Variations on a Theme
A Challenge - too far?
Having achieved my first RRtY at the end of September 2021, I decided to set myself the challenge of gaining the Ultra (x10) RRtY, requiring ten RRtYs which I’m pleased to say do not have to be completed in the same year! At one a year that would take me to the age of 84. Would I still be capable at that age? I’d met two men who were almost certainly in their late 70s riding confidently on the Upper Thames 200 early one November but was not sure I’d be able to follow in their metaphorical tyre tracks.
I needed to kickstart my challenge and rode RRtY 2 and 3 in 2021-22, with one lagging the other by a month. 2022 saw me extend this strategy to attempting three 200s a month.
Uffington and beyond
The last week of September was to be busy. I’d “volunteered” for a set of scans at the BIOBANK Imaging Assessment Centre in Reading on Wednesday 28 and had been asked not to take part in strenuous activity the day before. Leaving the third and last ride of the month to the Thursday or Friday seemed a bit risky in view of the weather, so Monday 26 it was to be.
I’ve liked the Uffington area for decades, since my first visit to the White Horse. Although my bike rides don’t take me on to the chalk, I still love this area. The previous evening I had planned a ride out to Uffington, then vaguely east and north, and then through Didcot to Reading where I would take the train towards London; the Elizabeth line makes this very simple with trains every half hour.
Route map for West Ealing Uffington Kingston Bagpuize Reading by Clifford French on plotaroute.com
Monday morning
Why I cycle
The day dawned grey, which matched my feelings until I saw that WHOOP had assessed my recovery as 96% while chiding me for not getting enough sleep. Well, you can’t get up early for a long ride and sleep in!
Poached egg and beans ingested, I left home and rode west.
As I rode over the M25 at Iver, the sight of near stationary traffic across four lanes reinforced my preference for cycling. I realise some people have to drive - and some people think they have no choice.
I stopped briefly in Parlaunt Road, Langley, to take a photo of a rainbow. A small boy on a bike stood looking at the rainbow with some sense of awe. It was going to be a good day with the breeze helping to dry the road surface.
I rode on, turning right at the top of Fifield Lane to take a direct route to Twyford.
The VELOLIFE bia hub has a great reputation but is not open on Mondays, certainly not at the time I was passing. I’ve been there on a Sunday when there’s an excited buzz as groups arrive and share their rides. While cycling in this area I’ve met small groups of women bedecked in bia hub clothing, testifying to its appeal.
bia hub in Twyford
It was 10 am by the time I had crossed the A4 and reached the bridge at Sonning; by this time there was little traffic. Shortly, I crossed the A4130 Henley to Reading road and began the first of five climbs categorised by Garmin; nothing dramatic and soon I reached Dunsden Green where I turned left. I’d ridden about 50 km and was looking forward to my first stop at the Stoke Row Store and Kitchen. This is almost opposite the Maharajah’s Well, which is well worth a visit especially if you get the small guide.
I chose a cheese ploughmans which was large enough for a late breakfast, with a portion wrapped for me to take on my way. I used the 15 minute break to add a little extra charge to my RTL515 rear light/ radar; this proved enough to power it to the end of my quite slow ride.
View from Cox’s Lane, between Ipsden and Wallingford. For me, this is uplifting.
On and down Berins Hill; this starts as a gently descending lane with little traffic but soon falls quite sharply (up to 16%, I think, but my eyes were firmly on the road rather than my Garmin), over a broken surface to a sharp left turn at the bottom with extra gravel and stones to add to the enjoyment. From here it’s relatively flat to Ipsden, with great views.
On earlier rides, I have stopped on the roadside and eaten cold porridge: each to their own!
Turning right towards Wallingford, I always find my spirits really uplifted by the view from this road. My photos don’t do it justice; if you’ve not ridden this and you live within reach, I’d urge you to try this and see if you agree.
A right turn off Cox’s Lane leads to Ewelme, which is another of my favourite villages. Incidentally, the Ewelme Store (staffed by volunteers) has excellent cake and tea.
Right turn off Cox’s Lane for a ride to Ewelme; I carried on, leaving this turn for another day.
Cottage in Brighwell-cum-Sotwell
With a strong breeze from the north west and stops for photos and food, I had been making slow progress with my average speed including stationary time down to about 17 kph. Time to press on. I rode over the bridge at Wallingford, through the traffic lights in the centre (after a short wait for green) and then followed the NCN5 signs out of the town. After a very short distance on the A4130 I turned left into Slade Lane to ride through the pretty village of Brightwell-cum-Sotwell.
Continuing on the NCN5 I crossed the A4130 to ride north of Didcot, past a large new housing development which seemed to be in the middle of fields. My route avoided the noisy A4130 out of Didcot, bringing me to Steventon and a right turn towards the Hanneys.
Mill at Hanney
It has been raining on and off with the breeze becoming somewhat stiffer, making for slow progress. My next possible fuel point was the community shop at Hanney but first I made a stop to take a photo of the Mill at East Hanney. Although there are fields of cereal crops in this area, the Mill at Hanney is actually a former silk mill; it is now Grade II listed, with luxury apartments.
