At least five different groups on Sunday but one thing in common; we nearly always head into the wind on the way out so we have a nice fast tailwind home.

Once a year on the day of the famous cobbled Paris-Roubaix race in France, Velo Club Walcot members pay tribute to the horrors of terrible road surfaces by taking on some of the steepest, shoddiest lanes of the West Country.

Seven groups took part on Sunday 8 April 2018, setting out from the usual meeting spot at Orange Grove, Bath and heading out into the local countryside via some of the gnarliest, beaten-up lanes that organiser Arran Armstrong dared challenge them with. The ride culminated with a horrifying ascent of Hodshill from Combe Hay up to Southstoke and then a few hard-earned brews while watching the professionals at Paris-Roubaix on their big screen at The Bath Brewhouse.

The ride comprised of three distance choices of 27, 37 and 47 miles and named Green, Amber and Red but all based around the same scenic route to the south of Bath and taking in the picturesque waypoints of Hinton Charterhouse, Iford Manor, Norton St Philip, Buckland Dinham and Wellow. Within that the distances split into faster and slower groups of roughly a dozen each so that pretty much all fitness and confidence levels were accommodated. Not exactly comfortably on account of the gratuitous hills but at least everyone finished feeling a sense of achievement and nicely burning legs. Although most of the riders went around ‘non-stop’, two of the three Amber groups rebelled and chose to add an extra four miles to visit the Walled Garden at Mells for delicious cakes and coffee.

Up up up the dastardly Fox Hill

At the start and after just a few minutes of riding, all the Red and Amber riders took a left turn off the top of Perrymead to be faced by Fox Hill, a sheer climb up a narrow lane with gradients up to 22%. Everyone got successfully to the top, one way or the other and some smiling more than others.

This choice of an obscure and excruciating exit from Bath is just the latest of a Classics Ride tradition dating back to the early days of the Velo Club Walcot in 2006. In previous years, the ghastly leg-screaming climbs of Rosemount Lane and Forefield Rise have been incorporated into the opening miles and it can surely only be a matter of time before the dreaded Prospect Place in Bathford features in a future ride. This time next year maybe?

Photos by Jason Power and Adrian Boswell.

Velo Club Walcot members return happy from pedalling-packed trip to the Belgian Classics

Over 3 days and 300km (87 miles), Claire Cottrell and David Acklam tackled the infamous cobbled climbs, joined the Gent Wevelgem Sportive and rode the 112km Red Loop of the Tour of Flanders. They still found time between rides to watch the professionals race in the E3 Harelbeke Spring Classic race, spotting world champion Peter Sagan in action –  and of course enjoyed some of the local food and legendary Belgian beer.

Together, Claire and David bagged 19 out of the 25 climbs featured in Simon Warren’s excellent ‘Hellingen: A Road Cyclists Guide to Belgium’s Greatest Cycling Climbs’  (find it in the cycling section at Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights in Bath – Ed)  a total of over 3,400m (11,257ft). No mean feat given that apart from being paved with huge, slippery stones, the classic Flandrian climbs earn their notoriety for being short but brutally steep.

With his tour-guide flag well and truly waving, David explains that “The Gent-Wevelgem sportive gave access to West Flanders which incorporates many WW1 sites as it goes through Ypres and the Menin Gate and which is of special interest to me as a distant relative Private Tommy Acklam of the East Yorkshire regiment is one of the names on the Gate.”

David goes on, “It’s not all cobbles, though. There is a huge network of minor roads that criss cross the flat and rolling countryside. The area gets a lot of coverage at this time of year because of the cycling Classics, but its open all year round and only two hours away on the other side of the Channel.”

The two were impressed by the Belgian enthusiasm for cycling. Claire commented, “Everyone has been so friendly and welcoming everywhere we’ve been, and their support of cycling is amazing, they love it. We’ll definitely be back. Big thanks to Dave for arranging and navigating the rides.”

Tyre nerds will be interested that both riders were on Continental Gatorskin tyres with Claire on 32mm front and rear at 80psi and David on 28mm with 90psi rear and 80psi front. No puntures.

