NORTHERN NEWS

Number 158                                                                             

Dec 07

 

 

Some of the Brittany trip at Guerlesquin Memorial Garden

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS & a Happy new year

 

 

NEXT COPY DATE – TUESDAY 8th JANUARY

 

 

 

HON SEC’S JOTTINGS                                           

by John Bedford      

The Clubroom will be closed on Tuesday 25th December & Tuesday 1st January. Thanks to Brian Langdell for refurbishing the Clubroom noticeboard. Really looks smart now.

Audax. Once again Geoff Findon will be organising the Audax on Sunday 22nd April.   Please keep this date free to either ride the 100k, 160k or 200k event, or to help on the day. As we attract over 200 riders from around the country your support is essential. See Geoff on one the rides or call 0121 601 8973 now. Thanks.

The White Horse Weekend, based at Chippenham, is to be held on 4th – 6th April. Come and join us for a weekend of cycle rides and social activities. See www.chippenhamwheelers.co.uk soon for details.

Birmingham Clubroom, Carrs Lane Church Centre, 7.30pm   £2 Tues. 11th December. ‘C to C and back’ by Roger Thorpe.

Tues. 8th January. ‘Transylvania’ by Rob Bishop.

Tues. 12th February. ‘Cycling on a Stamp’ by Sue Thorne.

Tues. 11th March. ‘Goaway’ by Ray Ayland.

Carol Service, Sunday December 16th. Due to roof repairs Meriden Church will be out of use for several months and therefore the Cyclists’ Carol Service is being held at Fillongley Church. Refreshments i.e. Mince Pies etc will be available at the Village Hall from 12 noon. The Hall is situated about a quarter of a mile along the B4098 on the right side in the direction of Coventry. For those having a car assisted ride the cars can be parked at the village hall. The Service will follow the usual pattern and will start at 2pm.

Cycle Jumble. Bookings are being taken for our own Cycle Jumble on Saturday 1st March. Tables £7-00 each. Use this as an opportunity to have a clear-out of the garage or cycle shed. Please donate unwanted items to the club, or else reserve your own table. Details from me.

Club Riding. Please ride legally and sensibly on Club rides. It has been suggested that members again look at our Code of Conduct and the new Highway Code to ensure they comply.

Harry Field (and Ena) are moving to Droitwich to be near their daughter. Harry, along with Howard Powell, started the Friday morning ride many years ago. We wish Harry and Ena every happiness in their new home.

Other Clubs. Want to read about the goings on in a Welsh cycling club? Try looking at www.wennol.co.uk

Fradley & Curborough.There are plans for 5,000 homes to be built on the western and southern side of Fradley’s old airfield on brownfield and greenfield land. There are to be 2 consultations. The first is on Dec 3rd at St Stephen’s Primary School in Fradley between 3 and 7pm, the second on Dec 4th at Lichfield Guildhall in Bore St between 2 and 7pm. Looks like we’re losing more of our green & pleasant cycling land!

Sustrans’ Connect2. Sustrans is competing for a £50 million grant to improve the cycle network. There will be a number of ITV1 programmes during the week beginning 3rd December, with Sustrans scheduled for 4th December. Please support this by registering your details on www.sustransconnect2.org.uk today. The result of the competition will be decided by public vote

 

BIRMINGHAM & MIDLAND DA AGM    

This was held at Whitacre Heath on Sunday 18th November. Harry Child presented the 108th  report, and his last as Secretary after 14 years. Thanks were given to Harry and Sheila for all their hard work over the years.

 

Last year the membership was 1195, and currently 1236 names are recorded. During the year Head Office has done some sorting of the membership so the increase is probably larger than shown.

The Secretary reported that Birmingham Council Cycling and Walking Committee meetings are fairly low key, but Push Bikes are to be congratulated on all their work and pressure that they apply to the City Council.

 

The DA finances are healthy. Only one event, the Winter Clubroom, made a loss. Meriden, despite the change of date and the poor weather, made a good profit. In 2008 Meriden should be a National Event.

