The exactly route will be determined by the weather and ability of those who turn up, but roughly it will be 30km out over the Ridgeway and back to the Bayberry for post ride refreshments.
Meet in the car park at 7pm.
You will need a helmet and lights, as it’s dark before we return now.
We are basing ourselves at Croft for this family ride, riding lots of different parts of the trail.
It will be a very relaxed and enjoyable afternoon, where you can arrive at anytime after 11am. There will be numerous rides going on throughout the afternoon and you can join in with as many or as few as you like! We will cover a variety of abilities and for all age groups, starting at short rides around the paths of the trail for those that are just starting out, to sectioning areas of the blue trail and for those children that are ‘pros in the making’ we will be heading out on both the blue and red trails.
In between these rides there is chance to come and join us for a picnic lunch and I will bring some fun outdoor games for the children to play whilst they are waiting to ride as well. So why not come along with the family, bring a picnic and have some off-road biking fun!
Please note that you will be responsible for your child/children at all times and will be required to accompany them on all of the rides
As Dave is off sunning himself, Lee Smith will be leading this week’s Tuesday ride. The full route to be determined depending on the weather, but expect around 35k with 400-450 metres of climbing over 2 – 2.5 hours. Mud and puddles are a given at this time of year so dress appropriately. Lid, lights and jacket required.
The usual Tuesday night ride onto the Ridgeway. The weather forecast looks wet and windy yet again, so we will be riding harder pack trails and a bit of urban – all subject to change according what weather actually transpires.
You must wear a helmet, bring lights (strong enough for the dark of the Ridgeway) and appropriate clothing (warm waterproofs at the moment).
If you have not been on a club ride before and are not a club member, you are welcome to join us to see what it is like before joining. Details on the benefits of membership and how to join can be found by clicking here.
Sorry for the short notice, but we have a new opportunity to do a family ride at the weekend at Swinley Forest.
Swinley is a great place for all levels of cyclist, with fire roads, a great Green trail and the Blue trail, which builds up nicely.
We will start with the Green trail as an introduction, before heading out on to Blue. How much of Blue we do will depend on the ability of the group – there are some nice flatter sections, as well as nice descents, but always a fire road option as well.
There will be 2 ride leaders to guide you, but all children MUST be accompanied by an adult and remain your responsibility for the whole ride.
Children and adults must wear helmets
Need something to keep the kids entertained this half term? Then come along and join us on our family half term ride!
Starting at Waitrose, we will go along the Southern flyer and up a bit of the old railway line, before descending to Wichelstowe, where there is a playground to take break. From there we will head out to Croft, to do the final section of the trail (which is fairly flat), before heading back to Wichelstowe. We will go along the canal, round the lake and back up to Waitrose (& a cafe stop if desired).
Total route is 5.5 miles, or if 3.5 miles if you want to skip the Croft trip and stay at the playground. A great route combining cycle paths and off road riding.
The ride will be lead by our Welfare officer, Davinia, who is also a British Cycling qualified ride leader and Breeze champion.
Whilst on the ride your children must be accompanied and are your responsibility at all times.
Children and adults must wear helmets.
Meet outside the front of Waitrose at 10.30am
The Peak District is simple awesome for mountain biking – stunning scenery and brilliant riding.
I’ve done lots of riding up there and am putting together some of the best in one long weekend.
We will be based in the Hope Valley, which has a great selection of campsites, B&B accommodation, cafes and bike shops. Personally I’ll be camping and will make a recommendation for a campsite after sampling a few, but there are plenty of great B&Bs for anyone that doesn’t like camping.
For the riding, we have 3 days:
A scenic starter, along the Monsal Trail. Starting at Bakewell Station up to Blackwell Mill and back. This is a former railway line that has been converted into a bridleway, using all the old features, including a number of viaducts and 4 tunnels through the Peaks. This gives us the chance to soak in the gorgeous scenery along the route, as well as a stop to enjoy them with a drink.
Day 2 is an epic XC ride starting in Hope and heading over Mam Tor out towards Derwent Water and back. The views on this route are even more stunning than the previous day, but the riding will be amazing too, with some epic descents – this one isn’t flat! 😉 We will be doing 25-30km with 1200-1500ft of climbing (depending on the weather), but the pace will be relaxed.
The final day will be a trip to the brilliant (but short) Lady Cannings trails, which we will use to end a 10km loop of the local Blacca Moor, which is another Peaks “must do”. That should see us finish at lunchtime, on the Bank Holiday Monday.
If you are planning on coming, please register either on the Facebook group event or by sending an email to adrian@swindonmtbenthusiasts.co.uk – just so we know to keep an eye out for you before setting off anywhere.
Debbie had this great(!) idea to ride over to Avebury to see the the Summer Solstice sun rise, in order to do this we have undegone the club ride leader training as we’re the only two barmy enough to want to do it at the moment. Excitingly this will be our first event as ride leaders so more than a good enough reason to get out of bed and join us 😀
The plan is nothing more than to cycle to Avebury to see the sunrise and then back (always maintaining a group), the pace will be slow and steady to suit those in attendance and suitable for all abilities and fitness levels. It is approximately 15 miles out and a similar distance back (the exact route will be reccied Thursday 6/6 and once done this event post will be amended to suit so stay tuned for further details).
Due to the start time and off road nature of this route you will need lights, a bike in good working order and of course a helmet. It would also be a good idea to bring water and something to eat, there may be food/coffee for sale there but this isn’t guaranteed.
Sunrise times…
London 04h43
Stonehenge 04h52