Weston Chain Gang

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Weston Chain Gang

Welcome to the Weston Chain Gang forum. We are a group of cyclists that ride regularly from Weston-super-Mare. We meet at Priory school on Saturday at 8:45. Rides vary in distance between 60 and 100 miles with a stop for cake. Ridet nec genere!


4 posters

    Saturday 23rd August - barrington court or langport

    anti-climb max
    anti-climb max


    Posts : 781
    Join date : 2012-07-05
    Age : 110
    Location : location location, homes under the hammer, flog it

    Saturday 23rd August - barrington court or langport Empty Saturday 23rd August - barrington court or langport

    Post  anti-climb max Thu Aug 21, 2014 10:25 pm

    a bit of a tricky one this week as i've been asked to organise another long 'un by some. however, most of the long haul protagonists are on their hol's losing their hard earned fitness, so it'll need to be a compromise this week.

    i think we'll try for an 80 this week with a view to pushing out another 100+ in the next couple of weeks when our holiday makers return.

    we'll take in the joys of barrington court for the first time this year with a shorter option of langport.

    as for the 100 miler, paul and i did a podimore, sherborne, shaftesbury loop about a month ago which clocked up at 120, so there's an option; but i'm open to requests.

    Martin
    Martin
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    Saturday 23rd August - barrington court or langport Empty Re: Saturday 23rd August - barrington court or langport

    Post  Martin Sun Aug 24, 2014 10:05 am

    Excellent turn out with nearly 20 riders ready for a trip down south. One new young chap joined us. Unfortunately I cant remember his name but I will call him Fabian as he looks like Mr Cancellara.
    We took the usual route - Toll road, Lympsham, Mark, Westhay. Somewhere along there we lost Carlos due to a broken spoke and we assume Ian followed him home. On to Shapwick. Across the flat to High Ham Richard, Stewart and myself were off the front of the group taking it easy when just before the foothills of High Ham Ivan made his dash past us and was going at such a speed he got a couple of hundred yards lead and could probably made it to the top before us but did the gentlemanly thing and pulled over to let myself, Adrian take up the running. About half way up i was done for but Adrian and Mark battled it out with Mark taking the win. There were reports of Bernie taking a wide line around one of the downhill corners and scaring an on coming motorist but that doesnt sound like Bernie i know :-)
    At Langport most people stopped at the garden centre leaving around 5 to continue on to Barrington Court.
    We enjoyed the good food and friendly waitresses before returning, into a head wind, via Burrowbridge. When we got near Westonzoyland the group had split up due to the cracking pace being set by Pete and we managed to lose most of the group who probably took the usual left towards the A372 so we turned around to give chase. At Woolavington we waited in two seperate groups for ages but no one appeared. So the final leg back home was probably done by 4 or 5 diffferent groups. I'm thinking of giving Gordon a call to see if he will come out of retirement to lead the group :-)

    Stats - http://ridewithgps.com/trips/3290865
    TTC - 8/10
    OJC - 3
    KF - 7.5
    showmethecakes
    showmethecakes


    Posts : 350
    Join date : 2012-07-01
    Age : 110
    Location : Weston-super-Mare