There then followed discussion on the new Policy document from Head Office. One member said that he thought it was badly written, too long and complex, and of little interest to the average member. Assisted by the local Councillor, Peter Mathieson, a better understanding was achieved. As any decisions and changes can be made over the next twelve months it was eventually referred to the new committee for consideration.

 

A new committee was formed with John Evans as Secretary, Sue Thorne as Treasurer, and the chairman to be elected at the first meeting. Both myself and Chris Jones remain as members. Harry Child was co-opted to assist in the ‘hand-over’ during the coming year.

 

Letter from Geoff Howle.

I am planning an End to End ride next year starting at Land’s End on 29th April and finishing at John O’Groats on 21st May, with three days off along the route (one in Sutton on 4th May ). Daily mileage will be circa 60 miles, so no records will be broken as I am intending to spend a reasonable amount of time visiting the towns/attractions en route. I am planning to use a mix of B&B’s and Travelodges, the latter at pretty cheap rates with advance bookings.

 

If anybody is interested in joining me he/she/they can contact me asap in order that I can firm up travel and accommodation arrangements before Christmas. My contact number is 0121 308 0138, or e-mail g.howle@btinternet.com

 

 

 

SOCIAL DIARY

 

CLUBROOM. There will be a demonstration of Indoor Gardening by Brian Wheat on Tuesday 29th January.

HIGHBURY LITTLE THEATRE

John, Mary & Katie are considering organising theatre visits to the above during the next year. If we can get 15+ people then we could make a social occasion by having a pre-performance or a post-performance supper at the theatre.

5-16th February: “Love Begins at Fifty”. This may be a good start.

6-17th May: Neville’s Island

Please let us know if there is any interest. We would like to hear from all of you whether you are interested or not.

BBQ. Katie Price is hoping to hold another BBQ on Easter Sunday. Try & keep the date free.

The Lichfield Lunch will be held on Sunday 27th January, at The Moorings. No further details available, except that bookings will be taken by Ann Watkins, Sylvia Sharples and John & Beryl Bedford.

 

Cycling in Cyprus                                                      

by Geoff Howle

 

              An invitation to Steve Stansfield’s Mediterranean bolthole in Cyprus                   

              could not be refused and so it was I found myself at Paphos airport

              awaiting my case and bike off the baggage carousel. Passing through to

              the arrivals hall I was met by Steve holding up a large sign displaying

              my name, as if I was a taxi passenger. He did not get a tip

Steve has owned a property in Cyprus for two years and had become familiar with the road network on the western side of the island, whereas this was my first visit to Cyprus. We had planned to vary my week’s stay with a mix of cycling, sightseeing and relaxation on the local Coral Bay beach.

 

 Day One – Monday 23 October 2007

I awoke to brilliant wall to wall sunshine that we would enjoy all week with temperatures in the high twenties centigrade. After a re-introduction to Steve’s’ wife Margaret and sister in law Barbara we had breakfast and then set out for a leisurely half day ride exploring the countryside around the village of Pegeia. Our 20 mile circuit saw a rapid descent to the coast through fields of banana trees to the sandy beach at Coral Bay and then onwards to the fishing village of Agios Georgios for coffee. Along the route we passed magnificent private villas overlooking the ocean at Sea Caves. Our route back to Pegeia took us along the legendary ‘by-pass’ road, the subject of featured article in Cycling Weekly by Steve. Whilst climbing the steady 9% gradient that continues relentlessly for two and half miles he reminded me again he had yet to receive his reward for submitting the article, a pair of cycling shoes from the said publication. I told him they were probably still at the cobblers.

 

Day Two – Tuesday 24 October 2007

Today’s ride saw us head to Pissouri, a small fishing village on the south of the island. Our route saw us descend to the coast at Coral Bay and then along the coast road past the Tomb of the Kings into the busy streets of Paphos. From here we headed south east near the airport and along the B6 road. Until recently this was the main road to Limossol and onto Larnaka, however with the opening of the A6 motorway much of the traffic has been removed and the light traffic onwards to Pissouri made for a pleasant ride. This region of Cyprus is not flat and at any time we were either climbing or descending and with the heat and a constant headwind against us in each direction our 70 mile day felt more like a 100 miles plus.

