The Highwayman - New Year 2019

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COFFEE AND CAKE DEALERS

CAMPING IT UP

Get your fix from Steve Main as he steers us towards his

VESPUCCI RECALLS HIS MEMORIES

recommend proprietors of the good stuff.

OF BEING UNDER CANVAS

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WELCOME v o l u m e 6 7 n u m b e r 2

Has The Highwayman become more of a magazine for the Torbay section of CTC Devon?

It’s looking that way. And it is sad to say that it will be a little more so with the news of Exeter’s Alan Harding moving to a new location in Buckinghamshire. Alan has been the author of “Exeter Excursions” for a long while and it will be sad to see his contributions cease. From CTC Devon we thank you Alan for your time and effort and wish you the best in pastures new.

So back to the original question. The Highwayman has been a longstanding publication in its own right. Regardless of the direction that each of the Devon factions have headed, varied content is key to an engaging read. Why are we reading this magazine? Because we are all ambassadors of cycling in Devon, it is close to all our hearts. This being the case, I ask of you all to think a little of your own relationship of cycling and what is important to you or what you may enjoy. It maybe something based on an experience or on something technical. We all have our talking points when it comes to bikes. So I ask of you all; Exeter, Plymouth and Torbay, put finger to keyboard or pen to paper and write something. The likelihood is that most people want to hear from you.

Shaun East CHAIRMAN:

EDITOR:

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LETTERS SPECIAL THANKS TO VALENTINE’S RIDE VOLUNTEERS Hi All

Thank you Geoff for organising such a great event today. Lovely route, plenty of hills and snowdrops, even the rain kept off .

Thanks a million too to Mike , Ian, Lesley and Rob for welcoming us at the end with hot drinks and beautiful Valentine’e cakes ( did I detect the Swayne Bakery at work yet again ??)

Good to see so many riders as well . A great day out.

Jacky

POT HOLES Hello Jean, Tom and Shaun, I was ambushed by a pothole on Clyst Road Topsham en route to the 38th anniversary of coffee pot rides on 21 Feb which resulted in broken C5 in neck, lacerations to face and two nights in RD&E. Thought you may like to see the evidence, helmet prevented more serious injury. Will be off cycling for some time as required to wear neck brace for up to 12 weeks!

Regards to all coffee potters.

Chris Brightman

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MAD MARCH 100KM AUDAX WORDS: RIBBLE BLUE

Mad March-Exeter Excursion Audax, Sunday 10th March

100k

The usual lanes through Payhembury, Stowford Water and Ashill brought us into Uffcombe for the halfway control after 3 hours riding. No food available at the control, but I had brought some with me and there was a small convenience shop nearby selling sandwiches. The next section involved going along the Culm valley, not too difficult then a climb out of Hemyock up to the control at Churchinford.

A bit steep in parts but for a change the wind was behind me so other than a few stops to catch my breath made good time getting there.

Seven of us from Torbay turned out for the ride, Dave P , Steve Main, Stella and Kevin Thompson, Steve Jones, Rob Legg and myself.

Chatting at the start, Steve Main mentioned this was the first audax he ever rode and I mentioned I’d been riding this one for nearly 20 years, and several of us remembered when they used to start this event from Budlake school on the old A30 and the organisers used to do a bike check before they would let you go.

Same route as last year with not too many hills of note other than the one to get up on the Blackdown hills, it’s always difficult to get across the airfield up there in the howling wind.

It was mentioned that only about half who had entered the 200 had turned up and judging the amount of cards still on the table for the 100 only about 50% of them had decided to ride, put off by the high winds forecast for the day.

The following part of the route I was not looking forward to. The ride across the airfield and the long stretch over Luppet common. Made very, very slow progress over the airfield, the wind was horrendous and there’s not any shelter along there, very pleased when we arrived at Ewins Ash Cross, where we make a turn and got out of the wind for a while.

There was a problem in getting to Hembury Hill Fort. There’s a big tree blown down across the road. Seen a lot of branches in the lanes, but this was something else! No way of passing over or under it so had to make a bit of a division to get passed it.

Long downhill after the ford, ‘hurrah and cheers’, I’ve had enough of climbing for one day. Fairly easy from here through Talaton and Whimple to get out on the old A30 for 2/3 mikes of flat road into the finish at the Cranberry Farm. A shower of rain along here, the only rain all day kind of ruined a dry, sunny day.

All nine of us set off down the road towards Exeter, then up past the Airport to climb up onto Woodbury common before the whizz down into Yettington. Soon into Otterton for the ‘info’ control in the village. Following and crossing the river at Tipton we find our way into Ottery. I’m riding with Rob, Steve and Dave have gone up the front and I didn’t see anything of them for the rest of the day. Stella, Kevin and Steve J are a little way in front and we catch sight of then from time to time.

The wind is proving a problem for everybody. It was difficult to get across the common with a risk of being blown into a car and now with every turn you catch a blast in the face, something that is going to continue for most of the day, but the sun has come out and we’re seeing blue skies, looks it’s going to be a nice day.

