Calendar

Jul
25
Tue
Tuesday Night Ride – The Sugar Hill Gang @ The Bayberry
Jul 25 @ 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Tuesday Night Ride - The Sugar Hill Gang @ The Bayberry | Swindon | England | United Kingdom

Leaving the Bayberry we will head up through Coate and Chisie via the flying club to sample the delights of the Sugar Hill climb. Back around Liddington Castle and home via the Old ridgeway and Ladder lane.

There are 2 tough climbs on this ride. Pushing up is of course permitted. 33km distance and 400m of climbing on the route, so a reasonable level of fitness is required. The route may be altered (made easier, not harder!) to suit the riders and weather conditions.

LIGHTS are now a must and as always a helmet.

Sep
9
Sat
Family Ride: Picnic and Pedals @ Croft Cycle Trail
Sep 9 @ 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Family Ride: Picnic and Pedals @ Croft Cycle Trail | England | United Kingdom

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

Sep
30
Sat
SMTBE Ladies XC rides – Barbury Bound @ Croft Cycle Trail
Sep 30 @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
SMTBE Ladies XC rides - Barbury Bound @ Croft Cycle Trail | England | United Kingdom
This is our first Ladies Ridegway Ride! I’m so excited to introduce our ride leader for the day, one of our regular riders, Lindsay!
She will begin the ride at Croft cycle trail, though if any ladies are from the West Swindon area she is riding from home, so you can always join her along the way!
We will then ride up to Barbury via Ladder Lane (riding up is possible, but optional – walking up will be fine!!)
The ride then takes us down Smeathe’s Ridge, via the Three Trees Cafe, where we will stop for refreshments (all important tea, coffee and cake!!) We will then head back to Croft via Chiseldon, and Coate Water.
If the weather is on our side and we all feel like an extra few miles, then we can add in an additional loop from Ogbourne St George, taking a detour up the Earthline Hill, along the ridge and then back down onto the railway path again.
This ride is approximately 20 miles with the extra detour loop.
It is not a technical ride, however it does have a few hills and will require a little bit of stamina! 
Please note, it is only suitable for mountain bikes.
May
26
Sat
SMTBE Family Ride – Swinley Saturday @ Swinley Bike Hub
May 26 @ 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
SMTBE Family Ride - Swinley Saturday @ Swinley Bike Hub | England | United Kingdom

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

May
31
Thu
SMTBE Family Half Term Ride @ Waitrose
May 31 @ 10:30 am – 12:30 pm

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

Nov
11
Sun
Sunday Scenic @ 3 Trees Cafe
Nov 11 @ 10:30 am – 1:30 pm
Sunday Scenic @ 3 Trees Cafe | United Kingdom
This is steady XC ride taking in some of the cracking scenery on the Ridgeway.
 
Starting at the 3 Trees cafe, we will head along the Ridgeway, up the side of Barbury Castle (the gentlest side!), continuing along the Ridgeway past Hackpen Hill, before the descent across Rockley Downs to Ogbourne St Andrew.
From there we will take the old Railway line back to the 3 Trees cafe.
 
So uphill first (gets most of it out the way!), a nice down and steady return for coffee and cake.
 
This will be 24km in length and 275m of climbing – rather like the short route Tuesday night rides, but at the weekend.
 
We will be taking it at a relaxed pace, so this is suitable for those looking for a starter ride on the Ridgeway.
You must wear a helmet and a suitable coat is advised (showers are currently forecast).
 
Meet in the 3 Trees car park for a 10.30am set off.  
We will also be stopping briefly at 11am to observe 2 minutes silence for Remembrance Sunday.
Dec
5
Wed
CANCELLED – Wednesdays After Work at Croft @ Croft Cycle Trail
Dec 5 @ 5:45 pm – 7:00 pm
CANCELLED - Wednesdays After Work at Croft @ Croft Cycle Trail | England | United Kingdom
APOLOGIES EVERYONE, BUT TONIGHTS EVENT IS CANCELLED
Sorry, but due to ride leader unavailability (due to sick child!), I’ve had to cancel tonight’s ride. 
=========================================

We’re back for a Wednesday Night session at Croft.
The trail takes on a different vibe in the dark – loads of fun still with a bit of extra spice that comes from riding with lights 🙂
The tight nature of the trail keeps you on your toes too!
 
We’ll be taking easy as usual for Wednesday nights, so perfect if you’ve not been night riding before and going round as a group boosts the available light too.
 
Needless to say you’ll need lights for this ride, a helmet as always and current forecast suggests waterproofs as well.
 
Meet in the car park at 5.45pm
Jan
6
Sun
White-Horsing Around Scenic Ride @ Foxhill Car Park
Jan 6 @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
The first of my scenic rides for 2019 will be a round trip along the Ridgeway to the Uffington White Horse and back.
 
Along the way we’ll take in the stunning descent through the Hinton Parva coombes, a beautiful climb (honest!) from Bishopstone to the Ridgeway and the delights of Weathercock Hill.
We’ll be taking it easy to appreciate the scenery, covering about 27km in distance and 400m of climbing.
 
Meet at the Foxhill car park, just past The Ruji Restaurant.
 
You must bring a helmet and appropriate clothing, as well as snacks/food for the duration, as we will be out past lunchtime.
Apr
3
Wed
Wednesdays GetintoMTB @ Croft Cycle Trail
Apr 3 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Wednesdays GetintoMTB @ Croft Cycle Trail
Wednesday rides are back with a new format.

The evening will be split into two parts:

6-6.45pm will be a Croft trail ride, laps of the trail (when it gets lighter we will also be sessioning some of the features). This week this bit shouldn’t need lights 😀

6.45-8.15pm will be a local, fairly flat route, less than 10km in total.
PLEASE LET US KNOW BY POSTING BELOW IF YOU INTEND ONLY ATTENDING THE 6.45PM RIDE, so that we know to wait for you, as we leave promptly.

These rides are part of our GetintoMTB series, designed for anyone just starting mountain biking, coming back after a break or just wanting a shorter, flatter ride 😊

Helmets are compulsory and you will also need lights for the ride out at 6.45pm.

Meet in the Croft Trail car park for both rides

Aug
21
Wed
Wednesday GetintoMTB @ Croft Cycle Trail
Aug 21 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Wednesday GetintoMTB @ Croft Cycle Trail

Wednesdays are one of our #getintoMTB events, designed to help people get started, get back into MTB or anyone wanting a shorter, flatter ride. But there’s plenty of fun for all abilities.

The evening will be split into two parts:

6-7pm will be a Croft trail ride, laps of the trail (sessioning some of the features along the way)

7pm-8pm will be a local, fairly flat route, less than 10km in total.
PLEASE LET US KNOW BY POSTING BELOW IF YOU INTEND ONLY ATTENDING THE 7PM RIDE, so that we know to wait for you, as we leave promptly.

Under 18’s are allowed on this ride unaccompanied, as long as you have been out with us before. If you haven’t and wish to come, please drop an email to welfare@swindonmtbenthusiasts.co.uk so we can let you know the process for signing up to these rides.

As with all our rides, Helmets are compulsory.

Meet in the Croft Trail car park for both rides