 

We stopped for lunch at a pleasant cafeteria overlooking the beach and one hour later started our return at 3.00 pm retracing our steps past Aphrodite’s Rock and through Paphos. It was nearly 6.00 pm by the time we reached home and were in danger of losing the light. At this latitude the sun soon disappears.

 

Day Three – Wednesday 25 October 2007

The bikes were put on one side today and a leisurely day was spent on the beach, broken only by Steve’s attempt to hold back the waves King Canute style boldly standing in front of seven foot breakers which simply tossed him off his feet.

 

Day Four – Thursday 26 October 2007

Back to the serious business and today’s forty two mile ride saw us again tackling the by-pass (still no shoes!) and then continuing onwards and upwards towards Kathikas, a small village of some 300 inhabitants lying on a plateau ridge. We reached the village in little under an hour and were rewarded with incredible views of the sea during the ascent. The countryside changed from scrub to pine forest to scrub as we climbed, before cycling through the vineyards as we reached the cooler plateau. some 3,000 feet above sea level. Steve is well known at a local taverna. Petredaki’s, in the village and we took the opportunity to book an evening meal for that night and were rewarded with a free coffee stop.

 

We pressed onwards through Stompi joining the B7 road for the long climb through Tsada and then a fast decent into Paphos. We arrived only 5 minutes down at the harbour café where we had arranged to meet Margaret and Barbara for lunch. Our lycra clad arrival momentarily distracted the tourists who minutes earlier were equally bemused by two pelicans also strutting their stuff along the quayside.

 

After lunch (and a light beer) we visited the roman archaeological site adjacent to the harbour. Such is its importance the site is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site. Only a small percentage of the site has been excavated revealing beautiful mosaics, an amphitheatre and many other extensive roman buildings.

 

Day Five – Friday 27 October 2007

Again we left the bikes behind today and spent the day enjoying the coastline around Paphos. At St George’s chapel a wedding party from Cardiff were just leaving the church. Cyprus is now a favourite destination to ‘tie the knot’ not least because of the guaranteed weather and relaxed atmosphere. Adjacent to the chapel in the grounds of St George’s Hotel is a hall housing a fishing vessel impounded in 1953 after gun running. The struggle for independence from colonial rule was at its height in the immediate post war years and its crew were all jailed. Likewise many Cypriots were interned without trial in camps on the island. Today however any ill feeling towards the British has long since disappeared.

 

A visit to the reptile park in the afternoon gave us an opportunity to learn about the snakes on the island. Of the 8 indigenous species only one, the blunt nosed viper is poisonous (unfortunately it is the most venomous of all European snakes) but will only strike in self defence. Those we saw in captivity chose to rest in the bushes and the next day both Steve and I were consciously riding a little further into the road! During the visit we were able to handle several of the snakes including a whip snake, coin snake and boa constrictor.

 

Day Six – Saturday 28 October 2007

 

The final ride of the week proved to be the best. An early start to beat the sun’s heat on the long climb to Kathikus saw us reach the village before 10 am. Our route to the coastal towns of Polis and Lakki in the north west  took us through typical Cypriot villages of Pano and Kato Arodes and Drouseia, where time appears to have stood still. One room houses, with olive presses and donkeys are commonplace in these rural backwaters away from coastal tourism. A quick 15 minute descent brought us into Polis for coffee. Our route then followed the coast westwards through Lakki to the Baths of Aphrodites, and more cultural sightseeing. Returning to Lakki we lunched overlooking the harbour.

