The Highway Magazine March / April 2020

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FINLAND! FINLAND! FINLAND!

ISOLATION INSPIRATION STATION!

The country the Brodie’s want to be.

For Kevin Presland, working from home

Getting Fat in the tundra!

has never been so exciting!

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R E H A B C YC L I N G We give people freedom to challenge their disability & re-engage with the outdoors through 2 services: CYCLOTHERAPY OUTREACH SERVICE (exclusive to Devon, UK) Transport from your home to local trafficfree paths to deliver regular two hour, oneto-one supported rehab exercise sessions on the best available adapted trikes, bikes and tandems.

07957 647 675

EQUIPMENT SALES (nationwide) We love modern trikes & tandems that are practical, reliable and far removed from "special needs" tricycles. At one of our test sites we will introduce you to the best available and adapt them to suit your needs.

tom@rehabcycling.co.uk

www.freetrike.co.uk

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A wanderer. “For a while, I ride my life.

I reflect on my thoughts.

I wander into a different world.

I chase stars.

For a while, I own the dream.

I feel the warmth of the Sun. I meander on the roads.

I feel the spell.

For a while, I chart my destiny.

I engineer my journey.

I flaunder with joy.

I race the winds.

For a while, I live.

On my wheels.�

- Hashim ZK

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v o l u m e 6 8 n u m b e r 6

WELCOME TO OUR CYCLING MAGAZINE. To all our readers,

CHAIRMAN: KEVIN PRESLAND Hind Street House Hind Street Bovey Tracey TQ13 9HT T: 01626 833749 E: kevin.hindstreet@btinternet.com SECRETARY: GRAHAM BRODIE 10 Courtney Road Newton Abbot TQ12 1HP T: 01626 335130 E: brodie@bikerider.com EDITOR & DESIGN: SHAUN EAST 5 Bridge Terrace Tuckenhay TQ9 7EH T: 07748816396 E: thehighwayman@yahoo.com SUBSCRIPTIONS & DISTRIBUTIONS: GEOFFREY SHARPE 35 Claredon Road

I hope you are all healthy, safe and keeping well. COVID-19 has certainly got it’s grip on the world. The daily news makes for some grim reading. It is in times like these we need to act with caution by siting an inner resilience, by making the best of what freedom we have.

South Devon CTC has set up a weekly scavenger hunt for members who are cycling isolated to partake in. There being 15 clues to be completed between Wednesday to Wednesday each week. Only 3 clues can be completed in one single day. If you are not on one of the two WhatsApp groups, then please contact Graham Brodie and he will have you added to be kept up to date. Failing that scavenger hunt briefings will also come through on the Mailchimp e-mail that Graham kindly sends out to keep us informed of all things about the club and currently all things COVID-19.

At least for the foreseeable future, The Highwayman will be distributed as a digital publication accessed through the website ISSU. The good news is that it means the layout format has moved away from a newsletter and the constraints of the printed format and in the direction of a more creative magazine. I hope you enjoy this new, refreshed, modern and full colour edition. I will also be happy to have some feedback, but please do keep this constructive!

Ipplepen TQ12 5QS T: 01803 812743 E: geoffsharpe35@gmail.com

LAST COPY DATE: May | Number 07 | 22nd March PUBLICATION DATE:

May | Number 07 | 29th March COVER PICTURE:

Aurora & The Fat Bike - Graham Brodie

I wish you all the best during this very uncertain time. If you can still look at your bike and be inspired, you are half the way to staying sane!

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News & Letters

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South Devon CTC Updates & News from the cycling world.

bikes to key workers via a fundraising scheme.

Sent over from Jim Beed. The following article from the “I” Newspaper.

Dated: 3rd April 2020

How is it going to work then?

The company is looking to raise £400,000 for the bikes via the Crowdfunder site, and has already raised £80,000. The group has also committed to stump up £100,000 to fund production costs.

The 30 Second Briefing BROMPTON

What will the crowdfunding cash pay for?

