Club News - July 2025
In this edition:
Dates for Your Diary: Calendar for Away Days and other events
Club kit: Update
Reports on recent events: The Green Plus Away Weekend
Dates for Your Diary
Provisional Calendar for 2025 (updated July 2025)
Set out below are the remaining events, in addition to the usual route schedule, that we are planning for 2025.
July: Century Challenge (Sun 20 July): Ride 100 miles or 100km
Aug: Flat 200k/120k (Green+ oriented) (Sun 17 Aug)
Sept: Split ride 2 - Shaftesbury (Sun 14 Sept)
Sept: Evening event (Thursday 25th September) Physio and Nutrition
Dec: Christmas do (Friday 5th December, venue Cricket Club)
Dec: AGM (Monday 8th December
The Century Challenge
On Sunday 20 July we have The Century Challenge which offers the opportunity for riders to complete a ton (100 miles) or a tonne (100km). While open to all club members these rides are designed for improving riders who would like to achieve one of these milestones. The routes do not have big hills - no Bowdens or Bannerdowns - and have plenty of opportunities for cafe stops.
The 100 mile ride starts at 8am, the 100km ride at 9am. Route details for these rides can be found on the ride schedule on the club website or at the links below:
If anyone is interested in these rides but concerned about ride speeds, fear ye not! Tom Winskill will ride the 100 miles and ensure a suitable speed; similarly, Richard Schofield and Sue Smith will look after the 100k ride.
Club Kit
The recent sale of club kit has now ended and orders for additional stock have been made. The revamped club caps should be with us in the next week or so.
We are also intending to provide members with the opportunity to buy two types of T shirt. Firstly a ‘technical’ T shirt for use in the gym, spin classes, running and other off-bike activities or as a base layer. Secondly a ‘casual’ T shirt to wear for general use. Details to follow.
Reports on recent events
The Green Plus Away Weekend: Hereford
Over the weekend of 5/6 July the fourth G+ Away weekend took place, based in Hereford. The routes were the hilliest of the G+ weekends to date (more of which later) but enjoyable none the less.
Day 1 saw riders take on a fifty mile rolling route visiting some of the picturesque black and white villages of Herefordshire: Weobley (pronounced Webley), Pembridge and Dilwyn. As per the G+ weekend rules, there were two cafe stops: Westonbury Water Gardens after 20 miles and a lunch stop in the centre of the maze of little streets in the market town of Leominster (pronounced Lemster) after 35 miles.The last 15 miles contained one of the steeper hills but all came back safely ready to make the most of downtown Hereford.
Day 2 was a varied route effectively circumnavigating Hereford making use of country lanes and riverside cycle paths. The ‘Four Wye Crossings’ in the title of the ride were an old railway bridge, a Victorian suspension bridge (see picture below), a modern purpose built cycleway bridge and a modern road bridge.
Finally, a big thanks to Margaret for general organisation and sorting the Saturday evening meal; Jane for sorting the Friday evening meal and Paula for helping with route reconnaissance.
The Green Plus Away Weekend Rides: The numbers
Day 1 distance and ascent: 51.25 miles (82km) and 2518ft (763m)
Day 2 distance and ascent: 28.75 miles (46km) and 1459 ft (442m)
Number of times the routes crossed the R Wye: 4
Number of riders who arrived without batteries for their electronic gears: 1
Number of riders who rode to and from Hereford as well as the weekend rides: 1
Number of bee stings: 1
Number of punctures: 0
For those of you interested in such trivia, data about all four Green Plus Away Weekends by distance and ascent can be found here.