 

Steve had not, so he said, covered the next section of the route by bike

               or for that matter car, or if he had was keeping very quiet. Our return

               route via the B7 road followed the valley floor in a southerly direction

               for several miles before taking an unclassified road (and definitely out

               of classification!) for the 6 kms   climb back to Kathikus. The gradient 

               was signposted as 9%, in common with all gradient signs we

               encountered, but experience and my legs told me otherwise. With

               granny gear engaged and the bikes creaking under strain we barely

               made the 4km marker at Pano Akourdaleia before dismounting. After

               a short rest we resumed the climb and with the road levelling off as we

               hit the plateau we coasted into Petredaki’s for coffee.

Our reward for all this was of course the descent back to Pegeia. A very rapid descent nearly came to grief when an aggregate lorry pulled out of side road 50 yards ahead of us. Fortunately the driver saw us at the last minute, braked sharply, and we disappeared into the dust cloud thrown up at 40 mph. The adrenaline continued to pump as we raced down the remainder of the descent knowing this was the final few miles of the week.

 

               I had an unforgettable week in Cyprus and though we covered less

               than 200 miles the shortfall was more than made up by the excellent

               climbs, weather, food and hospitality. I would like to thank Steve,

               Margaret and Barbara for an enjoyable week.

 

I would thoroughly recommend the island as a cycling venue in the cooler months with roads to suit all abilities, from the Paphos region described above to the Troodos mountains to the less strenuous roads in the east.

 

PARK CYCLES ARE NOW STOCKING

THE AERON FRAME BY RIDLEY.

 

This fast touring/Audax frameset has clearance for mudguards and has rear rack braze-ons. 7005 Heat treated Aluminium. Carbon fibre forks.

Only £250.  CUSTOM BUILDS AVAILABLE from £525.

TREAT YOURSELF THIS WINTER

 

ODE TO AUTUMN                                                       

by Katie Price

A PLEASANT WEEKEND OF CYCLING

 

‘Season of mist and mellow fruitfulness’ wrote Keates.   I was forced to learn this poem at junior school. I didn’t understood the meaning of the words at the time, learning it parrot fashion (not that I could recite it in full now).  Little did I know it was to become one of the building blocks that would eventually lead to my love of the outdoors, music, theatre and the arts.  

I took the opportunity to ride both on Saturday and Sunday (20th and 21st October) a rare treat for me, turning a blind eye to the mountain of jobs to be done in my garden and the house.  It was such a beautiful and enjoyable weekend I just had to wax lyrical and write about my experience, hence this article.

 

Spring and autumn are my favourite times of the year.  Spring when the first green shoots start to appear as the days become longer.  Each year my thoughts turn to my fuchsia plants with renewed hope that they will make it to the August show with the leaves still attached to the plant!  But enough of spring it is autumn that we have the opportunity to enjoy at the moment and what a glorious time it is.

 

Saturday morning I fell out of bed as usual and pondered on how many layers to wear as the morning had dawned with a slight frost and set off to Streetly Gate for the 10 o’clock start.  Riding through Sutton Park is a particular pleasure at this time of year, seeing the trees dressed in their finest colours.  I never cease to be amazed at how many variations of colour nature can derive, the palest pinks to the strong vibrant reds, the subtle yellows and fading greens to the deep russet browns.  The crushed chestnuts and their shells strewn across the path making it essential to keep a eye to the ground so as not to end up base over apex when riding over them.  I passed Keepers Pool a delightful vision especially on such a still day with the reflection of the surrounding multicoloured trees held in a perfect image by its mirrored surface as if it was one of Archie’s amazing photographs.  Here I caught up with Mary and we rode in the crisp cold air up the hill to the Jubilee Stone and on down to Streetly Gate.

 

We set off in the usual groups for our destination of The Heart of the Country.  Riding through the now familiar roads and lanes, I never tire of seeing the constant changes in our surroundings through the seasons.  The familiar gardens in the villages with their manicured lawns and picturesque flower beds (wish I had the time to have a real manicured lawn instead of a battle ground with the squirrel and ants, I think the ants are building underground nuclear bunkers in my lawns!).  The hanging baskets and window boxes outside the pubs still offering a splash of colour.  The morning was disappointingly overcast but the sun was slowly burning off the clouds as the occasional glimpse of blue began to appear.  Across the far side of a large field 2 herons stood to attention like sentinels guarding the fresh green shoots of a winter crop.  Their uniform of grey feathers blending into the still dull light of the morning both taking to the air as our approach disturbed them.  I watched them soar into the sky, their broad wing span and the slow rhythmic flight making them for a moment seem like flying dinosaurs in the grey distance.

