Hilly 50km Sat 5 March w2016

Just a short note to say that despite the weather which out to be literally a snow storm half way through 33 riders signed on and started. An amazing achievement under the circumstances and thanks to so many that turned up at the start to help with signing on.
I arrived 8.45am at Ryka's followed shortly thereafter by Geoffrey Shields a real stalwart who also helped with the sign on last year and he did a good job with the signing on! Carolyn & John Beer were the next to arrive with their dog and made a great contribution, Carolyn collecting all the money and managing the till very efficiently. Dave Vine was also early to arrive along with Ken Day and I started to feel comfortable that I was not on my own, in fact I took little part in the actual signing on. Terry L was also there in support which was a moral boost.
My main concern was should we allow the event to proceed as when I came over Box Hill the temperature was zero but the roads were dry and free from ice! At this time the snow had not started. In the end we only had 33 starters on the line with very few of the pre- registered turning up!
At around 10.20am I decamped to summit Box Hill and it was bitterly cold. Joined by son Tim & little Florence on her bike age 3 I felt well supported but a little concerned about the snow storm that now developed. I stayed at the finish untill 1.30pm when I was pretty certain that all the riders had finished, notably one 13 year old form V.C. Londres who were as always in recent years our most ardent supporters. More about that later with photo's but for now I will retire to bed.
Dave Vine & Ken Day were one of the last to arrive and it was amazing that such mature gentlemen managed to stay the course. Dave commented that conditions were grim but not dangerous and remarked that even Logmore Lane which I had reccied on Friday was safe by previous years problems. Whereas last year we had a few riders finish in under 2hrs, the best time this year was around 2hr. 27mins by last years first finisher from Kingston Wheelers.
Pictures and more analysis to follow. Riders and donations this year will be about half 2015 so a little disappointing but I think an achievement in view of the conditions and a remarkable result to all that rode!
Thank you all on the committee that helped me so much to keep this event alive!

Author: mike morley

Tri-Vets Ride, 15 June 2016

This blog post contains information about the arrangements for the rides, the routes, how to get to the start, refreshments, checking-in, and expected conduct for riders.

Updated information is contained in a subsequent post here

Tri-ennial Veterans' rides have been organised by CTC groups since 1928, and are intended as a sociable, non-competitive day out in the Surrey countryside. We are offering three distances: 100 miles, 100km and 50km. All routes are figures of eight around the base at Brockham, with light refreshments at lunch and at the end of the ride. A CTC badge is available at a cost of £4 to riders over 50 who complete the 100 mile route in under twelve hours. All riders will receive a finisher's certificate.
The

The number of riders is limited to 80: please register with Simon Lambourn. The entry fee of £5 covers costs, including refreshments at the base. An entry form is available here: please register first to check places are available.

The Base: Brockham Cricket Pavilion, RH3 7JT

The pavilion is the base for signing on, where you will receive an audax-style brevet card which will be stamped as proof of passage. It is a short ride from Dorking station (3 miles). Limited parking is available at the pavilion, otherwise please park considerately in Brockham, leaving the main road clear. The pavilion is just south of Brockham Green, a right turn off the main road, opposite 21 Middle Street, Brockham. https://goo.gl/maps/BRyGyYPDPMD2.

The pavilion will be open from 7.30am serving tea and coffee until 11am; sandwich lunches will be available from 11-3pm, and cake and finisher's certificates will be served until 8.00 pm. If necessary the base will then re-locate to a pub in Brockham.

The Rides

All rides will be largely on the Surrey Cycleway, which is a network of pretty lanes with little traffic. It is not flat - Surrey isn’t - but it’s certainly not a hilly route, as none of Surrey’s famous hills is included. Based on the Cricket Pavilion at Brockham, the first riders will leave at 0800. For each distance, there will be led rides of small groups, with the normal leader/back marker/corner marker arrangements. Draft times for these led rides are as follows:

0800: 100 miles, 12.5 mph
0830: 100 miles, 13.0 mph
0900: 100 miles, 13.5 mph

0930: 100 kms, 12.0 mph
1000: 100 kms, 12.5 mph
1030: 100 kms, 13.0 mph

1100: 50 kms, 10.0 mph

To join the event you do not have to participate in a led ride - you can ride by yourself, or with a couple of friends, if you prefer. Route cards and GPS files for those who want them will be available below. Every rider will have an Audax-style ‘Brevet Card’, that is stamped as proof of passage. This will serve as evidence for CTC Badge Claims, but it is not meant to be a rigorous thing. It’s a ride with friends and clubmates - claims are made on trust.

The 100 mile and 100k group rides will stop at a café half-way round each loop where you can purchase extra refreshments.

Ride guidelines

In the interests of our safety and enjoyment, we expect all participants to follow the rules of the road and be considerate to other road users. If you plan to ride in a group please take a moment to study our Group Ride Guidelines.

In particular, if you leave the ride for any reason, please notify the group leader or back marker; or inform the base, using the number on your brevet card.

The routes (DRAFT)

For the latest information see the later blog post here

100 miles

<link to GPX file and route sheet here> Refreshments at Lingfield and Bramley

100 km

<link to GPX file and route sheet here> Refreshments at Horley and Capel (shop).

