Forthcoming ride: November

Our next ride will be this coming Saturday (9th November). We'll be starting from our usual meeting spot at the top of Middle Meadow Walk, at 10.30. I hope you'll be able to join us.

One of the aims of our rides is to introduce you to useful cycling routes that you might not already know about. This month's run is no exception. Our leader, David Gilchrist, has mapped out a fascinating route around the city. Although we'll never be far from the city centre, I guarantee that there will be at least a few sections of the itinerary that will be new to you (this was certainly the case for those of us who accompanied David on his recce.)

The total distance will be 24 miles. There'll be a certain amount of climbing near the start, but definitely no killer hills this time. For the most part, we'll avoid main roads. In fact, quite a lot of the route will be on paths, but note that some of these might be rough and possibly muddy in parts. There will also be a couple of short flights of steps where we will have to dismount.

We'll have a café stop at lunchtime, or you can bring food for a picnic if you prefer. Note that the lunch stop will be a little later than usual, so adjust your appetites accordingly.

Lighting up

Now that the clocks have gone back, we encourage everyone to bring lights on all our rides - and to make sure they are in working order, with plenty of juice in the batteries. Although this week's ride is planned to end before dark, it's always possible that we'll be delayed, so make sure you have both front and rear lights with you - especially if you live some distance from the end point.

A few more points ...

Those of you who also enjoy EasyCycle's rides might like to know that the group now has its own website, courtesy of Alan Stalker.

On my own site, there's a new article, by David Wray, giving some useful tips for bike maintenance. This is aimed especially at the non-mechanically minded cyclist (of which I am one).

That's all for now. Keep warm, and happy cycling.