Bishops Waltham & Alresford

Its looking a bit warmer for next week so we'll venture north and find some hills! Elevenses at Bishops Waltham, 17 miles, lunch in Alresford, further 12 miles. Return via West Meon.

Should the forecast change and there is a risk of ice I will change the ride as appropriate.

Bookings for this ride/event

Booking is required for this ride. Please let the ride leader know if you want to join. Please do not turn up for the ride unless you've had your booking confirmed or your name appears below.

This ride is currently full but we encourage you to ask to join the wait list. That will let the ride leader:

• Find out the demand for that type of ride
• Nominate you as a replacement if someone drops out
• Arrange to split the ride if there is sufficient demand

Bookings recorded for this ride (Log in to see rider names):

• A PCTC member
• A PCTC member
• A PCTC member
• A PCTC member
• A PCTC member
• A PCTC member
• A PCTC member

To ask to join this ride, please use the 'Contact us about this ride' link above to send an email to the ride leader.

Ride leader notes

On club rides I ride a road bike and prefer to lead all day rides. I aim for 55 miles in the winter and 65 - 75 miles in the summer (although there are exceptions). One of my bikes is an e-bike which i use on faster rides, so I can keep the pace up. My preferred speed is 12 - 13mph depending on amount of climbing.
I 'm not keen on urban riding and prefer the countryside of the Downs to the north, west and east of us. Although I'm not a particularly good climber I don't shy away from hills as i think flat rides can be less interesting.

I sometimes lead morning only rides on a Friday for all-comers. On these rides I arrange groups to suit the pace of all riders.

I generally start my rides at the Spring Centre in Havant but will pick up on the route on request. I finish my rides here too although you are welcome to leave the ride elsewhere e.g.nearer to your home.

About faster rides

Our other rides go at the pace of the slowest rider or we will split the ride to accommodate a slower rider. 'Faster rides' go faster than other rides and people joining are expected to keep up.

We're not talking about professional or even 'club' riding speeds, but trying to ride at any speed faster than you can manage is an unpleasant experience.

If you want to join a faster ride, but uncertain whether you can keep up:

• Consider trying one or two of our other rides classed as A (Demanding) or B (Hilly) first. If you're able to keep up without difficulty that's a good indication you're ready for a faster ride. The chances are you'll be riding with other members familiar with faster rides that can help you with your assessment.
• In any case, contact the ride leader and discuss your experience to date with them. Bear in mind, however, that subjective assessments of average speed and cruising speed are notoriously unreliable even for those that routinely use cycle computers.

Before you join a faster ride, please review the route and prepare to make your own way back if you're struggling to keep up - and we all have bad days. We will not, however, intentionally drop slower riders; nor will we leave riders without first checking they are confident with getting back.