Closer to home, VC Walcot is organising its own tribute to the Spring Classics on Sunday 8^th April 2018, with some fiendish climbs on the gravelly and pot-holed lanes around Bath followed by a communal viewing of Paris-Roubaix on Eurosport at The Bath Brew House. More details to follow…

Meanwhile, watch former pros Dan Lloyd and Matt Stevens on GCN ride and rate the 5 Hardest Cobbled Climbs in Flanders. According to Claire, “I would agree with [their] order, although we did do Kwaremont after a beer!”

VC Walcot was out in force for Barry’s Bristol Blast, a jolly 116km loop south from Bristol via Glastonbury

Last Sunday 25th March, our 13 riders largely made up from the usual Sunday Clubriders 2 group did a great job of completing a hilly route, including conquering the sharp climb of Harptree Hill up onto the Mendips.

Barry’s Bristol Blast is one of three ‘Barry’-inspired routes of up to 200km organised by the Las Vegas Institute of Sport (LVIS) on the last Sunday of March every year since 2010. Needless to say, in the interests of having more time to eat cake, we thought it better to enter the shortest 116km option.

This was several riders’ first experience of an event organised under the banner of Audax UK. These are volunteer-organised long distance rides, a bit like sportives but less corporate and more relaxed. For a start, there are no route signs or timing checkpoints – instead, riders navigate using a route sheet or GPS, and answer questions about route landmarks to prove they haven’t taken a shortcut.

The team had heard rumours that the organiser’s cakes would be good, and they weren’t disappointed – riders were caught tucking into homebaked goodies like carrot cake, Mars Bar cake and the famed Velodrome cake at several points before, during and after the ride.

Maybe next year VCW could step up to the next route, Barry’s Bristol Bash – a similar distance but heading north, rumoured to have legendary strawberry pavlova courtesy of the local WI. Or even the 200km Barry’s Ball Buster, a monster combination of the two? With such a warm atmosphere and fine baking, VC Walcot will definitely be back.

Congratulations and thanks to our friends at LVIS for hosting such a great event.

The results sheet is here

Arran Armstrong writes:

“VC Walcot were out with eight riders at the 24 mile Bath CC TT event today, which started in Maiden Bradley.  The course comprised of ~1,500ft of climbing, with gradients of up to 16%, a proper hardriders course.  The VC Walcot contingent consisted of Tav Walker, Rob Grover, James Coleman, John Benjamin, Michael Bedford, Charles Thibault and Arran Armstrong.  It was a cold start, but it soon warmed up and the roads were dry with a gentle wind, which was a big improvement over the previous TT at Gillingham two weeks ago.  There were no individual podiums for VC Walcot this week, but we did get second in the team event, and were only outdone by a youthful team from the Welsh Cycling Academy.

The course was challenging with a mixture of flowing down hill, short lumps and a torturous climb out of Mere, which made everyone suffer.  However, this was all forgotten after returning to HQ at Maiden Bradley village hall for tea, coffee and a massive selection of delicious cakes; the walnuts on the coffee & walnut cake were even painted gold…?

The next time trial that Velo Club Walcot will be out for in force is the 21st April 2018, hosted by Gloucester City Cycling Club (https://www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk/race-details/16991#anchor) and is run on the U72 course, detailed here; https://www.strava.com/segments/3444409.  Remember, you don’t need a TT rig or speciast gear to have ago at a race, just enter via the Cycling Time Trials (CTT) website and turn up with your normal road bike. It’s good fun, social and of course there is generally cake at the end.  Competition classes usually include, male, female, team and three veteran classes based on age, but really it is you, solo, against the clock and it’s addictive.”

U10 and U12 Results from #OddDownCx2015

(Results for the other categories are being provided by Black Sheep Sports as part of their arrangement with the Western League. There are some issues with those which we and they are working to resolve as soon as possible).

As a club, we first heard about Bike Bath shortly before our AGM last December. We received a clearly scripted communication from the organisers stating how the event would benefit local clubs and so on….The problem was it didn’t state how. We were also asked to provide details of how we could help with the event. Naturally we were very sceptical but decided at our AGM to at least put forward a proposal of organising some training rides in the lead-up to the event. 