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Thanks Sarah for organising another audax, tough this time round, I’ve felt better after some Dartmoor Devil rides but hope you put it on again next year without the wind.

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EXETER EXCURSIONS

WORDS: ALAN HARDING

Sunday 13 January 2019 A and B ride

By Alan Harding Start point - Broadclyst Church 9.45am A ride Leader- Alan H -Heart of Oaks, Pinhoe B ride Leaders- Lyndsay and Sheena Elevenses - Bickleigh Mill Destination – Templeton There was only Ian and myself representing the “A”s. From Broadclyst we found our way to Thorverton so as to take the lane up to Fursdon House, before heading down for Bickleigh.

There were about 12 “B” riders who joined us at Bickleigh Mill about 10 minutes later and it was decided to abandon the A ride for Plymtree. The two of us joined the B group.

After refreshments and we started moving, it was soon apparent it was an “A” type ride, rather than “B”, because we had a long steep climb up to Seven Crosses! Who said B rides were always easy!

Anyway, there was plenty of humour, we were rewarded with good views at the top and there was more to come. So did it really matter there was a big hill on a B ride?!? A little later on we met a sheep farmer who said we should be going to Templeton “the other way” because the way we were going was easy (I think I got the message right?)! After the farmer said he better carry on as his sheep were hungry, we continued for another 2 miles or so before reaching the delightful small village and church of Templeton. I was impressed with the stopping place and told Lyndsay I have never been here before. Some of us had sandwiches inside the church whilst others used the porch.

footbridge was used instead. Of course, after a long downhill into the valley, it was a long up and steep climb the other side. The scenery would have been better had the showers not started and a mist was forming. We carried on to Way Village and after this point, Ian, Judy and I took a second turning for Brindiwell and Cadbury. Apart from one steep section, I thought this was a fairly easy route and even more easy was descending to Thorverton from Cadbury. It was at Thorverton Ian and I said good bye to Judy, so it was now two of us returning to Exeter.

I understand the remaining group stopped at the Cadeleigh Arms for afternoon tea then found their way past Bickleigh, Nether Exe, Poltimore and Pinhoe. Thank you Lyndsay and Sheena for a splendid ride. The weather was kind for most of the morning but not so good for the afternoon.

Next was a long descent to a deep ford which no one dared to cross, so a rickety F E B / M A R

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NOTICES

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ND SU I FUL NDAY 1 RT 20 19 L(55 4T H K A & BU M), LIT PRIL E ENT Z Z COU (20KM E ) R R SES www O .dev NLINE A o nd ir t.c T: o . uk

CTC Torbay Cycling Club

50 Miles in 4/5 hours on 12th May 2019 Start at the Kingskerswell Arch at 9.00am Contact Rob Swayne M: 07943 730 442 E: robswayne@hotmail.co.uk d er

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Remin rge lights f e pot ride s long) ride s 1. cha h for coffe or sunday ( ing 2 . c a s dwhiche s f p co m or u 3. s an ck chain n website f e o v 4 . c h c k c tc de 5 . che . s v en t e

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MINDFULNESS AND CYCLING WORDS: NICK MOORE - FROM THE BOOK: MINDFUL THOUHGTS FOR CYCLISTS

“I am not lost Derek!

To be lost, you have to know where it is you are supposed to be. And I don’t even know that!”

Getting Lost - A relative term Of course, in this context,’lost’ is a relative term. When riding on roads, one is unlikely to be genuinely so; a few minutes’ riding in more or less any direction will produce a signpost, settlement or friendly local who can set you back on the right route.

So to be mindful is to accept the situation for what it truly is, which is that one is simply somewhere unknown, unfamiliar or unintended. It is neither a failure, nor some great cosmic conspiracy: a straightforward navigational error, a moment’s inattention or a wilfully misleading road sign is all it takes. As any mindful Gardner will attest, a weed is merely a flower in the wrong place.

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So the cyclist who appears or thinks themselves lost is in fact an explorer. And to be an explorer is, essentially, to set off with the deliberate intentions of getting lost; to see and learn for oneself whether here, in the truth, be dragons. If you’re not stepping off the edge of the map, you’re merely following others, and that is not true discovery.

