Following on from the Roadie thread it looks like there will be enough interest to plan an STW Roadie meet.
thisisnotaspoon plans to do one in March so I though I’d go for April. Initial thoughts are the middle to the end of the month. Maybe Easter weekend(23rd, 24th)?
I have a rough idea of a route but that can always change depending on peoples requirements.
It will be approximately 60 miles long with a Cafe Stop half way round and a pub finish. The route itself will be quite lumpy with two or three challenging climbs, most notably Combe Gibet and Pewsey Hill. Both are only about 1/2 mile long but around 17% gradient. It will be a relaxed pace and no-one will be dropped.
Proposed route below. Meet at Vernham Dean playing field and follow an anti clockwise direction.

All interest, thoughts appriciated. 🙂

I will be up for this if I am not in the Lakes at Easter.

Easter Weekend not good, but interested….!

interested but doing family stuff over easter as i expect alot of people would be

p.s. what on earth is mamil i nearly missed the thread

Probably a bad idea to do it that weekend then. I guess loads of people will be going away.
I will see what reaction we get before setting a date.

MAMIL – Middle Aged Men In Lycra

middle aged men in lycra

this is a great tool for route planning

http://bikeroutetoaster.com/

generates directions and elevations data etc and export to GPS

Easter not good for me but I’ll keep an eye on this.. and maybe try actually riding the road bike – it’s still hung on the wall after a double flat commuting death march, it would have gone in the hedge if I didn’t have 6 miles left to go 🙂

Personally prefer to go over the Fairmile at Collingbourne, and hang a right up to Chute causeway after Marten/Tidcombe – also offers a bail out via Oxenwood for those who don’t fancy one last climb of 80m or so.

You’re probably right, that was my other option. You still have that climb up onto the Causeway but it does give you the Conholt decent.

I’ll have to check dates with she who must be obeyed, but i’m in. Haven’t been up Coombe Hill since my courting days! (infact we probably double dated up there with a couple of young ladies a looooong time ago didn’t we MM?) 😳

I’m sure you can manage to get a free date. I’m sure Rach and Laura can do something for the day. Maybe even meet us half way with cake!! 🙂

STW ‘Proper Northern’ meet too (May 1st).

Have a look here

I’m off sunning myself (or getting sozzled) in Turkey that weekend 🙁 or 🙂 I’m not sure.

For anyone ineterested in the March one…………

12 March, departing from Wokingham with free parking at my digs or the train station is 1/4mile away.

Plan is to ride to Bognor Regis, cake, tea, fish+chips with the grannies, then back again.

Assuming we don’t get lost thats about 110miles round trip, but I’m planning on passing a few train stations en-route so if anyone doesn’t feel up to that there will be plenty of drop off points allong the way.

Pace will be sociable as its early in the year, aiming for a -ve split (i.e. we’ll ride back slightly quicker than we went out). I’m not feeling too fit so will be setting the pace from the back unless I get my arse in gear!

Two other dates to throw in.
I can’t do the Weekend of the 16th as I’ve signed up for a sportive so how about Weekend of the 9th April or 1st May to coincide with the Northern one.

Shameless bump for the night shift. 🙂

Don’t think i’ll be able to make the Wokingham>Bogner ride. Longleat sportive the week after and pretty sure i won’t get a full day pass 2 weeks in a row. 🙁

Have you signed up for the Longleat one yet?

not yet, i’ll have a look in a minute

Thats a good route did one similar few months back started in Swindon/covingham/Wamborough/Chilton foliat/froxfield nasty little climb around there then bedwyns/Wilton/Easton/Pewsey/Alton/flyfield/Avebury and back to Swindon.Nice quite roads around there that was 56miles.

9th April/1st May OK for me just now.

Are you going clockwise or anti-clockwise on that route? If clockwise I’ll ride out to the start, if anti-clockwise I’ll join you on the way.

Anti-clockwise.
1st May is on another 4 day weekend so providing theres not a load of people away that weekend too we could have a wider window. Could be on 29th, 30th, 1st or 2nd.