The Beacon Message Board

A splendid turnout to end this year's club run season...but never fear, the new season starts on Friday, we don't have a close season. This year's winner is Paul Johnson and his open top bus victory parade starts at the Black Horse on Saturday at 9am and visits all of the greasy spoon cafes visited by him this year. It is scheduled to finish two weeks on Wednesday. More details available at www.notreally.com

It would be great if we can start this year with a flurry of new volunteers. Over the last 3-5 years, there have been a number of regular leaders who are understandably leading less, which means we start some weeks with only one confirmed leader (see below) so we need a new group of volunteers. When people hear the 'V' word, they immediately recoil and say, that's not for me, but those that try it once invariably do it again soon afterwards, so please get your name down ONCE on the 'October, November and December' and the 'Intro' thread. We regularly get 36 riders each week, and we have 36 rides each quarter...even I can work out that's only one each...and there's half a dozen people who do 3-5 each.

Don't forget, you can suggest ANYTHING when you lead, even revivals of the Beacon Burst, i.e. a 50 mile no café ride back by 12noon. Be creative, take your lead from the Pied Piper of Iverley who regularly proposes new rides in new locations, with new hills.

Rant over - This week's club runs are:

A: Evesham - Sir Ian Taylor
B: Shelsley Walsh hill climb café - Neil Lynch
C: Kenilworth - Helen Jamieson

Intro: Banners Café, Bromsgrove, Pete Norman...support wanted!

Big thanks to Neil for leading the B this week, and an interesting venue as well as it coincides with an event up the hill climb...

The B ride is to Shelsley Walsh home of the oldest operating motor circuit in world. However this week it's 2wheels only as there is a Cycling Hill climb event on so we can use the facilities.

Its 70 miles BH to BH & approx 1200 metres climbing. The route is rolling with a nice climb just before the stop - it is a hill climb event after all!

I'll post the route shortly

B route https://ridewithgps.com/routes/16537106,

Pass will be 15mph average.

If the weather looks bad I may change the destination, I'll post closer to Sunday if this happens.

Are you sick and tired of interesting, creative and new club run destinations? Have you had enough of innovative routes with brilliant leaders, stylish cafes, stimulating philosophical discussions and family friendly start and finish times?

Then join me this Sunday for a proper old fashioned A run - that's right, a club run from yesteryear, with a grumpy leader, all too familiar roads and carbohydrate/processed sugar heavy catering!

The destination will be Evesham, on a route so predictable your bike could ride it by itself. Probably.

Raphaels will be the cafe, so start fasting now in order to accommodate the bread pudding.

And is if all off that isn't enough, we should be home in time for the closing stages of Il Lombardia. I tell you, the value for money on offer through your club membership consistently astonishes me!

Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2016 20:29 pm Post subject: Sunday 2nd October Intro
I will lead a 31 mile ride Sunday, cafe stop Banners Finstal/bromsgrove station. Any volunteer for support?
Pete Norman

As long as I can get the bike sorted, I'll lead the C run to Kenilworth.

The cafe have been warned we're coming. I forgot to mention, cafe locks are advisable this week, so bring em if you've got em!

And is if all off that isn't enough, we should be home in time for the closing stages of Il Lombardia.

Hmm, a bit of a flaw in an otherwise perfect plan. Il Lombardia is of course today. In which case, in a kind of homage to The Likely Lads may I suggest you record it, avoid the result whilst enduring a series of comic mishaps and watch it on playback on Sunday afternoon.

We had 13 of us on the C run to Kenilworth today. Fortunately that wasn't an unlucky number and we had a lovely day with no incidents (despite someone's best effort, they did manage to unclip in time. ;p )

I would just like to give a gentle reminder that we are a social run. The leader controls the pace for the group, slowing it down either to regroup or if someone is struggling.

The leaders are all volunteers and it is nice to just be a little bit courteous to them. If you want to scoot ahead at all, no problem, but it is nice to let the leader know rather than just storming off...

Anyhow, gentle reminder over... C runners today were;

Helen Jamieson (lead)
Dave Little (sweeper)
Anne Hughes
Cedric Gioan
Wayne Gibbs
James bramwell
Mike Badenski
Mark mcconkey
Dave cox
Pete Norman
Si walker
Neil Evanson
Colin hall

Thanks Helen, great Autumn club run. Good to see Wayne joining us on his first Beacon Run.

Feverishly calculating the calories to £ ratio of freakishly large helpings of bread pudding today were:

Ian Taylor (L)
Keith Adcock
Matt Reagan
Toby Draper
Sam Allardyce
Craig Walmsley
Omar Hussein

And we were joined at the cafe by George Barker.

On today's sunny and Lumpy B run where

Neil Lynch (leading) 
Joe Warwood
Phil Elwell
Mathew Hale
Andy Wrightson
Vincent Tennant
Simon Turner
Lawrence Cooley (to the cafe) 

The venue was spot, nice looking, good food and well priced.


Also out today father and son team
Paul and George Garvie.

Paul is relatively new to cycling, but this didn't show at all on what was a tough route.

George also commended himself well, he has ridden with Beacon some 11 years ago which goes to show you your never really leave! 

Thanks to Ian for Today's A run. There is nothing like putting hours of planning into a route .( insert joke here) proving if it ain't broke don't fix it
Philosophical debate was on the symbolism of Pampas grass, or at least it was until the twice normal size bread pudding arrived. Only one topic after that .

Has Big Sam paid his subs?

Cheers Neil - one of the very toughest B runs I've been on... Some cracking scenery and an interesting route in good company. Thanks

Thanks, Neil. A good route with some nice lanes that I haven't ridden on for a few years (Gary and I made up for that with lots of A roads on the way back!).