Donations from the public and corporate sponsors will mean the bikes can be produced below cost price, and loaned directly to healthcare workers via the Brompton Bike Hire network. This will allow them to get to work without public transport, there by keeping them away from other passengers.

Last week, the folding bike maker Brompton offered NHS workers 200 free bikes to help them get to work. How did it go?

It went well. Too well in some ways. The company was inundated, so the 200 bikes flew out of the door, with hundreds more NHS heroes left without them.

It’s good news that 200 hospital staff got a bike, but what about the others?

Don’t panic, Brompton has a solution. It has launched “Wheels for Heroes” and is now looking to deliver more than 1000 M a r / A p r 2 0 | r i d e s a f

Some people like a reward for their generosity. What do they get?

Those who donate will receive a range of “Perks”, from a video thank you from the CEO, Will Butler Adams, for a £10 donation, up to a factory tour and a cycle ride with the boss for £15,000 donation. e

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News & Letters

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South Devon CTC Updates & News from the cycling world.

Cycle Tourists

are a resourceful bunch. Always making the best of a less than ideal situation or making do with what they have got to hand. And when there is reason to suggest that their beloved Wednesday night pub ride is not currently possible, due to the restrictions the COVID-19 pandemic has bought about, then the group was swift in finding away to respond.

No Pub? No Problem! Create one! Not only that it is a virtual pub. Welcome to “The Winged Wheel” where the drinks come straight from one’s own fridge or cocktail cabinet. Using the on-line conference platform “Zoom” SDCTC members have managed to keep the spirit of the Wednesday night pub run alive.

Much of the banter is the same, many of which enjoying an isolated cycle beforehand.

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Home Working & Isolated Commuting Covid-19 Lock down Reportage.

Words & Pics: Kevin Presland

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Along

with 28 million UK residents I sat before the TV at 8pm on Monday evening on 23 March to hear Boris deliver the inevitable message, but with some relief to me as in the detail was an encouragement for exercise which explicitly included cycling, but just once a day. I had started home working midway through the preceding week, and the initial plans of commuting to and from the popup office would have to be abandoned, to be replaced by a slightly longer single daily ride - morning or evening, and where neither possible, then lunchtime.

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I deliberated over what was the right approach to take, how far, how long, where to go? I decided that it was more important to keep my distance from Bovey down than it was to excessively restrict the duration of exercise. Thus I developed five wide loops, each of around 20 miles taking approximately 1.5 hours, routed to minimise towns, villages and other places busy with people. Good fortune meant that the fringe of Dartmoor was within easy reach, and together with the clear blue skies for the first week together with largely empty roads and drivers courteous in the extreme it was such a pleasure to have my daily fix of exercise. |

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The map complete with all routes layered, it is hard to decipher due to the repeat use of certain roads and due to the crossovers, so basic descriptions follow:

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1 - Houndtor / Haytor loop: This is my much used Saturday circuit, Trendlebere > Jay’s Grave > Hemsworth Gate > home. A tad bit short so in future will drop down through Ilsington. The whole route is a feast of view and variety, hard to beat.

2 - Cossick Col (otherwise known as Doccombe): A well tested route by thousands of cyclists across the years on the annual time trial. No such pace for me.

Up the Teign Valley > over the col > back down the Wray Valley. Less dramatic, but highlights for me are the twisty section of woodland climb from Steps Bridge and the views on the descent to Moreton.

3 - Halshanger Haul: Tried and tested outward route for the Dartmoor Devil.

Out through the Blue Waters road tiptoeing over the unstable closed section > Bickington > up and over to Cold East Cross > Houndtor > Manaton > back via Trendlebere. Highlights being the views back to Teignmouth from Cold East and on along the moorland section to Houndtor.

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4 - Wormhill Pass: the cycle path is not attractive to me at these times, empty main road far better, so straight up the A382 to Moreton > left on main road to the moor > left onto Long Lane > straight over Heatrea > Haytor & back to Bovey. A route of ever growing majesty as it rises relentlessly toward the expanse of the Dartmoor plateau.

5 - Route of ages: I grew up near Smokey Cross, and so these are the roads I learnt the basics of the craft of cycling. Out via Clay Lane > Seale Hayne > Bickington > Haytor summit > back down to Bovey.