Audax hotel at West Hanney, complete with reading material
As I started to ride, the rain fell quite heavily; I gave the community shop a miss as there is no shelter. Riding past the primary school I soon came to West Hanney with a basic but welcome Audax hotel. Mine was a short stop, long enough to finish off the baguette from Stoke Row and to take a photo. For those with time to linger, there was a scrapbook with photos of local interest: obviously a very low crime area!
The rain had stopped and I had refuelled: time to press on along familiar roads. I stopped briefly in a gate way along Northmead Lane, only to get very wet in just a few minutes as the showers turned briefly to heavy rain.
Onwards to a right turn to the A417 Faringdon Road, then shortly left to Baulking and Uffington at 109 km. This was the last guaranteed stop where I could safely tether my bike and get some water.
Job completed, I pressed on - mainly north and east. There are few photos from here on because I wanted to be sure of negotiating the roads into Reading in daylight. Just over 20 km further, after I had crossed the A420 Oxford to Swindon road, the sky brightened and the breeze sent white clouds racing across the sky. My photo does not do these justice but does show how the wind has shaped the trees here, near Fyfield.
Clouds in the breeze near Fyfield
I pressed on in the drizzle, making a mental note to return and take more photos for a future blog. Shortly after Appleton (where the community store has limited opening hours), I turned south - great, a cross tail wind at last. Very soon I could just see the remains of the two cooling towers at Didcot; this reminded me of my time as a teenager when I rode a very heavy bike (with brakes operated by rods) across the fens and was always able to navigate my way home by looking for the brickyard chimneys and the steeple of St Mary’s Church at Whittlesey.
Skirting Abingdon, I rode through Drayton and in to the Milton Science and Technology Park; I had planned to take the cycleway to cross the A4130 and ride alongside it back to Didcot; this proved easy to find and well surfaced. Traffic from Didcot was backing up for some miles. “Is it always so busy?” I asked myself; two ambulances provided an answer.
Through Didcot, dodging pedestrians on the cycleway and then right towards South Moreton and the road to Wallingford. Leaving South Moreton there’s a wide view that I always enjoy; I glimpsed another cyclist in a bright yellow jacket climbing the road on the right. Fortunately, my route took me left on a gently rolling road to Wallingford.
Leaving South Moreton - my route took me left away from the climb to the right
I’d decided to try a different route out of Wallingford so that I could cycle along the B4009 towards South Stoke. I remembered visiting this area many years ago and had memories of the view. Negotiating the A4130 and a short stretch of the A4074 was far from pleasant and relaxing but the B4009 fulfilled its promise.
View from the B4009 Wallingford Road
Just below the horizon you may be able to see pig enclosures; I’ve seen many of these on walks from Ewelme.
I turned left at (or just before) South Stoke, taking the single track Woodcote Road towards Braziers Park. For me, this is another of those roads that I always find uplifting, whatever the weather (it was raining again) or how I feel (getting tired by now at 180 km).
Descending Woodcote Road
On the left, just below the horizon, you can see the house built by Mr Bean, with provision for his collection of cars. There’s a closer view from Garsons Lane, to which I was heading. If you’ve read all of this lengthy blog you will remember the steep descent of Berins Hill. Garsons Lane provides a longer and slightly easier ascent towards Stoke Row; for most of its length it is not particularly steep but there is a section that my Garmin shows as 16%; naturally, the surface is poor in places.
It was a little dark under the tree cover but the SONdelux dynamo on my HUNT front wheel provided enough power for a steady beam.
Well at Kidmore End
Garsons Lane completed, I rode on and joined Busgrove Lane; I really enjoy this stretch which descends, largely traffic free, towards Kidmore End. I stopped here to take a photo of the well. A plaque informs visitors that they can obtain the key for sixpence, refundable on return to any villager.
I rode on from here with only a further 8 or 9 km to go. Another 200 km in the bag - my third of the month, taking me on the way to completing three more RRtYs. What could go wrong?
Derby Road - “no, no”
I was descending the Peppard Road quite fast when the Garmin beeped to alert me to a turn into Derby Road. I stopped, only to see that Derby Road is private with frequent road closures. It goes into or round a school. This was a definite “no, no”, so I took a photo as evidence of the need to divert. I’d used Street View to check all the main road crossings but had not given a thought to this road. I continued to the traffic lights and turned left along the Henley Road. As I had set the Garmin not to reroute me, I was faffing around trying to pan the screen (it’s quite slow on the 1030 Plus but much faster on the 1040) and trying to find the way using my mobile route planner on the phone. A man in his thirties (I guess) who told me he is a cyclist helped me find the way back to my planned route: thank you, I could have done it but help at this stage of the ride was really welcome.
My final route back to the station was not one I would recommend. The map I have provided cuts out my errors and shows a much better ending.
