Nonsuch and Beddington 1-o-clockers to Caterham, 18 November;

by Paul

Our resources were stretched on Saturday, so Maggie went to lead the 1-0-clock ride from Beddington Park and I went to Nonsuch Park.  

Raining all morning, the promise of a brief tour of some local hills in the damp wind, what was there not to look forward to?  The host of riders awaiting me at the Nonsuch Mansion numbered one.  And Karen, on her heavy bike because of the wind and the slippery roads, did not know where we were going!

Nevertheless we set out, a group of two and went up to Banstead and down to Coulsdon and up Farthing Down, where we met up with the Beddington riders.

by Maggie

Ken, Anna and I were joined by Malik at Beddington Park.  Unfortunately by the time we got to Wallington station Malik had decided his bike needed  a service and some oil and he politely and regretfully turned back home.

We three then cycled up through the Wallington backstreets, towards the Webb estate and down  Woodcote Grove Road to Coulsdon where we made our way across the roundabout and turned right on Ditches Lane to the viewpoint (car park) at the top of Farthing Down. 

Turning to admire the cloud covered view we spotted two brightly jacketed cyclists making their way towards us.

Paul again

Up Doctor's Lane together and over the switchback to the C and C cafe, where they have enclosed the outdoor area and we kept warm while we had a pleasant coffee and cake.  

Happy snacks at Caterham-on-the-Hill

Down the long hill to Coulsdon and then one last steep climb up to Clock Tower before working our way across to the Smallholdings on Telegraph Track and going our several ways.

A good ride, a bit of exercise and some pleasant company.

1pm Nonsuch Beginners 11 November; Anna leading to Hampton Court

 

To Hampton Court and back via Weston Green – my first ride as leader

by Anna

As this is my first official ride as leader, I am hoping for a small group; we are twelve altogether.  In a moment of bravado, I reject the idea of two groups of six and decide to take the whole group together.

Paul is convinced I know where I am going, whereas I don’t even know how to get out of the park, but he tells me to follow the Ride with GPS instructions and sure enough, it takes us out of the park to the correct exit.

There I stall all the traffic by encouraging everyone to block the road, as I expect the traffic to move more quickly than it does and we end up in a muddle, but eventually reach the other side of the road, in line and facing the right way.  I am now at the back of the group of riders so quickly whiz to the front to reclaim my position as leader.  We make it safely to Worcester Park.

When you ride an electric bike and there is no one in front of you, you tend to go at maximum speed, which is usually at least 15.5mph, because that is the point when your motor cuts out.  Mindful of those toiling behind me without electric assistance, I try to keep the speed to between nine and eleven miles per hour, but it feels extraordinarily slow.

The GPS seems to repeat some commands, so when it says to turn left onto Central Road for the second time, I assume I am on the right track but miss the left turn after Worcester Park station, so we go off piste.  Nigel saves the day by leading us down some nice quiet backstreets until we are back on the right road and we continue, only going off course a couple of times.

Even though I have been on this ride several times with Paul or Nigel leading, I don’t recognise some of it, which is a bit of a nuisance when you are supposed to be the leader.

All twelve of us make it to 8 on the River and we enjoy some lovely tea and cakes, marred only by the worry that my phone will run out of juice before we get home, on account of the cable from the energy store I borrowed from my son is not charging the phone. Better go home at top speed to get there before
the phone dies!  Not to worry, says my son – turn it to airplane mode and all will be well.

Photo by Maggie, on Weston Green in the afternoon Autumn sun

It has now gone very cold, so we set off home and make only one wrong turn, and I speed up a bit because it is very chilly.

At South Lane we all agree that no one needs to go back to Nonsuch Park so we get back to Worcester Park and everyone cycles cheerfully away, and Roger and I arrive home while it is still light, which is the big advantage of starting a 1pm.

Cold and hungry, we are relieved to get into the warm and I still have 37% left of my phone battery, so airplane mode has saved the day.

Thanks for the route, Paul, and thanks for back-marking, Maggie. Thanks, Nigel, for saving us having to make a U-turn on a very busy road.  Thanks to everyone for not falling off, not getting punctures, and for being good companions along the way.

I had a nice afternoon – let’s do it again sometime.

Nonsuch Beginners first winter 1pm ride, 4 November

 Weather-dodging in the daylight hours

The clocks have gone back and the time had come to implement the decision at Beginners AGM to start the longer winter rides at 1pm.

The weather, however, has been miserable and although the BBC forecasters promised some remission on Saturday afternoon, the morning was as wet as could be. 

The sun came out temporarily and there were nine of us for a ride to Garson's Farm, out through Ewell, Claygate and Esher and back through Sandown Park, Weston Green, Lower Ditton , Surbiton and Worcester Park.

Garson's Farm

Most would say that the BBC forecast was wrong; rain to the left of us, rain to the right of us, rain before us and a downpour while we were in the garden centre having a slowly-served tea and cake.  But for 1pm Beginners it was right; incredibly, none of it fell on us.  Moreover, we all got home without riding in the dark through South London streets.  To this end the rides might have to get a little less ambitious as the deep midwinter comes.

Rain's over, back on the road!

Thanks to everyone for the company.

A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall; Nonsuch Beginners 28 October

O where have you been my blue-eyed son?