Highlights are revisiting the vistas of my youth and getting up to Haytor to witness the amazing sunset. |

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So every route has a high point, but to my surprise it accrues almost 2900m of climbing in the 100 miles, pretty tough if tackled in one day. It has also been a time to enjoy photography and share images on Instagram. There are a few pictures here of my initial forays. Overall however it is a feeling of real privilege, so much that the country knows and loves has been withdrawn, yet our passion remains not only

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available, but better respected than ever. I am also very aware that my access to the National Park is a benefit borne of the fact that I am fortunate to live so close, but I do not consider the heart of the moor as being available to me, it is too far. I do believe that we must be respectful of the intent of the restrictions, and if we can all do that, then just perhaps we will be allowed to continue to enjoy the great outdoors on two wheels.

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FAT BIKING IN FINLAND Adventure Reportage. words & Pics: Graham Brodie.

Almost exactly a year ago Kate and I traveled with Exodus to experience fatbiking in Finland. Our flights took us to Helsinki, then a local flight north to Kuusamo Airport not far South of the Arctic Circle.

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On

arrival we were met by a very droll Finn called Marti who told us in a very monotonous voice that we were to walk carefully to the Bus as there was Ice. Somebody had already fallen and been badly hurt. Also as there was D&V bug at the lodge where we were due to be staying, we would go straight to our log cabin in the forest for our briefing.

On that cheery note we boarded the minibus which bumped along the hard-packed snow roads, we had a glimpse of a couple of large Elk in the headlights on the short journey.

On arrival we were warmly greeted by our three hosts, two Finnish guides and a girl from Holland. We had some hot soup and soon discovered the rather fine liquorice vodka that was a specialty!

The cabin was well heated and also had a large Sauna.

Next morning we got up to a hearty breakfast and were issued with our three layered jackets, leggings with fleece liners and gloves, and of course Fat Bikes.

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It was about –11C outside, but with no wind it didn’t feel that cold.

We set off into a nearby quarry and woods, where a circular trail about a mile long had been made, so we spent a couple of hours learning how to fall off the edges in deep powder snow, but also how to keep the bikes rolling.

There was hot soup (probably Elk!) and food back at the cabin.

After lunch we had a brief excursion up the “main road” for a bit more practice and then returned to the cabin for a supper of Reindeer meat and vegetables!

The next morning the proper biking began.

Glorious sunshine, but about –10 degrees, so well wrapped up, we set off up a fairly wide road and cycled for about 12 miles to the “Russian End”. A big wooden logging lodge with just a roaring stove, and candles for lighting, our “bed” was one big long shelf, with sleeping bags, pillows and blankets. Plenty of expensive pre-ordered Finnish beers had been transported up by snowmobiles earlier. |

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Before supper we went down to the frozen river, observed lots of Hare footprints in the snow, and removed a large snow plug to access the water. Big water containers were filled and taken on the snowmobile trailer up to the sauna shed, where another stove was roaring and the water was poured onto the hot rocks on top to get the sauna going.

A silly game was going on where you sat in the sauna until you could barely stand it, and then leapt out of the “shed� into freezing powder snow which instantly froze onto your body! All very healthy, allegedly! After enough of this activity it M a r / A p r 2 0 | r i d e s a f e

was back to the main lodge for supper of Elk meat with pasta, followed by various card games and finally bed.

Dawn broke in our steamed up cabin.

After a good hot porridge we set out on a circular tour close to the Russian border and climbed to a small peak with fine views of the Ourlanka River and lakes. There were trees, many many trees. In fact, there are 22 billion of them in Finland, that’s 4,500 for each man woman and child!! We returned on a broadly similar route to the logging lodge for a repeat performance of fetching water from the river and getting the sauna going. Supper was Elk stew! | b e k i n d | page 18

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It was time to head back down to our main cabin, so next morning we set off on another bright sunny morning. The route wasn’t many miles and we were back around lunchtime. I managed another quick excursion on my own in the afternoon, and after supper everybody had booked up for a snow shoe walk through the woods. Not being a great walker, I decided to go with the flow, but found it quite hard going with these huge tennis racket style shoes!