    Saturday 23rd August - barrington court or langport Empty A Team Report

    Post  showmethecakes Mon Aug 25, 2014 12:32 pm

    Surely he should be called Spartacus!
    What a shambles! For all we know riders might be lying in ditches across Somerset, mortally wounded! As you say, Gordon would never let that happen.
    As for the A team, Ivan led the way out of Langport though the Pissoscopies (Huge'ish and King'size'bury) towards Barrington. Fortunate not to have been caught in a heavy shower as the roads appeared very wet from recent rain. Pace was around the 20 - 22 mph mark which caused a couple of splits in the group but unlike the B Team shambles we slowed and re-grouped. Arrived in style at Barrington Court cruising in at about 23 mph past the 10 mph speed limit sign.
    I knew there was something odd about the cafe but could not remember what it was until we got inside - they don't serve hot food until midday. Having been told this by the kind staff Adrian then asked if he could have soup. Now I know some people enjoy a nice cold cream of mushroom straight from the tin, I'm not so keen. The answer, obviously, was 'no'. Dave then asked if he could have a tea cake. Again, these are generally toasted and therefore 'hot', so again the answer was no. Jeanie then asked if she could have a bacon sandwich. I started to shrink below the counter hoping to disassociate myself from the rest of the group. I suppose she could have been given a ham sandwich which is like a cold version of a bacon sandwich but surprisingly the answer was 'no'.
    Instead we asked for various cakes and scones which were all labelled up as 'Help Yourself' followed by queuing to pay from about three different directions. Weston's finest were clearly on good form.
    Returned via some little road that was bound to go somewhere followed by Helland, North Curry, Burrowbridge etc. Again a good pace was set into the headwind across the levels. Along the short stretch of the A372 a motorist decided to overtake, on a bend, at a junction with at least three of us in the middle of the road with our arms out indicating we were turning right. Glad to say we all got through that one safely.
    Ivan decided to take the Strada Bianca to Bawdrip before heading up the cycle path to Cossington. Took it easy through Woolavington as we had to follow a car round Keith Corner. Again, cruised across the levels at a steady pace until we got into East Huntspill. Various attempts to up the pace were thwarted by motorists blocking the road. Eventually Ivan and Adrian slogged it out for the Watchfield sprint.
    Picked up Andy H in Brent Knoll and he joined us for the ride back. The Accomodation Road sprint didn't materialise until about 150 metres from the end. With one bend to go while Ivan and Adrian were looking at each other to see who would go first, I nipped around the outside and kicked for the line. It was like having a snarling bulldog nibbling at your arse as Ivan huffed his way into contention. Fortunately the road narrowed and with the inside line his only option Ivan backed off as it would have been 'too dangerous'. Having said that I'm not sure where the finish line actually is as I still only just managed to stop before the turn out onto the busy A370. I'm taking a pot of white emulsion with me next week.
    Very enjoyable ride of about 85 miles, average of about 17.5 mph.
    OJC - 1 for the A team
    TTCR - 6/10 (what they did was good but no hot food)
    KFC - 8/10.
    Keep up lad!
    Keep up lad!


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    Saturday 23rd August - barrington court or langport Empty Some more B Team news

    Post  Keep up lad! Tue Aug 26, 2014 2:45 pm

    As a fairly new rider with the group I didn’t want to comment  silent  but I’m glad someone else thought the Saturday ride was a shambles too.  Everything was un-pearshaped until on the way back when we got split just before Chedzoy….I stayed with the leading group who stopped just past the correct turn off,  where we hid nicely out of sight.  After counting to 1000, no one found us so it was assumed that the  group behind had stopped looking and taken the turn along Higher Road and we set off after them at about 40kph. This further split the rest of us, I think 8, with yours truly falling further and further behind with Pete.  (Thanks for the tow along Bath Road, Pete).  I eventually caught up with Martin and 4 other riders at the top of Woolavington Hill where we waited  for some time.  It was then assumed (lots of assumptions on this ride!) that the main group had somehow gone a different way and when we eventually got underway again the group disappeared like a fart in a gale.  I was comprehensively dropped and left to figure out how to get back on what to me are unfamiliar roads.  Turned out to be easy enough but what had been an excellent ride up to the split, took a turn for the worse.  Literally.  And the moral to this story is:  If you are a distinctly average rider (like me), keep in the middle of the main group at all times!
    anti-climb max
    anti-climb max


    Posts : 781
    Join date : 2012-07-05
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    Saturday 23rd August - barrington court or langport Empty Re: Saturday 23rd August - barrington court or langport

    Post  anti-climb max Thu Aug 28, 2014 11:07 pm

    ... pleased to see that everyone's getting on and that the live and let live spirit prevails Laughing

    shambles? i'd gladly give my right arm for a shambles, when we lived in a cardboard box on the M1...........

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    Saturday 23rd August - barrington court or langport Empty Re: Saturday 23rd August - barrington court or langport

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