Flagg but dinner at Monyash
Under somewhat dreary conditions, very windy and drizzling, eight of us left Bents Road. The initial part of the ride took us through Holmsfield, Barlow and the Top Road. We left at the top of Rowsley Bar to head down towards Farley and in to Matlock via bank road. By this point we were down to seven, Matt Cooke had bailed around Eastmoor.
The quietest route from Matlock is to climb Salters Lane that takes you up to Brightgate and on to Elton common. As we passed through the barriers that now makes this road a dead end we had our first accident. Whilst adhering to the warnings of the posts, Luke Milnes then ignored the ice and hit the floor. Sorry I nearly forgot, Simon Keeton was suitably off the back up here, and looking for bail-out options. Luckily there were no “Get out of Jail” cards, so Simon continued with us.
Parwich was the next village we passed through and then on to the long climb to the A515. Dave Baillie punctured, fortunately it was a quick repair as it was starting to rain and get cold. By the time we reached Biggin and Longdale we had all warmed up.
A short stint on the A515 took us onto the lane that drops to Flagg, where despite seemingly being so well behaved up until then, Rob Fowler and Darren Otter treated us to the joys of half-wheeling and hammering it. The “club” run was in tatters, after regrouping at a junction where they were unsure of the way they were bombarded with the necessary abuse. Will they ever learn?
Being somewhat unsurprised that Flagg was closed, we rode on to Monyash where the process of charging is rather illogical. “Have more, pay less”, is the policy.
The ride home was a straight forward affair; Kirkdale, Ashford, Great Longstone and on to Calver, where a rather dubious vote was conducted. We “elected” for Froggat. Halfway up it was Darren’s turn to mend a puncture. Thankfully for him, and us, we stopped outside the Grouse pub. By the time we got home we had covered 70 miles.

See you next month,
Justin

John Clarke’s partner Peter died suddenly on May 30, aged 81 years. The service will take place at Hutcliffe Wood Crematorium on Wednesday June 13, at 1.00 p.m. Donations if desired to St. Luke’s Hospice, may be sent c/o G & M Lunt, 36 Abbey Lane, Sheffield, S8 0GB

I’ve received an e-mail this morning from Malc confirming that they are all ok. By the sounds of it everything in the house that could break has done.
They are all in good spirits considering what has happened, it is an absolutely disaster and have no deaths or injuries in their immediate family.
Malc missed the big shock as he was working way down south. He drove home and arrived home at midnight and could not believe what he saw when he walked in to their house.
The city is totally devastated and may take years to come good.

Although he’s been left here since 1994 Malc Pearce can still turn in some good performances on the other side of the World. Whilst we’re freezing in sub zero temperatures Malc was out at the New Zealand National Road Champs this weekend doing what he does best……….getting his fancy dress kit on ! A few pictures of Malc enjoying a beer and the weather dressed as Goldmember.

Thanks to everyone that turned out to make it another memorable Christmas do !
More photos from the lunch are now on the Facebook page.

They’re ugly, nobody likes them, but no cyclist should be without them. I’m talking about FULL LENGTH MUDGUARDS & MUDFLAPS – the most practical, but also the least popular accessory in the history of cycling.
After so much wet weather it amazes me that so many riders are still riding bikes with uncovered wheels, why? Mudguards mean dry bum and backside and the only downside being that they ruin the look of the bike, so what! It’s madness. Carry on like this and you’ll end up with trench foot of the shorts.
Experts warn us that if anything the weather is going to get wetter in future years. Eventually you do get used to permanently feeling cold and wet, but why would you want to?
You could try the old “the frame clearances are too tight” excuse, but it’s more likely that you’re too tight to buy a new frame.
Downgrade the new groupset if you have to raise funds, swap Dura-Ace for Ultegra and put the difference towards a winter frame.
There is a younger generation of cyclists who simply will not use mudguards because the look of the bike is more important than their own comfort and none of the pros use them. I’m not unsympathetic. A top road bike should never have clearance for mudguards, but here’s the thing: I’m not talking about race bikes. If you own two or more road bikes, at least one should have mudguards. It’s a completely different beast – treat it with the contempt you think it deserves, apologise for it your shallow club mates. Be thicker skinned, but be DRY and keep those behind you DRY !

Paul Ogle has found some photos on his phone from Mallorca last year, thought it would be nice to share them with everyone a year to the day since we lost Minty.

Just a brief note to let you know that one of our oldest Club members Derek Morris passed away on Monday evening 13th September 2010.
Derek was 78 years and had been battling cancer for the past 4 months.
Our thoughts are with Babs, Paul, Susan, John and the rest of the family at this sad time.

Service arrangements:-

Derek had decided to donate his body to science so there won’t be a funeral as such but there will be a service to remember Derek and the life he had.
The service will be on Tuesday 28th September, 11am at Grenoside Crematorioum, S35 8RZ
Anyone wishing to join the family for a drink afterwards can do so at The Hillsborough Hotel on Langsett Road, S6 2UB