I’d gone equipped with cameras, as I’d been checking on the internet and there was a chance of Northern Lights. Not long after we had been walking we noticed a change in the sky, greyish light with low swirling misty clouds. “Start of the lights” someone whispered. Grabbing my compact camera I was soon aware of how different they appear to the eye, rather than to a camera sensor.

Nonetheless we watched in awe as ribbons of light danced above us. I managed a few decent shots, and we walked out of the woods into the quarry we were treated to the full show. Somewhat in awe of the display I stayed back with my camera whilst everyone else walked back to the lodge. I stayed out too long really, - it was –18C, and I kept removing gloves to adjust the camera, and my hands became quite stiff. It was only when I got back to the cabin, and I was trying to sleep, that the throbbing in my fingertips indicated some frostbite! – still I managed a few stunning shots.

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Moving Towards a simple life?

Lockdown Musings Words: Shaun East

COVID-19 has proven a lot regarding human values of recent, and one thing I have learnt is how you spend your time, rather than spend your money. I’m sure many of the club members already know this! Resilience and resourcefulness is something most touring cyclists have in their experience. To make do with what you have and to appreciate simplicity.

So what is better than packing some food, a flask and heading out on a bike ride? No high average speeds, no KOMs, No eye balls popping out of your skull and lungs burning to a cinder just to impress your Strava followers. These days I like to ride my bike like my twelve year old self, albeit for the BMX and council estate that I grew up with! Rather, with a sense to explore, to take in and learn about the scenery and landscape that fills my vision, to find a new route. As a currently isolated rider, I have found the mountain bike a key part of my lockdown cycling.

A way to explore the green lanes. Some of which are ancient routes from coast to moor, others old droving routes. When you sit and think for a moment about the sort of people who used these routes and the types of life they would have led in ancient times, they would have had far less to work with than ourselves.

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“These days, I like to ride my bike like my twelve year old self...”

So these days, I pour over OS maps and their fantastic online & app based service, looking for unmettaled roads, byways and even the occasional “hike a bike” footpath and have been setting a route to explore when I can. It really has given some excitement beyond the road routes of my local area and have certainly put it in a new perspective. I am working on a circular route for the Torbay & South Hams area. Who knows, this might end up with a Rough Stuff Sunday ride appearing back on the calendar……..at some point……. | b e k i n d | page 22

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Trials & Tribulations: Time Trials Sixty Years Ago Historic Recollections.

Words: Jim Beed

Set

the alarm clock for 5 a.m. and tumble out of bed to get some breakfast before setting off, at about 5-30 for another Sunday morning time trial. The course, that was mainly used in Devon then, was on the Barnstaple road, starting just beyond Copplestone. The road from there towards Barnstaple did not have any long hills and did not go through any villages. I lived at Topsham, so for me to get to the start meant a hilly ride of about seventeen miles. Exeter riders had slightly less distance to go.

In a recent article I read regarding about time trials, advised getting out the rollers and warming up in the car park. For most of us the ride to the start got us plenty warm enough, thank you!

Plymouth clubs had even further to go to get to the start, and, like most of us, they did not have access to cars then. Members M a r / A p r

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of one club would ride up via Tavistock and Okehampton on Saturday and use a bed and breakfast at Bow. Another club came in the back of a lorry and anyone likely to get travel sick could sit near the tailboard. The St Budeaux, who were a happy, vagabond lot, would cycle up at the beginning of the season with their bedding and leave it in a barn near the start. They had an arrangement with the farmer that they could sleep there on Saturday nights.

Most time trialists used fixed wheel, and the general thing was to use a gear about ten inches higher for racing than for training. The decision, for me was, did I change to the small sprocket at home and ride out on the big gear or change the wheel round at the roadside when I got to the start and get grease from the chain on my hands? Mudguards and lights could be removed the day before, but the |

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saddlebag stayed on because your dry clothes had to be taken out to the race.