The lure of terra incognita is among our most ancient and potent instincts, yet we’ve dulled it with our sat navs and handheld GPS. Going the wrong way on a bike ride is a low-risk adventure, a respectful kid to our wandering ancestors, and a small rebellion against technologies that, when we arrive in a new place, make us feel we’ve already been there. |

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COFFEE POT RUNS WORDS: JEAN BRIERLY

2019 Mar 14 Greendale Farm Shop Mar 21 Exmouth ~ Kings Garden Centre Mar 28 Poltimore House Tea rooms Apr 4 Powderham Castle Apr 11 Cullompton ~ Padbrook Hotel Apr 18 Plymtree Village Hall Apr 25 Bernaville Nurseries May 2 Clyst Hydon Village Hall

May9 Newton St Cyres Golf Club May 16 Escot May 23 Willand ~ Bluebell Restaurant May 30 Greendale Farm Shop June 6 Exmouth ~ Kings Garden Centre June 13 Poltimore House Tea Rooms June 20 Powderham Castle

EXETER COFFEE POT MEETS WORDS: JEAN BRIERLY

On the 21st of February our group of riders etc went to Clyst Hydon Village Hall to celebrate the 38th Anniversary of Exeter’s Coffee Pot Meets. Normally I have been having these Anniversary celebrations at Stoke Canon but unfortunately the Hall is now booked on a regular basis every Thursday morning. However we were very well catered for by the wonderful group of ladies of which I can’t thank enough for all their catering. what a wonderful choice of food plus also to one of the village ladies who made and decorated the Birthday Cake. There were fifty-two people there and I am sure you were all very pleased to be there.

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I must give a thank you to Ken Strong whilst I was busy cutting the Birthday Cake spoke about Alan Harding who along with Maria is unfortunately for us are moving to the Oxford area to be nearer to their family. Ken reminded us about all the things that Alan has done for the Club since his arrival in Exeter..

Alan was given a signed card from all us us plus a little present. We will all miss your company Alan If anybody wishes to have the Coffee Potters meet at their place can they please let me know. I have done the list up to June 20th as you should see down below so any date after then I will try and fix in. |

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EXETER COFFEE POT MEETS WORDS: JEAN BRIERLY

TORBAY TOPICS Hi Shaun Could you please put these few words into the Highwayman for me.

A special thank you to everyone who came to Ipplepen Community Hub on Tuesday 12th March, whether by pedal power or by horse power (the motor variety!) in what was atrocious weather! It just goes to show that good coffee and delicious cake do have pulling power!!

Your visits to the hub help to raise its profille in our quest to raise money for the proposed rebuilding. Thank you once again for your support it is very much appreciated, Joyce

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TORBAY TOPICS WORDS: GEOFF SHARPE

Tuesday Group Ride to Brixham.

12th February 2019.

new road. Continuing along through Compton and into Marldon, Nick gave us all a choice: it was either to go down through the Westerland valley or continue along and up the main road past the TV aerials to come down into Colliton. Well, no one want to use the mucky lanes in the valley and all followed the leader down the hill.

Some blue sky, temperatures creeping up into double figures and members start to fill the carpark at the Old Engine House for the start of our two Tuesday rides.

Mike had 12/15 riders for his easy ride and Nick Tobin gathered a total of 22 for his ride to Brixham along an “easy” route, Nick’s words not mine. One or two had come along with vintage bikes as it was due to be a flatish ride. Among them was Graham on his Kirk machine. An unusual bike, built in the mid eighties with a cast magnesium frame, instead of one made with tubes, surprisingly it was a bit on the heavy side.

There were some new roads in Stoke Gabriel I hadn’t been along before, followed by some hills that I had been up before and knew how hard it is to climb a few of them. Soon coming into Churston, then the usual lanes to the top of Brixham, down Overgang hill, around the harbour and into the Breakwater cafe just on eleven.

We set off at 9.15am heading for Kingskerswell for some reason, Brixham is in the other direction??, anyway we turn into Kingskerwell, along the main street and up the Stoneycombe valley. After climbing that horrible hill, crossing the

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Thanks Nick for leading a delightful ride and the sun really did shine on us all today, great to have the warmer weather back.

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THE ART OF CYCLING

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THE MAIN THING ABOUT CAFES WORDS: STEVE MAIN

South Devon Coffee Stops

Ben’s Farmshop – Staverton Here is a fabulous place for buying organic food. The cakes are reasonably priced and savouries are particularly good.

One of the joys of cycling is the refreshment stops, either a good pub on an evening ride, or more usually a café and the pleasure of knowing you have earned the calories. Two years ago I wrote a short report on six of my favourites. Looking back at this list I realise that there are several excellent coffee stops to be added.

If I have missed your favoured establishment perhaps you could tell us about it in a future HWM.

The GreenTable – Dartington This is a relatively new venue. Stupendous sticky buns, a wide choice of cakes, some of the best cheese scones anywhere and wonderful vegetarian salads. This is another cafe with beautiful surroundings and outdoor seating.

The Firemans Charity – Harborne Quite possibly the café here provides the best value in the whole area. Cakes are home made by vounteers. All proceeds go to the charity. This is not really suitable for large groups as seating is rather limited. Unfortunately it is only open from Thursday to Sunday.

Old Walls Vineyard- Bishopsteignton Beautiful views and outside seating make this a sublime choice for a warm summer’s day. The coffee is good and the cups generous.

Rafikis – Ashburton This is another relatively new venture.

Seating is on benches with shared tables but the food is first class.

The Cantina – Goodrington This is ideal if you have young children as there is great play park adjoining so you can enjoy your drink while keeping an eye out at the same time. There is varied menu and service is quick.

