, Bushy Park to the ‘Pheasantry’ for Tea & refreshments, Hampton Wick, Kingston Bridge. Total 31 Miles, 1 new face, thanks to Will & John E for back marking, 2 visits from the ‘p Fairy’.

Map:-www.plotaroute.com/route/1049116

Community award and History

Roger & Derek with the Mayor

Yesterday, (Friday 6th March),t was my honour to be invited to accept a Community award from the Mayor of Kingston, for continuing to lead Rides on behalf of the Kingston Cycle Campaign, (KCC), I have to say a huge thank-you to Derek for nominating me, then listening to the citation as to why I meritted the award, although it should be noted that the reason I started leading Ride’s was all due to John Dunn, who had the original, unique idea of Baking a Bread pudding to bring along to be consumed at the afternoon Tea stop.

the proof

A brief history of the KCC rides: In the early days of 2000, the co-ordinator of the KCC, (Matt Schutz), decided it was time for some fresh thinking on the Rides front, he asked 3 guy’s, (John D, Chris W & Ned), if they could take on the job of organising the Rides program, but within a few month’s, it was John on his own, he thought, ‘how can I make it more appealing, he remembered that his Sister used to make a Bread pudding for her Son, (John’s Nephew, Gary), & it seemed to have helped to make him into a very good Cyclist, so he found a cook book, (Cooking for Blokes, I believe), and Twenty, (yes 20) Years later he is still bringing a fresh Bread Pudding on all the ‘Sunday rides’. Meanwhile, having joined at least one of Chris & Ned’s rides, particularly a very enjoyable ride to Pyrford Lock, on the Wey navigation I thought, maybe I can come up with something similar, but little did I realise, that after leading a few Rides, any other leaders had mysteriously vanished, soon, it was expected that ‘Roger must know a route & a Pub for lunch’, & mostly that works well, although we have had minor hiccup’s when the chosen venue has no Chef that day, or the Pub says it too busy because of Mothers day, (we now try to avoid having a ride that particular Sunday).

In 2006, having always run an Evening ride during ‘Bike week’, each year, we decided to expand things a little, so for the 6 months, April to September, we started once a month, Evening rides, again to a Pub for refreshments, before returning via a shorter route to Kingston.

In 2018, having retired from work a couple of years earlier, & at the prompting of a few regulars, I agreed to start organising monthly Midweek rides, mostly Wednesday’s but occasionally Tuesday or Thursday, to suit work patterns of others who can’t make Wednesday.

I have to say it has been an absolute pleasure to organise & lead all these rides, & as long as a few people continue to turn up, I’m very happy to keep doing the same, for a few more years yet. I often think to myself, ‘we must have used all the possible route’s & Pub’s in North Surrey, & West London’, by now, oh but what about that old wreck of a Pub, that’s recently had a makeover, or similar ideas.

I look forward to seeing many of you on a ride soon,