Once at the start you needed to get ’timekeepers time’ so that you knew when to report to the timekeeper and were ready to start when your number was called. This number was shown on the start sheet that all the riders and officials would have had sent to them. The first rider was sent off at seven o’clock.

If you reported later than your allocated number and had a late start, then the time that you were adrift would be added to your actual riding time.

You had to change into your race clothing at the roadside. Racing gear was never worn unless you were actually racing.

Your cape would be opened up and the saddlebag with all your belongings, were stowed inside it and left on the grass verge.

Report to the timekeeper and, on your allotted slot, five, four, three, two, one and you were away. The railway straight; Lapford, with the sickening smell from the milk factory; Fox and Hounds, with an annoying hill up to it; then over a railway bridge at the next pub and the ‘turn’ at twelve and a half miles. Not allowed now, this was a U turn around a marshal standing in the middle of the road. A timekeeper would record your time at the halfway point, and this would be on the result sheet as well as your full time. Then a ride back along the way that you had come. A last gasp to shout your number (riders could not wear a number, this was the rules!) to the timekeeper.

During all this you would be disqualified if you rode ‘in company’ with another rider. If you were overtaken by a faster M a r / A p r

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“A bottle of beer had been thrown from a car the night before....�

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competitor, you had to drop back. Catching up a slower rider meant going wide of him and getting well ahead before going back to the left-hand side of the road.

After finishing, change into your dry clothes at the roadside, often taking off wet gear through riding in the rain.

Putting on your cape preserved your modesty while changing your shorts.

Next, a walk to the result board to see what time had been posted for you and to see what others had done. Then ride home. For me this meant that to ride a ‘25’ I had to do a total of about 60 miles, including to the start and back plus the actual race.

Sometimes there had been an incident on the course. A bottle of beer had been thrown from a car the night before, leaving broken glass all over the road. It resulted in about five riders all frantically changing punctured tyres in a gateway.

There was very little motor traffic at that time on a Sunday morning, but weaving through a herd of cows wandering along the road on the way to milking could be exciting, especially coming around a big one and meeting a rider coming the other way. This problem was solved by sending the farmer a list of events at the beginning of the season so that he could arrange milking times around the race.

Did you know that fresh cow poo will strip the enamel off a bike frame?

All this was for twenty-five miles, the shortest distance allowed for events open to all male riders. For the ladies it was ten miles. The next step up was to double that, to fifty miles. This used the same course but starting the Exeter side of Copplestone and turning nearly at M a r / A p r

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Barnstaple. For me this was relatively my best distance. The naturally fast younger riders did not have the stamina. Plenty of training and preparation were needed to cope with it.

Then the distance doubled again, to one hundred miles. I sometimes wonder how the top professionals would cope with riding such an event under the conditions that we did. On your own, deciding what pace you could manage for the whole distance. No team car full of mechanics, spare bikes, rain jackets, food, and drink.

Any problems with you or your bike you had to deal with yourself.

The Exeter Wheelers event was from the Exeter bypass, over the Blackdown Hills, through Taunton and Bridgwater to turn at a point near Highbridge. Food and drink were handed up at the turn, but that did not always help. In one event the packages contained Marmite sandwiches. I cannot stand the taste or smell of Marmite, so I gave mine to one of the other riders.

Horrible hunger knock set in and I rode the last twenty miles on sheer willpower.

The other 100 in the south-west was organised by the South-West Time Trials Association and held on the Barnstaple road, with a leg from Morchard Road up to Beaford and back. There was no feeding station so you had to hope that somebody from your club was marshaling and could take some food to hand up to you.

And the reward for all this effort? Prizes were stated in cash on the start sheet, but if you took money you would be declared ‘non-amateur’ and that would finish you as a racing cyclist. There was very little professional cycling in Britain then. What you had to do to get round this was to buy something to the value and send the |

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receipt to the race secretary, who would then send you the money. You work out the logic. Sometimes there were small cups and plaques awarded if you had been in the winning team or done well in the handicap section. I recently found a box with some of mine among the junk in our attic.