 

The best part of the day however was the mist across the fields, gently wrapping the countryside in a soft white fleece. Slowly as the strength of the sun began to warm the earth the mist was replaced by steam gently rising from the rich brown soil of the precision ploughed fields.  We arrived at the tea stop and I happily devoured a bacon sandwich as I was ravenous as usual (when am I not hungry?). The warm café slowly filling to capacity as each group arrived, the more hardy folk sitting outside in the bright sunlight. By the time I reached the outer edge of Sutton on the way back the temperature was rising and I was glowing with perspiration after climbing to the top of Hillwood Common Road.  I was so inspired by nature’s magnificent autumnal display that I decided to join the C ride the following day.

 

I opened the curtains Sunday morning to a pale clear blue sky, not a leaf moved in the garden.  I stuffed my lunch and several chocolate bars (having learnt from my experience in France with flagging energy levels) into my saddlebag and set off again for 10.00 am start at Mere Green. The sky had changed to a bright blue and the sun shone as we all followed John Evans down the Lichfield Road on the way to our lunch stop at Alrewas.  The pace was just right for my wimpish ability and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride through the country lanes seeing nature display her autumn wares.  The berries and chestnuts seem especially abundant this year.  I am not very knowledgeable about the bird world but even I couldn’t help but notice the jays in the hedgerows burst upwards to the tops of the trees as we passed by, vocalising their protest as we disturbed their breakfast.

We stopped at St Stephens Church in Fradley as Dave Frost wanted to show us the graves of the Australian airmen who had served during the 2nd World War at the Lichfield airbase.  The churchyard was small and well tended, the graves standing in smart rows behind the church.  I was appalled at the ages recorded on the headstones, the youngest just 17 years old, many of them dying together as their planes crashed on their return to the base. I would not have noticed the subtle difference in the shape of the top of the headstones unless Dave had pointed it out to us, each nationality carved in a slightly different shape. There was one German and one English airman buried there amongst the Australians. I thought how ironic it is after all these years that these young men rest in peace together in the warm soft sunlight of autumn, their lives given freely for what they each believed in.  How many more graves are there across our planet, one time enemies now lying side by side in death.  The lives of young men and women cut short by wars that always in hindsight could have been avoided.  But then I know little of history and politics and can only see their loss from an emotional viewpoint as a tragic and unnecessary waste of life.

 

But this was not a day to dwell for too long on past sorrow but a day of experiencing the pleasure of nature’s bountiful display.  As we left the churchyard we stopped to chat to the vicar, the reverend John Allen, a well travelled American who kindly gave us information about the local churches and even whose door to knock in order to gain access to view another church.  Hopefully the club will be able to take up the kind offer on a future ride.  Over the entrance above the steps into the church were the words ‘Keep thy foot when thou goest to the House of God’. We questioned the vicar about it; he said he had been unable to find any biblical reference and had come to the conclusion that it was probably a Victorian health and safety notice!

 

Lunch was taken in the William IV pub at Alrewas (for those ladies who have yet visit this pub take a look in the ladies loo, my favourite is April, Sue preferred December).  It is a welcoming pleasant pub with some colourful paintings on one of the outside walls. We lingered in the comfortable surrounding but eventually dragged ourselves back outside and set off on the homeward ride, the warm sun gathering strength as the afternoon wore on.  Again if Dave had not stopped and drawn our attention to the front garden of a large farm we would have all ridden straight past it.  The garden was large and beautifully landscaped and there sitting in a tree was a magnificent blue and orange macaw and just at that moment with perfect timing a large pheasant raced across the lawn.