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WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIDING WORDS: SHAUN EAST

For those of you have not been on a Wednesday night ride to the pub and are thinking to do so, then this article offers some considerations you may wish to take, prior to heading out into the dark.

accordingly.

3.You get to find some new pubs. Some of the pubs we visit are really tucked away down lanes or nestled in valleys and would not necessarily know of. It’s not just a nice surprise for the group, the landlord has the experience of having up to 12 lycra clad individuals descend on their business, when it would normally be quiet. We also find that proprietors of these establishments very welcoming and often take time to chat with us.

What does the ride entail?

Well in all cycling clubs the WNPR (Wednesday night pub ride) is a weekly event and has been a longstanding tradition in CTC Torbay. We have a regular bunch of friendly riders, with varying capabilities. We meet up around 19.00hrs to depart at 19.15hrs, where the designated ride leader will take us on a route around 15-20miles to the listed pub that week.

Details of dates and pub destinations can be found on the CTC Torbay website.

We try not to go a particular pub more than once. This means that each week’s ride offers a different route. We always aim to arrive at the pub for 21.00hrs.

What is harder to describe then?

Firstly it always varies from Winter to Summer. In the Winter it get’s darker a lot earlier, so you spend all of the route in the darkness with your lamps on. This may sound a little intimidating, however once your eyes adjust and your senses tune in, it is marvellous. Memorable winter WNPR are those beautiful clear, crisp, often cold skies. You snake up the a climb, with your lamps piercing the darkness to arrive at the top of a hill and have a moment to look up at the starry night’s sky. It feels as if the sky becomes every more immediate in your field of vision and is far closer to you than it actually is. Summer is equally as enjoying.

Warmer temperatures and better fitness means that you can get up to the moors to see the sun setting. Many of times we have heard a Cuckoo, possible a Nightingale and we have most definitely seen the odd barn owl.

Do you drink much while at the pub?

Generally we stay from 1 hour and we have no more than 2 pints. We all have a responsibility to cycle back to our homes in a good manner.

What so good about riding in the evenings to a pub, then back home late?

It is hard to describe the experience in a pragmatic way. It’s more an experience for the senses. However there are some advantages to riding at night:

What kit do I need?

1.There is less traffic on the roads. By the time we have set off, most people have finished work and are having their dinner.

This leaves us with more space, generally to ride side by side and have a good old natter.

2.When it is darker you can see cars from a distance by their headlights. This gives the group of WNP riders the time to position themselves and act accordingly.

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A bike. In the Winter, many riders opt for a mountain bike with touring tyres or a sturdy touring / gravel style bike. During the summer months most people tend to switch out to lighter road bikes. Being seen is key, so plenty of lights, both fronts and rear are required. It is worth having a decent front light that is powerful enough to cut through the darkness, |

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WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIDING WORDS: SHAUN EAST

but pick up obstacles close to your front wheel. Any additional lighting is good, especially a rear light mounted high up on the helmet. Clothing, you need to dress from the weather and make sure you are carrying an additional warm layer and a good waterproof jacket, you do not want to get caught out. Other than that, enough money for a round of drinks, tools to be able to repair your bike should you have a puncture or a technical issue.

So what not give a Wednesday night a go? I ensure you it is is very infectious and you’ll want to come again.

VALENTINES’S RIDE 2019 WORDS: KATE HATTERSLEY

St Valentine’s Ride on 17th February with CTC Torbay 47 riders made a damp and drizzly start from the Kingskerswell arch on Sunday 17th February. The CTC regulars were joined by a cheerful band of MDCC riders and members from Exeter and East Devon.

Coffee and a snack at Buckfast Abbey was most welcome then several groups set off back together up the old A38 to Ashburton. The hilly section to Sigford was painful and steep but the reward was a lovely swoop back to Bickington and the last ten miles through Gale and Burne and Denbury were sweetened by the prospect of tea and cake at the Parish Centre in Kingskerswell. The baking of Linda Swayne did not disappoint and we were looked after well by the crew from CTC Torbay who served teas. This early season ride is a lovely reminder of the beauty of our Devon lanes with spring flowers and quiet roads. Thanks Geoff for another excellent event!

Geoff’s 61k route took us past Ipplepen through the Denbury triangle down to Staverton where we met a group of running ladies puffing across the bridge and spoiling Mr Brodie’s photo shoot. Onward past Totnes we climbed a very long hill with at least 520 pedal turns before reaching Rattery and crossing the A38. The long hill up to Harbourneford was littered with cyclists repairing punctures.

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VALENTINES’S RIDE 2019

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VALENTINES’S RIDE 2019

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VALENTINES’S RIDE 2019

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JACK & GRACE 100KM AUDAX

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JACK & GRACE 100KM AUDAX WORDS: GEOFF SHARPE

Jack & Grace Cotton Memorial 100k Audax, 26th January.

ry going along the main road although he was following a tractor with a trailer and I could go past on the cycle lane.

