North Staffs Cycling (Formerly Cycle2000)

North Staffs Cycling (formerly Cycle2000)

Newsletter 2012

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A VERY WARM WELCOMEto the 2012newsletter which is the firstnewsletter under our new name, - NORTH STAFFS CYCLING, (see below)and a big thank you to all contributors. Apart from this newsletter there is also information about us in our annualLEAFLET(see page 10) and onour WEBSITE

[Note: Our website address will be changing to reflect our new name as soon this can be arranged but you will be able to find the new website via the old address.]

Annual General Meeting

The AGMin November 2012 was again held in the splendid community meeting room at the new Newcastle fire station. At the AGM the following committee members were elected:

Chair–Geoff Cartlidge (tel 626346)
Secretary–Geoff Kilford (tel 388642)
Treasurer/ membership - John Bradbury (tel 860259)
Social secretary – John Lees (tel 502614)

Council liaison/Newsletter – Mike Barr (tel 616243)

“Long” rides organiser – Geoff Cartlidge
“Medium” rides organiser – Mike Durkin (tel 07446 252801)
[At a committee meeting on 21/11/12
Dave Barker, Mick Bennett, Phil Hughes and Alf Joynson were also elected as committee members]

Change of namefrom “Cycle2000” to “North Staffs Cycling”

At the 2012 AGMthis issue (also raised at the previous AGM) was discussed and it was decided to change our name to North Staffs Cycling. The thinking behind the change is mainly because we are a local group of cyclists in North Staffordshire and our interests, members and activities are based here. The name Cycle 2000 is misleading because it sounds like a national rather than local organisation. Also the year 2000 has now long past and we are no longer looking forward to the year 2000 as we were 1994 when Cycle 2000 was launched.

Membership, income and spend

In 2012 we have 37 members. Membership subscriptions for 2013(£5) are now due and so the treasurerJohn Bradbury will be pleased to hear from you. The income from membership pays for affiliation to the CTC, for publicity (including this newsletter and the leaflet) and administrative expenses. It also pays for affiliationto CycleNation which works in partnership with the CTC to support local cycle campaign groups.

3rd party insurance

The club’s affiliation to the CTC provides public liability insurancefortheofficials of the club i.e. those committee members who organise rides and activities. However it does not provide insurance for other members on club rides or for any club members at other times. Club members are strongly recommended to get their own 3rd party insurance and can do this by getting CTC restricted membership (cost £16 pa) via our club’s affiliation to the CTC (contact John Bradbury about this). Alternatively CTC full membership costs £41pa or £25 for pensioners and unwaged.

Rides

Very many thanks to the leaders of all the rides and also the marshals on the leisurely rides.

The12 programmed “long” rides (on the first Sunday of the month) have usually attracted 10-20 riders. The 90 impromptu long rides (on the other Sundays and every Wednesday) have also often attracted 10+ riders.

The6 programmed “medium” rides(on the first Sunday of the month from April to September) have only attracted a few riders, in spite of publicity from Stoke Council.This was discussed at the AGM and it was decided to make the rides more impromptu. It would be publicised that there would be a ride on the first Sunday of the month which would take place if potential riders contacted the “rides organiser” (Mike Durkin) beforehand to confirm that they would be coming.

The 12 “leisurely” rides in 2012 attracted an average of 20 riders. The rides are between 6 and 14 miles and mainly on greenways and are aimed at less confident riders and also to show but there have been disappointingly few new riders or families and children. Perhaps the council “leisurely ride route” leaflets have enabled people to explore the routes independently.

9 rides are planned for 2013 with some changes to the rides including an even shorter ride and some changes in the publicity.

Information on the 2012 “long” and “medium” rides arein our leaflet and on our website. Dates for the “leisurely” rides for 2012have still to be finalised but are likely to be similar to2011 (normally third Sunday of the month from March to October).When the rides programme is finalised Stoke Council will publicise them via leaflets and the CycleStoke website.

Meetings

Some members meet socially at about 9.30 pm on Wednesday evenings at the “Arnold Machin” (Wetherspoons) in Newcastle (Ironmarket). The annual dinner is on the first Wednesday in December and this year a full house (30 people) is againexpected at the Holly Bush at Brown Edge.

Nuts in May – Mike Barr

The “end to end” is a challenge that most cyclists’ think about at some point and it was Simon (my daughter in law’s brother) who rode from John O’Groats to Lands End (JoGLE) in 2011 that set me thinking. Talking to my cycling friends I discovered that most of them had already done it! So at the start of the year I began to plan a trip on my own. However I then discovered that my elder son Tom had been approached by others intending to do a supported trip. I was obviously delighted when he decided to come with me instead. Tom had some leave owing from work and that gave us up to 2 weeks for the trip. This meant averaging around 80 miles per day for the 960 mile trip.

