Ride report – Saturday 24th March

Milton led this ride and writes:

Eleven of us in total made for a very busy Cafemonde when we reached our coffee stop on today’s Brisk/Moderate  via Haselbech and Naseby.

We started out from Moulton in gentle rain which hardly eased off but then it barely troubled us either. Five set off on the Brisk followed by five on the Moderate and followed, eventually, by James the First who, bless his heart, had had trouble making the 9.30 start!

James caught the Brisk group by Cottesbrooke and stayed with the group only coming unstuck when his colleagues took a short-cut which he hadn’t expected and he was found to be too far ahead to call back. Or, perhaps there was a mean spirited core to that group that thought he could do with a few more metres in his legs. Who’s to know?

The Moderate group made it to the stop at Church Brampton five minutes ahead of the others and thereby claimed the right to bag all the best seats – which they did. James Too only just managed to get his coffee down so watchful of his phone was he. A baby boy is on the way and expected daily! Good luck with that Mrs James Too.

Home was reached soon after the coffee break, it only being about six miles back to Moulton, and most were there before 1pm meaning there was time to help with the shopping/kids/gardening after all – possibly a tactical error then!

A fine morning’s cycling and good to have Vicky and Hartley out with us again.

Especially thanks to Phil J for agreeing to lead the Moderate ride.

 

Advertisement

Ride to Naseby – Saturday 24th March

Milton Cadman is leading this ride and writes:

Start time 9.30 a.m.
Meeting point : Moulton Co-op, Stocks Hill, Moulton, NN3 7TB
Distance : Brisk 33miles & Moderate 28miles
Refreshment stop : Cafemonde at Church Brampton
Pace: Brisk about 14-16mph & Moderate about 12mph
Time expected back 3:30 p.m.

 

I thought I’d send this out early to cheer us all up as we are suffering yet another cancelled ride today due to bad weather. Next Saturday the Met has promised temperatures in the high 20’s so I anticipate a goodly number of sun seekers. I think the Met said Celsius. Ah well. Fahrenheit is much the same …. maybe just a tad cooler.

The 28 mile Moderate: Setting off from Moulton Co-op we go through Holcot and Brixworth before going on the lovely road towards Cottesbrooke and then up to Naseby avoiding the mountain at Haselbech (my pleasure). From there it’s an attractive ride to Thornby and then, after Guilsborough, another quiet route through Teeton takes us to Holdenby and on to coffee at the lovely Cafemonde in the stables at Church Brampton. Home is but a short(ish) hop via Pitsford.

The 33 mile Brisk: We travel the same route as the Moderate group until just after Cottesbrooke when we do assail the col de Haselbech, (very much my pleasure!). Then it’s Naseby and Cold Ashby before taking a bit of a detour to Guilsborough. From there we go through Ravensthorpe and East Haddon. Downhill almost all the way now and we reach our coffee stop.

It’s an extra five and a half miles over the Moderate group so we’ll have to push a bit if we want to bag the best seats in the house.

I expect that both groups will travel together back to the start from the coffee stop.

Coffee is quite late in the ride so it will be a good idea to carry sufficient water for at least 2 hours in the saddle, and nutrition too, if you need that.

Ride to Harrold – Sunday 18th March

Tim Howell is leading this ride and writes:

Start time 9.30 a.m.

Meeting point Hunsbury Library (Overslade Close, East Hunsbury NN4 0RZ)

Distance 52 miles

Refreshment stop(s) Morning Tea / Coffee at The Buttery, Castle Ashby (at approx. 15 miles) and Lunch at Emmaus Village Carlton (at approx. 30 miles)

Pace Steady (approx. 13 mph)

Time expected back 3:30 p.m.

 

This Sunday’s ride explores the countryside to the East of Northampton. Once we have left East Hunsbury we will wend our way through the villages of Quinton, Preston Deanery, Horton and Cogenhoe before climbing up Whiston Hill to our tea / coffee stop at Castle Ashby where we will meet up with our fellow cyclists from CTC Kettering.

It is then on through Easton Maudit and Bozeat before we get to enjoy a lovely swooping downhill section through Dungee Wood followed by a loop alongside the River Great Ouse to Felmersham and back to our lunch stop at Emmaus Village Carlton (Giles recommends the sausage sandwiches to those of you who are partial to such things).

After lunch we head home via familiar roads passing through the villages of Harrold, Lavendon, Weston Underwood & Ravenstone en route to Salcey Forest, where we will breeze past the café without a hint of regret (surely 2 café stops is luxury enough?).

This just leaves the final leg home along the Quinton Road to the suburbs of East Hunsbury and our start point at Hunsbury Library.

 

 

The proposed route can be viewed (and downloaded as a gpx file) from the CTC Northampton group on RideWithGPS:

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/26749664

 

We look forward to welcoming all riders, and especially any new riders who may wish to join the ride.  For any further questions, please feel free to contact Tim on 07749 477231

 

 

Women’s Tour Returns to Northamptonshire on the 14th June 2018.

A year after hosting the Grand Départ, Northamptonshire welcomes the OVO Energy Women’s Tour once again on day two of the 2018 race.
Daventry, the starting point of the 2017 edition, will host the finish this time around. Riders will pass through the historic market town twice during this stage as part of a challenging finishing circuit that will also see the peloton tackle the notoriously steep Newnham Hill on two occasions.
Previous stages in the county have visited Northampton (which hosted the finish of the race’s first ever stage in 2014), Oundle and Kettering. The latter has been the finish town for three stages, with winners there including last year’s overall champion Kasia Niewiadoma. Who will cross the line first in Northamptonshire this time around?

Rushden
Set in the heart of the Nene Valley, Rushden is the ideal location for the start of Stage Two of the OVO Energy Women’s Tour. The town centre offers a wealth of independent businesses as well as well-known high street brands within an attractive late Victorian/Edwardian setting, an enduring reminder of Rushden’s rise to prominence as a ‘boot and shoe’ town.
Rushden Lakes offers an exciting new dimension to the town with 30 acres of high quality shopping, restaurants (and soon a 12-screen cinema) and opens up 214 acres of lakes for leisure activity in an area of outstanding natural beauty within the Nene Valley for everyone to explore and enjoy.
Organised events in and around Rushden bring added vibrancy to an already bustling atmosphere within the town and, in the run up to the visit of the OVO Energy Women’s Tour, a busy programme of cycling and community events will take place. See http://www.rushdentowncouncil.gov.uk for details. Check out http://www.nenevalley.net for ideas of the many ways to enjoy the town and the Nene Valley, including the Greenway, a traffic-free cycling and walking route for all abilities.

Daventry
Set among the rolling hills of west Northamptonshire, the historic market town of Daventry provides the perfect backdrop for the finish of Stage Two.
The town is renowned as the former home of the BBC’s World Service transmitters, which broadcast news and information across the globe for more than 70 years with the call sign ‘Daventry Calling’. The wider district is also rich in history, playing a key role in historic events including the Civil War and Gunpowder Plot.
Any fans with some spare time on race day should visit the picturesque Daventry Country Park, situated just one mile from the town centre. Daventry also has a great range of cafés in which to enjoy some refreshments, while the wider district boasts some of the finest stately homes in the country, including Althorp House, Canons Ashby, Cottesbrooke Hall and Kelmarsh Hall.

Ride to Draycote Water – Sunday

 

If you haven’t seen it already mentioned elsewhere on this site then please be aware that this Sunday’s planned ride to Draycote Water has been cancelled.

Thanks

PhilJ