Leaving this road to go back along the lanes through Frampton-on-Severn and the control at Epney. 47k covered in just under 2 hours, not bad but would we be able to continue at this pace ?

Must have been riding this Audax for about 20 years. Being in January it was always considered to be the “season opener” as the first event in the new year and always attracted a large entry.

Entries opened at the beginning of December and by Christmas it at filled with 250 riders amongst them Graham Brodie, Rob Legg, Hilary Durbin and myself who had opted for a nine o’clock start.

Off we went with about 50 others heading out from north Bristol for the old A38 towards Tockington and Olveston to reach the first info control at 9k in Littleton -on - Severn We were fortunate to have the benefit of a tail wind so were moving along quite quickly and within an hour had reached Berkeley, the scene of a ghastly murder of an English King in the middle ages.

Back on the bikes after a snack and a cuppa to pick up the lanes taking us to Hardwick and Haresfield. Route had been fairly flat up till now but a few hills were coming into play and the wind was now in our faces from time to time.

Road closure just after Brookfield which resulted in a re route to get to Haresfield and Stonehouse. By now we were about two thirds around the route but was finding it a bit hard going with the wind which was increasing as predicted by an earlier weather forecast.

Through Frocester, Cam and past signposts pointing to Dursley and Wotton - under-Edge to collect the turn for Stinchcombe. It’s just after here that you find yourself rolling down a short hill and taking a left to be confronted with a bit of a surprise in the form of a 1 in 6 hill. Fortunately I’ve been here

Quick stop to record the name of a local cafe and a toilet stop round the corner then we were on our way again along flat lanes around Slimbridge to join the A38 again for about 5k. Wind was proving a great benefit, even overtook a lor-

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JACK & GRACE 100KM AUDAX WORDS: GEOFF SHARPE

the climb and got up without too much trouble other than a lot of huffing and puffing, others were forced to get off and walk.

After a welcome stop for a piece of cake and a drink at the control it’s just 17k to the finish but this last bit was not proving easy. The wind has really picked up and we’re riding into the teeth of it. What is usually a easy ride along the last few lanes was anything but. It’s not hilly just hard work in the wind .Finely made the finish just before three, rather worn out but I did enjoy the ride.

This was followed by another hill, not so steep but one of those I hate, it gets steeper as you go up. It effected me so much that I rode past the control by about 400 yards and had to turn round.

The control was at a Farm shop, they used to use Layhill just down the road a few years back. You were advised to lock up your bikes, a lot of shady characters in there, it’s a Prison ! ! .

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Hopefully a few more of you will come up for the ride next January but you have to get your entry in early.

- Geoff Sharpe

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CAMPING EXPERIENCES WORDS: VESPUCCI

Part One

it in a field with help from a collie sheepdog that kept inquisitive cattle away.

Although proud of my efforts, but much to my chagrin was not allowed to camp out overnight. The following morning, I was up early to inspect the tent. It was a jumble of torn, flattened, ripped and excreta covered canvas. Obviously bovine animals had taken a dislike to it or simply blundered into it.

Over the years, my travels have taken me throughout Europe, North and West Africa, USA and Mexico. On each journey I carried a log book. Therefore, I have detailed and comprehensive description of every place I stopped, whether it was a pension, hotel, youth hostel, or with families I knew. Often I camped: some of the experiences become so entrenched in my memory, that I don’t need to consult a log book. So now I will let you into the pages of my memory.

That first experience didn’t put me off camping, and after departing from the military (where I bivouacked in all weathers), I made three expeditions to the Sahara see (Highwayman 2014).

My first taste of camping was as an eight year old child when I lived on a farm a short distance from Ashburton. I was given a tent, then with a struggle I erected F E B / M A R

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On one trek, I cycled down to Genoa in Italy en route to North Africa in December, to get a ferry crossing to Oran in Algeria. |

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CAMPING EXPERIENCES WORDS: VESPUCCI

Because time was tight and the weather forecast was dire, I tried to catch a train from Torino. Unfortunately trains were cancelled due to industrial action. I had no option, I had to cycle, shortly after starting, a snow laden sky and freezing atmosphere surrounded me with gloom.

After midday, I encountered snow as I climbed higher ground. Gloom turned into darkness and become dangerous for cycling on unfamiliar roads. Shelter was necessary, but there was no sign of a hotel or pension. Also my dismal cycle-lights forced me to a stop as visibility turned into whiteout. As a result, I decided to camp, so turned off the slippery road and wheeled the bike along a track.

From my pannier bags, I dug out extra long, 31 centimetres aluminium, sandpegs that were equally good for snow.* I soon had the tent pegged and secure in the deep snow. During the night the wind became a howling banshee, but my wellmade tent kept the worst of the below zero temperature outside. But I found myself gradually sinking deeper into snow due to my body heat, but my tent was well insulated and oddly enough the snow added an extra cushion against the cold.

