31 Jul

Ride News

Sunday Social Ride – Kyneton – 31st July 2016

22 riders assembled in Kyneton this morning under foggy conditions with a slight breeze. When we were ready to start riding the sun began to shine through the clouds which made for ideal conditions. Everybody agreed it was the first time for many weeks that we were able to ride in warmish sunny weather.

9 riders rode the longer ride, 12 the medium ride and one rider the short ride.  As the roads began to dry during the ride it made for an enjoyable ride.

Congratulations are also in order for Donna who had her first race as a member of the Central Veterans Racing Club and won the Club Presidents Handicap Race, one of the major races for the club. Well done Donna, now the handicapper will start to adjust your starting mark to a lesser start.

Following the rides everybody had a good time being able to sit outside the cafe in the sun, enjoy the company, before heading homeward.

28 Jul

Thursday Social Ride – Woodend – 28th July 2016

5 riders assembled in Woodend this morning for today’s ride in weather conditions typical for this time of the year, cold, misty rain and a strong wind. Fortunately by the time we started the rain had stopped, and apart from damp roads early the ride was without any further rain.

We rode a 56km loop out via Newham, Carlshrue, Chanters Lane and back along Ashbourne Road. Two late starters rode the above loop in reverse and joined the group  near the corner of Central Road. The main issue during the ride was the very strong head wind heading from Don’s Road to Central Road. The wind then became a tail wind for the return trip to Woodend.  A nice ride back along Ashbourne Road.

Once back in Woodend we all headed for the cafe and the warmth of the heaters. After a  quick chat and a warming drink it was time to head home.

24 Jul

Ride News

Sunday Social Ride – Woodend – 24th July 2016

18 riders assembled this morning in Woodend on a day that most people would have stayed home warm in bed.  Who said cyclists were a mad lot. The temperature was about zero degrees and just as we started our ride there was some sleet to deal with. We had a cancellation from one of our members who noticed that she had a flat rear tyre and decided not to ride. There was a suggestion that the tyre was deliberately let down so as to avoid the ride. (Kidding)

We were also joined by John Mcb on the ride so we ended up with 18 members riding. 5 rode the longer route and the remaining 11 the medium route. The ride conditions improved during the ride and sunshine started to appear for a short while. The first portion of the ride was directly into the strong wind but once we reached Pipers Creek Road and started the return ride we either had a cross tail wind or a tail wind back to Woodend making the finish of the ride more enjoyable. Just as the last riders on the medium ride were putting bikes into cars in started to rain. Good judgement again or as I say mugs luck.

Once in the warmth of the cafe everybody sarted to thaw out especialy with hands wrapped around a warm drink. Some members still had to ride back home unfortunately but at least they had a tail wind for the trip.

Everybody agreed that the ride was  good one even with the conditions.

21 Jul

Thursday Social Ride – Woodend – 21st July 2016

3 members assembled this morning with rain falling but by the time we were ready to start riding the rain had stopped and we had no further rain during the ride. As we were about to depart another 2 members arrived giving us 5 riders and they joined up  with us during the ride. The roads were a little damp for the first few km’s but became completely dry by about the half way point of the ride.  We managed to ride in sunshine for the most part and conditions were good for this time of the year.

We rode one of our usual circuits of 47km to Newham, Chases Lane, Batters Lane and back, mainly to keep away from wet roads under trees and whilst we had a head wind out to the end of Chases Lane we enjoyed a nice tail wind all the way back to Woodend which made the return trip good fun.

After the usual good time at the cafe we all headed home and by this time the rain had returned which was either good judgement or mugs luck.

17 Jul

Ride News

Sunday Social Ride – Gisborne – 17th July 2016

16 riders assembled in Gisborne this morning under fine but very windy conditions. 5 riders rode the longer route and the remaining 11 rode the medium route with one rider cutting the ride distance short. Riders were joined by Rob during the ride making a total of 17 members who were silly enough to be out on their bikes today. The number of other  riders out today showed that us cyclists are a hardy lot. Whilst we were riding towards Sunbury the conditions were great because of the tail wind but things soon changed when we turned into Deverall Road, an instantaneous change from riding on the large chain ring to the small for most of the riders and the battle back to Gisborne into the now head wind.

As today’s maps for the ride were new routes I managed to get them all confused which meant that 6 of the riders on the medium ride rode an extra 8km making their ride 45km instead of the 37km as published. What is that they say, “If you don’t do any work you never make a mistake” anyhow that is the excuse I am falling back on. At least it meant a good ride back to Gisborne with the tail wind from Macedon.

