Old faces and new; Beddington Park Beginners 18 July

Beddington Park on Saturday was not as chaotic as Nonsuch Park has been.  Eight of us were there at the appointed hour including newcomer Terri and Ann, returning after the Lockdown.  Ray was there, too; he had come on a ride last week after being in isolation but had not met in the park for four months.  Streatham Common has acquired a reputation for overcrowding and involves a get-off-and-push hill for genuine beginners, so we decided that a short ride to Coombe Wood was probably sensible; we split into two groups of four, Colin taking Terri, Ann and Sharon.  I agreed to give him five minutes and follow on with Maggie, Ken and Ray.  Colin felt that five minutes was not enough, and he proved right.  In fact, he got nearly ten minutes because Roger and Anna turned up a few minutes late with tales of rebuilding gear assemblies.

The route includes the cycle lanes through central Croydon, which are a bit scary for the inexperienced but on which the traffic is usually light even if the trams are noisy and the buses are big.  Weekend traffic is still lighter than before the plague, but there was some indecisive driving and parking to make up for the lack of quantity, and the button on the pedestrian lights crossing the busy Fairfield Road had caught the virus.

Despite the best efforts of the back-up leader to cycle slowly, we first caught sight of Colin on Park Hill Rise, and had to wait a few times at a respectful distance in the posh roads north of Lloyd Park to avoid becoming a group of ten.  While waiting, we saw two aeroplanes in the sky at once, a rare sight indeed.

The cafe in Coombe Wood was welcoming, though the only toilet open was the disabled one and the social distancing indoors is difficult; we had resolved to take our refreshments to benches in the gardens but in the event there were two outdoor tables free.

Coming home the split in the groups worked better, because we could just linger in the cafe a bit longer before going through the woods and taking the gentler of the two descents from the farm road.  Thanks are due to an understanding bus driver where we had to turn right on the Brighton Road.

We caught up with the first group again, this time at the top of the Haling Park Road climb, which is where people begin to think about making their own way home, and they waved us past.  A bit short of 20Km at a gentle 11.7 Km/h.  I said we tried hard not to catch them up!  Welcome, Terri, I hope you come again.

Details for a ride to Osterley Park planned for 8th August

Tony Hooker has planned a ride to Osterley Park for 8th August.

As detailed in the Rides List departure from the Nonsuch Café is scheduled for 10.00am. This is usually a well attended day out so please let Tony know in advance that you are intending to join the ride. For this please phone him on 020 8337 9736 or send him an email, to tonyhooker1@aol.com.

Two additional leaders have volunteered their services which means that there is currently capacity for 18 riders in three groups of six. Tony would welcome another volunteer to lead if a larger number of riders seems likely.

~ Tim

Auld acquaintance; a Beginners group of six on 11 July

Ray Ward and his wife Chris were in isolation for four months, going on virtual hikes around the pyramids and cycling the tandem around the garden.  So when Ray expressed an interest in trying group riding again Maggie put together a group of us loath to go to Nonsuch Park because of the general public flocking in their masses.  Among other things, it appears that nowadays you can get a licence to drive a big car without having to learn how to manoeuvre or park it, and if you do, the best place to practice your technique is - you've guessed it - the Cheam end of Nonsuch Park on a Saturday where everybody else who lives within walking distance of the place is doing the same.

Maggie is a better selfie-taker than me (see below)

So Ray came to meet with Ken, Anna, Roger, Maggie and I at the Sutton library car park, where there were no vehicles and we were the only six people.  Maggie had mooted our favourite ride up Farthing Down but this met with general disapproval; apparently it involves a hill.  We were asked, what was the attraction?  (Answer, nice ride, nice views, and we know a coffee shop and a clean toilet).  No matter; instead we went towards Dorking where the B Group had discovered on Wednesday that the toilets next to Rykas were open, so off we set.

It was comfortable weather for riding; a risk of rain that never really materialised.  So we followed the wheel tracks of many before us through Ashtead and Leatherhead and along the cycle path alongside the A24.  We got a little strung out on the hospital hill in Epsom and when we regathered at the top it appears that tail-end Charlotte and the back marker had seen Colin and taken evasive action to prevent two Saturday groups intermingling.  On arrival at Rykas who should be sitting at a table all on his lonesome but Godfrey; what a pleasant surprise!  We retraced our steps to the River Mole and from there took the Ashtead Common route home (via Roger's picturesque route), and who should we meet just south of Leatherhead but Terry.

One eye only on the ball!  Five and a half of us by the largest home for small mammals in Surrey

It's a small world, SW London and Surrey on a bike of a Saturday afternoon.  A splendid time was had by all.  Me, door to door, 55.46 Km, 363 metres of climbing, a cup of tea and a whole flapjack.

 

100 Women in Cycling - Lynda Barrow

I'm delighted to tell you that Lynda Barrow has been selected as one of Cycling UK's 100 Women in Cycling. This has just been announced as part of the Women's Festival of Cycling.

Recently we re-published a profile of Lynda from 2002, when she was fairly new to the Sou'Westers and to regular cycling. Since then Lynda has been a huge support to the club, organising the first printed club shirts, a regular rider with the Beginners and the Wayfarers' Easy Riders section, and in fact almost single-handedly keeping the Easy Riders section going for several years when it seemed Lynda was leading nearly every week.