When daylight arrived, all was silent, and tranquil with a blue sky. Sunlight reflected on the clean, crisp, snow. But it was too cold to fiddle with a camping stove to brew tea. So I grabbed my pannier bags nestled between fly sheet and inner tent, clambered out and dismantled the tent. However in my haste, did a stupid thing. I tugged at one of the aluminium metal-pegs with an un-gloved hand. My hand stuck, a burning sensation attacked my hand. Flesh was taken as I pulled my hand free.

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CAMPING EXPERIENCES WORDS: VESPUCCI

Later, shivering with the cold, I later found a café, thawed out and arrived in time for the ferry boat at Genoa. It was pleasantly mild near the sea.

smell of spearmint in the morning and also the sound of rain on the tent fabric canvas. When I camped in the Italian region south of Naples, I detected the aroma of crushed spearmint underfoot.

It was a flattish area where I camped except that it was at the foot of a steep, grassy hillside.

Another cold experience occurred one year in November. Whilst cycling down through France, in the Dordogne region.

I was caught out one evening with no place to stay, so I decided to camp. It was a sunny, dry evening with light breeze. I found a space in the lee of a cluster of picturesque, oak trees. A red ball sank in the West. I took a couple of pictures, watched steam escape from the camping kettle, brewed tea and slept well in my duck-down sleeping bag.

The evening sky was clear with no sign of rain in fact, I thought it was an ideal spot to pitch a tent. Around two in the morning rain began to patter on the canvas, the sound was pleasant and I went back to to sleep in my duck down sleeping bag. A little later I awoke at the sound of intensely, heavy rain. Flashes lit up the tent from time to time followed by the crash of thunder. Being an optimist, I kidded myself that I was perfectly safe in the tent.

When daybreak arrived, I had a struggle to open the sheet zip, ice flaked off the tent fabric. Without bothering to brew tea or breakfast, I gathered my gear together, and packed the bike and hurried away. Shivering, cold hands, feet and dripping nose, I cycled a miserable twenty kilometres. I arrived at a village without knowing how I got there. The distinctive smell of baking bread thawed my thoughts. I saw a bakers sign, entered, explained my dilemma and owner opened the door of the actual bakery at the rear. I stepped inside, immediately the oven’s heat hit me. I buckled over, someone caught and stopped me from hitting the stone floor. Next I remember being led to a chair by a window. I asked for the widow to be opened, for fresh air. Immediately, I collapsed again. Thirty minutes later I recuperated, thanked the bakers, crossed the road with croissants and entered a café. Problem solved.

Daylight arrived with a waterfall of rain and a gloomy sky but the thunderstorm had moved away. Drifting out of a restless dawn slumber, I felt a strange sensation of movement underneath me.

Was I on a ship, a cross channel ferry boat? But when the sleep left my ears I heard the rain drumming on the canvas.

Daylight crept across the tent, I realised the tent felt as if was moving. I looked outside; pegs had been dislodged, I was now buoyant on several centimetres of water. Thankfully I was in a quality Saunders tent and the waterproofing was first class.

More camping adventures in part 2

In the film Apocalypse Now the American the leader of the troops looking for insurgents as they landed their helicopters, tossed playing cards on the dead shouting, ‘I like the smell of napalm in the morning’. But in a tent, I like the F E B / M A R

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* The pegs where given to me by a Birmingham company of Hamptons to use in the Sahara.

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FREETRIKE REHAB CYCLING WORDS: TOM PALES

FREETRIKE REHAB CYCLING

The stroke was in 2002, when Tom was 25. Initially, he began taking his father on a weekly trip to the Granite Way, part of the Route 27 cycle journey linking Devon’s south and north coasts. They took a short walk on the tarmacked path, leaving a marked rock at their furthest point every weekend. Over the months the rock travelled 150 metres, but no further.

“Then one day a man cruised past with a wide smile on what looked like a deck chair with pedals. They had seen their first recumbent trike. They bought an ICE recumbent trike and, within the week, flew past the 150m rock, towards a life of increased freedom for William.

William Pales was a true adventurer who, as an accomplished sailor, crossed the Atlantic Ocean several times. Then came a massive stroke just after retirement, which locked him out of his beloved great outdoors and into a world of daytime TV. The timing of his stroke was all the crueller given that he had recently bought a cottage on the edge of Dartmoor, ready to be restored. The wild, epic landscape outside was so close, yet, due to several physical challenges, so very far away. His son Tom wasn’t prepared to see his old man live out the rest of his days in his living room. His intervention broke him out of his sofa sanctuary – and spawned an emerging type of therapy which is increasingly being used by clients of all ages who might otherwise be housebound.

