The Beacon Message Board

Ten alphabetical riders on the A-ride today, namely: Phil Richards (Leading) Keith Adcock Nathan Cardon Barry Evans Ryan Evanson Martin McGowan Alberto Recchioni Matt Regan Trev Richards Dom Williams Serena Williams Excellent day out in nice weather...I can report some high comedy on Bushcombe Lane,...

be good to see you, Barry...don't forget our 08:15 start...so be passing Tardebigge sometime around 08:35.

Just for completeness, the riders on the B-ride yesterday were:

Chris Ankcorn
Phil Gameson
Wayne Gibbs
Jake Stubbs
Chris Thompson
Martin Vowles
Dom Walker
Simon Woodward (Leader)

...and note, Simon has presented names in alphabetical order...quite marvellous!

The A-ride route to Winchcombe is here: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/21163451 This is a longer route at 139kms, reasonably flat and hence will leave at 08:15 sharp for expected arrival back in Northfield at 13:48. Café stop is at 72kms (45miles), so 66kms back (41miles). This is the last ride bef...

A big thank you for the three leaders on Sunday guiding some 34 riders on the three rides - Neil for a sprightly 18mph+ romp down to Tewkesbury and a new café, but particularly to Simon and Gemma for making their leading debuts on the B and C-ride respectively. I hope that you found it was not that...

Haha, quite correct, Alan, but no need to spare my blushes, a p**s-poor tyre change from me today, my only defence is my last-second bike change this morning meant I came out with my crappy pump. You'll be glad to know I've binned it with no military honours whatsoever. Apologies everyone. My 4min 5...

Simon has suggested this route for the B-ride tomorrow.
http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Beacon-RCC-Bewdley

One or two tasty hills there around the 48-50kms mark - enjoy!

Please support Gemma in her first stint of leading, and thanks to Gemma and Neil for stepping up. Good luck, I'm sure the café will turn up somewhere!

Please can we have a B-run leader, please!

A lovely day, reliable forecast, and named leaders in advance meant that we had 45 riders out on the 4 club runs this week...the highest weekly attendance this season, which is great. Thanks to all the leaders, and particularly Mark Connell for a first time lead, and organising via facebook...thanks...

Just for the record, the B-riders on Mark Connell's run to Warwick were:

Mark Connell (leading)
Alistair Hey
Martin Vowles
Alan Weaver
Daniel Newns
Phil Gameson
Tim Jarvis

We managed to get around 30 riders out over the Bank Holiday weekend, with Paul's 200km club run proving very popular with 15 riders starting off and two others chasing to meet up with partial success. Most clubs seem to operate with just meeting at the allotted up with no leaders pre-determined and...

Thanks for leading, Paul and even suggesting the ride...a grand day out. As well as Rob, we also had Stuart White also chasing the fast moving Beacon peloton without success. ...and I think it was Keith Adcock who first picked up the anomaly that although the average bike cost of the group was proba...

Just bumping this thread as I do need to confirm numbers in the next 3-4 weeks, as I've paid the deposit and need to pay the balance by third week in May. Details are in the posts above, and confirmed so far are: Me, Trev Richards, Gary Mac, Craig and Ben Walmsley, Jon Williams, Neil Orchard, Andy W...

An excellent weekend for Beacon RCC with a really great LMTT proving very popular in it's new venue at Shelsley Walsh. Congratulations to all the riders and organisers. Anyway, club runs are back this week and we have a couple of non-standard offerings as well as the normal runs, namely: A: Voluntee...

Excellent stuff, Fenella...riding one way is fine and getting a lift back doesn't sound a bad idea in hindsight. Still half a dozen spaces still available for Beacon members...post here or text me (number above) to grab this pleasurable weekend opportunity....with added hills and distance, plenty of...

Fooled by a crap weather forecast, the day actually turned out quite pleasant and dry, and 17 people ventured out on two club runs, with a particularly tasty Beacon Burst. Lots of other bike adventures I saw going on over the long weekend, but all were topped by Stuart White's return trip from Birmi...

Thanks for leading, Colin and for arranging the dry weather. Some other names to add to the list are:

Neil Orchard
Fenella Brown
Ryan Evanson
George Thorne
Steve Philpott
Dominic Walker

Err, I'm one short...

What a beautiful day to be out cycling last Sunday, and nearly every Beacon member went out somewhere no doubt, be that the 31 on club runs, or those racing or merely pootling around in our ones or twos. The inexperienced club run leaders coped well with the responsibility of leading, and all remark...

On a thoroughly unpleasant, hilly A-ride this morning were: Phil Richards (leading) Adam Green Jon Williams Vince Tennant Sting Dominic Walker (first time with the club) A beautiful day to spend time out of the saddle, wheezing up every hill in the Wyre Forest. No one enjoyed it, but welcome to Domi...

