Club Colours

Club Colours
Does a proper shirt make us real cyclists?

Bikes, Beer & Banter from The Old Sun

Bikes, Beer & Banter is what what Ampthill Cyclists is all about. Now in our 18th year, we are an informal club who ride purely for the craic. Ages (17-60+), fitness & commitment vary, but we share one thing in common- we love cycling (as well as the odd beer & a bit of banter) . We meet at The Old Sun, Ampthill on Thursday evenings from spring to late summer. Setting off at around 6.15, we ride between 20- 30 miles, stopping for a beer or two on the way back to the Old Sun for a couple more.

We're pretty much an autonomous collective- though we do have an elected (press ganged?) chairman.

New members are always welcome.

If you are looking for time trials and training we are not for you but if you enjoy Bikes, Beer & Banter come along on Thursday.

Wednesday 27 July 2011

Who Are You?

While it may be an exaggeration to say that Ampthill Cyclists have "gone viral", it's almost impossible to keep up with the rate the club's growing. Having seen hardly any new members for several years, it seems new faces are turning up on a weekly basis. And they seem to come back week after week.
At the last count 23 different riders had been out this season and the Chairman's considering introducing name tags. I'm not sure if this is so he remebers our names or his own!

The past month or so has seen routes taking in variously Salford via Cranfield & Marston, Pulloxhill via Campton, Clophill via Tingrith & Gravenhurst and Ridgmont via Eversholt, Woburn & Aspley Guise.

One epic ride went via Wilstead, Cotton End and Ickwell totalling some 32 miles. Some reports have this as a masterly piece of route planning while others suggest that nobody really knew where they were going and they just followed their noses. Any way, it was a bit of a shock for new recruit John Paul (JP). At 22 miles, the previous week's ride had been the furthest he'd ever ridden, nevertheless he managed the additonal 10 miles and keeps coming back for more.
By all accounts some serious re-hydration took place at the Stone Jug & Old Sun  that night and one or two members had to face some difficult conversations when they finally got home.

Like the rest of the group, the new riders are of mixed age and fitness, Paul 1 & Paul 2 are training for a charity ride to Paris, Keith ( not to be confused with our resident typo, Kieth) bought a bike, rode 70 miles for the British Heart Foundation and then decided he'd like to carry on;  Young Andy looks like he was born on a bike.
The overall pace has undoubtedly increased. One member commented on the distinct smell of testosterone at the front of the pack the other week as Everton and the newbies tested each other out. Somebody else remarked that the smell's always there but it's usually masked by the stench of bullshit!
Anyway, it's all making for an interesting and fun packed summer and bodes well for the end of season tour.




No comments:

Post a Comment