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Having abandoned his career in property management, gained a degree in health and social work - and worked as a community support worker with people with brain injuries – Tom finally launched |

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FREETRIKE REHAB CYCLING WORDS: TOM PALES

Freetrike in 2010. The service runs oneto-one sessions on specially adapted recumbent trikes for people with disabilities in Devon. It transports housebound clients to their nearest shared path for two hours of exercise. Tom and his co worker Hamish`s work spans Devon’s National Cycle Network, which gives access to the countryside. Stately home driveways, seafront prominades and horse racing service tracks are also occasionally used. Freetrike has covered almost 12,000 miles since 2010, working with people of every type of disability, including those related to stroke, brain injury and other neurological conditions.

involved in a motorbike accident. You could see his multidisciplinary team was struggling with his challenging behaviour so they brought me in and I whisked him off to the Tarka Trail in North Devon. I got him out exercising and eventually supplied him with his own trike. For him a lot of it was about giving him time away from home which helped him focus and allowed him to manage his anger. He was later able to go to college.”

Recumbent trikes are lightweight, can collapse down and easily be placed in the boot of a Honda Jazz. Freetrike works with specialist manufacturers to fine-tune trikes to specific types and levels of disability. Freetrike offers a sales service to source and deliver trikes and tandems specific to each client’s needs. Powered by the mantra, “adventure-bound not housebound”, Tom aims to give clients the freedom to challenge their disability while re-

“My first paying client was a beef farmer who had suffered a stroke, lost use of his left side and developed a terrible fear of falling. Recumbent trikes are very stable and simple to control and, therefore, remove this fear. “Next I worked with a young chap who was

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FREETRIKE REHAB CYCLING WORDS: TOM PALES

connecting with the outdoors. “It’s like being in a deck chair, with pedals in front of you. The steering column is almost at your hips, and can be steered from one side if required. There is also a single brake lever on one side, which, when squeezed, is perfectly distributed across both sides.” Other modifications include specialist pedals designed for people paralysed on one side, which keep the paralysed leg in a stable position. For particularly weak clients, more pedal power can be generated through the latest Shimano pedal assist motors. “We are like Q branch for cycling with ideal applications of Schlumpf drives, Rholoff hub gears, automatic electronic gear shifting and pedal systems attractive enough to be hung on the wall. Our German made semi recumbent tandems are a work of art that works”.

Another key feature of a recumbent trike is its appearance - not as a piece of disability equipment, but a “cool piece of kit”. “It moves people out of the sick role.

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FREETRIKE REHAB CYCLING WORDS: TOM PALES

They are out doing something clearly recreational on equipment that is made for performance, not disability. It gives them back their identity. The trike hasn’t got any hint of a special needs piece of equipment about it. This is one of the most powerful ingredients in what we do”.

antidepressant medication by getting fitter and meeting people through the service”.

Last year Tom brought on 27 year old Hamish to help deliver the outreach service and to allow him to spend more time exploring opportunities to spread the service across Devon. They have around 35 clients on their books at any one time. “The future is to give more people the opportunity to work with us in rehab cycling and in doing so make Freetrike a household name in Devon.

One day I hope we can work directly with the NHS to keep people of all ages and disabilities active, outdoors and away from their Doctors”. He admits his role is far from easy, given the exertion of transfers and excessive driving hours but he wouldn’t swap it for all the gold in Bradley Wiggins’ trophy cabinet! “I love the locations and the people - and I must have the most spectacular office in the world.”

Often, talk also turns to Sophie, Tom’s Labrador, who regularly comes along for the ride. She runs alongside us, jumps in and out of the water and draws members of the public in to talk to us.

For some people, the sessions are very much about the social element, for others it’s more about seeing nature and the changing seasons. “With a lot of clients, it’s the cup of tea and a cake at half way through the ride that they really look forward to”. Tom has plenty of anecdotal evidence of the healing power of three-wheeling. “It helps clients manage their depression and also their anger. We find a lot of clients come off F E B / M A R

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TOURING COMPETITION WORDS: GEOFF SHARPE

CTC DEVON TOURING COMPETITION 2018/19 The two Mad March audaxes formed rounds 5 and 6 of the competition and the organiser, Sarah Brittan has just forwarded me the results.

There’s been a lot of changes in the positions in 3 of the sections and I find I am leading the Overall, the Veterans and I’m a member of 2 of the leading teams.

Come on all you CTC Devon cyclists, get out on your bikes, you’re not going to let me take all the awards at the end of the year are you.? There’s a £30 voucher to the winner of each section plus the members of the winning team share £90 worth of vouchers.

Caroline Twigger still holding on to the lead in the Ladies section but only by 5 points from Hilary Durbin, neither chose to ride either of the Mad March events where 8 or 10 points could have been scored.

