A smaller field but of the 36 entries 35 started which is a much better percentage than last year!

One heavy shower near Chipping Norton was reported and it was busy past the notorious farm shop but otherwise the ride went off without incident.

Despite the smaller field huge generosity from the riders meant we were able to donate £75 to the Thames Valley Air Ambulance.

Only four riders on such a beautiful morning - bright but not quite shirt sleeve weather yet! But good to see Jan again, newly retired!

Uneventful ride out to Great Bedwyn. From Ermine Street we took the lane downhill through Poughley despite the Road Closed sign but found no roadworks. Arriving in Great Bedwyn we found that Wendy's has now closed - looks definitive - which is a shame - but a rather insalubrious Portaloo close-by proved a useful adjunct to the ever-reliable food offering from the Post Office. After enjoying our lunch amongst the Church cemetery headstones we set off on the return ride, soon interrupted by a puncture to Jan's rear tyre. This time it was a sizeable sidewall split, GP5000 tyres again demonstrating that they are not robust enough for Oxfordshire roads. With a boot and fresh inner tube installed, and a not-insignificant bulge in the tyre, Jan nursed her bike back as far as Kingston Lisle (and hopefully back home), where she left the ride. Richard left us Lambourn to check on his driveway tradesmen, leaving just Pam and I to finish the ride back to Wantage.

Another beautiful Spring sunny day, but with a cold wind. However, this did not deter a number of riders coming out of Winter hibernation, we were joined by Jess, Dave (promises to pay his membership!!) and Nick D, who had cycled over from Sutton Courtenay. The route out of Grove and onto the Denchworth Road saw us get tangled up with the preparations for the start of the White Horse Half Marathon, fortunately we were ahead of the race start. The route out to Eynsham was into a brisk headwind, and just as we approached Eynsham Dave had a puncture, some of the group went onto the Cherry Tree Café to secure an outside table while the rest gave moral support to Dave, who repaired his puncture very efficiently. The café was busy with a number of cycling groups, and while we got our order in very quickly the service was particularly slow, however this allowed us to enjoy the warming sun and for everyone to look at envy as Louis’s bacon and pancakes! The ride home was much easy with a tailwind and Dave taking the lead, and fortunately the Half Marathon had finished so no runners to contend with down the Denchworth Road. A lovely Sunday morning ride and great to see some familiar faces back.

Nice and bright again, and we hardly noticed the wind on the way out - but it was a different story on the way back into a fresh headwind. As pleasant as ever at the back of Bloomfields but nobody chose their recommended brie-filled croissants - maybe next time!
Thanks everyone - nice stress-free ride.

Well, it was the first day of “Summer” and the sun was shining, even if the air was cool. Everyone arrived on time despite the clocks going forward. A few brave ones came bearing their legs and were thinking they may have come under dressed – with 12 hills covering 850m of climbing over 58km, body temperatures would soon warm up. With a brisk tailwind the ride out to the garden centre at Hermitage saw us arrive just before 10:30. Refreshments were taken outside enjoying the warming sun. The ride back to Wantage was a little tougher with the headwind, but everyone made it back with a smile on their faces. The opportunity to try the “refurbished” King Alfred’s Head was deferred to another day as everyone made their respective ways home – a lovely sunny ride with hopefully more to come.

Four of us came out for a ride past stationary traffic from Drayton to Abingdon, due to the unfortunate closure of the A34. Drivers were resigned to their fate as we rode serenely past them.
The cafe in Southmoor was busy so we enjoyed the outside table before the return ride during which I lost half the peleton!

We started out from Wantage with a 50/50 split of men and women - welcoming another member out of Corallian hibernation. This balance was upset when we met John who had set off separately to ascend Challow Hill.
The ride through the Vale was uneventful and we arrived at the Farm Shop in Shrivenham in good order. Their energy balls were excellent and a source that allowed the leader to continue to lead from the front. Our return ride was similarly uneventful in almost perfect cycling conditions - little wind, not too hot, glimpses of sunshine.
Several riders peeled off early but one encountered an unpleasantly aggressive driver. (Other road users had been so considerate to us as a group - and we ourselves had been careful when we encountered several horse riders.)

A beautiful sunny day without a cloud in the sky and great to be out on the bike, albeit with a chilly easterly wind.

With Simon joining us en-route in Childrey, four of us were all set to leave the market place when Pete Cowan arrived to make a guest appearance having cycled across from Wallingford. Despite his seat post challenges and last minute adjustments, we headed out to Farnham before a long slog into the wind all the way to Besselsleigh. Pete W got a bit fed up of the wind and did a stint drafting a farmer's tractor!

Up Old Boars Hill and then some lovely views over the spires of Oxford before heading down to Abingdon and The Barns cafe. At 50k and just over 2 hours, everyone was glad of the stop and they even had a table reserved for us!

Pete C headed back to Wallingford and we had an uneventful return to Wantage with a lovely tailwind that made the sunshine all the better!

A select group of three scraped the ice off their windscreens and drove over to Kintbury this morning. Although the sun was out for much of the day, the northerly wind kept the feeling chilly. This was fine on the way out as the tailwind and the generally downhill profile (well, after Walbury Hill that is) boosted us along nicely. Obviously, on the way back it was a different story and, although we were pulling hard into the headwind, we all still felt the chill. Special kudos to Phil for his massive pull on the front up the extended and exposed climb up from Vernham Dean. I needed all my jelly babies just to keep up.

This route and the scenery on it are really fantastic. The outward leg runs down the Bourne and the Test Valleys where the water courses are in full flow and quite spectacular right now. At several other places it reaches high points with impressive panoramic views. A route anyone could be proud of I think.

And then there were five! After a chilly start, spoiled by the recent warm weather, the starting group of six lost Louise at the airplane roundabout, victim to some type of seat/saddle breakdown. With a good steady pace and a following Northerly wind we warmed up nicely in the sun through Hatford and some rather over lengthy 4 way temporary traffic lights we negotiated the short section of the A420 safely prior to the descent of Littleworth Hill and the climb up to Faringdon.
The road down the hill from Badbury Clumps is in a particularly poor state but we soon rattled our way into Coleshill and found a cosy spot in Blake's to enjoy coffees and their celebrated cinnamon buns. The return ride was equally uneventful but still pleasurable despite the headwind.