Ken Day's trip to Sri Lanka

Cycling in Sri Lanka

by Ken Day

I went on a two-week cycling holiday in Sri Lanka at the end of November organised by Skedaddle. There were only six of us in the group which was good as far as I was concerned as it minimised the waiting times, but bad for Sri Lankan tourism. The Sri Lanka tourist industry is still suffering badly from the Easter bombings in 2019. Some of our hotels were almost empty, and our cycling guide had not been fully employed and his future work prospects were limited which is tough with a young family.

The tour started and finished at Colombo. Sri Lankan Airways fly direct to Colombo from Heathrow, and you can take a bike as part of your 40 Kg !! baggage allowance. You need a visa which is issued within hours online, and it was free as a promotion to boost tourist numbers. Immigration control at the airport was quick so the ‘getting there hassle’ was minimum.

As the tour brochure said -

Situated off the coast of India, Sri Lanka is an often overlooked gem in the Indian Ocean. An island of beautiful tropical beaches, spectacular scenery and amazing wildlife. Ancient Buddhist temples rub shoulders with landscaped tea plantations and lush tropical forests entice you to explore them.

Our cycling guide was young, fit (too fast at times) and enthusiastic and most days we avoided main roads and took a network of back roads. Road surfaces were very variable mostly surfaced or rideable dirt tracks which were OK on my Schwalbe Marathon 32 mm tyres. We only had a couple of short sections of mud and sand which justified mountain bikes and knobblies as supplied by Skedaddle. These back roads were delightful as we rode through small villages and car traffic was light so we intermingled comfortably with tuk- tuks, motorbikes, tractors, cows, goats, people and peacocks. The peacock is considered as a beautiful and sacred animal; they are quite numerous, and you can hear the piercing calls as you ride along. The more up market villages had tuk-tuks parked in the drives but virtually no cars.

On the main roads the only concern were buses which do not slow up for anybody. The only heavy traffic was near Colombo which is a building site funded by Chinese investment.

The local people were very friendly, and there did not seem to be any extreme poverty as I have often seen in India.

Our hotels were all very acceptable ranging from 5 star modern, to no stars and a bit run down with lots of character. The food was good – dinner and breakfast were generally buffet style with a wide selection of Asian and European dishes.  On this trip Skedaddle mostly arranged lunch at restaurants on route, but we did have a couple of very good meals prepared by the locals – quite impressive as to what can be produced in a tiny kitchen on a wood fire but do not look too closely.

Our route followed the classical Sri Lankan tour circuit and we visited a few temples and saw lots of Buddhas.

Highlights for me were: -

·         Safari to see the elephants of Ritigala National Park. The jeep ride was an adventure in itself as you really did need to hang on over the rutted dirt tracks. The elephants are used to tourists so you can get close to them – good or bad?

·         Safari to Udawalaye National Park. More elephants, water buffalo and lots of birds and peacocks. The baby elephants were star performers.

·         The UNESCO world heritage site of Sigiriya (Lion Rock). An ancient rock fortress that is dominated by a massive 200m high column of rock on which buildings and gardens were constructed. The summit is reached by a narrow walkway that clings to the side of the rock. How did they get all the building material to the top?

·         Spectacular scenery in tea plantation country in the mountains. The hills seemed very steep in places, even with my granny gears, climbing to 2100 metres in Horton Plains National Park (and it was cold). The descents were great.

·         A visit to a tea factory was a trip back in time – don’t look at health and safety as operators were wearing flip flops and operating unguarded heavy machinery in clouds of tea dust.

Our tour finished with a few days at sea level cycling in high humidity and the high 30’s but luckily the mileage between hotels was quite low.

We had quite a few minibus transfers but this was unavoidable, as the distances would have been too great to cycle and would have necessitated cycling on main roads. It was my first time with Skedaddle and the organisation was good and I would use them again.

Hilly 50 km - Saturday, 7th March 2020

A sportive challenge. On Saturday 7th March join in the well-established Hilly 50 km event: 33 miles of the best of Surrey Hills and 3670ft of ascent, supported by route sheets and maps (available in PDF format), with GPX data for devices such as Garmin.  This is a challenging circuit starting at Ryka’s Café, Burford Bridge and finishing at the top of Box Hill.