What else was there to ride for? In any event there are normally fewer than ten riders capable of winning the race. For the rest of us there was some satisfaction in managing a personal best time, if only it was your fastest for that season. You also knew which riders were about your standard among the other local riders, and it was a competition within the race to see who had beaten who in the event.

Rather than run them separately in a crowded season, club championships were often run within open events. I did manage to collect a few Exeter Wheelers ones. At the annual club dinner, a trophy would be awarded for events at each distance, but it had to be handed back the following year to be presented to the winner for that season. So I do not have much to show for my efforts now. I do have a faded piece of paper showing that I came seventh in the South-West Best All-Rounder Competition but explaining how that was worked out would take up a lot of space. At that time it did include a twelve-hour event that used up much of the two hundred-mile courses plus some more road.

“What else was there to ride for?...�

Was it worth the effort? Several nights training a week, plus the expense of buying equipment; well, when people tell me that they have run a marathon, I can say that I did something like that, but on a bicycle.

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TED’s Topics No. 43

Topic: Cycle Helmets.

Technical Musings.

Words: Ed Gameson.

The main purpose of a cycle helmet is to prevent, or reduce, the extent of injury to a cyclist’s head during a collision. Cycle helmets must conform to standard BS EN1078, which states that a helmet must be designed to withstand an impact similar to an average rider traveling at 12mph falling onto a stationary kerbshaped object from a height of one metre.

This condition is a presumption allowing a helmet to be designed and tested, which is not to say that a helmet would not provide a measure of protection in other circumstances. It just means that, say, contact with a moving vehicle, or a flat road surface, is not specifically designed for, but an element of protection might be provided. A few points: First, there to wear a arguments rehearsed

is no compulsion for cyclists helmet when cycling. The for and against are welland largely unproven in

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either camp, so, to wear a helmet or not, is your choice. However, if I’m heading downwards for the road in an uncontrolled manner, having lost all control for some catastrophic reason, I’d be rather unconvinced by the argument that wearing a helmet makes your head circumference greater, and therefore more likely to contact the road.

Second, fit is crucially important. The size should be chosen such that the wearer’s head can be made to be a snug fit – neither tight which is uncomfortable, nor loose which can be plain dangerous and at best, useless. Then the helmet straps must be adjusted so that the helmet cannot readily move on the wearer’s head, and the rule of thumb for correct tightness is that it should not be possible to fit more than two fingers between the chin strap and chin. |

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Third, and this is where the plea comes in.

Do you remember many months ago when I started this series of articles, I said “Never lose your respect for something that could kill you, and that includes your bike” ? A cycle helmet, if you wear one, is part of your bike equipment. A cycle helmet’s only function is your safety. So, please, never tamper with it. Recently there has been a trend to install helmetcams, and rear-facing lights on the top of helmets. DON’T. If you have one of these things on your helmet, then go RIGHT NOW and take it off. I’m sure you remember Michael Schumacher ? His lifechanging injuries came from a ski-ing accident where an element in his demise was that his helmet was equipped with a head-cam. Any object like this installed on top of your helmet can puncture the helmet structure and the skull when the worst happens, and your helmet, far from M a r / A p r

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being safety equipment to protect you, becomes a weapon to kill or main you. So never tamper in any way with a helmet.

Do check the fit of your helmet every time you put it on. I’m amazed how the straps can slacken, and even the ratchet adjuster at the back of most helmets can somehow slacken off. If your helmet doesn’t fit properly, you might as well leave it at home. And finally, if you want to avoid the “yach” factor, try wearing a washable liner, zandana, or merino tube under the helmet.

Ride smoothly. Look far ahead. Keep off the brakes. Know what’s behind you at all times. And above all, stay safe.

-Ted

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From The Archive

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We delve into the history of the club.

Words: Mark Morton

Above: Colin Brierly, our adventurous tour leader, on the coast path to Woody Bay Date: Sunday 19 April 1981 Tour: North Devon Day 3: Instow to Lynton YH (29 mi) 11 present: Colin Brierly, Colin Downie, Valerie Farrell, Don Hassall, Antony House, Michael Jones, Mark Morton, John Stuart, Mike Ward, Sue Webber, Nigel Wilson Sunday morning and what was this?