 

I enquired as to how many miles we had covered as we approached the junction to cross Watling Street, at least I think that was the junction as I never really take notice of where I am as I’m usually too busy just keeping up with the group. I’d be in a real mess if I ever got left behind!  At 36 miles I was beginning to feel tired with a further 8 to go, memories of France began to seep into my mind, still the hills are not as steep or as long as they are in France and the last few miles back to Sutton Park soon slipped by.  The ride through the park taking on the usual dangers of strolling pedestrians, running dogs, scurrying squirrels and reversing cars.  I arrived home at 4.30 pm tired but exhilarated after 2 delightful days of cycling.   

My thanks to Val and John for guiding us on 2 such lovely routes and to Mary for helping to fill in a few gaps in my memory and doing a bit of research on the internet.  I am not an internet fan but I did follow up on Mary’s initial research and I found an extract from the memoirs of Rollo Kingsford-Smith DSO AM DFC, entitled ‘Beating the Odds Over Europe’.  It is a fascinating read about his experience during the war flying Lancaster Bombers and he describes in detail his posting to the Lichfield airbase.   

 

 

A Seven Mile Walk & Hospitalisation                      

by John Bedford 

 

Everything started so well on this, our third tour from San Francisco airport. The day after landing we got the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transport, or underground) into the city for a couple of hours at Pier 39, mainly watching the sea lions. Except for rush hour times bikes can be taken free on the BART. After lunch at the pier we continued to the end of the Yellow Line to our pre-booked Ramada Hotel at Antioch. Next day we covered 65 miles following the Sacramento River to the State Capitol of Sacramento. The only ‘hill’ we encountered was over a long high bridge that seemed to go on for ever. Nevertheless, the cycling was not easy as we had quite a strong headwind, and unfortunately there was little of interest to see on this, our longest ride of the tour.

 

Our pre-booked hotel in Sacramento was near the Amtrak station where we boarded the 9am train to Reno. To make things easier we boxed the bikes at the station the previous evening.

 

The train we took was the California Zephyr which takes a number of days to travel from San Francisco to Chicago. We had ridden on it on one of our previous tours through the Rocky Mountains from Denver. We soon found a seat in the Observation Car – and this was enhanced by the commentary given by two volunteers as we gradually climbed through the goldrush area (1848 onwards) to about 7000 feet and into Reno.

 

Once in Reno we found a motel close to the casino area. As it was my birthday we went to see a music and dance show ‘Dancing Queen’ at the Eldorado Casino – 75 minutes delightfully performed, strangely, by an English company.

Next day we knew we had some climbing to do from Reno. There were a couple of choices – one, to take Highway 431 which climbed up to 7000 feet to reach Tahoe Lake. The other option was to take another mountain road to Truckee. This appeared the easiest option – but what I didn’t know was that this road wasn’t surfaced. We struggled to push the bikes 2½ miles up this steep road, with the occasional pickup covering us in dust. Then it was downhill for five miles - I was able to cycle some, but Beryl ended up walking the full 7 ½ miles! Whilst there was some shade it was a very hot afternoon.

 

Eventually we hit a paved road which took us into the small village of Bocci – we were surprised to find a café here so we rested, knowing that we had only a further 8 miles into Truckee. What we didn’t know was that there was another 1½ miles of steep road. As is normal I arrived at the top well before Beryl, just as a red sports car pulled up in front of me. The lady introduced herself as a very keen cyclist and we chatted. Her name was Barbara, her husband was away camping for the weekend, and would we like to stay the night. We’d both really had enough cycling (and walking!) for the day and so accepted the kind offer. It’s a complicated story but she was also having another lady from England coming for an evening meal. The view from the house over Lake Bocci was fantastic and we had a lovely time together. Such American kindness.

 

Next day we were sorry to leave, and so we dropped down into Truckee for coffee and a quick look round. The main road to Squaw Valley, the site of the 1960’s Winter Olympics, had a cycle path and followed the beautiful Truckee River. The final leg took us off the main road and alongside the river. It was a hot Saturday afternoon and the local folks were lazing about on the river with their inflatables and canoes.