Pre-entry is preferable and can be made by visiting:  http://www.swlondonctc.wixsite.com/ctcswlondon/hilly-50k, or Cycling UK events page http://www.cyclinguk.org/event/hilly-50km-2020

Follow the instructions to enter, or just turn up on the day.  Entry fee of £7 payable at the start and all proceeds will go to St. Raphael’s Hospice in North Cheam.  Signing on is from 9.30 am with a start time of 10 am to finish by 2 pm.  This is a challenging unsupported event and riders participate at their own risk.

The CTC Birthday Rides 2019, as told by Mike Morley

CTC Birthday Rides 5th – 11th August 2019

Mike Morley

The Birthday Rides took place this year on the borders of Cambridgeshire and the Great North Road at Wyboston Lakes near St Neots. Access to the site was tricky but an effort had been made to create a gate on the side of the site to enable easy access to the footbridge over the A1.  The venue offered extensive accommodation and the hearty catering required by cyclists. The organisers of last year’s event at Stone had taken over the venue and so there was good continuity with CTC Holidays and Tours selecting this first class venue. The voice of this year’s www.birthdayrides.org when phoning for information was recognisably Shirley Quemby ably assisted by Colin who were very much in evidence throughout the week. It was great to be signed in by Lynda Barrow and Liz on arrival. They had arrived on the Sunday and were allowed to take their accommodation the night before the official opening in exchange for helping out. There were more than a dozen wayfarers, Ann and Steve Bath cycled there and back, Liz, Lynda, Maureen and Cliff, Stephanie, Carolyn and John Beer, Tony Hooker, Tim Court and Pat, and Mike Morley, Dawn in her tent, Irene North and Graham, Ed Sharp who came with his chauffeur Lillian and of course Colin and Shirley.  Christina called in one evening to join us for drinks.  There were approximately 400 attendees in total . Sadly though few children/youngsters if at all but a good show of hands on the first evening revealed many experiencing the Birthday Rides for the first time. The CTC was formed on 5th August 1881 so we were also treated to Birthday Cake on arrival.

Irene North & Graham led a ride to Grafam Water, one of the largest reservoirs in the UK. It had an earthen work dam similar to that of Whaley Bridge but was grass covered and not capped with concrete slabs. Each day there were a selection of “A”, “B” & “C” rides of various distances in the main set out by the local Cambridge CTC. An option on the Wednesday was to take a coach trip to Bletchley Park for a conducted tour which was excellent. The coach however was fully booked so I could not go. Christina who like me had ridden the Prudential 100 on 4th August came by car to Bletchley but mistakenly on the Thursday. She did however end up at Wyboston Lakes that evening.
I had a particular interest in visiting Little Barford 500MW gas fired combined cycle plant in the village next door. My old company Hawker Siddeley Power Engineering (HSPE) designed and built the plant using GE of America turbines. I visited it on Thursday the 8th August and on Friday 9th August it shut down simultaneously with a wind farm off the east coast causing the loss of approx. 1000MW of power on National Grid.  Indiscriminate automatic load shedding then took place the main casualty being trains into and out of London.

Evening entertainment was varied, with films, quizzes and a very interesting slide show on cycling light in Cuba and another on the battle by activists in polluted cities across the world for safe space for cyclists.   Live music one evening by St Neots local choir was well received and the quizzes were fun.  On Thursday 8^th August was the traditional Service of Thanksgiving organised by Shirley and led by the local vicar.

The headwinds later in the week provided extra challenges but overall the weather was very favourable.   Some opted for a coach into Cambridge on the Saturday for a sightseeing day off the bike.

Altogether a very enjoyable week which all present hope will continue next year. 

2019 Pru 100; Roger Parsley's account of the 19 mile ride

Prudential London 100

Roger Parsley

Anna, Roy, Ken and I registered as Wayfarers and opted for the 19 mile ride starting at Sandown Park race course at 3pm it finishes with another 19 miles at the end of the route of the 100 mile ride so we hoped that most of the field would have finished by the time we entered the course.  We set out at midday to collect our friend Ken and the four of us cycled to Sandown Park, which was not easy when some of the key roads were closed. We passed the TV cameras and the support vans for the race teams and I had never seen so many cyclists – there was a profusion of skin tight lycra some covering super slim, super fit bodies and some where it had given up the struggle – and then there were us!