O where have you been my darlin' young one?

I been to Nonsuch Park to meet with Beginners

I been riding to Stoke D'Abernon with Nigel a-leadin'

I been to Cafe Barbera where the staff were all welcomin'

An its a hard, its a hard, its a hard, its a hard

Its a hard rain's a-gonna fall.

And what did you see my blue-eyed son?

And what did you see, my darlin' young one?

I saw ten people turn up but only seven on the long ride

I saw they fixed the potholes on Christ Church Road highway

I saw Malden Rushett with no traffic in it

I saw the gates of private estates openin' for me

I saw ten thousand cakes but I only got one

I saw black clouds a-gatherin' on the Western horizon

An its a hard, its a hard, its a hard, its a hard

Its a hard rain's a-gonna fall

And what did you do, my blue eyed son?

And what did you do my darlin' young one?

We cycled pretty fast for a bunch of Beginners

We tried a new route with an extra hill in it

We got a bit wet but nothin' too scary

Because we got home before the clouds opened 

and a hard, a hard, a hard, a hard, a hard rain began to fall. 

Between the Showers; Beddington Beginners 21 October

Storm Bebet (If you work in the Met Office, do you get a chance to name storms after people who have upset you?) was wreaking its havoc and tragedy across the United Kingdom and relatively speaking merely sprinkling those of us in the South East.  

Nevertheless we softies had been watching from the kitchen windows and contemplating staying at home.  Elizabeth on the BBC Weather had assured us that the storm would have passed by around ten-o-clock but she proved unreliable; noon passed, and then one, and the rain if anything got heavier.

Thing is, we had business to conduct; a discussion on winter start times, and so it came to pass that we left home in what had become a fine drizzle only to arrive in Beddington Park in the dry, much more comfortable than the group of unfortunate youngsters being made to lie with weapons full length and then crawl through the cold wet grass by some military man.

There was a lethargy about the group which met at the Pavilion and no-one argued with Colin when he suggested a short ride to Flitton's, albeit via a circuitous route; the clouds still looked ominous.

Indeed it was a short and easy ride; Mellows Park, Roundshaw Down, into the privileged maze that constitutes the Webb Estate, going up to the French war memorial and then as the sun came out, making straight for Flitton's in good time before four-o-clock, when the cafe closes.

There we had a meeting which culminated in - wait for it - a vote (who says there is no excitement at Beddington Park Beginners?) before making our way home on what had become a lovely, sunny, autumnal afternoon.

But our timing was perfect; the rain came down with a vengeance once we were indoors enjoying our cuppa.

Thanks to Colin for leading and to everyone else for the company.

Two are chatting, one is contemplating her shopping list, two want to look serious and good in the photo and one is contemplating the bravery of the French soldiers at Verdun.  Come on, chaps, pay attention........  

....that's better!  Photos by Maggie

  

Change in Times for Winter Saturday Beginners Rides

 

From Paul

Change in Times for Winter Saturday Beginners Rides.

Following a discussion at Beginners AGM early this year the Saturday ride times have been amended.  Starting on 4 November and throughout the winter months the long Saturday ride from Nonsuch Park will leave at 1pm.  The short ride will continue to depart at 2pm.  Beddington Park rides will also begin at 1pm.  When the clocks go forward at the end of March, all Saturday rides will revert to a 2pm start.

Please let anyone know who does not read the blog or WhatsApp group messages.

First Aid Training Day

 By Simon Lambourn 

First Aid training day

Every so often someone has a tumble on a ride, mostly with minor scrapes and bruises, but we sometimes worry about how to cope with a more serious incident.   Jennie Jackson organised a first aid training session for a group of nine volunteers, run by a nurse, cyclist and trainer at Wimbledon First Aid Training.   It was an excellent session, tailored for cyclists, and covered most of the things we could think of, and several we hadn’t! 

Recovery position

The topics covered were:

• First aid kit contents
• Priorities at the scene of an incident (keep everyone safe as the top priority)
• Assessing  an injured person
• Recovery position
• CPR
• Head and spinal injuries
• Dealing with bleeding
• Broken bones
• Incident reporting

And then we got to practice some of the techniques, which I think made us all feel more confident that we would know what to do if called upon to help.  It was a very worthwhile and thought-provoking day.   Thank you to Jennie for organising.

Watching a video of real-life CPR (it ended well!)

If there is sufficient interest, Jennie may be able to arrange further courses.   Please contact Jennie if interested.

First Aid Kit contents

A simple first aid kit can be very small, easily carried in a cycling jersey pocket, and might help treat a minor injury or prevent something becoming more serious.

Contents can vary but might include:  a dressing for grazes, antiseptic wipes, a foil ‘space blanket’, plasters, paracetamol & aspirin(*NB), safety pins, protective gloves, a bandage.

If you have been trained, a CPR mouth protector is also recommended.

(NB.  giving medication is generally discouraged (get advice from 999 responder) but can be helpful – for a consenting adult.  You must record the time given and dose for the emergency services.)

The trainer, Jen Craven, also recommended that everyone should have the What3Words app on their phone – this identifies your location if you need to call emergency services.   She also stressed the importance of documenting all incidents and any assistance given, for the protection of all involved.  Cycling UK has an incident reporting form – if you need assistance contact any ride leader or Committee member.