Thinking of heading to Mallorca for a training camp this year? Or maybe you off for a week with the family in the summer? Whatever your requirements, friend of Rutland CC and part time Mallorca resident Phil Axe has started a cycle hire company in Port de Pollensa, Mallorca.

If you want to rent a bike for a day or a month, www.mallorcabikehire.com is the only place you need to look !!!

These days with the amount it costs to transport your bike by plane and obviously the risks from damage that you face by trusting those baggage handlers, renting a bike instead makes a very compelling case. At mallorcabikehire.com Phil has assembled a quality fleet of Orbea’s, Felt’s and Moda’s so you will be getting a quality ride not a clunker! The pricing is also very competitive, being cheaper for a quality bike than some are charging for a basic bike.

Who knows if you let him know that you are Rutland member you might even talk him into a discount.

I’m taking a bit of a punt here – the weather for Sunday is predicted to be s**t.  Also I haven’t sat on a bike since Christmas day.

So – I’m proposing to push the January ride back a week to Sunday 12th.  Depart from the wicker at 9:15 for a pleasant ride across the flatlands with the aim of hitting Ma Larkin’s again as we did last year. 

If you can only negotiate one whole Sunday out per month then get yourself to the Wicker for the 12th and hopefully this sequence of North Atlantic cyclones we are having will have stopped.

If it isn’t chucking it down on the 5th I’ll be at the usual meeting place for a 9:15 depart, not looking good though.

If you are still reeling from too many mince pies you can meet us in Langold, probably sometime between 12:00 and 13:00

Andy

Thursday 19th December 2013 – Hilsborough college. If you fancy it get yourself over to facebook and stick yer name down.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/rutlandcc/

Yes it’s that time of year so you need to start looking through your wardrobes for your fancy dress outfit. We’re back at the Cheshire Cheese in Hope this year for our Christmas dinner.
Usual meet at the ‘teacake’ at 11 o’clock and we’ll probably call in at the Little John in Hathersage for a swift half before riding onto Hope for our lunch.

Bit of a late post but we have a new venue for our monthly meetings.
We are now at the Broomgrove Club, 74 Broomgrove Road, S10 2NA.
It’s just off Ecclesall Road near the Fat Face shop and yes there is a bar.
There isn’t a car park but you’re ok to park on Broomgrove Road itself or Ecce Road for free at that time of night.
www.broomgroveclub.com/

I should have put this up before now but only just realised the 1st Sunday of the month is actually next Sunday, 1st December.  So, I suggest we go out East for a change.  We can leave from the same place but veer off over towards Notts, probably through Coal Aston way.  It is a bit dependent on the weather but it can’t be as bad as November.  At the moment we have a stubborn anticyclone that the BBC are predicting is going to hang around until at least Thursday, pushing all the bad weather up over Norway.  Fingers crossed it stays until the weekend.

Meet at the usual place (Bents Green) at the usual time (9:15 depart) then we head in the direction of the Urals.

Turned up for the November Sunday run and Justin was wearing a tent but without guy ropes. Ten of us set off in the wind and rain over Stanage and New Road. We were still hopeful of getting all the way to Longnor and Sally was planning to meet up with us in Smalldale.

Rode up Stanage in wind , rain and ever increasing gloom. We could see better weather around but never in the direction we were going. After a while got Justin and his tent in the front, suddenly no wind.

By the top of Stanage it hadn’t been raining for about a minute so Justin took his tent off, we slowed to wait for him. A minute later he stopped to put it back on again and we decided to wait for him at the bottom of the hill out of the wind and rain. At this point we decided to head for the Woodbine and it’s log fire. Was Sally by now cold and very wet somewhere out near Smalldale?

Berto peeled off down Scotsman’s, say no more!

I chickened out of following Thom down New Road, has he never fallen off on wet leaves? By now several riders with numb fingers descending slowly to get less cold. Up Thornhill and over to Aston only to be blocked by a fallen tree. No-one good enough at cyclo cross to Bunny Hop  it.  Shame we didn’t have James with us we might have been able to persuade him to try.

Made it to the cafe and crowded round the fire. Radiators not on but the kind cafe owner took lots of our wet stuff and put it in her tumble drier. Except for Tony’s leather gloves. That’ll teach him for being retro.

Sally phoned just as we got to the cafe, she was doing loops round Bradwell waiting for us and getting cold and wet. But instead of going into her house for a warm shower she came down to the Woodbine.

Once we retrieved our warm gloves we decided to ride up through Bradwell, well eight of us did, two headed straight home. Agreed to go up Hungry Lane, not sure why, it’s as steep as anything and with lots of wet leaves no standing up. Sally again ignoring the option of home and warmth to stay in the rain.

From Windmill it was a joy, tail wind, tail rain all the way home except for Sally who had to turn left at Fox House for more headwind home. We even got sunshine coming up Padley Gorge although it was looking a bit dark up the Hope Valley.

So was it worth it? Absolutely, still a million times more enjoyable than sitting on a pair of rollers and weather is just an ever changing experience. It’s not really cold until you start to feel sleepy.

Sunday 3 November
George’s funeral will take place next Wednesday 6th Nov 11:45 at Whiston Parish Church in Rotherham.

Monday 28 October.
Jim phoned me again this evening to let me know that sadly George has passed away. No further details are known at this time but as soon as they are I will let everyone know.
Our thoughts are with Norma and the rest of the family at this very sad time.

Thursday 24 Oct.
Jim Hall has phoned me tonight to let me know that George Lascelles had a dodgy turn yesterday riding through Firbeck, blacked out and hit a parked car. He wasn’t sure whether he’d had a heart attack or a stroke at the time but he was taken to hospital and was put into an induced coma and is currently in intensive care.
Jim said he’ll phone his wife Norma tomorrow to find out any further news and will let me know any developments.
Friday 25 Oct.
Bill Straker has spoken to Alan West this evening…….George is in Rotherham General. He had a cardiac arrest whilst riding, hit a car and broke his vertebrae and some ribs. The problem was his heart stopped so he was put in an induced coma and they are waiting to see what damage has been done when he comes round.

Only 2 weeks to go till the November Sunday club run that will be to Longnor, eventually. Then we’ll come home, eventually.  As usual for this side of town there will be hills.  No snow forecast yet, don’t believe the Daily Express, therefore no need for studded tyres or fat bikes.  This part of Derbyshire is a bit more remote and we’ll take some of the quiet looping roads round Chrome Hill.  There are a few foreboding pubs around, make the Slaughtered Lamb appear like a branch of Starbucks.

Leave from Bents Green at 9:15.  Should be back about 3:30.