For Velo Club Walcot members who have ridden BIke Bath before, it’s time to chat to clubmates and think about deciding which of the distances and days to enter for this premier event on Bath’s sportive cycling calendar.
For newbies, it’s an ideal opportunity to enter the world of organised international-standard sportives with our home city as the centrepiece and even if you think you know the surrounding countryside you will inevitably be impressed with the routes. The experience of riding with hundreds of other cyclists is like nothing else and the food stops alone are worth the entry fee before you factor in the views, villages and, of course, the satisfaction of completing a distance that may be more than you’ve ever achieved before.
According to VC Walcot ‘Easyriders’ leader Nick Rearden, “Even after living in Bath for 14 years I thought I knew the best and quietest lanes around Bath for the views and sheer pleasure of cycling in classic West Country scenery but riding BikeBath on each of the first two years has taught me plenty of good tips for Club Ride routes. Plus, the food stops are fantastic.”
“In 2012 I rode the 30-mile distance heading south on the Saturday, with my son Luke, then 12 years, on his first ‘big’ ride,” continues Nick. “By the time we finished, he was already talking about the 60-mile route, which we duly completed the following year but on the Sunday and heading North via the great pub stop in Tetbury, which was a real highlight.”
“For this year, we’re planning to get in some serious training in June for the ‘Centurian’ distance of 100 miles on Sunday 29th May, fingers crossed,” concludes Nick. “Personally, and having experienced many cyclosportives in the UK and Europe, it made me proud that Bath could put on such a showcase event for cycling. I heard many riders from far afield saying how much more there is to our city than the famous parts, which is of course what we lucky Bathonians already know.”
Last year Velo Club Walcot won the Bike Bath ‘Legionnaires’ award for the largest number of participants from one club which at one level is no surprise as we live here. But also a great achievement as we’re not the largest and certainly not the longest established cycling club in the city.
Meanwhile, the picture above shows BIkeBath’s Steve Baxter presenting VC Walcot with our Legionnaire’s certificate from 2013. Let’s see if we can earn it again in 2014?
Don’t forget that for every entry fee BikeBath contributes £5 to club funds, a tidy sum that last year helped contribute towards First Aid and coaching courses for ride leaders.
Web address for entries is: http://www.bikebath.co.uk/