MAY
2009 |
CTC
End to Enders arrive safely.
Our
for local CTC lads arrived safely at lands End on Friday after 9 days
and 933 miles.
The last two days were very hard riding through Devon & Cornwall.
Now they are riding back up through Cornwall and hope to meet up with
the Torbay CTC at The bakery at Moretonhampsteasd on Sunday morning.
Congratulations to all of them.
Update - 31st May - they had a hard ride today from Callington to meet
the club at Moretonhampstead. Celebration cakes and coffee were provided
by Phil Ellis before the final spin down the Wrey Valley to home.
John Beesley, Lee Atkinson, John Cooper
and
Malcolm McKendry at Lands End.
|
MAY
2009 |
CTC
Torbay riders set off on End to End jaunt.
John Cooper, John Beesley, Malcolm McKendry, and Lee Atkinson are flying
up to Scotland on 20th May to start their John O' Groats to Lands End
ride. They will cover about 1100 miles in 9 days on the trip.
The bikes have already been sent up via a courier van, courtesey of Braking
Wind Cycles in Dawlish.
You
can follow the progress of the riders on the Live Journal blog at www.ctcdevon.co.uk
or at www.endtoend.freeuk.com.
John Cooper |
John Beesley |
Malcolm McKendry |
Lee Atkinson |
|
MAY
2009 |
MDDC Riders on a trip to Newport indoor Velodrome.. |
Velodrome
Plans go forward.
Plans
for the Velodrome at Kingsteignton move a step closer - Devon County Council
and British Cycling have agreed to fund an outdoor facility at Kingsteignton!
The proposed facility will be 250 metres in length and surfaced with all
weather tarmac. Whilst the proposed site has outline planning permission
for sports facilities, detailed permission is nowbeing sought. However
It's great news for local cycling clubs including MDCC who'se members
and will be able to build on a succesful youth section with a dedicated
venue on their doorstep
Mid Devon Cycling Club, based in
Kingsteignton, is delighted with the news that plans for a ‘state of the
art’ cycling facility – located in Kingsteignton – have taken several
steps forward in recent weeks. British Cycling has responded to requests
from the Mid Devon Cycling Club for financial help to develop proper facilities
in the South West of England and Devon County Council has supported Mid
Devon Cycling Club, by also throwing its weight behind the proposals.
Both British Cycling and Devon County Council have pledged the money to
build a banked circuit – the design will probably follow a similar unit
in Antwerp –
to allow serious sports cyclists to train for international competitions
and will allow the less experienced the opportunity to develop their skills.
|
MAY
2009 |
Race
halted near Rannoch. |
Saboteurs
bring Etape Caledonia to a halt!
from BBC News
Police are investigating after carpet tacks were spread across roads bringing
a major cycle race to a halt. More than 3,500 people were taking part
in the Etape Caledonia, over 81 miles around Pitlochry in Perthshire.
It is the only cycle event in Britain where all the roads travelled on
are closed - which has angered some locals. Tacks were strewn on a section
of the race, bursting hundreds of tyres. Police said it was a reckless
act and it was fortunate no-one was hurt. Cyclists ended up with damaged
tyres and the event had to be stopped but organisers cleared the road
and the race was completed. The winner Veli-Matti Raikkonen - who is originally
from Finland and is a member of Aberdeen's Granite City racing team -
was one of those who suffered a puncture after riding over the tacks.
www.etapecaledonia.co.uk/
|
MAY
2009 |
Five
at start of 150 in 12 |
Low
turnout for the 150 in 12
The
poor weather on Sunday morning may have been part of the reason for
such a low turnout on the 150 in 12.
Five riders set out from the start at Kingskerswell.
It was a brisk ride to Okehampton with a tail wind, but after that the
pace dropped as the rain set in.
Only one rider eventually completed the entire course within twelve
hours, along a route which took in some of North and Mid Devon's finest
scenery.
|
MAY
2009 |
150
mile in 12 hour haul - this weekend.
This
Sunday ( 17th May) is the longest event that CTC Devon organise in the
events calendar.
The 150 mile route has to be completed within 12 hours - average speed
12.5mph.
This years route heads North for a brisk run up to Moretonhampstead, continuing
through Okehampton to Hatherleigh.
The return leg heads out west over to the Exe Valley, returning to Exeter
and over Longdown into the Teign Valley to the finish at Kingskerswell.
Download the route sheet here: ROUTE
SHEET (pdf)
CTC
DEVON EVENTS
|
MAY
2009 |
CTC Exeter Spring
Newsletter Online
Kirby has produced
the May 2009 Exeter Newsletter which is available on the website on-line.
