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NEWARK NOTES from the Secretary

More tales of cafes and rain

It seems from the last issue that we weren't alone in having to contend with flash floods this summer (and I use that term advisedly..) My hat comes of to all those who braved the weather coming back from York. Brian and Peter went from Newark, Brian taking the train in deference to his ticker. Pete bought a new cape at the rally, and had ample opportunity to test it out on the ride home, but didn't report any flooding of the depth encountered by some of you. As is the norm with this type of weather, there's obviously an element of luck.

Dave and Sylvia's comment about the Garden Centre at Epworth being out-of-bounds to cyclists reminded me that I'd been told of this some years ago by a non-cycling colleague. The tale was that the proprietor had an altercation with a cyclist and promptly banished all of his kind from his kingdom, well, the café at least. At the time, I thought it a rather odd way of doing business; I know some cyclists can be a bit strange, but the occasional dispute with customers is inevitable and he might just as easily have banned, say, Ford Fiesta drivers or men in green shirts. Either way, I was somewhat surprised to find that the ban still stood so I nobbled the aforementioned colleague next time he came into the office. He told me that the café does quite a good trade in Sunday lunches, and that one Sunday a group of cyclists was taking its time over their tea-and-cakes while potentially more profitable customers were having to wait. Once again, cyclists' reputation as the last of the small spenders seems to be not unfounded. Fortunately, in my experience, most café proprietors seem quite happy to accept our money, sorry, custom, but perhaps we need to think more of our conduct when we surreptitiously eat our own food under the table and do all the other things that we all know someone else who does.

It is of course, not unknown for the CTC to represent cyclists who have been forbidden service, but these days, with our multitude of anti-discrimination laws, I do wonder how such a ban would stand if challenged. Certainly, cyclists aren't an ethnic group, but a cultural one perhaps? And does the fact that it is often practiced by groups on Sundays make cycling a religious experience? Stop it Mike, you're rambling on again.

Okay, what's been going down in the far North East of the territory? Well, not a lot in fact. My diary indicates that the week after my return from London and le tour was wet enough to stop any serious riding, and that the following one wasn't much different. Come the last weekend in July and it was time for my last Rural Ride of the current season. I was pleasantly surprised to find the weather dry and sunny after my previous ride, and a reasonable turnout raised my spirits. I thought I'd run out of luck on leaving Carlton Le Moorland, when a white van came at speed the other way, passed me and promptly slammed his brakes on when he saw the others. I looked back and saw the van on the roadside verge and Dickie on his side on the road. Fortunately he hadn't been hit, but had just toppled his trike taking evasive action, and had only suffered bruises, but my heart was in my mouth for a few moments. This is the sort of thing that all ride organisers dread and I'm glad that nothing serious had happened on this occasion.

August came with some slightly improved weather, and we enjoyed it while we could. Instead of joining the Saturday ride one week, I took the chance to ride out to Woodhall and check the Sustrans path along the Witham, which I'd ridden earlier in the year when it was still very much work-in-progress. It's now a well surfaced track all the way from Woodhall to Southrey and beyond, though road bikes are probably advised to take the road from Southrey to Bardney, where the track re-joins the old railway. The others had ridden to Branston and checked out the café in the old library(?) there. Another few miles and perhaps we could have met up at Five Mile Bridge. The next day, Colin and I rode only as far as Langar before turning for home in anticipation of some heavy showers that, in the event never came. Oh well, those other jobs needed doing anyway....

We had intended to ride to the Grainstore on the Saturday before the bank holiday, but a forecast, not totally incorrect as it turned out, of dire things meant we chickened out and opted for the usual afternoon ride only. Except John, who went anyway, and got wet (and seriously lost too on the way home......but not due to the beer at all..ed). I was away over the holiday weekend, but the others decided to have another attempt seeing that the weather was most un-bank-holiday like. On arrival in Oakham, they realised they had come on the right weekend after all, for a beer festival was taking place.

Some, who shall remain nameless, had to be restrained from sampling too many of the many brews that were available, for they had to ride home too, but they all made it back, I'm pleased to say. Shame that the conspirators forgot to tell the others, who turned up at the Sconce at the usual time to find the usual faces absent. Well we had the brewery, if not the organisation.

As I write this, the next weekend is earmarked for a long weekend at Youlgreave YH for what may be a finale for the season. Unless we manage another weekend somewhere... Either way, deadlines mean that's something for the next issue.

Mike Graham

Page updated 13/09/2007