The sun was still shining as we set off for Lynton. Under persuasion from Don we entered Barnstaple for coffee, but we soon realised that this had not been such a good idea after all: when we had finished, the one-way system caught us and we only managed to escape with the help of a local cyclist!

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Out of Barnstaple and part way along a beautiful river valley we turned off and climbed up to the top of Exmoor for lunch overlooking Wistlandpound reservoir.

Colin faced a bit of mutiny after lunch when he found another track, as the Exeter bunch and a few Torbay members took the road route. The track turned out to be a fairly good one at first, but then it deteriorated to a steep hill covered by large rocks and loose dirt – riding down it was very eventful!

And so on to Hunter’s Inn, arriving half an hour later than the others, and again there was a choice of route – a long 1 in 4 hill upwards or Colin’s coastal footpath.

Again just a few Torbay members and |

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Adrian took the track, and the road people missed some fabulous views, including a gorse-covered valley and some dramatic scenes of the river at the bottom, dropping into the sea. After the coast path there was a long drop and then a climb past Lee Abbey and the White Lady Rocks.

of bed, turned on the lights and threw the supposed snorer out, mattress and all! I personally never heard any snoring, and the overall effect seemed to be to wake everyone else up!

Lynton youth hostel was, of course, on top of the longest, steepest hill in the town, and when we arrived we were surprised to see the road brigade had not yet turned up. Later we found they had stopped for cream teas!

That evening we were warned by one of the hostellers that there was a phantom snorer in our dormitory. During the night, at about two o’clock, this hosteller got out

Above: The final track descent to Hunter’s Inn

Fabulous coastal views towards Woody Bay, from the coast path - just a small glimpse of what the road brigade missed out on.

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Classifieds For Sale / Wanted.

For Sale:

Vintage Rory O’Brien Frame. £65.00 ono 531 tubing with nice lug work Seat tube: 58cm (23”) c-t Top Tube: 56cm c-c Chain stays 44.5cm centre of hub to intersection of chain stay and seat stay.

Frame probably built for 27 x 1 1/4” wheels with good mudguard clearance and possibly with centre pull brakes. Pump pegs on near side chain stays, along with rack eyes on rear triangle. Campagnolo headset. Enamel as expected for age chipped and discoloured in several places.

When I bought the frame, I was told that it came from Exeter.

Contract: Dick Hanson T: 01752 880768 M a r / A p r

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Tourist Competition.

2020 South Devon CTC Touring Comp.

Words: Geoff Sharpe - SDCTC events co-ordinator.

Sunday 16th February saw the annual St Valentine’s Day ride and also storm Dennis bringing high winds and a lot of flooding to South Devon.

Overall.

1 2 3 5 7

Graham Brodie Kate Brodie David Twigger Richard Coverdale Geoff Sharpe Caroline Twigger

36 points 33 30 30 25 25

Rob Legg Steve Maddock James O’Neill

20 20 20

10

Danny Cortis

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TOTALLY TORBAY THE YOUNG FOGEYS TORBAY TIPPLERS TORBAY VETS

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Ladies.

1 Kate Brodie 33 points 2 Caroline Twigger 25 3 Jill Day 10 Stella Thompson 10 Sarah Britton 10 Pippa Wheeler 10 7

Teams.

1 2 3 4

Members turned up at the arch in Kingskerswell for the event and also I believe for the cakes at the finish.

So after 4 rounds the competition looks like this.

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91 Points 60 56 55

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Linda Swayne

Future Events.

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These will be announced once post COVID-19 lockdown restrictions have been lifted to allow club and Audax UK events. |

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When they were young.

1. Who is this mustachioed mister? Quite easy really, but what object is he missing from his fetching ensemble?

(Note. CTC Jersey).

2. Who is this ruffian? Well, he’s got buildings on his mind.

1. Graham Brodie + Camera.

2. Kevin Presland - Thank goodness he does not ride in jeans now.

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