<CLICK
HERE> to view it.
|
MAY
2009 |
Ken
Middlemiss |
Ken
Middlemiss is improving in hospital.
Ken Middlemiss remains very poorly in a Plymouth hospital, but there are
marked signs of improvement.
It's now six weeks since the accident and for most of that time he has
been unconscious.
(On
Saturday 21st March more than 50 cyclists from many Plymouth cycling groups
including Yogi Cycles, the Plymouth Corinthians, Alltracks and the Shred
Team, met at B&Q, Marsh Mills at 9am to ride towards Plympton along the
Ridgeway as a ride of solidarity to support Ken)
( A 29 year old van driver was arrested at the scene of the accident in
Glen Road, Plympton under suspicion of careless driving.)
|
MAY
2009 |
www.ctcdevon.co.uk |
Ten
Years of CTC Devon's website.
The CTC Devon website has now been operating for ten years. During that
time we have received tens of thousands of "hits" or page impressions.
With the WIKI the site continues to expand and develop into something
we hope you find useful and enjoy.
Encouragingly several new members have joined CTC and taken part in local
activities as a result of viewing our pages.
Don't forget the "For
Sale" pages where you can turn your unwanted bike bits in
cash, a global advert in return for a small admin fee!
In the near future there will be an overhaul of the HISTORY
pages, as much more material has been scanned in to help fill in some
of the gaps.
|
MAY
2009 |
One
month to the moonlit dash.
The Exmouth Exodus
for 2009 is confirmed as being on 6th and 7th June.
Start again is in Bristol near Clifton
Bridge. Transport is set to be an issue this year although there was
talk of some bike shops sending up vans with bikes in for riders to collect
at Bristol -
more details to follow if this is the case.
Many
Cross Country
trains are now down to 3 bike spaces which makes it even worse than
in 2008.
Full details on their blog and website:
|
MAY
2009 |
POTHOLES
- up 32%
from
CTC NewsNET.
There’s a whole lot of potholes According to figures out this week from
the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), the number of potholes on the roads
in England and Wales is up by 32% since last year and on average a road
now boasts a pothole every 120 yards. The AIA estimate it will cost £8.5
billion to bring the condition of roads up to scratch! If you spot a pothole,
don’t just cycle round it, report it on our site www.fillthathole.org.uk.
Devon County Council are presently working to patch a record number of potholes,
but many have been outstanding for months.
|
APR
2009 |
Entries
are almost full for Dartmoor Classic.
There
are just 30 places left on the 2009 Dartmoor Classic Cyclosportif. The
limit of 2000 has almost been reached, and entries have been received
from various other countries including Belgium, Holland and Canada.
Signing
on will be on Saturday 27th June, and on the morning of 28th of June,
but to encourage people to sign in on Saturday there will be regular spot
prizes throughout the signing on.
Thousands of bananas and other supplies have been ordered and the event
looks likely to eclipse the succesful one in 2008.
Full details at: www.dartmoorclassic.co.uk
|
APR
2009 |
Exeter
- Bike Race
City Centre Cycling returns to the South West on 28th May.
On the evening of Thursday 28th May 2009 the centre of Exeter will be hosting
one of the most exciting events the City has seen in recent years.
The race will be the highlight of the day which will also include a festival
of cycling in the City Centre, giving young and old the chance to witness
displays, take part in activities and learn about opportunities to get cycling
in Exeter and Devon. It should be a really great day for the city and very
memorable for residents and visitors alike. It is hoped that Bedford Square
and Princesshay Square will be used for these activities.
The event is being delivered by Devon County Council and Exeter City Council
as part of their joint Cycle Exeter Project. This project has seen cycling
levels rise in the city by around 37% and cycling to some schools reach
20% compared to a 2% national average.
Website at: www.tourseries.co.uk
|
APR
2009 |
Totnes
- Bike Race
Saturday 23rd May sees the return of the popular Totnes Town Centre Criteriums.
They will be held on the closed roads in the heart of historic Totnes.
These races should prove to be testing for the competitors and entertaining
for spectators.
Kicking off the evening of races at 18.30 will be the youth race for 12
-16 year olds who tackle 20mins and 3 laps of the 1mile circuit then finish
with the 150 metre cobbled climb of Fore Street to the chequered flag outside
the Civic Square. At 19.000 the senior riders take to the streets for 1
hour and 3 laps finishing at the same point as the youths.
