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Summer Barbecue

Sarah writes: Once again, we are delighted to host the CTC Cambridge Summer Barbecue at 2pm on Sunday 19th August at our house in Little Chesterford. The cost is £6.50 for food and soft drinks including tea and coffee. Alcoholic beverages will also be available for a donation of £1. Advance booking is essential.

This event was a great success last year: the highlight of the social calendar, and tickets were snapped up. (Photos of last year's event are here). Numbers this year are limited to 40 so early booking is recommended. We're looking forward to seeing you all there! Sarah and Andy

The barbecue is The Old Post Office, Little Chesterford CB10 1TS. Both rides that day will make their way here.

To reserve your place, print out the booking form and send it with your payment to Rupert, either in person or by post to the address given on the form.

Sixty years of runs lists

CTC Cambridge has organised cycle rides in the Cambridge area since 1921. For many years we published regular printed "runs lists" which listed the rides we had arranged.

You can now view a selection of runs lists from the period 1957 to the present day here. It's fascinating to browse these historic documents and compare what the club did then with what it does now. Look out for some familiar names!

Rides in July and August

We're pleased to announce our programme of rides in July and August. See our rides list for full details. We are now well into our summer schedule, offering a mix of longer and shorter rides to take advantage of the long days. This means we now need leaders for all these rides so please take a look and volunteer to lead a ride or two.

Our most popular rides are on Thursdays, and we're continuing our efforts to improve the way these very large rides operate. We are going to trial two different ways of splitting the stops on these rides. Starting in July they will have a split coffee stop where the city ride and the village ride go to different coffee stops. We will only split the rides at the smaller coffee stops, where the queues and delays tend to be longer, and in places where there are two nearby alternatives. Then in August we will trial a more significant split with two different lunch stops. That will enable us to have a longer ride to lunch for some whilst providing a good alternative for those who prefer a shorter ride.

On the Sunday rides, we keep the usual mix of full day rides and light day rides. We are trying to ensure that the light day rides have a balanced route so that the ride gets home in time for tea. Similarly, we are keeping a mix of shorter and longer Sunday afternoon rides. The shorter rides seem to be a popular option, but we also want some longer afternoon rides to visit the more distant tea stops.

Lastly, there is a deliberate gap in the Sunday schedule for Sunday 19th August when we are planning to have a club social event. Book that date and watch this space.

New committee for 2017-2018

At our AGM on Sunday 12th November a new committee was elected for 2017-2018. The new committee is listed here. Minutes of the AGM are now available here or by following the link on the agenda page.

Nigel in the Netherlands

Nigel's been back to the Netherlands for yet another very long bike ride. Read his tale of riding 400km from Hook of Holland to Amsterdam and then Groningen in just over 24 hours here.

Four in France

Not to be outdone by the Fenland Four, the no-less fabulous quartet of Eva, Sarah, Susan and "+1" have just returned from what looks a delightful tour in Normandy. Read all about it....

Follow the Flatlands Four!

Club members Glyn, John, Alex and Andy chose a great week to ride from Land's End to John O'Groats, for fun, and for charity. Read their ride report.

Riding guidelines

Rupert writes: We have recently published a set of riding guidelines. These have been specially written for use on our club rides. They give an introduction to the main elements of good group riding, and they are intended to replace some of the older information on the website.

We'd like to invite everyone who rides with us to take a look at these riding guidelines to refresh your understanding of how best to ride in group. Most of you will know the basics, but there are probably a few tips for everyone. Small improvements by everyone should help our groups - and especially the larger groups - ride more safely without spoiling the social interaction that makes our rides so enjoyable.

If you have any questions or comments you are welcome to contact me or any member of the main committee. Contact details are on our contacts page. Rupert Goodings, Runs Secretary

Our next rides

Saturday 21st Jul: Saturday short social ride (leisurely, 15-25 miles) Meet at 10.00am at Brookside. Coffee is at Cambourne, Greens Coffee. Leader: Ian Wright (07907 774939).

Sunday 22nd Jul: Sunday full day ride (moderate, 85-95 miles) Meet at 8.30am at Brookside. Coffee is at Perry, Harbour View Restaurant. Lunch is at Lyveden, Cottage Tea Room (NT). Tea is at 4.00pm at Houghton, Houghton Mill (NT). Note earlier start. Leader: Gareth Rees (07889 364390).

Sunday 22nd Jul: Sunday afternoon ride (moderate, 40-50 miles) Meet at 2.00pm at Brookside. Tea is at 4.00pm at Houghton, Houghton Mill (NT). Leader: Ray Miller (07910 591846).

Tuesday 24th Jul: Senior Cyclists: lunch meeting Meet for lunch at 12.30pm at Elsworth, George and Dragon. Contact: Clive Peace (07474 711920 or 01223 520723)

Wednesday 25th Jul: Evening ride (moderate plus, 30-35 miles) Meet at 6.30pm at Brookside. Pub stop is at 8.30pm at Babraham, The George Inn. Sunset is at 9.01pm tonight. Leader: Nigel Deakin (07747 105576).

Thursday 26th Jul: Thursday ride - city start (moderate, 65-75 miles) Meet at 9.15am at Brookside. Coffee is at Gamlingay, Woodview Farm Cafe. Lunch is at Henlow, The Five Bells. Leader: Peter Wilson (07760 324125).

Thursday 26th Jul: Thursday ride - village start (moderate, 60-70 miles) Meet at 9.30am at Haslingfield Green. Coffee is at Gamlingay, LJ's Sandwich Bar. Lunch is at Henlow, The Five Bells. Leader: Sharon Jackson (07969 412967).

For rides after 26 Jul see our rides list.

Latest ride reports

15 Jul: Sunday afternoon ride to Newmarket
Clive writes: A group of 10 left Brookside and after a roasting over the Carter Bridge found some shade under the trees . The Tack Room Cafe at Newmarket proved most welcome for coffee and cakes. And after a slight hiccup over the route I caught up with a small group at Swaffham Prior... (full report)

10 Jul: Senior Cyclists ride from Rutland Water (car-assisted)
Clive writes: After an early start we all arrived at Whitwell car park by Rutland Water and got ready for a 9am start. The low temperature soon warmed-up after a few miles, taking us to coffee at the Windmill where a close examination of the mill workings was had... (full report)

7 Jul: Saturday social ride to Cottenham
Roll up for the mystery tour!John S writes: I always enjoy Ian's Saturday morning rides, because every time I go on one, I will be taken along a road or track near Cambridge I have never used before. Last Saturday's ride proved to be no exception... (full report)

1 Jul: Sunday afternoon ride to Wicken
Clive writes: We had eight riders: a good turn out considering heat, footie and the F1 race. After a few final adjustments we joined the road and were met by Lali, Mark and Ashley (a visitor from the States) at the Long Road bridge over the guided bus route... (full report)

24 Jun: Sunday afternoon ride to Ashdon: Leading a ride the easy way
John S writes: Five of us (Mike K, Liz, Clive, Dennis, John E and John S) met at Brookside this afternoon to ride to Ashdon Village Museum and meet up with Alex's all day ride for tea. We were amazed by... (full report)

We have many more ride reports. Open the index and select "Ride reports".