I managed to cop a fair amount of banter back at the cafe over not being able to read the maps etc. The good part of today’s ride was that those members who rode to the start would have enjoyed the tail wind back to their respective homes. All in all a good morning was had even allowing for the difficult conditions.

14 Jul

Thursday Social Ride – Woodend – 14th July 2016

8 members turned out this morning for todays ride in very cold, windy but fine conditions. Temperature readings on cycle computers were plus or minus a few degrees around zero, so whichever ones were correct it was still very cold. We rode a 57km circuit along one of our regular rides out to Bryces Lane, Newham, Chases Ln into Kyneton and back via Cobb & Co Rd, Clancys Lane. We had a head wind basically all the way to Kyneton but once we headed back to Woodend we enjoyed a strong tail wind which made for a good ride back.

Unfortunately Jennie had to return to Woodend from Newham as she was suffering from a cracked rib and Roscoe accompanied her back so she was not on her own. The remaining 6 continued on the ride where 5 of the riders went on into one of the cafe’s in Kyneton for a coffee and a warm up and I continued on my own back to Woodend so I did not have to stop and then have to restart stiff legs ( Old Age)

Everybody arrived back in  Wooden at nearly the same time so another trip into the cafe was needed for a further warmup and a chat before heading home.

10 Jul

Ride News

Sunday Social Ride – Kyneton – 10th July 2016

15 Riders assembled in Kyneton this morning on a cold, windy and very foggy morning for today’s ride. 3 riders who had time commitments rode the shorter ride and the remaining 12 rode to the top of Metcalfe Hill before making any decision as to go further or not. Whilst the road conditions were mainly dry and no rain was present the further North of Kyneton we rode the thicker the fog got, (seeing eye dog territory) and it was a case of having to wipe your glasses to be able to see where you were going if you wearing any. As the rain was also forecast to arrive at or before lunch time 4 riders rode into Metcalfe to the bottom of the hill and then returned to rejoin the medium ride. No riders wanted to be out on the road if it rained and therefore no members rode the full longer ride distance.

Once we turned around and headed back the wind then became a very nice tail wind and a good ride was had back to Kyneton. I then managed to muck up the coffee stop as when we arrived back at our cars it was suggested we frequent a different cafe so 5 members went over the road from our normal stop but the remainder who had rode back to their cars near the cafe went into the normal stop so we ended up with 5 at one cafe and 7 at the other. Good idea that didn’t quite work out in practice.

Also one of our lady members ( rides a nice new bike) had her first Trial Race with Central Veterans yesterday and acquitted herself very well according to the Ross’s and she also had a good time, but was paying for the effort and riding a bit slower than her normal speed. A great result just the same and good to see another member trying out racing to see if she likes it.

 

07 Jul

Thursday Social Ride – Woodend – 7th July 2016

1 rider, namely myself was the only member silly enough to ride this morning. I had a good ride with my one friend, no one to dispute which circuit I wanted to ride so I picked a route well away from trees. No chance of suddenly coming across fallen branches on the road. I rode a 51k circuit out to Newham, Chases Lane, Kyneton and back via Cobb & Co Rd and Clancys Lane.

Aside from the fact that it was wet for the entire ride and a head wind on the return the biggest issue was the standing water over the road , Lots of puddles everywhere so gum boots might have been a better option. All the paddocks and the drains alongside the roads were flowing with the amount of water about.  I had a good ride and while fine would have been better it was good to get out on the bike.

After the ride it was straight into the cafe, park in front of the heater to warm up hands and fingers so I could get my helmet off and undo my over shoes. The hot drink was also great for wrapping of hands around the mug.

An update on Ken S’s fall from last Sunday. After waking up with a swollen wrist the next morning it transpired that he has broken a bone so he will be out of action for a while.

03 Jul

Ride News

14 riders assembled this morning on a normal Woodend start for this time of the year, cold windy with misty rain. 5 riders rode the medium ride and the remaining 9 the longer ride. Conditions on the medium ride were mostly fine with a small patch of drizzle for a short while with wet roads, however the sunshine managed to poke through the clouds late in the ride but it did not last long.

We were also unfortunate to have Ken S have a fall on the longer ride when the group rode through a wet patch on the road where there was a large spill of diesel just at the point where they were making the turn into Bryce’s Lane. All riders were being extra careful as they had been warned of the danger by another group that had previously rode through the area and one of their riders had fallen and that spot. The good news is that apart from getting his new jersey very grubby and slight damage to his bike he managed to escape without serious injury.

The warmth of the cafe was then very welcoming at the end of the ride and after the usual chit chat we all departed for home.