Yes, thanks, Laurence, that's fine. Mark, if you read this, please do lead another week. I know new people can't register onto the website, so post onto facebook with a date and destination and I'll pick it up (sometime) and copy onto the message board. We've now got a full set of inexperienced, new...

hi all, with the weather set for 21c, fine and sunny all day, and with a few new people coming along, it would be good if someone could look deep inside themselves and lead a B or C run this Sunday. I know we're experimenting with riders moving up, but happy for riders who have moved up to lead B or...

Hi all, All systems go! I've paid the deposit now for the 16-bed dorm and the 8-bed dorm, so please can people text me on 07803 258902 to confirm your places. I'll set up a whatsapp group and tell everyone the next steps Confirmed are: Me, Trev Richards, Gary Mac, Craig and Ben Walmsley (can one of ...

The A-ride this week is a Flanders tribute ride, and is shortish at 65 miles, but particularly spiteful and horrible. I've adjusted the route slightly from the one I've done before, but it contains virtually every steep hill in the Wyre Forest both before and after the café. There's even a ford wit...

So we did get together 4 runs at the weekend with over 30 riders in total. Particular thanks to Si Walker and Dave Little for stepping up and leading on the day, and a warm welcome to all the new people who turned up, hopefully you enjoyed your ride and felt safe and looked after. It was also good t...

Think everyone will unless a C-ride leader comes forward.

Plan C for the C-ride is just turn up at 9am on Sunday and pick a C-ride destination on the day, there's always a decent number of people who will be there.

So we did go from having no A-run to having no B-run, but it's early days on the 'Great move up' experiment, and things are looking good for this week. On Sunday we had 31 people out on the two rides despite it being Mother's Day, which was a good effort. There were a couple of mechanicals resulting...

Thanks, Si. Can we pleeeaase have a B-ride volunteer leader this week, even if it's a more relaxed Beacon Burst as we want to make this transition work in the short and the long term, i.e. not just change from having no A-run to having no B-run. Let's not fall at the first hurdle, in fact we haven't...

Hi all,

Some 25 riders out at the weekend, with another very healthy C-ride turnout despite the windy conditions, but again no A-ride.

So I’ve gone radical this week….don’t take umbrage!

I intend to re-label some upcoming B-rides as A-rides as the pace and distance is very similar between these runs and Neil (a fine fellow and an example to all) also recognises this and has stepped up and kindly volunteered to start this process this coming weekend, in that his Beacon Burst will be labelled as an A-ride, meaning that for the next few weeks, we want a few volunteers to run 90-100kms B-rides at 24-25kph max to encourage stronger C-riders to step up.

At present, the perception is that there is too big a gap between B/C rides, hence I will re-label some upcoming B-rides from Nick and Paul as A-rides. Nick/Paul, please don’t be offput by this, lead them in exactly the same way, and if the normal B-crowd were planning to ride them all together, then please still do so. The world will not be knocked of its axis if these are A-rides. They will be the new norm.

For this to work, I need two things:

- B-riders moving to the A-rides to do so willingly. Listen to the great sage Dave Hughes who rightly observed last week that there is little difference in these rides, and that it reminds him of when traditional B-riders such as Keith, Ian and Matt all moved up onto A-rides a few years back, with no ill effects. We have an excellent set of regular, strong B-riders…all move up together.
- We also need a few weeks of stronger C-riders volunteering to lead B-rides. Colin, your Beacon Burst on 14th April will therefore be labelled as the B-run in the very hope we encourage people to move up.

So that’s it, we’re in a transition stage on club runs…regular A-ride leaders have moved on to time trials/racing (which is excellent and how it should be), leaving only me and Lord Whiteman as regular A-run leaders, so it’s now time for B-ride regulars to lead A-runs, with the knock on effects to stronger C-riders leading some B-rides. This experiment will be reviewed at the end of the April/May/June listings. [It’ll probably fall apart as its success is dependent on some new people leading, he added misguidedly]

I appreciate that the timing of this ain’t perfect with this Sunday being Mother’s Day, but well done, Neil for starting this off. This week’s rides are:

A: Beacon Burst 45 miler led by Neil Orchard
B: Volunteer required
C: Charlecote - Si Walker

…Help me out here ï￾Š

Hi all, I have been contacted by the bunkhouse looking for confirmation and booking of rooms, so I'll need to move on this in the next two weeks, i.e. book the rooms and seek payment and commitment from riders. Don't forget, it is only £40 for accommodation, evening meal and breakfast so almost Pau...

30 people out on the three rides on Sunday, and a dry day was had, despite rain falling all around us. I saw on strava that Beaconites elsewhere had heavy rain, so the club run gods were shining on us this week for a change. I'm beginning to think that we are beginning to have an issue with A-rides....