 

The motel at Tahoe City was so pleasant we soon decided to stay a second night. This gave us the opportunity to ride north next day without the panniers. There was also the Big Blue Bike Ride around Lake Tahoe – 72 miles with some good climbs. About 1700 cyclists took part so the roads were quite busy [I don’t think we could cope with that number on our Audax!]

 

Next day we headed down to South Lake Tahoe. There was some good climbing around Emerald Bay, some excellent views, before dropping down to the historic Tallac area – a collection of ‘posh’ houses from the turn of last century, scene of many a highclass wild weekend on the lake!

 

Once again we were faced with a climb of 2000 feet over Echo Summit on Highway 50. There were excellent conditions some of the time, but the heavy timber lorries, the occasional lack of hardshoulder, and more steep climbs took its toll on this 49 mile ride. Pollock Pines Best Western was our destination and we were quite knackered when we arrived. Staying at a nice place does sometimes help overcome the rigours of the day. Overall the standard of the motels we used on this tour was excellent.

 

It was a short distance to Placerville, one of the gold rush towns. We were now on quiet, but undulating, side roads in ‘Apple Hill’ country. Then we came to Coloma – generally recognised as the site of the first find of Californian gold in 1848. This is now a State Park laid out as a museum, with exhibits and a reconstruction of the Sutter Mill where the first gold was spotted in the mill race. We also called into a Conservancy office to check out with the staff that one of the animals we’d seen was a Jack Rabbit. On the tour we saw a wide range of unusual (for us) birds such as woodpeckers, wild turkeys, turkey vultures, etc. There was the odd snake – and we were warned to beware of rattlesnakes – but we didn’t see any. Towards the end of the day we suffered from steep hills, lack of hardshoulder and some fast traffic.

 

The Holiday Inn at Auburn was central to the Old Town, and as a gold rush town it had a range of old mining equipment and old buildings, which we explored in the evening.

 

Next day we started off through an area of posh houses before joining the 32 mile American River Trail. This was a delight following the river downhill. We stopped off at Folsom Old Town for lunch – and one of the locals pointed out Folsom Prison (of Johnny Cash fame) in the distance. Later along the trail we met Janet, a local cyclist, and had a very long chat about cycletouring. We stayed at a Comfort Inn at Rancho Cordova before rejoining the trail for the last 12 miles into Sacramento. The plan was to spend the day looking round the Old Town and what is claimed to be one of the best railway museums in the States. We booked in at the nearby Rodeway Inn at 11.30, hoping to walk back over the river. I was then hit by a massive pain on the left side of my body. This seemed serious, at least to me. Despite several attempts Beryl could not get through to our travel insurers in the UK. The pain became worse so Beryl got the motel receptionist to ring for an ambulance. I was thoroughly vetted on our dash across town to the Sutter Hospital. More questions, tests and xrays, and the conclusion I was suffering from a kidney stone. Ibuprofen was prescribed and we got a taxi back to the motel, with instructions not to cycle next day.

 

The plan had been to cycle back along the river to Antioch where the hotel was already booked, and our bike bags had been left. More discussion with the Rodeway receptionist who contacted a local taxi firm to take us and our bikes between 9 and 10 am next day. They turned up spot on 10 o’clock, just as I was beginning to start panicking. Whilst the direct route to Antioch is only 65 miles I estimate that the Freeway route that we took was over 100 miles. Fortunately we had agreed $120 dollars for the trip – the clock showed $195 or about £100. The journey took 1½ miles so we had a lazy day in Antioch.

 

For our final day we cycled 7 miles to the BART station; a 1½ hour  train journey got us to San Francisco Airport, and we were the first to check in at 11.30. The journey home was uneventful, and I haven’t felt a twinge since, except when I received the hospital bill for just over £3,500!!

 

We had three punctures, did 7½ miles of mountain  walking, 365 miles of cycling, had one kidney stone, and met some very lovely friendly people.