- GEOFF “LEADING SO FAR” SHARPE CTC Devon Events Co ordinator | Email.geoffsharpe35@gmail.com OVERALL 1 Geoff Sharpe 2 David Twigger Richard Etches 4 Dave Prudden Steve Main Steve Jones 7 Caroline Twigger 8 Shaun East Rob Legg Graham Brodie Hilary Durbin

43 points 38 38 36 36 36 33 28 28 28 28

LADIES SECTION 1 Caroline Twigger 2 Hilary Durbin 3 Jill Day 4 Gill Beesley Jean G. Jackson VETERANS SECTION 1 Geoff Sharpe 2 Dave Prudden Steve Main 4 Rob Legg 5 Nick Tobin Steve Maddock John Beesley 18 Chris G Jackson 18

33 points 28 20 18 18 43 points 36 36 28 18 18

TEAMS 1 TOTALLY TORBAY (Geoff Sharpe, David Twigger, Graham Brodie) 109 points 2 TORBAY VETS (Geoff Sharpe, Dave Prudden, Rob Legg) 107 3 NIGHT RIDERS (David Twigger, Shaun East, Steve Main) 102 4 TORBAY TOPPLERS (Steve Main, Graham Brodie, Dave Prudden) 100 5 THE YOUNG FOGEYS (David Twigger, Shaun East, Caroline Twigger) 99 Future 2019 Events Round 6 7 8 9

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Sunday 14 April Sunday 12 May Sunday 19 May Sunday 23 June

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Big Peaks Devon Dirt 70k (Cat F) 50 Miles in 4/5 Hours (Cat A) South Hams Challenge 60k (Cat A) Tamar 100, 100k (Cat B)

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TED’S TOPICS NO.38 WORDS: EDWARD GAMESON

Ted’s topics nr 38 Cycling Myths:Skinnier Tyres Roll Faster

to circular shape. The most important element of energy loss in a tyre in contact with the road, is what’s called ‘hysteresis loss’. This occurs, as the tyre rotates, when a point on the tyre starts to contact the road, so compresses, then compresses fully in contact with the road, then starts to re-form to its original shape.

The more the tyre structure deforms, the more energy is lost. Now a little thought will lead to a Eureka moment, because it is quite obvious, when you think about it, that for the same pressure (rider and bike unchanged) tyres of all sizes will have the same area of contact patch on the road – this is plain straightforward physics. But the amount of tyre deformation on the road – the amount of squashing, if you like – is proportional to the length of the contact patch, and I’ve just said above that “for a narrow tyre is longer and thinner”. Eureka – a thinner section tyre will lose more energy and so roll slower than a larger section tyre, pressures and all other things being equal. The following diagram was extracted from one prepared

by Continental Tyres:-

I’m fascinated by the mythology that surrounds our sport, and you might remember my last-but-one article on the (largely nonsensical) reasons why we ride the bikes we do. This time, following on from the tyre sizing article, I thought I’d continue with the tyre theme….

We all know that skinny tyres roll faster than bigger section ones – right ?

Well this one might (?) be right in theory, but quite wrong in practice. Rolling resistance of bicycle tyres has, in the past, been measured by drum tests in the lab and this, crucially, misses out the bike and its rider, so conclusions are suspect at best.

The shape of the contact patch of the tyre on the road is very important, which for a narrow tyre is longer and thinner, and for a wider tyre, fatter, and closer F E B / M A R

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TED’S TOPICS NO.38 WORDS: EDWARD GAMESON

The final ‘flies in the ointment’ are considerations of real-world roads, and the effect of rider and bike. A big advantage of a wider tyre is that it is much smoother to ride, something that is not lost on touring cyclists. The converse is that narrow tyres have to run at higher pressures to minimise the risk of rim grounding and pinch punctures by limiting the length of the contact patch, and on ‘normal’ roads in Devon can be very uncomfortable from the constant bumping, and vibration. As the rider and bicycle also suffer from hysteresis losses as the bicycle buffets and deforms parts of the rider’s body, and the bicycle itself, greater vibration from narrower tyres leads to greater loss of energy than for a smoother ride.

high performance narrow tyres. But if comfort and reliability are important, you’ll choose wider lower-pressure tyres, safe in the knowledge that they will not slow you down in real life. And once you’re above a 25mm section, it doesn’t much matter what section you choose, the rolling resistance will be much the same. This is one of the key reasons why ‘gravel bikes’ are now so popular – they are comfortable, light, practical, and go well on the large section tyres facilitated by the use of disc brakes which allow large frame clearances.

These conclusions have been proved by real-life testing, and the following link might prove interesting for any of you who might be tempted offer up some resistance to these conclusions !!

So far, it’s all looking bad for narrow tyres, but one major advantage they have is reduced rotating weight, and this is for both the tyre and its smaller rim section. If you like accelerating hard and a direct ‘feel’, or if you’re racing on a smooth track, you’ll choose F E B / M A R

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ht t ps: // janheine.wordpr es s . com/2018/01/03/12-myths-in-cycling-1wider-tires-are-slower/ |

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NEW EVENT

CTC PLYMOUTH PRESENTS:

THE SOUTH HAMS CHALLENGE SUNDAY 19TH MAY

Taking in the beauty of the South Hams, a combination of “B” roads , lanes & cycle paths, covering a distance of 63.722km. Starting from Ivybridge Railway Car Park, grid SX6476 5641 @ 10.00am.

All are welcome for Entry form, Map & Directions + GPX file- contact: Trevor Bradshaw: M: 07889984290 E: trevbrad235@gmail.com

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