Posting on behalf of Mike Preece, but on today's C run were:

Mike Preece (Leading)
Natalie Barroso
Si Walker
Dave Cox
Dave Little
Pete Norman
Mark McConkey
Neil Evanson
Dave Cole
Adrian McHugh
Jonathan Barrett
Benedict Cumberbatch

...and on today's brisk A run to to Wellesbourne were:

Phil Richards (leading)
Chris Ashford
Simon Dighton
Adam Green
Billy Vunipola
Steve Philpott

Thanks to the group for an almost equal sharing on the front...good work

The A-run will be to Wellesbourne using something like this route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/19427604 So 42 miles there, just 26 miles back. The café discussion will be the ethical boundaries presented by the VeloBirmingham cycle event, with agitated speakers representing both sides. We have a...

Just to re-iterate my earlier message...Beacon are guaranteed at least one team entry if we can be bothered to get organised. I've just received this below email, but I'm not organising our entry this year, so this will drift pass unless someone steps forward. Please be advised that applications for...

Hi all, the club run points scoreboard is a little tighter than usual, with Paul Johnson still leading the way, and hoping to keep the solid gold trophy worth a quarter of a million pounds if he wins it for the third year running...but there are people breathing down his neck this year, with four ot...

It's spring, and with the daffodils and new born lambs, a wonderful sense of warmth envelopes us all. I know how it is, you need a release to this new found energy, and what better way to help your fellow Beacon club member than to ride with, or.... hang on, even better, volunteer to lead a club run...

another Sunday morning, another crappy day. We've been a bit unlucky with the weather this year, but being an optimistic soul, we will soon be blessed with sunshine and warmth. A big well done to the 16 people who rode out, especially Nick Shenton, who must have sighed when he turned up in his warm ...

yes, a big thank you to Lord Whiteman and all the helpers for another perfectly well-run audax. I am supposedly running this Beacon event next year, and although I'm quite looking forward to it, following Phil is a bit like following Sir Alex Ferguson into Man Utd...and we all know what happened the...

...and the winner is La La Land...no, hang on. The real winner is of course Nick Shenton who is leading the B-run this Sunday...why not follow the example of the pied piper of Iverley on the B or volunteer to lead the A or C run before a spate of leaders in the next few weeks renders this impossible...

44 riders out on Sunday over the three rides, which is the best this year...Great to see so many, and thanks for the three leaders for volunteering. I'm sure we will have at least one week with three female leaders. Of course, when there is so many, this can create its own issues, so well done Helen...

Enough! We've had 7 weeks of club runs this year, and horrible conditions on 6 of those 7, so congratulations to the dirty dozen who braved the arctic conditions on Sunday and mustered at the Black Horse. Particular kudos to Nick Shenton and Si Walker for stepping up and leading at short notice, you...

Good one, Andy...think we should have a post to the 'Beacon Bottles on tour' thread....or at least the 'club runs cafe' thread

Give our regards to the Quintana brothers.

I'm hearing the magazines confirming whether you've been successful or not in the ballot have gone out today, and for those unsuccessful magazine recipients, I have gathered (after getting two texts) that there's a picture of me in there in full Beacon kit from last year's ride...sorry about that. A...

Early post this week... We managed four runs on Sunday, and over 30 riders, a good turnout for another wintry day. Thanks to Ian for the impromptu A-run, and the Neil and John for very popular B and C runs. Special thanks to George for leading the Intro ride, and welcome to those on their first club...

It's great to see the summer of strange club rides panning out, in that we now have a 200kms, 300kms, and 500kms ride as well as a midnight ride...excellent work, James, Paul and Phil(s) An update on the 500kms...I have reserved both a 16-dorm room and 4-dorm room, as well as a 10-dorm room just in ...

hi B-runners...just for my records, please can someone tell me who 'Simon (Is it over yet?)' is?

Thanks

Count me in, Phil. Looking forward to a hot, balmy day - aren't bank holidays always like that...

Sorry, Neil - somehow missed your post...but it's good to see a bunfight to lead a club run. I've listed the cafe as Colliers at the moment, just shout if it's anything different and I will re-list. Always good to check that the café is open, of course. :oops: Rob, re-check your diary...don't lose ...

What is it with this rain?...I heard on the radio this morning as it's been one of the driest Januarys on record, but what rain there has been seems to have been focused on Sunday mornings...that's three this month! Despite the poor forecast, and the extremely wet second half to the rides, we still ...

A small and bedraggled trio on the A-ride this morning, namely: Phil Richards (Leading) Keith Adcock John Williams Wet, muddy and cold, and Bringsty cafe was closed, requiring a further 7 mile jaunt to Lower Broadheath village shop. Wonderful hokum...thanks to Keith and John for turning up and not t...