We looked at different routes suggested by the CTC and others and decided on a fairly direct flattish route using mainly “B” roads rather than a more scenic but hilly and devious route on white roads. We pre-booked all the overnight stops atb&bs and budget hotels because fairly long days cycling would mean fairly late finishes and it is nice to be sure that you have somewhere to sleep. We followed tradition by supporting a charity and with the help of very generous relatives, friends and Tom’s work colleagues we raised over £2,000 for the Alzheimers Society.

On Friday May 4 we set off on the midnight train from Crewe and it was a surreal experience to be sitting on a sofa having a beer in the first class lounge bar (it was the only bar open) at 1 am in the morning. At 8 am on Saturday we arrived in Inverness and during the 2 hour wait for the train to Thurso we toured the centre of Inverness and, of course, had porridge for breakfast. The 4 hour train route from Inverness to Thurso goes through stunning scenery including a coastal stretch where we got a close up view of seals basking on the beach. John O’Groats is an ugly collection of huts, buildings and car park and the biting wind made it even bleaker. Pausing only to take photos at the sign post we headed off to a b&b in Wick.

Sunday was the longest day (110 miles), luckily the wind was behind us,and we were really glad late that evening to arrive at my cousin Liz’s house near Inverness to a wonderful welcome including an energy restoring 3 course meal. Bank holiday Monday took us to a drizzly Fort William, where hundreds of trials bikes were fenced off next to the lochfor the Scottish 6 day motor cycle trials. The town was full of bikers and we were glad we had booked our b&b early in the year.

Tuesday was the day I had feared most as we headed towards Glasgow over Rannoch Moor which I am told is rarely visible because it is either raining or shrouded in low cloud. In the event we had sunshine with spectacular views of snow covered hills. Then it was a long descent and flat run alongside Loch Lomond to Balloch.

On Wednesday we cycled along the Clyde through the middle of Glasgow on the very pleasant national cycle route 7. A lot of the route next was on ncr 74 which parallels the motorway nearly as far as Moffat. Our b&b in the town centre was the best of the trip and was run by 2 very nice gentlemen who also provided the best breakfast on the trip including haggis and the famous Lorne (square) sausage.

Thursday was our only day of continuous rain and the unwelcoming Penrith Travelodge had no secure parking and took a lot of persuasion to let us put the bikes in our room. After an overnight in Preston we arrived home in Stoke at teatime on Saturday. This allowed Tom to see Stoke City play their last home match of the season on Sunday (they drew 2-2 against Bolton) after which we set off for Telford.

The following day we were snacking in a cafe in Ludlow when we saw some cyclists outside – amazingly it was Geoff Cartlidge, John Lees and Phil Hughes on their hostelling tour of the Welsh borders! Reluctantly we soon had to leave them and press on to Chepstow. On the next day we cycled over the Severn (on the M4 bridge), over the Avon (on the M5 bridge) and then across the Somerset Levels with a fierce gusty cross wind trying to blow us into the canals and ditches alongside the road. Simon (my inspiration for the trip) lives near Wellington and he rode out to meet us bringing very welcome sustenance (coffee and energy bars).

The route then became increasingly lumpy and after overnights in Tiverton and Bodmin we arrived at Lands End at 7 pm on Thursday evening, the day before the Olympic torch was due to arrive. However Lands End had closed for the day and was totally deserted except for 2 last foreign tourists who, luckily for us, took our photos before we headed for the nearby youth hostel. On Friday 18 May we cycled to Penzance to pick up a hire car (it was cheaper as well as quicker than taking the train!). After dropping the car in Stoke we cycled home to be met by the lovely sight of flag waving family and neighbours.

Cycle friends thought we were “nuts” to start from JoG and said we would have head winds all the way. Fortunately for us it turned out that we had northerly tail winds nearly all the way. Also starting from JoG gave us the flatter part first (Scotland is surprisingly flat) and allowed Tom (who had had little training time before the ride) to get fitter before the “lumpy” south west section.

A September to remember - Malcolm Elvidge

A few years ago, some friend of mine – John and Kath Walley - bought an apartment in Southern Spain. Having cycled with John on some touring holidays in Ireland and Spain, he madly came up with the idea of cycling to his Spanish apartment from his English home (in Werrington!). I casually agreed to go with him, thinking ‘It’ll never happen’. Bugger. It did!

The plan was to take the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Caen, then straight through the middle of France to the Med and then straight down the coast of Spain to Los Alcazares, a coastal resort about 60miles south of Alicante. Another touring companion on previous holidays, Mike Barr, was to come ½ way with us as far as the Med.

So on Sat 1st September 2012 John and I cycled to Portsmouth while on Mon 3rd September Mike took the train to Portsmouth. John and I managed to get a bit lost approaching Portsmouth. Not good when you’ve only cycled 200miles and not left England! We did, however, meet up with Mike and the three of us got on board at 10.45pm and bedded down in our sleeping bags in an almost deserted ferry.

