I will be riding on Wednesday (01/07) from Dalston car park @ 09 30 out towards the coast, be good to have some  chums along, wind looking OK but expect some rain!

So I have an idea of numbers please advise if riding.

Will have three routes, longest 100k. Can decide on the day which is the preferred option.

Please  bring food / drink, not sure what is / will be open.


Martin 

Eden Valley Cycling UK – Update

The committee has had several zoom style meetings and we have been keeping abreast of government guidelines and the interpretations of these by Cycling UK.

Under the present circumstances we feel that it is not possible to organise club runs. Similarly, we have decided to cancel the planned Challenge Rides (100 mile and 100k) scheduled for July 1^st.

However, we would like to encourage members to take tentative steps to getting out on their bikes to meet up informally to ride in very small groups (4 might be a good working maximum) and/or to meet at the outside café facilities that are now emerging.

With this in mind, we would like to encourage you and all members to start using the blog more actively to arrange such informal rides and to inform club members of any take-away café locations.

Depending on how the advice changes, we might plan a challenge ride later in the summer (say 100k and 50k) which members could ride singly or in very small groups. The routes might be planned to incorporate the known take-away coffee venues.

Liz's Birthday Brick Session: EVENT

Liz's Birthday Brick Session

An open invitation to all CTC members.

It’s time to show off all that lock-down training you’ve been up to. A unique birthday event for friends to join in wherever they may be. So for those who don’t know, a brick session is a cycle and then run back to back. The rules for this once in a lifetime event are simple:

1) Cycle and run must be consecutive - only time to take off your shoes and helmet- if you wear one - and put on your trainers.

2) You must cycle twice as long (in minutes/hours) as you run.

3) The minimum run is 10 mins - so the minimum cycle is 20 minutes.

4) If you are over 75 you can replace the cycle with a stationary pedal, and/or the run with a walk (Let's be clear, this rule is really exclusively for my parents).

5) If you are not you can’t. If you are running injured you can.

For example I'm going moderate....a 1.5hr bike and a 45 minute run. The run is obvs. the limiting factor here.

When? Let's go for Saturday 27th June…morning time…. If successful ‘brickers’ fancy dropping in on a zoom chat on Saturday evening for a quick cheers, that would be nice. No excuses, hydrate and rehydrate (of course) and have fun Liz xx

Wanted - Dual Lever 'Suicide' Brake Levers .....!!!

Chap in village just bought slightly smaller than adult used bike for his approx 13 year old daughter. Got drop bars, but she can't easily work the brake levers as too far from handlebars and there's no adjustment.

Her Dad wants to get a set of those old style levers with dual pull bars that stick out parallel to the handlebar straight section.

Yes, know they were called suicide brakes as couldn't always exert enough pull, but think would get her out of mischief and it's only for tootling local lanes.

So if any of you have a set kicking around in a box somewhere, please let me know at lesandruth@gmail.com - or any other ideas!

Videos

Geoff - your question: I think you may be right, but you know at my age (ahem...) the memory is a bit flaky. Trouble is, it was Janet who took the pictures, not me. I usually record all details for later reference; it's a coping strategy for the memory.

I've just posted another on YouTube. To view, click here.
This is from a 1976 tour and I thought it might be of interest to EV members as there are shots of the Eden Valley, North Pennines and the promised land of Yorkshire. The South Lancashire Road Club (SLRC) was a racing club, but we were fairly versatile and liked to do a bit of roughstuff too.

A bicycle ride in Wales

Here's a new video to entertain (?) you.

click here

Funding for cycling in Cumbria

I set out below the text of an email I have received from our Bicycle Mayor for Cumbria.
 As you will see (paragraph commencing 'No need to suggest specific routes, no need to rant ...' below), an email to our / members' Councillor (names at the end of the email) about the need for cyclist better provision could really help with application of funds received and to be received. I have sent one to David Whipp on the Club's behalf;  I think individuals' contributions would assist. Regards to all  

 'Dear members and Associates – urgent action needed TODAY by YOU

Things are moving rapidly, both in terms of political direction (from the top) and funding on offer.

