Friday 5 May. French Trip.
We met up at Newhaven for the 8.00 am sailing to Dieppe. Myself, Mike who gave me a lift over, Arthur, Lynn and Andrew, Mervyn Cook a friend of Arthur's and Peter Wilson.

Checkin was very slow and a long queue developed. We compared the widely different prices paid for the tickets from 13 pounds bought direct to 50 pounds through one agent.

The 4 hour crossing passed slowly but we eventually arrived at 1.30 French time. We then had a 10 mile bike ride during which we managed 3 stops.

The first cafe was found on the seafront after 2 miles where we had coffee and hot chocolate in the warm sunshine. Then Peter invited us to visit his French home on the southern edge of Dieppe. This has a great location with a quiet garden where Peter served a choice of wine or Apple juice. On the way back from Peters towards Dieppe we stopped to browse a very good bike shop.

Back in Dieppe centre our final cafe stop was adjoining the harbour with bowls of chips to keep us going until dinner.

Edwin

Dieppe. Seafront Caf? Stop

French Trip. Peters House

Wednesday 3 May. Evening Ride. Bognor start to the Maypole Yapton.

Weather this evening was warm and sunny. 4 of us met at the Fox, myself, Graham, Julian and Bruno.

Alan was due to lead this ride but he was away so after a very short discussion Graham was nominated on the basis that he was the only one to know the proposed route.

The ride was very interesting taking tracks and paths across the fields on the route of the proposed but unbuilt cycletrack from Felpham to Barnham.Apart from a few puddles the route was dry and hardpacked with most of it on farm tracks and easily rideable on my touring bike.

More interest was provided as we crossed the path of the mainly infilled Portsmouth Arundel Canal and viewed the remains of 2 swivel bridges and were treated to an onsite history lesson from Graham.

We continued via Lake Lane to the Maypole where we met up with the Chichester contingent comprising Arthur, Andrew, Phil and Mary and John.

We returned on the direct route via Yapton.

Edwin

Monday 1 May. Isle of Wight Weekend
Overnight there was a spell of heavy rain which gradually cleared by breakfast. The rest of the day was bright and sunny.

We headed back home from our base at the Hillside Hotel, Ventnor taking lanes fairly directly north to stop for elevenses at the Amazon World Garden Centre Cafe near Newchurch.

We took more lanes to a steep climb to the top of Arreton Down the East West Ridge going along the centre of the Island with some great views. Then a good long descent to the North Coast and a stop for lunch at Wootton Common.

We caught the 1.00 pm ferry to Portsmouth and had some great views of the Spinnaker Tower in the sunshine as we came in to dock. Then on the cycle route out of the City to Cosham and across to Havant and then Emsworth for tea. For the second time in 2 weeks some of the faster members engaged in a sprint for the Tea Rooms with aim of getting an order in first for the last few slices of Caramelized Apple Pie with Ice Cream!!(I clocked 28.1 mph at one stage!)

I gained another puncture on the ride into Chichester soon sorted with assistance from Phil and Sam making a total of 2 punctures in the weekend for the group, both mine!

Edwin

Monday 1 May. Isle of Wight Trip. Climbing Arreton Down

Monday 1 May. Isle of Wight Trip. Docking at Portsmouth

Sunday 30 April. Round the Island Ride

Weather for today started bright and sunny but soon clouded over and was fairly chilly at 14C.

8 of us started off from our Hotel in Ventnor and we rode west along the clifftop road to the control point at Whitwell where we started the Round the Island Randonee.

The group fragmented a little as we followed the well signposted route each at our own pace. John was off the front chased by Sam. We regrouped at Yarmouth for elevenses with substantial amounts of food piled high for an expected 1000 plus horde of hungry cyclists over the day. We started at the nearest control point to Yarmouth so got to the food first.

We stopped at a cafe in Cowes for lunch where we again all regrouped. Then on over the chain ferry filled with cyclists and lanes across to Bembridge for tea at the control point.

I took it easy for the last section back to Whitwell staying with the 2 Richards. Sam was still trying to keep up with John and sorely regretting it.

The round the Island route was 66 miles with 3800ft of climbing. Our total distance for the day was 72.4 miles.

Edwin

Lunch stop ar Cowes

Phil and Mary climbing a hill near Brading

Saturday 29 April. Isle of Wight Weekend.
7 of us met at Chichester Cross to ride to Portsmouth for the ferry to the Isle of Wight. Myself, Phil and Mary, Sam, Richard Carlisle, Richard Boulton and John Maxim.

We took the usual lanes via Westbourne to stop for an early elevenses in Havant where Jim Jennings joined us. Then on to Portsmouth taking the cycle route into the city from Cosham.

We caught the 12.00 car ferry to Fishbourne getting on before all the car drivers and getting to the onboard cafe first with John there ahead of everybody.

Lunch was taken at Havenstreet steam Railway cafe with some steam engine sightseeing.

Soon afterwards we met 3 members of Brighton DA who planned to stay at Shanklin.

We took a narrow lane down to Newport and then the new cyclepath on the old railway toward Sandown. We turned off this after 4 miles and then down on lanes to Godshill for tea. Then more lanes via Wroxall where I had a puncture. Phil assisted with his super grip ripping the tyre off without tyre levers.

Then on to Ventnor and our base for the weekend at the Hillside Hotel where we were welcomed with tea in the Conservatory with great views down to the Channnel.

Edwin

Saturday 29 April, Phil and Mary at Godshill Isle of Wight

THURSDAY 27 April 2006 - Evening ride to the Winterton Arms Crockerhill
A gloriously hot and sunny morning steadily deteriorated throughout the day to bring a cold damp and dark evening with a few spots of rain and worse threatened. No surprise then that only myself and John (R ) met at the start point for this ride.

We waited a while and debated whether or not to proceed. Eventually we set off in the general direction of Crockerhill but I pulled up just north of Bersted with a front puncture. At this point we decided to cut our losses and went our separate ways. The ride was abandoned for the evening.

Graham

Wednesday 19 April. Evening ride to Elmer.
By tradition, the Tour of Bognor inaugurates the seasonal evening rides programme, and today’s kicked off in fine style with excellent weather and 8 riders.

The route was Felpham to Elmer, a distance of just under 3 miles as the crow flies – this being a tour however, we had managed almost 12 by the time the ride ended.

The complex route weaved around the back streets of Bognor with opportunites to admire a few regency buildings, a few “blue plaques”, plenty of back alleys, and a few back gardens! Our destination, reached via Ancton, was “The Elmer”, which appeared to have been completely re-furbished in honour of our ride.

We returned back in darkness to Felpham, by the direct route this time, in the hope that the fine weather will bode well for the remainder of the evening runs programme.



Graham

Sunday 23 April. Chichester Start to the Elephant and Castle, West Chiltington.
With light rain all morning it was no surprise that only one, Anne Kelly joined me on the ride from Chichester. We made good time riding via Pillygreen, Upwaltham, Duncton Hill and Sutton to stop for elevenses at The Barn by the Willow Cafe, Bury.

We continued via Fittleworth and Coldwaltham to West Chiltington arriving at 12.10. Members of Horsham Section were already there soon joined by Arun Adur members. Shortly after our Walberton Pond start ride arrived led by Phil and Mary with a better turnout with Gill, Bruce and Alan and Liz.

After lunch all Sections rode for a couple of miles to the freewheeling hill. I set people off at the start and Dave Galle checked how far they went at the bottom. Barry Deacon went the furthest and Nicola Yerrell went the furthest out of the ladies. 20 took part in all.

From the finish the various Sections went back on different routes and our group headed back with a stop for tea at Houghton Bridge.

Edwin