Riders filled the racecourse grandstand area with a babble of different languages and no two bikes the same. There were some electric bikes, a few folding bikes and some like mine, straight handlebar 24 speed hybrids more at home off road than riding the streets.  We stood in line for nearly hour for registration, and then we were released in waves of about two hundred. For the early part, things were cautious close and slow – far too many cyclists far too close together. Things had speeded up and thinned out a bit by Kingston and then we slowed again to get past those attending a nasty accident and the accident debris.

Roger on his "Yellow Peril", as predicted by Nostradamus, negotiates Kingston Market 

It was strange being cheered – I felt guilty as I was just out to have a good time and enjoy the ride but most were doing the ride to raise money for charity and some were struggling and being quite brave.  Every crossing was blocked off and manned by a steward and all the streets were clear of parked cars. We powered on to Wimbledon and slogged up Wimbledon hill – oh! The joy of being able to use the whole width of the road and both lanes, ignore the red lights  and to just go wide and power up the hill without having someone slow in front of you or watching out for cars cutting you up, while the electric bikes slid past sedately, riders pedalling without effort.

A quick stop for a drink and then gradually building up the speed for a mile or two along Wimbledon Common as the field spread out. I was feeling good at the ten mile mark – we had already ridden thirteen miles just to get to Sandown Park so the legs were well warmed up.  By now I was in amongst riders, some a third of my age, on superb bikes in team gear.  The colours on their bibs meant that they had been going since 5 am and had already cycled over ninety miles and yet were still able to slice through the streets on their razor thin tyres, barely out of breath!

The fat knobbly tyres began to sing as I swept round the big roundabout at the top of Putney Hill and as we descended the hill I glanced at the speedo to see 22 miles an hour and then I began to build greater speed, too frightened to look again as we crossed Putney Bridge, my front suspension bashing up and down over the raised manhole covers and rough surfaces as we went into a fast turn still accelerating and feeling fine.

We reached the embankment and with the wind turned behind us we began to fly along.  It took all one’s skill and balance to keep in a space of one’s own, shouting and listening with others to warn them you were overtaking and using the mirror to watch out for those coming past.  I was in a bunch of about forty all doing nearly twenty five miles an hour, when by Millbank Tower a young man accompanied by a couple of girls strode onto an unmanned Zebra crossing put his hands in the air and shouted “You will Stop!” – I was in a tight pack all doing the same speed and headed right for him – he stood his ground shouting “I demand you stop” – we missed him (and each other) by a whisker as he was subject to choruses of advice. Perhaps he had a death wish.

The legs felt really strong and  it was head down  breathing steady and pour on the speed hammering round the corners over the rough concrete and between barriers, the bike beautifully balanced and responsive and on over the finishing line for a time of one hour forty minutes.

It took us half an hour to clear the finishing line – a great slow moving mass of riders half a mile long pushing their bikes up to the Palace. Meeting up with Roy, Ken and Anna a few minutes later we shared the common exhilaration of cycling just as fast as you can on a closed road and each of us really enjoyed the ride. We picked up our medals and then rode on down to Victoria to get a train to Carshalton.

The train was packed with bikes and cyclist, some shattered after doing 100 miles and others like us just elated. We rode home from Carshalton, with the adrenalin still pumping and feeling great– after a ride of 36 miles all told that day I chained up my twenty five year old “Yellow Peril” with its 2 inch wide tyres and “quite good” brakes and left it resting in the bike shed."

2019 Prudential London 100; Sue Bellamy's story

Prudential London 100

Sue Bellamy

What a day August 4 was!

Having not slept for 2 nights before the Ride London I got to Stratford on the Sunday

morning at 6 am.  I needed to be in my ‘pen’ by 7am for an 8.04 start.  The atmosphere really got me in the mood for the ride. Everyone was chatting and the weather was good which was a relief after last year’s rain and wind.  They say there are no real hills for 40 miles, though Sayers Hill in Richmond Park, for example, is not flat; when I came out of the park a friend replenished my water and food supplies.