Time passed and we slowly got to know Richard through his work with Bath Cycle Races. Of course, our series offered a great opportunity to advertise and also tap into local knowledge and contacts. We were still sceptical but in turn Richard helped with promotion, setting up and dismantling the course each week along with providing storage for our event signs and other vital elements. Bath Cycle Races was better for the help we received this year.

In mid May Bike Bath approached us to put together 3 training rides for their 30 mile ‘Commuter Challenge’. Jon and I devised 3 routes with each one adding an element to the previous one. Planning routes for one of our Group Rides is pretty easy as almost anything goes. For this, however, the routes needed to be challenging but not enough as to put people off;

http://www.bikebath.co.uk/events/training-advice/

Turnout was less than 10 riders each week but the same riders kept coming back for more…..Hopefully everybody learnt a lot. The overriding benefit to the club was to appreciate why many riders are hesitant about joining club runs etc. There’s a large pool of riders out there doing many solo rides just itching to have a go but never making the jump to join a club run. All those who rode were just amazed at how much fun riding in a group is. Food for thought indeed….

We will endeavour to do more of the same in 2013.

The event itself started on Friday night with 3 guest speakers at the Pavilion plus a pasta supper. Rob Penn, Ben Rockett and Graeme Obree plus some beer added to the mix made for a great evening. It got even better when Jon an I adjourned to the pub after the event accompanied by Graeme Obree plus Ben Rockett and Tony Solon. Ever so slightly bizarre? You bet! We now know, however, how eating Hartley’s Jelly and wearing brogues instead of cycling specific shoes can help for ultra distance riding. Mr Obree will break the land speed record. “That record, I’m having it!” Plus 19mm tyres are not faster than 23mm ones, fact. There were other gems of knowledge which have been lost to the brain cells killed by the extra pints of Guiness. Apologies.

We’ll leave the reviews of the sportives to those from the club who rode. More reports will be added as they become available below:

Tom Jenkins: http://www.greenparkbikestation.com/2012/toms-bike-bath-100/

Becci Sutton: http://www.resartwork.com/?p=151 Chapeau to Becci especially for riding back-to-back centuries!

A great first year all in all but plenty to build on for next year to make this one of the iconic sportive weekends in the cycling calendar. Over to you Bike Bath…..

Laurie.

I was fairly anxious of the task in hand the night before, with one eye on the weather forecast and one on my cycling kit bag I was unsure of what type of seasons kit to wear, and not in the fashion sense. I decided to take it all, as well as enough food to last a week just in case. The early drive listening to the reports of flooding in mid Wales on the radio and spots of rain on the windscreen around Bridgend heightened the anxiety levels. Though having done a fair few sportives and cycle races I relied on going through the motions once I arrived. Deciding what I needed to wear (I gambled and went without a jacket), where to put my food in my jersey pockets, checking my tyres, brakes and gears and rolling to the start without too much fuss.

The organisation and facilities for 4000 riders was great, and my allocated start window between 8.15 and 8.30 meant no queues and off I went with about 50 riders. The first 40 miles were the ‘flattest’ and so I wanted to start fast, get the early miles in before taking it easier for the hard ones towards the end. Slower riders started first from 7.30 so there was plenty of people to chase down. I may have been a bit too excited and reached the 1^st of 3 feed stations after nearly 30 miles at an average speed of 19mph. The 2^nd feed station was at around 70 miles, I made the calculation to continue without stopping and to slow the pace at the base of the Black Mountain. This was a fairly decent proposal, although I got too the bottom of the climb and wanted to stay with the guys I was cycling with and went up the Black Mountain like a rocket, at least by my standards. It was a great feeling shooting past the continual snake of people bobbing on their pedals the whole way up the 3 and a bit mile climb. I didn’t stop at the top and continued at pace, and led my small group down the epic 6 mile decent the other side. It was such good fun I ignored the slight cramp like twinges in my legs as I sprinted out of each corner.  Having worked like a Ox going up, the temperature gradient descending really got to me and at the same time rationing my water reserves to make it to 70miles and the 2^nd feed station assuming the route flattened the other side of the Black Mountain all lead to a bit of a disaster. The testing rolling terrain and onset of a cold rain shower brought the onset of severe cramps in both legs at the back and the front leaving me unable to do anything stood over my bike at the side of the road, the riders I had zoomed past up the Black Mountain were now doing the same to me. I managed to peel myself off the bike and begin to loosen my muscles while exhausting my water, energy gel and banana supply. In the middle of the Brecons shops are few and far between so I struggled on, cramping at anything that resembled a mole hill. Slowly though as the rain stopped at the temperature started to rise my legs responded and was able to make it to the 2^nd feed station passing people for the second time.