Over the last few weeks there has been the biggest change in Government attitude to non-motorised transport that I have ever seen in 25 years. Some of that is undoubtedly coming from Andrew Gilligan, the ex-Cycling Commissioner for London who is now inside No. 10.

What does this mean for Cumbria? It means that the county has £1.1m of emergency funding to spend on protected cycling and walking routes NOW. Okay, not a lot spread around the county’s main towns, but it’s a start. Cumbria needs to be able to show Government that it means business and can deliver on sustainable transport. It needs the public’s encouragement!

To this end I have coordinated lists of appropriate routes – some of you have contributed to this – thank you. What is needed right now – TODAY – is for as many people as possible to contact by email the Chairs of county council Local Committees. These are the councillors who will approve/ sign off the scheme applications as prepared by the Area Traffic Managers over the last week. The Chairs need to know that the public is demanding such measures and that they have the public’s support.

No need to suggest specific routes, no need to rant. Just send a polite but clear message that you and your family are cycling more: for work, shopping leisure and exercise but protected routes are urgently needed as motor traffic starts to increase once again.

Below is a list of the names and emails of the Chairs of each Local Committee. Can I suggest that if you live in the south of the county that you contact the South Lakeland and Barrow Chairs. And if you live in the north, please contact the Carlisle Chair plus one other. If in the west of the county please contact both Copeland and Allerdale committee Chairs. If you are fairly central please contact Eden and South Lakeland. Just a short request and message, along the lines I mentioned above, is all that is required.

Allerdale Local Committee Chair, Alan Barry – alan.barry@cumbria.gov.uk

Barrow Local Committee Chair, Kevin Hamilton – kevin.hamilton@cumbria.gov.uk

Carlisle Local Committee Chair, Cyril Weber - cyril.weber@cumbria.gov.uk

Copeland Local Committee Chair, Keith Hitchen – keith.hitchen@cumbria.gov.uk

Eden Local Committee Chair, David Whipp – david.whipp@cumbria.gov.uk

South Lakeland Local Committee Chair, Nick Cotton – nicholas.cotton@cumbria.gov.uk

Many, many thanks for your support – there are enough of us to make a difference if we all act and push the same message. I’ll try to put something on the FB group page, too – there are 200 members in that.

Best regards

Richard Ingham

Bicycle Mayor of Cumbria

Richardc.ingham@hotmail.co.uk

Runs List / Club Activity

Runs List / Club Activity:  The committee met on Monday 1^st June. We agreed the Club position would remain that there would be no active Club cycling for the time being.

Cycling UK update:        1^st June. (Extracts from Website below)

While the general advice remains that people should stay at home guidance in England ... ‘now allows for groups of up to six people from different households to ride together, .... providing social distancing is maintained.’ ...

‘Where group riding is allowed, cyclists should still observe good hygiene and Cycling UK advises leaving plenty of space when passing others and to avoid pulling in rapidly after overtaking another cyclist and causing them to end up in your slipstream.’
‘The guidance for avoiding contamination remains unchanged, keeping at least two metres away from anyone else, regularly washing your hands and catching coughs and sneezes in tissues and throwing them away immediately’ 

‘Just because you can, does not mean you should. Although it may be within current guidelines to cycle as a small group, the realities of maintaining proper social distancing measures whilst out cycling may mean that it's not a wise idea to head out with the maximum number of individuals allowed.’

The Committee suggests that members may wish to designate a meeting place (for no more than 6) on a private basis, to which they may cycle and disperse (with or without company). Social Distancing, appropriate hygiene, awareness of other road users (particularly in the context of the cyclists’ needs for spacing) is to be expected. The Committee considered a group of 6 cyclists could be problematic.