I got through the first cut-off point at Hampton Court without a problem and off we went to the Surrey Hills, where we started to get held up with accidents and the sheer volume of cyclists. More time to eat and chat!  I was not going to do Leith Hill as I was worried about descending with hundreds of other cyclists but when I got to Abinger I decided to go for it as I felt comfortable.  It was definitely the right decision.  When we rejoined the A25 lots of

cyclists were already on that road; they had been diverted due to an accident.  Some were pushing their bikes up Box Hill but the crowd helped me do this challenge. I had several friends and parents of babies I had cared for cheering me along and there were some patients from a residential home enjoying their day out, especially when we waved back.

Sue Bellamy in the Surrey Hills that day

I was delighted to finish in 8 hours.  Coming over the finishing line along The Mall was quite emotional, as last year at this time I had only just being diagnosed with cancer. By the time the letter arrived saying I had a ballot place for 2019 treatment was complete.  It was a memorable day but I certainly won’t be doing the full 100 miles again; maybe just the 46 next year! I put a lot of time into training for this day which really helped.

2019 Prudential London 100; Christina Berkley's day

Prudential London 100

Christina Berkley

I deferred my 'guaranteed' place for the Pru 100 ride in July 2018, promptly re-registered for the 2019 event and booked a room at a hotel in London Dockland prior to the public ballot which was announced in February 2019.  I had taken part in the Pru 46 mile ride in 2016 and my husband Pat and son Arthur had each done the Pru 100 several times.  I helped their fund raising efforts and cheered them on and heard a few stories.  I knew what I was taking on.

Everyone at CTC Southwest London has been incredibly inspirational and helpful to me, I started riding with them in March 2017. Being a 'fair weather' rider, I was infrequent at the beginning, but realised that I wanted the rides and the camaraderie. Deferring my Pru 100 allowed me to gain a lot more Wayfarers and few C&M rides under my belt and I was a lot more confident after I took part in the Tri-Vets 100 mile ride on 19 June 2019. 

My regular rides with B group Wayfarers is 60 miles (door to door) from May 2019, I topped up rides with KPRC group on Saturdays for around 35 miles on a few occasions especially when I missed Wayfarers rides. Nutrition is important to ride the Pru 100; Steve at KPRC mentioned 'Sushi', I happen to know how to make sushi rolls with smoked salmon and spinach or any other fillings, my homemade sushi rolls turned out to be the best comfort food during my stop overs at Hampton Court, Newlands Corner and Green Park (shame I did not  realise its importance hence missed stocking it for my stopover at Leatherhead) during the Pru100 ride.

I had a good night's sleep in London Dockland the night before 4 August, did my 20 minute stretch and had tea, porridges with nuts and fruits and boiled eggs. I cycled from the hotel at 6 am for a 7.04 am start. It was a warm and beautiful day, I got a bit lost getting to the starting point initially but found my way following the many other cyclists and road signs.

The weather, the DJs and the waving spectators all were better than I remembered for my 46 mile ride in 2016. My bike and I worked well for the first 60 miles and I enjoyed the chats with other riders and the food and drinks on offer at Hampton Court and Newlands Corner. Climbing Leith Hill was challenging but the downhill was rewarding, I felt I got a second wind prior to Box Hill but climbing it after Leith Hill and with 60 miles under my belt was much slower than I remembered and there was not enough downhill after the peak; my feet started swelling and hurting. I had to stop over at Leatherhead hub, no sushi or grass there and I was bored with energy bars and gel by then, though water and crisps were still welcome. The following 20 - 25 miles I seemed to have few fellow cyclists alongside, I arrived at Green Park around 3.30pm, my PruRide App telling me that it had been 8 hours 21 minutes and 33 seconds since I started. With the help of smiling and eagle eyed volunteers at the luggage truck, I was united with my belongings, took my shoes off, and devoured my home prepared sushi.

Thanks to my bike maintenance team (my husband!) my bike served me well and by deferring my ride a year I gained good weather, more ride experience and greater confidence and as a result I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

CTC Tri-Vets Ride - 19 June 2019

You are cordially invited to join CTC South West London on Wednesday 19 June for the 2019 Tri-Vets ride, with three choices of ride length from 50k m to 100 miles. The entry cost of £5 includes refreshments at lunch and at the end of the ride.

The Triennial Veterans ride is a CTC challenge ride organised by various CTC member groups around the country. To quote the CTC:

“This is a fun challenge which CTC groups have taken part in since 1928, our Golden Jubilee year and to encourage those aged 50 and over to have a go at riding 100 miles within a 12-hour time limit.