Very well stocked, the feed stations were run by local rotary club volunteers. I especially enjoyed the salted boiled potatoes that came with comments of encouragement from the dulcet tones of the local Welsh accent. A big thanks to all those involved, was a great comfort having such enthusiastic people handing out Bananas and cake. Reserves of drink, food and moral pack to brimming I headed off with the mindset of 30 miles to the next feed station then 30 miles to the finish.

I started to enjoy myself again once I had warmed up after another long, fast, cold decent. The ever rolling terrain provided some great scenery and a welcome distraction to the slowly descending distance to go on my Garmin. Having a partner in crime during the middle miles would have been excellent. The great thing of having 4000 people on the course was that you were never out of sight of another rider, but it did mean that people just rode their own individual pace and hardly any groups seemed to be forming. The extent of climbing may have also helped in the lack of social cohesion, a route where no. 1 comes first. A few good climbs similar to the ones around the Bath area were not too challenging, this all changed at 85 miles with ‘the climb with no name’. At a mile and a bit long, 11% average gradient with a wicked 20% hairpin section I knew what I was in for having descended a few years ago on a smaller local sportive. The climb claimed the first riders walking their bikes, a compact chainset was essential if you are anyone other than a pro-tour mountain goat.

The next major climb, and one that is a main stay with the Dragon Ride was Rhigos. I was starting to feel a bit empty at the bottom, but the final feed station was at the top. At a steady pace the 3.5 mile climb wasn’t too bad at an average gradient of 5%. The more I climbed the better I began to feel, sucking in the fresh mountain air, looking at the amazing views and in a bit of delirium started singing ‘whats that coming over the hill, its VC Walcot, its VC Walcot’ to the tube of Monster by The Automatic. More salted potatoes at the top, cake and energy drinks brought me back to reality as a man gesticulated with a banana that the pylons on the mountain ‘over there’ was where the final climb was going to take me.

Another cold decent was hard and fast and a bit nervy in the damp. Not wearing a jacket was probably the right decision, the rain was never hard and a base layer kept my upper body warm. Having summer bib shorts was probably the wrong decision, the fast descents really cooled my legs and knee warmers or thicker bibs would have helped keep the cramping away.

The last climb, Bwlech, is another climb that has been included with the Dragon Ride for the last few years. I decided to use the first few miles of the 4.6 miles climb to get my muscles warm before I would try to emulate the feelings I had going up the Black Mountain a good many hours earlier. At 5% average it was a long climb that allowed you to enjoy the views, which are really rather magnificent. Those new to cycling might not understand why people ‘enjoy’ cycling up hills. The views for me are why I enjoy it, plus going back down at times can feel like flying.

At the top of Bwlech it was a good 15 miles back to the finish. Although most of it was downhill through the Afan Valley, where there is great mountain biking for another day, it was still hard work with over 100 miles in the legs. The top section of the decent was very fast, reaching 60mph was a first for me on the bike. Further down doing 50mph with the worst cramps of the day was ‘interesting’. The guy infront was wearing a jersey saying ‘Keep Calm, and Pedal On’. Very apt.

Reaching the finish was a great feeling. Glad to take the pressure of my behind and reapply to my feet. A warm pasta meal was included and was eaten at a pace reminiscent to the speed of the descents. I would of loved to have sipped a local ale in a deck chair in the ‘riders village’ but this would not be wise for the drive home and would have to wait. It was a great day and a hard ride, the talk from the experienced riders at the finish was that it was probably the hardest Dragon Ride ever. I suffered and excelled over the 9 hours I was out there in the Brecon Beacons. An iconic British Sportive accomplished, and having cycled this part of the world a little over the last few years, the people and scenery re-affirmed to me why my Welsh friends call their home Gods country.