50km

<link to GPX file and route sheet here> pm refreshments at Tanhouse Farm

Hilly 50 km Saturday 5th March Starting at Ryka's

The first and foremost Sportive of the season to get your legs going and your hearts thumping! The following has been sent out to over thirty cycling clubs and eating establishments to publicize. It can be a forerunner, though some say more challenging than a Tri-Vet a series of which are planned by CTC in June.

Please promote when you can if you see likely lads and lasses out on their bikes, they too might like a challenge, so challenge them to ride - yes even press gang!

HILLY 50 KM SPORTIVE IN AID OF PROMOTING CTC AND ST. RAPHAEL HOSPICE CHEAM

Forgive me for being so bold but would you be so kind as to promote this event as an early season warm up. Entry is £5 payable on the line which will all go to St. Raphael’s. Signing on is at Ryka’s cafe car park Burford Bridge/Box Hill from 9.30am Saturday morning with prompt start at 10am. Pre-entry will be helpful. Go to www.cyclingswlondon.org.uk  On the home page you will see “Entry Form” on the LHS and the routes/map can be found in the centre of the yellow background page. Alternatively just turn up on the day. This is a sporting challenging unsupported ride and few will complete it in under two hours. Now there’s a challenge! The event has been running for over 30 years and is supported by a well tried route sheet  finishing at the Cafe on top of Box Hill by 2pm.

Alternatively go direct to the CTC events page for a fuller description and entry.

http://www.ctc.org.uk/event/hilly-50-kilometre-0

  

Some of the finishers at the 2015 event.

Signing on at Ryka's 2015. 

Author: mike morley

Minutes of AGMs and Committee Meetings

Due to the demand for greater transparency and the insatiable curiosity of club members your committee decided recently to publish the minutes of our meetings.

You may have already spotted Graham's addition to the menu on the left hand side of our website's front page:




 






Click on this to open a new window:
 
 






 




Click on the small icon at the top of the window to see a better view of this list:
 
 








From the list select the document you want to read, or in the case of committee meeting minutes select the folder for the appropriate year.

To navigate back to this base list click on
"> Meeting minutes for publishing" at the top of the page. The documents are all in PDF format so you will need a PDF reader on the PC or device you are using to open these docs.

We don't have a specific post of Welfare Officer in the club. It was agreed a few years ago that the committee would cover this function collectively. So at the meetings there is always a slot to discuss the wellbeing of club members who are ill or have been involved in an accident. The full versions of the minutes include a summary of these conversations but these publicly available documents exclude this section of our meetings.

Happy reading!

Tim

Author: Tim C

2015 AGM

The AGM for CTC South West London will commence at 11:02 in the Hersham Amenity Hall on Wednesday 11th November.

The date and time coincides with Armistice Day so we will observe the 2 minute silence before the meeting starts. Please be in the hall by 10:50 to ensure that you have time to find a seat before 11 o'clock.

Signing in and distribution of the agenda and other paperwork will take place after this moment of quiet.

Should you arrive late the silence will be observed in the cafeteria and throughout the premises by the staff and regular clientele of the Day Centre.

It is the custom to award the Arthur Jessop Shield to recognise outstanding achievement in the club. If you wish to nominate someone for this award please communicate with the secretary or a member of the committee.

Tim Court
Secretary

Author: Tim C

CTC 2015 Birthday Rides Penrith Lake District

Birthday rides in 2015 were in Lake District! Jeff has asked me to put together an article which will appear in the next issue of Sou'wester so look out for the next issue. Picture above shows long time supporters of this event. They were invited to cut the cake for travelling the furthest.

Author: mike morley

Cycle Safety and HGV's

Jeff pointed out in theJuly/Aug Sou'Wester that the MET invited cyclists to go along and get aquainted with the HGV drivers view of cyclists. I went along! It was very worth while and an eye opener. I was invited to climb into the drivers seat of this massive Mercedes truck (tractor part-no trailer attached). It was equiped with 7 mirrors all at different angles and panoramic views. The officer sitting in the passenger seat explained what the driver has to contend with. It takes 7 seconds to scan all mirrors while at the same time keeping and eye on the road ahead. The critical points made were the blind spots in front of the cab, the driver is so high up if you get too close he cant see you. Always go far enough in front to be seen as at the cycle ahead stop line.
Another very critical point is pulling along side the truck driver nearside as if in a cycle lane. The downward facing mirror above the passenger window will look down and pick up a cyclist if right next the the passenger door. It will not however see a cyclist in say a cycle lane some 1 meter away from the door - hence if the truck is turning left it will not see the cyclist. The advice never pull up on the inside of a truck or bus the driver most likely will n ot see you in certain blind spots.

This demonstration certainly taught me a lot and for MHM that's saying a great deal. Well done the MET a brilliant initiative well supported with some 10 officers helping to explain and demonstrating while you are in the cab where the blind spots are while riding a bike along side. Now you see me now you don't. I also got a free ultra violet bike code onto my Van Nich which is now on the MET Log.

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I also got a free

Author: mike morley