The rides are also a great sociable occasion, with many groups choosing to include a sit-down lunch stop and refreshments along the way. For members, it's a chance to catch up with old friends, make new ones and discover new routes to ride.”

2019 event

2016 Tri-Vets

CTC South West London is running a Tri-Vets ride in 2019, following our first Tri-Vets in 2016, which was well received despite unhelpful weather. It will follow a similar format, starting and ending (and stopping for lunch) at Brockham Cricket Pavilion, with options of 100 miles, 100km or 50km. You don’t have to be a veteran (defined by the CTC as aged 50+) to ride, although badges are available to veterans completing 100 miles within 12 hours.
Most people choose to ride in a led group, with groups starting between 8am and 11am.  The routes are rolling rides based on the Surrey Cycleway:  scenic, with little technical difficulty. Lunch and tea at the Pavilion, and pubs and cafes on the routes for those who need a little more.

Entry costs £5, payable in advance and the event is limited to 80 riders, so please email Simon Lambourn first to secure a place, then send the entry form and payment.

More info:

• Event details including routes
• Riding groups
• CTC/CUK website info, including other Tri-Vets events

Hilly 50 continued

The last of the 68 riders  to complete the Hilly 50 course: Dave V the very effective Sweeper Up along with the magnificent ride on Trike conversion from CUK Reading.

~ Mike Morley

Hilly 50 Saturday 2nd March 2019

Well done every one that helped particularly Dave Vine for not only riding and finishing but doing a sterling job of marshaling at Logmore Lane. Thanks also to the star signer on Terry without his help I would have been completely overwhelmed. It is always an anxious time beforehand knowing how many will turn up weather permitting etc. 2018 was a disaster due to snow and the beast from the east. It was cancelled. The re-run in September attracted only 7 riders from within our DA and demonstrated that the early march slot is ideal for the racing types that like to get an early season warm up event in before the time trial season starts. This year we were well supported from CUK HQ with Julie Rand bringing a crew along. See photo. In all 68 riders signed on which is a record for me and compensates for the anxiety beforehand.
I would like to thank Tony H for his support in publicizing along with Tim Court for all his efforts with the CUK events page, along with Simon Lamborn, Collin Q & Jeff T for running of flyers and sign on sheets. It all helps an illiterate IT guy like me!
I must mention the splendid support we got from V.C.Londres particularly with their contingent of young riders along with many from Addiscombe CC. In all approx 30% of those taking part. So far the event has raised £590 final total for our worthy charity of St. Raphael's is still to be finalized as I am hoping for maybe more donations. £25 has already been donated by those that could not ride and on the day many riders gave me £10 and said keep the change and on generous rider gave £20 and said the same (well I think that's what he said). I was particularly interested in one rider who rode on a Tricycle conversion, that is an ordinary road bike frame with a conversion kit from Reading CTC. See photo at finish.
The weather on the day was fine and not too much dirt on the road. It was gratifying that so many finishers shook my hand at the end of the ride to say how much they enjoyed it! (must be mad).
A particular mention should go to Steve Winder from Epsom CC, he is a phenomenal hill climber, a regular supporter and finished in 1hr. 51mins. Also I should mention another regular Martin Cairns from Cosham.

Julie Rand & CUK HQ

Notice of 2018 Annual General Meeting

CTC South West London will hold its AGM after Elevenses
at 11:00 am Wednesday 14th November.

Please be on time.

The venue is the same as last year, just a short walk from the Queens Road exit from the Day Centre.

All Saints Hall
All Saints Roman Catholic Church
13 Queens Road
Hersham
KT12 5LU



 












The hall is located at the back of the premises. There are two halls with a shared entrance. Our meeting is in the Small Hall.

There are no bike racks but there is plenty of space to park bikes against the buildings near the hall entrance. Please bring your bikes to the hall rather than leave them at the Day Centre.

There are normally plenty of spaces on the premises in front of the church for anyone arriving by motor vehicle, with access from Queens Road.

Our Treasurer, Simon has advised that due to the current low annual subscription rate (£1 p.a.) we will not be hiring a bouncy castle this year.

~ Tim