We were off the ferry at 6.45am the following morning, making for Argentan, our first camp. The camp here was very welcoming and cheap at €9.60 total for all (including a free beer each!). Mike brought with him a borrowed Trangia gas camping stove which proved to be excellent and we cooked a meal of pasta and sauce. Anyone who knows Mike will not be surprised to know that the frying pan was lost on the first night. Fortunately, it was found in the camp rubbish bin the following morning!

The next day we stopped to admire the very pretty Chateau D’O (where I did a ‘Mike’ leaving my helmet behind!) before arriving in Alencon for lunch. The camp for the night was at Servigne L’Eveque, near to Le Mans. We left camp late at 10.45, someone obviously faffing about (not me). The next campsite listed on our trusty camping guide had shut (I believe this has happened to quite a few other municipal ones lately due to the economic situation), so we cycled on, finding a camp just to the west of Tours thanks to a helpful motorist who we followed for the last 2 miles. The cooked meal at night was rice, mince and sauce, all done on our fantastic stove. We sat outside under a magnificent star studded sky until almost midnight. True cycle camping and touring!

We used up much of the following morning getting through Tours and wandering through characterful medieval streets and an enormous antiques street market. We cycled on, passing fields of black sunflowers, their heads peering at you like triffids! The camp at Roche Possay found us in a little more civilised environment, with a meal of fish and chips and beers, while watching football in a lounge bar.

To give us more time for cycling on the next day we decided to book a Formule 1 motel in Limoges, a planned 72 miles! Perhaps a mistake as we eventually got there just after 10pm having covered 87 miles! This motel, like many others, was on an industrial estate off the ring road which is fine if you come by car but not if you come by bike and don’t have an up to date detailed local map. The only affordable eating place still open in the area was a KFC where we grabbed a bite just in time before they closed at 11pm.

After breakfast in the Formule 1 and a quick hour or so looking around Limoges, including its enormous and imposing baroque railway station, it was on to a snail festival in Boisseuil. None of us were tempted by the snails, me having a hot dog, Mike and John having andouillette, a type of sausage filled with what I described as offal. Absolutely revolting!

We carried on for the next few days towards the South of France, camping at picturesque Uzerche, by the river, St Cere and Villefranche. Mike managed to find an old railway cycle track (“voie verte”) just outside Albi, and we cycled along it for 25 miles into Castres.

The following day was our first wet day, since leaving Stoke and also the point where Mike had to leave us to get his flight back to Luton from Montpellier.All three of us cycled to Mazamet and, after coffee in a bar, John and I went south to Carcassonne, while Mike went west to Montpellier. We weren’t really bothered about Mike leaving us, but it was a bit naughty of him going back with the stove! Only kidding Mike! We parted in the pouring rain, John and I setting off uphill for a steady 7 miles. We cycled on but were soaked all day, the rain abating mid afternoon. We had a sandwich lunch by the Canal du Midi in Carcassonne where we found another Formule 1 to dry off. A take-away pizza and beers kept us happy after a dismal day. We may have had a look around Carcassonne, with its magnificent hilltop castle had it not been so wet.

The next day, John had trouble with a puncture and a broken spoke and so we had to make a slight detour to Narbonne to get it repaired. We had made it to the Med after 14 days and made camp at Port la Nouvelle. We made do with ham, cheese and bread for evening meal, sitting out by the tents. It was plenty warm enough, now.

The next day, we crossed the border into Spain, between Banyules and Port Bou. The border post had long been abandoned and was becoming derelict. There was no campsite in Port Bou, so we booked into a quite posh hostal for 55 Euros including a good breakfast. Having a meal and drinks by the sea that night, we realised we were in Spain. Food and drink was 50% less than in France!

One of John’s fears became reality the next day when we had to cycle through a series of tunnels. He hates them. Lloret is particularly picturesque as you travel along cliff-side pine forests, and down to unspoilt Spanish villages. We cycled on, camping at Palamos and on to Lloret de Mar. I had what some people might call a ‘sad git moment’ just before Tossa de Mar. I had noticed that my cycle computer had registered 999.99 miles. I took a photograph of it, before it scrolled to zero, or in my case 1000 miles!

The nights camp was at Canet de Mar, after passing through Blanes, Malgrat and Santa Suzanna. We left Canet and stopped off at a roadside cafe, before arriving in Barcelona. There were dozens of individual cyclists on this route, all with full Lycra and expensive carbon fibre road bikes. Yes, unemployment is rife in Spain. We had been to Barcelona before, so we cycled through o.k. and then subsequently got lost on leaving the outskirts. I think we may have cycled on a motorway! I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive about camping at Sitges that night, the Gay capital of Spain, but John and I held hands when blokes were about so as to avoid being propositioned. The following morning we packed up just before a torrential downpour. We decided to wait, and had breakfast at the camp. The rain soon eased and we left Sitges and immediately finished up on a golf course. Back onto the correct road and had a look at the amphitheatre in Tarragona. We made it to Salou and had a drink in the poolside bar at the camp. The night was spent in a Brit bar with proper ale, followed by pie and chips.