Here is the announcement https://www.cyclinguk.org/womensfestival/100women/2020.

Congratulations, Lynda!

A bridge too far.... Beginners ride 27 June

Maggie and I did not much enjoy the crowds at Nonsuch, and the pretty thoughtless driving there, so with Nigel's blessing we set up an alternative Beginners ride.  As luck would have it, the weather had taken a turn downwards, so Nonsuch may not have been so crowded, but Anna, Roger and Ken turned up as arranged to join Maggie and me at Sutton Library car park; Steve let us know he would not be making it.

Following Wednesday's ride through Walton on Thames, I was inspired to take Beginners to the bridge there, where we knew there would be toilets and sustenance properly organised.  The idea was for a leisurely ride along the north bank of the Thames through Sunbury and a slightly shorter ride back past Sandown Park but Ken had not been out on a bike since the start of Lockdown and it became evident before Thames Ditton that we would have to enjoy a shorter ride and save Walton for another day.

So, Hampton Court it was, and though the coffees were nice, the only toilets were in the BP Garage, which involved queuing.  Who should pass on the cycle path as we waited but John French with another of the day's Beginners groups!

The homeward bit was different than usual.  First we cycled down Ember Lane and Chestnut Avenue to Weston Green.

Socially distanced selfie in Alma Road

Then we started up Weston Green Road but took Tim Court's favourite route home, along the path to Giggs Hill Green, past Long Ditton and Victoria Recreation Grounds, up Maple Road and Surbiton Hill park through Berrylands and home through the tunnel under the A3 to Worcester Park.  For us 47 Km door to door, a little less for the others.

Screw drivers, Birmingham screw drivers, chain's free, Bob's your uncle

A slight hold up for repair to Roger's gears and we had avoided all the rain for a gentle but really enjoyable ride!

More toilets reopen

Update from Debbie

 Good News Richmond Park is open week days now still got weekend ban and speed limit on bikes up to 20 MPH.  Toilets in park open so far at Richmond gate , Kingston gate , sheen gate . Roehampton gate  . 

Some more toilets open for you: Wisley, Kew Gardens, Wimbledon Park, Polesden Lacey,(NT)  and Nonsuch Park opened its toilets yesterday! 

Half a league, half a league onwards........to Farthing Down

For those wanting only cautiously to withdraw from lockdown, Nonsuch Park on Saturday was a worry, packed full of people wandering in groups on the paths and on the grass and with the car parks jammed so that it was difficult to cycle in or out.  Maggie and I had prepared and recced a ride which was medium distance for Beginners but hilly; we had found a take-away coffee and toilet place at roughly half way and posted our ride on the blog.  Colin had advertised the detail on Beginners WhatsApp but the plan to ride in with only a few minutes to spare and ride out within minutes with four people wanting to take the longer ride proved difficult in practice; Beginners gatherings are traditionally places of indecision and social chatting; riding is, after all, meant to be a social pleasure!

We commandeered Karen, Lorraine and Godfrey and off we rode, all of us relieved to emerge from the chaos of the park.  We cycled up past Cheam station, resisting the temptation of take-away beers from the Railway Tavern.  Sunny and breezy and the traffic on the road busier than in the last three months but not back to anything like old normal, it was an ideal day for cycling.  The long climb past the prisons to Banstead High Street and the equally long whizz down Holly Lane and then east along the Chipstead Valley wind tunnel to DDs cafe just after we had crossed the A237.  DDs may not be the most stylish cafe in Coulsdon and the choice is tea or coffee (what IS Americano anyway?) but it’s the only one with a loo; believe me, we tried them all over recent days, and Maggie, the harshest of loo critics, had given it a mean 5 out of 10; old fashioned but clean and with proper Covid hand washing!

Remember that scene from Charge of The Light Brigade when the exhausted survivors gather on the grassy hillock and Cardigan says “Shall we go again, boys?” and they all roar “Yes”?  Well, our three friends were claiming lack of fitness but when we put Farthing Down to the vote two and a half of them cried “Yes”.  That’s the spirit.

The Down was not a success; there was some driving at the base so bad that not only did it nearly cost Karen a trip into the ditch but a bystander joined in the remonstrations with the driver.  At the top there were so many vehicles on the narrow road that passing, even on a bicycle, was tricky and time-consuming and since we were not planning to travel through, but to look at the view and come down, we cut the trip short.  Still, we got in the full climb!

There are road works on the Chipstead Valley Road so we crossed the railway on the footbridge and cycled up the more undulating but less busy St Andrews Road, rejoining the Chipstead Valley Road to go under the railway bridge (where the road surface has become quite difficult).  Once on CVR, though, there is only one way out; upwards!  We chose Rectory Lane, allowed a little recovery at the top by taking a couple of pictures, and then went the flat(ish) route along the top back to Banstead High Street.  

Ten attempts to get everybody in the selfie and only one success!

We had earned our cruise down Sutton Lane and went our different ways when we hit Belmont.  Door to door for Maggie and me, 38Km with 400 metres climbing.  Thanks to Godfrey, who bought the teas.  The whole was our contribution to restore Beginners to fitness!