*****

Open House. Neville has kindly invited club members for coffee on January 1st at 13A Back Lane, Whittington around 11am.  The Tuesday riders will be calling in, instead of Lichfield.

 

RECYCLED YARNS (19)                                      

by Arthur McHugh

 

It seems ludicrous to mention the Tour de France and my friend Davenport in the same breath.   The Tour is all energy, fresh air, fitness, clean living, whereas Davenport…Although, come to think of it, the word “dope” might be stretched to make the link.

 

But that’s not what I started out to say.    Davenport occasionally gets an idea into his head:   how it gains access is a bit of a mystery – perhaps through his ear, using some kind of woodpecker technique.   Anyway, the idea I’m on about came to him on one of our bike rides:  I remember the moment well.   We were sitting on an old bridge over one of those sluggish streams that meander across the English countryside.   Anyone else would have been admiring changing light in the beech wood opposite, or listening to the water’s murmur – but the wonders of Nature were lost on Davenport, whose full attention was given to scratching his behind.

 

 Mundane though the task was, it seems to have stimulated his creative juices, because he suddenly said:  “I know!...That might work…”   He then explained to me his newly-invented wheeze for making a fast buck.   Not for the first time, I may add.   In the past, Davenport has devised quite a few schemes for generating easy money, and he’s not too scrupulous about his methods.   But since he has no more charisma than a shrivelled walnut, nobody would call him a master criminal.

 

The idea this time was to flog what he called “cycling memorabilia” at the club’s annual jumble sale.   As he said, signed photographs of Tour de France heroes would probably sell well, better than those cycle parts that were in mint condition when Churchill was Prime Minister.   To me, there seemed one flaw in the plan:  Davenport didn’t actually have any such photos.   When I put this to him, he merely winked and smirked – the first time I’ve seen him doing two complicated things at once.   I interpreted his aggravating grimace to mean that he wasn’t proposing to answer my question.

 

However, he did listen when I suggested that the club jumble sale might be the wrong place for a swindle of any kind.   (I assumed, correctly, that he had some sort of scam in mind.)   Davenport readily agreed that his track record was such that no-one trusted him, and it might be better to go somewhere else.   So, one hazy afternoon, we found ourselves on the way to the church of St Cyril the Cyclist, in the hope of finding gullible customers at their Autumn Fair.   Davenport had his wares stashed in a pannier, and as he pedalled along, he burbled cheerfully about the killing he hoped to make.

 

On arrival, we set out a “Cycling Mementos” stall among the home-made jams and pot plants.   Davenport then produced a selection of pictures of famous cyclists, each one autographed and enclosed in a plastic cover.   The sheets looked to me like computer print-outs, and all the signatories seemed to have used the same pen.   But Davenport was asking only £1 per item, and a few went in the first half-hour to kindly but misguided members of the public.   Sales were probably helped by his hastily-scrawled sign “ALL PROCEEDS TO THE ACCRINGTON REFUGE FOR ELDERLY SQUIRRELS”.

 

A potato-faced urchin now drifted up to the stall, chose a picture, looked carefully at it and said in a penetrating nasal whine:  “That’s nothing like Lance Armstrong’s signature!”   Davenport blustered, but the little wretch kept whingeing on till a group of onlookers began to gather, asking awkward questions.   It was at that point we decided we had urgent business elsewhere, packed up and fled.

 

*******

CHARITY RIDES.

1) Bike the Baltic 2008 for Marie Curie Cancer Cure.

Start Aug 16th 2008. Spread over 4 weeks, but can do 1 week only.

Warsaw, Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn, St. Petersburg. 2091 km total.

See www.bikethebaltic.co.uk or call 08700340040.

2) Cycle Cuba for Women for Women.

13th -22nd Nov, and 21st-30th Nov, 2008.  375km

See www.women-for-women.org or call 08454082698

 

   

 

            

 

     

 

    

 

Some scenes from Brittany, 2007.