The senior event is open to 2/3/4 category riders. Spectators can watch
from the luxury of the various pubs and cafes around the course!
There's a generous prize list and winner's jerseys for both events |
APR
2009 |
10,000
Cups of coffee!
CTC Devon's coffee pot rides are extremely popular with over sixty people
sometimes attending the events, but the webpage for the cafe listings
compiled by Kirby James has also had 10,000 hits!
Coffee
Pot rides and meets are every Thursday and designed for those who have
middweek time to spare.
Details
on the WIKI
|
APR
2009 |
160
cyclists enjoy Devons Dirty day out!
Glorious weather helped to bring out 160 riders onto the tracks an lanes
of South Devon on Sunday 19th April.
A new route took the riders out around Bovey Tracey, and on to a control
at Lustleigh, for a feast of cakes provided by Lynda Swayne from Torbay.
Then there was a lot of climbing acroos the Bovey Valley, and across Black
Hill and Brimley to reach Ashburton where the next control was at the
BigPeaks centre.
The last ten miles was through quiet tracks and lanes around Denbury.
There were no major mishaps, some minor injuries and a front wheel trashed
on the descent from Bovey Tracey.
The event fulfils the "f" category for the CTC Devon and CTC
Touring competition.
2009 PIX |
Lee
Atkinson & Anna Reffell with cakes. |
 |
|
APR
2009 |
Devon
goes Dirty!
Over
70 riders have already signed up for this year Devon Dirt bike ride organised
by CTC Devon and BigPeaks.
Places are still available but people are advised to enter soon to avoid
disappointment.
The 40 mile route has been designed by Ali Northcott, and takes the ride
through Bovey Tracey and Lustleigh and then across to dartmoor via Houndtor
woods and Black Hill.
There is no time limit - estimated ride time is between 4 and 7 hours
with controls at Lustleigh and Ashburton.
Riders will receive goodie bags and free food.
|
MAR
2009 |
Jackie
Rice at Buckland in the Moor. |
Record
turnout for 50 in 4
A
sumptious helping of hills did not deter riders from entering the 50 in
4 on Sunday 29th march.
A
record 48 started the event, which took the riders over Dartmoor to the
grave of Kitty Jjay near Houndtor.
Wall
to wall sunshine accompanied the riders who enjoyed dry roads and flower
lined lanes around the course. the only problem was several miles of lanes
littered with huge potholes, which meant riders had to take extreme care,
especially in shaded lanes.
|
MAR
2009 |
Roy
Hopkins hospitalised after crash.
Roy Hopkins from Teignmouth suffered a broken pelvis when he fell from his
bike after hitting a piece of wood.
Roy - a member of MDCC is a top Road Race champion well reknowned in his
day. He suffered serious injuries in a quarry accident many years ago from
which he mad an unexpected recovery.
He is presently recovering in Torbay Hospital. |
MAR
2009 |
New
Cycling Leisure route for West Devon.
A new
cycle and walking trail through part of Dartmoor, which Devon councils hope
will attract more tourists to the area, was officially opened this weekend.
The Drake's Trail
network is a series of routes for cyclists and walkers around the area where
Elizabethan sailor Sir
Francis Drake once lived. It includes an off-road cycle path from Tavistock
to Plymouth and took two years to devise.
It wasbe opened by Olympic gold medal winning rower Zac
Purchase.
Phil Baker, the trail's project officer, said: "The combination of increasing
numbers of walkers and cyclists and a significant number of people choosing
to stay in the UK for their holidays means that now is the perfect time
to be launching a project such as the Drake's
Trail." |
MAR
2009 |
Ken
Middlemiss |
Ken
Middlemiss badly injured in Plympton.
Ken Middlemiss from Yealmpton has been severely injured in an accident
in Plympton which happened on Thursday 20th March.
Ken who is well known for his rides on the French "Etape Du Tour"
and his organised trips to foreign events is a highly experienced cyclist
and a member of Yealm Roulers.
He is also involved with community plans in the South Hams area, and has
been instrumental in organising rides such as the Yealmpton Village Bike
Ride, and other and events in support of cycle schemes.
On
Saturday 21st March more than 50 cyclists from many Plymouth cycling groups
including Yogi Cycles, the Plymouth Corinthians, Alltracks and the Shred
Team, met at B&Q, Marsh Mills at 9am to ride towards Plympton along the
Ridgeway as a ride of solidarity to support Ken.
( A 29 year old van driver was arrested at the scene of the accident in
Glen Road, Plympton under suspicion of careless driving.)
|
